S. Coker (photo) is the CEO of Bellator. Photo: Disclosure
Bellator president Scott Coker has some pretty ambitious plans for his organization in the near future. With an eye on increasing the representation of events among MMA fans, the director wants his company to avoid following the same path as the UFC, using another prominent brand as a reference: PRIDE.
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The event, which existed between 1997 and 2007, was the biggest fight at the time, surpassing even Ultimate. However, there were differences in relation to what is seen today, not only in rules but also in the format of the attraction as a whole.
This Saturday (20), Bellator will hold an event inspired by some PRIDE attractions, mixing MMA fights in the cage with kickboxing in a ring. The measure, according to Coker, is the first step towards a greater objective.
“I want it to be like PRIDE, but better. That is the goal. These huge events are a huge step up from what Bellator was doing a year ago. This will be something that happens once a year, a kickboxing and MMA extravaganza. This will take production, audience and public presence to a different level”, said the director, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Fighting”.
Bellator Dynamite will feature as its main attraction the fight between Tito Ortiz and Liam McGeary, valid for the light heavyweight belt. On the same night, there will be a mini-GP in the under 93 kg category, with Phil Davis, Emanuel Newton, King mo and Linton Vassell having two fights to decide who will be the next challenger for the title.
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