Scott Coker details plans for new MMA league: Platform to make a big pot of gold

The newest in-the-works MMA organization has not yet announced its name, but its CEO offered a cheeky placeholder when nudged.“Just call it Scott Coker Presents; how about that?” a smiling Coker told The Post hours after Thursday’s reveal that the former head of Strikeforce and Bellator was returning to fight promotion.And don’t call the new venture Strike MMA; Coker confirmed the domain name attached to PR contacts that indicated such a name “definitely will not” be the moniker and refers merely to the parent company.Though a name remains “weeks away” from being finalized and revealed to the world, Coker divulged much more about his new baby than had been contained in the initial announcement.What was termed as a targeted “global debut in early 2027” is actually even closer than it might sound for the tournament-centric league.“We’re looking at a January date,” Coker says.“And when I say January, it’s not going to be just one event.

It’s going to be bang-bang-bang, bang-bang-bang.… It’s going to be a gauntlet of events that we produce in the first half of the year.If that sounds like a lot for the type of eight-fighter grand prix Coker had staged dating back to the 2011-12 Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix through the final Bellator tournament completed before its November 2023 sale to rival PFL, that’s because eight is not enough for his new organization.“It’ll be way north of eight,” Coker said, though he stopped short of confirming exactly how many athletes would be in the first year’s tournament that he promises will “give [fighters] a platform to make a big pot of gold at the end of the day.”Whatever the size, Coker says a champion will be crowned over the course of 12 months, with 12 events planned for the first year and an eye toward 18 and 22 in Years 2 and 3, respectively.Plans include events to be held both within the United States — in his native San Francisco Bay Area and later New York and Lo...