Scott Coker is set for a return to MMA.
The former Bellator president and Strikeforce founder announced plans for a new global MMA league with funding led by venture capital and private equity investment firm Creator Sports Capital and participation from Griffin Gaming Partners. Additional investors include Upper Deck, D.C. United owner and Oaktree Capital co-founder Steve Kaplan, Tony Khan, among others.
Coker will serve as co-founder and CEO of the unnamed MMA company, whose global debut is expected in 2027. Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners will serve as co-founder and chairman of the board.
Levin served as both an advisor and investor in Strikeforce. Coker was president of Bellator from 2014 to 2023, when the Professional Fighters League acquired the promotion and did not bring Coker along.
The company’s advisory group features former TelevisaUnivision CEO and former Viacom CFO Wade Davis, former Sony Pictures Television chairman Steve Mosko, and former president of Paramount Network, CMT, Spike TV, and TV Land Kevin Kay.
“I always knew I wanted to come back when the time was right, with the right vision and a carefully curated team. That time is now,” Coker told The Hollywood Reporter. “There is an incredible demand for a fresh, new global brand in MMA. This new league is about returning to what matters: the integrity of competition, respect for the athletes, and sharing their remarkable journeys with the world. We are building something authentic, something that belongs to the athletes and to the fans who live and breathe this sport.”
