Scott Coker is heading up an investor funded MMA league in 2027 and it seems like he’s bringing back a lot of familiar names to the sport. The Hollywood Reporter was one of the first to report.
Kevin Kay, who spearheaded MMA on Spike TV, will become the league’s chief content officer. In addition, Rich Chou, the former Strikeforce and Bellator matchmaker will be the Executive VP of Talent Relations. Paolo Boccotti who worked for Fight Code and Bellator in the past was added as an Executive VP. Rounding the announcements on Tuesday, Tom Fox will serve as the Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Stuart will be another Executive VP and Chris DeBlasio will serve as Executive VP as Global Head of Communications.
Coker is the co-founder and CEO of the mixed martial arts league which has yet to reveal its name. The announcement of Kay and Chou seem to be the most notable due to many in the MMA space recognizing their names. Among Kay’s stops within the industry was at Spike TV where he worked with Coker during Bellator’s stint on the network. He also was the executive that greenlit The Ultimate Fighter. Chou is well-respected in MMA circles largely for his work with Strikeforce as a matchmaker. He took over matchmaking responsibilities at the age of 30 back in 2009.
Coker stated on Ariel Helwani’s show that he intends to sign 100 to 150 fighters for the upstart league which has a reported initial investment of $60 million.
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