Scott Coker says many Bellator champions are better than UFC titleholders: “That’s how I feel”

Bellator President Scott Coker believes that a slew of champions under his banner are better than the UFC’s titleholders.

Coker and UFC President Dana White aren’t exactly bitter enemies, but the two have thrown verbal jabs at one another. In a 2018 lawsuit deposition, White said every promotion Coker touches has failed.

Fast forward to 2023, and Scott Coker feels that his promotion has better champions than the UFC’s offering in multiple weight classes (h/t MMAJunkie).

“If you look at a 205-pound weight class, I think we have the best fighter in the world,” Coker said. “185, we have the best fighter in the world. 170, we have the best fighter in the world. We could fight anybody, any of those, and even the lighter weights, I think ’45, I think ’55. Then whoever wins this tournament, to me, would be the best lightweight in the world. I mean, that’s how I feel.

“And to have to be able to say that after five, six years of building this roster, it feels really good because these guys are exceptional athletes. And when I first came here, it wasn’t like that. This was not the Bellator it is today. It was a very small organization, small show, and it’s come a long way. And now we’re on a good roll.”

Bellator’s current champions include the likes of Cris Cyborg, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Johnny Eblen, Yaroslav Amosov, and Usman Nurmagomedov to name a few. UFC’s champions feature the likes of Amanda Nunes, Alexander Volkanovski, Islam Makhachev, Aljamain Sterling, and Valentina Shevchenko.

Do you agree with Scott Coker that a slew of his Bellator champions are actually better than the UFC’s current division titleholders? Share your thoughts in the comment section below PENN Nation!