Rogan praises MVP's Netflix debut but doubts Scott Coker's $60m MMA comeback

Joe Rogan praised MVP MMA’s Netflix debut — which drew 17 million viewers — but expressed scepticism about Scott Coker’s newly announced return to MMA promotion, saying the former Bellator and Strikeforce head faces a steep financial climb with only $60 million in backing.

Rogan made the comments on his podcast alongside MMA referee Big John McCarthy and retired fighter Josh Thomson, using the conversation to assess the broader competitive landscape facing the UFC.

“I like Scott a lot, but good luck,” Rogan said of Coker, who recently announced his comeback as a promoter with $60 million in financial support. “When I saw it was only $60 million I was like, that sounds like a lot of money until you think about putting on an MMA promotion and then getting television production, and then paying fighters, and then securing venues, and then having staff full time. Maybe, you know? You got Tony Hawk with you. Maybe.”

Rogan was careful to separate his doubts from any personal criticism of Coker, adding that more competition ultimately benefits fighters and the sport. “I’m rooting for him. I think he did great when he was running Glory as well as when he was running Bellator back in the day. He’s a really nice guy. I think it’s great for everybody if there’s more competition. I think this whole MVP thing and the Netflix thing is great. It stirred a bunch of cash into the organization, a bunch of people got more money than they would ever gotten anywhere else. Awesome. More options the better. I just, you know, I hope he could do it. It’s f*cking hard.”

To illustrate the difficulty of building a rival league from scratch, Rogan pointed to the XFL as an example of a competition that struggled to convert casual interest into genuine fan investment despite featuring talented athletes.

McCarthy offered a nuanced take on the UFC’s own position, arguing that while the promotion’s brand recognition remains its greatest asset, it has struggled in recent years to manufacture stars the way it once did. “People now, a lot of them don’t even know the fighters that are on the card but they’ll turn it on when it says UFC because they believe in the product,” McCarthy said. “But the one problem I do think that they have right now is they’re unable to market people like they did when you know you and I were early in it. They now are in a position every week so it’s tough to market the guys who are not well known.