Per a press release and post on
social media on Thursday, the former head of Strikeforce and Bellator MMA announced himself as returning to run a
new MMA organization yet to be named at this time. Based on the
email correspondence, it may be coined some variation of “Strike
MMA,” but that could be a working title. To garner support to put
together a new MMA league, Coker has teamed up with several
deep-pocketed investors and names familiar with the entertainment
industry.
Of note, Kevin Kay, former President of Paramount as well as Spike
TV, will be on the investor and advisory group running this org. He
has also gained the support of ex-Viacom chief financial officer
Wade Davis, former Sony Pictures TV chair Steve Mosko, owner of
D.C. United and a massive asset management company Steve Kaplan. In
terms of household names, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk will also be
chipping in. This promotion will be formed as a collaborative
effort between Coker and Griffin Gaming Partners co-founder Peter
Levin, who previously served as a proponent of Strikeforce before
its acquisition by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
When the time was right
In his third noteworthy bite at the MMA apple—he did run a
few recent events in San Jose, California, while trying to drum
up business for a larger project—Coker is just as energized and
thrilled as ever.
In his press release, the newly crowned CEO said, “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. 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. 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.”
While the official details are still being worked out, including
how the league will operate and how many events they wish to hold,
the team is amped up and ready to get going. Levine expressed ample
appreciation for Coker’s previous body of work, while sharing
excitement for the future.
He explained on the press release, “Scott is a generational
operator in the world of combat sports. He has proven time and
again that he can scale a business globally and profitably. His
‘fighter-first’ orientation has earned him loyalty and admiration
from MMA athletes around the globe and across generations. He’s a
world-beater, and I’m looking forward, yet again, to embarking on
this journey together.”
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker)
May 21, 2026
