Scott Coker Named As New Bellator MMA President

The news broke on Wednesday morning that Bellator MMA founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, and Bellator COO Tim Danaher had parted ways with the fight promotion.  ”Viacom and Tim and I differed in our views of the right strategic direction for Bellator, but Tim and I both wish them well,” said Bjorn Rebney in a statement.

It didn’t take long for the Viacom-owned company to name a new president.

Veteran combat sports promoter Scott Coker has been named President, Bellator MMA, effective immediately. The announcement was made today by Kevin Kay, Spike TV President, to whom Coker will report. In his new position, Coker, will oversee the day-to-day management of the emerging mixed martial arts franchise. Coker was Founder and former CEO of Strikeforce, which began in 1985 as a kickboxing league and developed into an MMA league in 2006.

“We are excited to have Scott Coker lead us in a new direction as we evolve the league format from a tournament-based organization to a more traditional model with big fights,” said Kay