Coker's New MMA Promotion Targeting January 2027 Launch

Scott Coker has shared additional details on his forthcoming promotion, targeting a January 2027 launch backed by $60 million in funding.

"We're looking at a January date. 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," Coker said.

The investment group behind the promotion is as follows: Creator Sports Capital leads the financial structure, with Griffin Gaming Partners, trading card company Upper Deck, DC United owner Steve Kaplan, and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk all contributing capital.

Twelve events in the first year, scaling to eighteen in 2028 and twenty-two in 2029, across American, European, and Asian markets, represents a commitment.

The tournament format is consistent with what Coker built at Strikeforce and refined at Bellator — a structure he credits with developing new stars rather than simply recycling known names.

Coker was direct about the approach. "I think we've done it better than anybody else, but we will bring in free agents to sprinkle from the top down, and that's going to be a very robust roster, let's say, in a year or two."

The model is the same one that turned Strikeforce into a legitimate rival before its UFC acquisition. The MMA landscape is shifting. MVP MMA has confirmed its ambitions to become the sport's number two promotion following its Netflix debut. Coker's promotion adds another serious entry to the field.