Scott Coker News

Adam Martin - December 10, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says he is interested in booking Dillon Danis against Jake Paul in boxing and MMA fights. In the wake of Paul’s brutal KO win over Nate Robinson the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. boxing undercard, Danis has surfaced as a potential opponent for Paul. Both guys do not like each other and have been taking shots at each other on social media for a few years now. After Paul knocked out Robinson, he is now a money fight for a lot of different opponents, and Danis surely will want to cash in on a big payday as well.

Harry Kettle - December 10, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker has laid out his plans in the wake of the announcement that they have signed Anthony Johnson. The world of mixed martial arts was stunned earlier this week by the news that Johnson had parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in favor of signing a contract with Bellator.

Adam Martin - December 9, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker explained why Bellator isn’t interested in signing free-agent middleweight fighter Yoel Romero to a contract. The UFC cut Romero last week as part of its 60 roster cuts by the end of 2020. The move to release Romero came as a big surprise considering he had just fought Israel Adesanya in his last fight at UFC 248 for the middleweight belt. But with the UFC in roster-cutting mode, the 43-year-old Romero and his three straight losses were deemed expendable. UFC president Dana White said that the cuts are purely roster-space motivated and have nothing to do with cost-cutting measures due to COVID-19.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker suggested that promotional welterweight champion Douglas Lima could take on Neiman Gracie in his next fight. Lima recently moved up to middleweight in a failed effort to become a two-division champion in Bellator when he lost a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi. Lima is expected to move back to 170lbs for his next fight, and fighters such as Michael Page and Lorenz Larkin have been teased as potential opponents. But it looks like Bellator has another fight in mind for Lima following his recent loss to Mousasi.

Cole Shelton - November 19, 2020

Bellator will not be offering free agent, Anderson Silva a contract, Scott Coker revealed. On Thursday, it was revealed Silva was released from his UFC deal. The news came weeks after his knockout loss to Uriah Hall where Dana White made it clear he would not fight inside the Octagon again.

Adam Martin - November 18, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that Rampage Jackson was released from the promotion and is an unrestricted free agent. Jackson last fought at Bellator & RIZIN: Japan in December 2019 and he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Fedor Emelianenko that night. Now 42 years old, we haven’t heard anything from Jackson all year in regards to fighting again for Bellator. That’s because according to Coker, the final fight on Jackson’s Bellator contract was the Emelianenko fight. With that final bout completed, Jackson’s contract with Bellator concluded and the promotion released him. He’s now free to sign anywhere else.

Adam Martin - November 13, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker teased a future Bellator 205lbs tournament, saying “it’s the best light heavyweight division on the planet.” Coker and his organization are in the midst of completing the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix, a tournament that was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The promotion previously put on the Heavyweight Grand Prix that saw Ryan Bader win. In the past, Coker held a heavyweight tournament, a women’s bantamweight, and a middleweight tournament in Strikeforce, so we all know Coker loves a good bracket.

Adam Martin - October 30, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker suggested that a rematch between Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima and Michael Page could be next. Lima lost a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi in the main event of Thursday’s Bellator 250 event in a failed bid to become a two-division champion. Despite the loss to Mousasi, Lima remains the promotion’s welterweight champion. As such, he will be returning to his regular weight class for his next fight. Just who that is going to be against remains the question.

Adam Martin - October 29, 2020

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.

Adam Martin - October 15, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko is “50/50” on whether he wants a rematch with Fabricio Werdum. It’s been over 10 years since Werdum pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history when he finished Emelianenko by submission in a Strikeforce fight in June 2010. Werdum would parlay that win over Emelianenko into a UFC contract, where he eventually became the promotion’s champion. As for Emelianenko, he was very up-and-down during the 2010s after being the fighter of the decade in the 2000s. In recent years, Emelianenko has found a home in Bellator, whose promoter Scott Coker is also close friends with Werdum.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2020

Over the weekend, Scott Coker promoted the first major mixed martial arts event in France with the stacked Bellator 248 card. It took many years for France to formally legalize MMA, but once the country opened that door, Coker and Bellator sprung into action, laying out plans for the first major MMA event in the country.

Tom Taylor - October 7, 2020

Bellator President Scott Coker has shared his first reaction to Michael Chandler, the promotion’s former lightweight champion, signing with the UFC. Chandler is arguably the biggest star in Bellator history. Last month, however, the former champ parted ways with the promotion, and signed on the dotted line with the UFC.

Chris Taylor - September 11, 2020

Bellator President Scott Coker has fired back at Dana White for suggesting that ex-UFC fighters who have joined Bellator were let go by the promotion. Back in August, Coker made headlines when he proclaimed that Bellator had the best light heavyweight division in all of mixed martial arts. In his defense, Coker’s comments came immediately following the news that longtime UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was vacating his title in order to move up to heavyweight.

Tom Taylor - August 25, 2020

Bellator President Scott Coker is extremely impressed by the promotion’s red-hot flyweight prospect Valerie Loureda. Loureda, a Taekwondo specialist who is now 3-0 as a mixed martial artist under the Bellator banner, was the subject of some high praise from the promotion’s president at the Bellator 244 post-fight press conference.

Christopher Taylor - August 22, 2020

Dana White responded to Scott Coker’s claim that Bellator possesses the best light heavyweight division in MMA during tonight’s UFC post-fight press conference. Following the news that Jon Jones was vacating his UFC light heavyweight title in order to make a run at heavyweight, the Bellator boss in Coker suggested that his promotion now had the best light heavyweight roster in MMA.

Adam Martin - August 20, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker has gone on record saying he believes Bellator has a superior light heavyweight division to the UFC. Coker and Bellator recently signed top-five light heavyweight Corey Anderson to a big-money free-agent deal, strengthening the division. Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader fights this Friday at Bellator 244 against top contender Vadim Nemkov, in what is an excellent matchup for the belt. Other light heavyweights in the promotion include Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis, who face each other in a rematch in September.

Tom Taylor - April 24, 2020

While Dana White and the UFC are determined to keep things running during the coronavirus pandemic, Bellator boss Scott Coker has pumped the brakes in the name of safety. Coker has postponed a host of Bellator events, and seems to be legitimately concerned with what is happening in the world right now.

Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020

Last Friday, Bellator President Scott Coker made the decision to cancel the Bellator 241 card at the last-minute amid growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Coker promptly announced that all the fighters that were scheduled to compete on the card would be paid. John McCarthy, a veteran MMA referee who now serves as a Bellator commentator, believes Coker made the right decision, and praised the Bellator boss for his handling of the situation.