Scott Coker explains why Bellator made 30 roster cuts

Bellator president Scott Coker explained why Bellator made 30 roster cuts including veterans such as Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, and Joe Warren.

It was reported earlier this week that Bellator cut a number of fighters from its roster. Many of the fighters who were released were veterans coming to the end of the like such as Mir, Nelson, and Warren, but there were also a number of younger fighters on the list such as Ricky Bandejas, Chris Lencioni, and AJ Agazarm that surprised fans.

Speaking to MMAjunkie.com’s Nolan King ahead of Thursday’s Bellator 250 card, Coker explained why Bellator decided to release these fighters from its roster.

“The (list) is really a reflection of where the company is going, right? One of the things about running this company with 250 to 270 to sometimes almost 300 athletes is there are only so many TV spots. There’s only so much room on the roster,” Coker said.

“Sometimes fighters retire, like Pat Curran. He retired. Jon Fitch, he retired. Sometimes there are fighters whose contracts run out. That’s just what it is. We chose not to re-sign them, or they went somewhere else. To me, it’s just 30 fighters that have (are) basically gone, and we signed 30 new fighters. We need to make room for some of the new athletes on the roster.

“Really, it’s a period over what? This is the first time this has happened since February, right? You’re talking about 30 athletes in a 10-month period. You’re talking about three athletes a month going in and out. It’s really not that much. It just seems like a lot because we haven’t done it since COVID hit. That’s been about 10 months.”

There are certainly some interesting names on the list and some of these fighters may eventually make their way to the UFC. So the question to the fans is, do you think Bellator and Scott Coker made sensible roster cuts? And who should the UFC sign?