Scott Coker plans 12-event 2027 MMA promotion launch to shake up the sport

Scott Coker’s new MMA promotion will launch in January 2027, the veteran promoter confirmed to Yahoo Sports, with plans for 12 events in its first full year featuring a mix of tournaments and superfights.

Coker, who founded Strikeforce and sold it to the UFC in 2011 before spending a decade running Bellator until its sale to PFL in 2024, says the core infrastructure of the unnamed promotion is now in place — around six or seven senior executives — and that the real work of building the organisation can begin.

“Since we’ve announced it, we’ve had inquiries with everybody,” Coker said. “We’ve already had inquiries from some of my past partners in Bellator that were probably our biggest paying license holders, have reached out and said, ‘Hey, we want to have a conversation.’ So, we’re talking to everybody, and now the ball begins.”

Coker was clear that the promotion will not be built around tournaments alone. “We’re going to have something for everyone,” he said. “We’re not going to be a tournament only. We’re going to put on great superfights.” He also confirmed the promotion intends to operate globally, with events held around the world and international broadcast partners already making contact.

The promoter’s stated philosophy centres on talent development — identifying and building the next generation of stars rather than competing purely at the top of the market. “When I was promoting Strikeforce, I knew who the next stars were going to be. Bellator even. Because we always built from the ground up, and then we bought from the top down,” Coker said. “We’re going to go mining for the next stars.”

Underpinning the entire venture is Coker’s belief that MMA is in need of disruption. He said he spent roughly a year and a half working through a business plan before committing, asking himself whether the market genuinely needed a new promotion. His conclusion was that it does.

“I feel like there’s a little bit of a funk in the MMA space right now,” Coker said. “I think the sport needs a little bit of shaking the cage.”

A formal launch date and the promotion’s name have not yet been announced.