Scott Coker is back in the MMA business with real money behind him.
The former Strikeforce founder and Bellator president has announced a new $60 million Global MMA League, with financing led by Creator Sports Capital and backing from Griffin Gaming Partners, Tony Hawk, and investors from sports, media, technology, and finance. The move puts Coker back in the promoter seat after his Bellator run ended following PFL’s 2023 acquisition of the company.
Coker’s return matters because he has already built major non-UFC platforms before. Strikeforce became one of the sport’s strongest alternatives before the UFC absorbed it, and Bellator later gave him another national stage. He was also the executive tied to major cross-promotional ideas, including Bellator vs. Rizin, and he previously discussed heavyweight free agency when Francis Ngannou was linked to Bellator.
“I always knew I wanted to come back when the time was right, with the right vision and a carefully curated team,” Coker said. “That time is now.”
The announcement lists former Viacom CFO Wade Davis and former Paramount Network president Kevin Kay among the names involved. Hawk’s backing gives the project a mainstream sports-culture connection, but the more important piece is the funding. MMA history is full of promotions that talked big and ran out of runway fast. A $60 million raise gives Coker’s project a stronger launch point than most new fight leagues.
View Coker’s announcement below:
Coker Says The New League Will Focus On Competition And Athlete Respect
Coker framed the league as a global MMA brand built around fighters, fans, and cleaner competition. That is the lane he has always liked. He is not pitching a gimmick league. He is pitching a serious alternative at a time when Bellator’s old identity has faded into the PFL system.
“There is an incredible demand for a fresh, new global brand in MMA,” Coker said. “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. I’ve spent nearly two years developing this concept, and I’m thankful to Peter, all of our investors and the team we’re putting together.”
The timing is sharp. The UFC is still the clear industry leader, PFL is trying to make its Bellator purchase work, and the market for a stable No. 2 or No. 3 MMA platform remains wide open. The Global Fight League already showed how fast excitement can turn ugly when a new promotion cannot hold its business together. Coker’s advantage is experience. He has booked major events, built television products, worked with international partners, and survived long enough to understand where fight promotions usually break.
Still, the hard part begins after the announcement. Coker’s league needs real distribution, a roster deep enough to matter, and matchmaking that does not feel like a nostalgia tour. The PFL’s own PFL vs. Bellator event showed how valuable established names can be, but a new league cannot live on old brands forever.
Coker has the money, the résumé, and a recognizable investor group. Now the question is whether he can turn those pieces into a global MMA league that fighters want to join and fans actually watch.
