Strikeforce 2.0

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Onetrickpony

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Nov 21, 2016
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Looks like Coker is going to make another run as realistic competition for the UFC. Good video and the whole article if you follow the link at the end.

Scott Coker On 'Strikeforce 2.0,' Free Agency: If They Are Free, We'll Talk
FloCombat
Bellator President Scott Coker believes in his vision.

The former Founder and CEO of Strikeforce took the wheel for Bellator in June of 2014, and since that time, the promotion has undergone drastic changes. Recently, Coker's plans and his direction culminated with the historic Bellator 180/Bellator NYC event, going down Saturday, June 24, inside New York's Madison Square Garden.

To Coker, the event marked just another step on his journey toward the top of the sport of MMA.

"When you talk about the phases of Bellator--because when I came in, they were having a hard time--and for the first six months, we were still on the road doing tournaments because we had contracts to uphold with our broadcast partners," Coker told FloCombat after Bellator NYC. "I really think I put my stake in the ground here when we did the Tito Ortiz vs. [Stephan] Bonnar fight. That kind of changed the look and the feel of Bellator.

"You guys saw what we did at Strikeforce. My background's in K-1. I've been around some of the biggest martial arts fights, organizations, venues--I've been in the business a long time. When I look at Strikeforce, this is Strikeforce 2.0--bigger, better, and we definitely have an ownership group that is behind it. So, to me, it makes my job a lot easier. And it comes down to the fighters. I respect the hell out of these guys. These guys are great warriors. To me, they're all winners, even with some losses tonight."

As the Strikeforce frontrunner, Coker arranged and delivered some massive events, including the 2008 rivalry fight between Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. At the time, the event was one of the most hotly anticipated contests on the marking, drawing major attention from fans and media alike. While there are some similarities in excitement and buzz, Coker says Bellator NYC was an entirely different beast.

"It's a different feeling, because when Frank fought Cung, we had to sell literally one half of the building to Frank's fans and one half to Cung's fans," Coker said. "So either you're a Frank Shamrock fan or you're a Cung Le fan in the Bay Area. That was like the heated rivalry fight.

"This was just, the magnitude of this event, was just off the charts. To deliver the three title fights, to deliver the two big legend fights, and [Aaron Pico, and [James] Gallagher, I just feel like, man, if you're a fight fan, this is the fight you want to be at."

Elaborating on Pico a touch, Coker said the 20-year-old and his team requested a dive into the deep waters for his professional debut. While the 10-fight veteran Zach Freeman appears to have been too big a first step in hindsight, Coker maintains everything was on an even playing field and that Pico's team knew exactly what they were doing.

"Aaron Pico, that's a lot of pressure for a young kid," Coker said. "Now, they wanted that. They wanted to test this guy and put him out there. We'll see. We'll let him take a couple days off, take a week off at least and we'll revisit that."

Turning to the event as a whole, Coker noted the bonkers double knockdown in the co-main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione and the performance of welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who defeated UFC transplant Lorenz Larkin. With Lima's victory, Coker believes he has even more ammo in his defense of Bellator's welterweight division as being the best on earth.

"We have the best welterweight division on the planet," Coker said. "I don't see how anybody can debate that. … Look who Rory [MacDonald] has beat. Look who Lorenz beat. I was just watching Lorenz beat Robbie Lawler on Showtime. And [Jorge] Masvidal. When you talk about Rory MacDonald, Douglas Lima--to me, those are the best welterweights on the planet."

Scott Coker On 'Strikeforce 2.0,' Free Agency: If They Are Free, We'll Talk
 

Enock-O-Lypse Now!

Underneath Denver International Airport
Jun 19, 2016
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I have my money on Bellator / Coker overtaking the UFC in popularity within 2 years time ...they are doing all the right things for their fighters and they actually listen to what the fans have to say.

The tides are turning.
 

Mad Dog

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It's an exciting time as an MMA fan to see Bellator slowly rising up under Coker's leadership. Hopefully Viacom stays the course with the financing.
 

Clappin'Daddys

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Sep 9, 2015
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It is indeed exciting for mma fans. That said though, idk if Bellator can overtake the UFC, at least not anytime soon. Ufc simply has brand recognition. They are mma to most. Ufc is hurting themselves in the long term for short term money grabs, but they are so far ahead that the damage is reversible. Something catastrophic needs to happen for Bellator to truly be on equal footing with the UFC. Bellator is headed in the right direction, but they are a distant second.

Bellator needs to show me a couple of things. They need to show me that 1) they can successfully hold ppv on a semi regular basis, as that is where the most money is

2) they need to show me that they could build their own stars, not only poach. Don't get me wrong, free agency is a must but if you can't build you're own stars, how long can you truly last?

3)they need to be Able to keep their stars. James seems to be the next kid that they are trying to build up. Heard that he has one fight left on his contract. We know the UFC could use this kid and build him up as Conor jr. The question is can Bellator keep people like Gallagher? Can they keep a Rory when the pendulum swings the opposite way?
 
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Onetrickpony

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Nov 21, 2016
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It is indeed exciting for mma fans. That said though, idk if Bellator can overtake the UFC, at least anytime soon. Ufc simply has brand recognition. They are mma to most. Ufc is hurting themselves in the long term for short term money grabs, but they are so far ahead that the damage is reversible. Something catastrophic needs to happen for Bellator to truely be on equal footing with the UFC. Bellator is headed in the right direction, but they are a distant second.

Bellator needs to show me a couple of things. They need to show me that 1) they can successful hold ppv on a semi regular basis, as that is where the most money as it.

2) they need to show me that they could build their own stars, not only poach. Don't get me wrong, free agency is a must but if you can't build you're own stars, how long can you truly last?

3)they need to be Able to keep their stars. James seems to be the next kid that they are trying to build up. Heard that he has one fight left on his contract. We know the UFC could use this kid and build him up as Conor jr. The question is can Bellator keep people like Gallagher? Can they keep a Rory when the pendulum swings the opposite way?
I agree but look at strikeforce, it got so big that the UFC had to buy them out. Almost all their champions became UFC beltholders too. My guess is they will continue to take fighters from the UFC whenever possible for name recognition while concurrently building up their own stars. It may take a while but I have faith in Coker.
 

Clappin'Daddys

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Sep 9, 2015
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I agree but look at strikeforce, it got so big that the UFC had to buy them out. Almost all their champions became UFC beltholders too. My guess is they will continue to take fighters from the UFC whenever possible for name recognition while concurrently building up their own stars. It may take a while but I have faith in Coker.
I completely agree. Strikeforce was becoming a solid org. The problem is that the majority owners were venture capitalists who were looking to make a quick buck. To my knowledge, UFC bought strikeforce because they didn't wanna leave spike wide open for them.

A lot of top talent came form strikeforce. Sadly though, it's not only about how good you are, but how marketable you are as well. That is why Bellator is picking up the fighters of yesterday. I honestly don't mind it so long as they continue to sign prospects.
 

wanderlei_sonnen

I want to Fuck Chuck.
Feb 29, 2016
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Part of me died when I heard Strikeforce was sold. Coker is the man, and he's taking Bellator in the right direction. Sure, you can gripe about it being a legends league, or boring (somehow I keep seeing this comment, not sure what it's based on) but they are appealing to casual fans with this strategy, bringing money in, and then signing prospects/quality free agents and building it up. WAR COKER, WAR BELLATOR
 

Haulport

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Hate to be a naysayer but I have seen just about ZERO from Bellator to indicate it is anywhere in the same galaxy as Strikeforce let alone going in the direction of becoming SF 2.0 (which is what I thought was going to happen when Coker took it over 3 YEARS AGO). As a matter of fact, I enjoyed Bellator waaaaaaaaaaay more before Scott took it over and they had all the great tournies.

I'll just leave this post of mine from another thread to express me full thoughts:

This is why my interest in MMA is so low. The UFC sucks. Rizin doesn't have much of shit going on and Bellator is trying to be the "Legends League" and trotting out guys who are so fucking past their prime it is retarded. Last night we got to watch a 40 year old man who hasn't fought in 3 years get laid on by another 40 year old man who hasn't won in 4 years as the Headline bout.

The side show was a 42 year old man who is 4-8-1 over the last 11 years trying to get a fight with the winner (who he already fought and beat in January). Alternatively, the 42 year old man might fight a 47 year old man who hasn't had a fight in 7 years and exited his career 1-5 with 4 brutal KO losses and is clearly brain damaged.

This doesn't pass the straight face test for quality entertainment...
 

teamquestnorth

Lindland never cheated
Jan 27, 2015
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Lol @ Strikeforce being some huge organization. It was sold for 40 million because the investors wanted out as soon as Fedor proved to be overpaid and overated.

They were only big in the bay area.

When Lindland left Strikeforce, any claim they had at legitimacy went out the window.
 

wanderlei_sonnen

I want to Fuck Chuck.
Feb 29, 2016
136
224
Hate to be a naysayer but I have seen just about ZERO from Bellator to indicate it is anywhere in the same galaxy as Strikeforce let alone going in the direction of becoming SF 2.0 (which is what I thought was going to happen when Coker took it over 3 YEARS AGO). As a matter of fact, I enjoyed Bellator waaaaaaaaaaay more before Scott took it over and they had all the great tournies.

I'll just leave this post of mine from another thread to express me full thoughts:
Yesterday Scott hinted at an upcoming non-heavyweight tourney, didn't say what weight class. And a potential heavyweight tourney when they get a few more heavyweights.

Obviously the old men headlined the show because they helped build the sport and have drawing power - but the majority of the card was fighters either in their prime or young prospects.

I was pretty entertained, and would've been even without the main and comain. Here's to hoping for some tournaments in the near future.
 

Clappin'Daddys

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Sep 9, 2015
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Lol @ Strikeforce being some huge organization. It was sold for 40 million because the investors wanted out as soon as Fedor proved to be overpaid and overated.

They were only big in the bay area.

When Lindland left Strikeforce, any claim they had at legitimacy went out the window.
Strikeforce was a fun org, but I agree here. They are remembered more fondly and great than they actually were.

I actually think Bellator has surpassed sf. How many international deals did strikeforce have? No international shows to my knowledge. They had a stronghold in Cali, but were limited.

Bellator has much more potential. All Coker needs is time.
 
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HEATH VON DOOM

Remember the 5th of November
Oct 21, 2015
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Bellator will be screwed whenever the senior citizens the UFC released retire. Why call it Bellabore when it is basically the UFC seniors club. They just had their first PPV and both the main card and prelims were headlined by guys that couldnt cut it in the UFC. If they keep putting on sgit cards like that it wont belong till coker is forced to sell again.

If this was bellasnores 10th ppv you fanboys wouldnt be so giddy about that shit they served you. If they want to compete they need their own stars and own identity. Frank and Cung worked for SF because no one watched UFC when Frank was there and Cung was their guy.
 

Rambo John J

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Strikeforce was a fun org, but I agree here. They are remembered more fondly and great than they actually were.

U actually think Bellator has surpassed sf. How many international deals did strikeforce have? No international shows to my knowledge. They had a stronghold in Cali, but were limited.

Bellator has much more potential. All Coker needs is time.
that was very entertaining MMA and it cost very little because you were getting a card a month or so for a bit and all you needed was a cable channel sub.....Showtime?

Lotta champs and top guys were there

the best guys were actually top1-5 talent

lawyer
Gegard

no need to dog out that great ORG
 

Clappin'Daddys

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Sep 9, 2015
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that was very entertaining MMA and it cost very little because you were getting a card a month or so for a bit and all you needed was a cable channel sub.....Showtime?

Lotta champs and top guys were there

the best guys were actually top1-5 talent

lawyer
Gegard

no need to dog out that great ORG
Don't get me wrong; I'm not shitting on sf,but I tend to try to be a realist.

I watched strikeforce. I enjoyed it,but I tend to try and speak with a business mind as well. They had serious talent, but they didn't have the financial bAcking to capitalize on what they had
 

Wild

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Dec 31, 2014
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Stikeforce had one hell of a roster. Just to name a few.

Rousey
Cormier
Nick Diaz
Shields
Lawler
Aoki
Kharitonov
Mayhem Manhoef
Jason Miller
Mousasi
Jacare
Fedor
Werdum
TRT Bigfoot Silva
Hendo
Cung Le
Overeem
Rockhold
Tim Kennedy
Barnett
Marquardt

Most of them, in their prime. That's fucking loaded right there.
 

Onetrickpony

Stay gold
Nov 21, 2016
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Stikeforce had one hell of a roster. Just to name a few.

Rousey
Cormier
Nick Diaz
Shields
Lawler
Aoki
Kharitonov
Mayhem Manhoef
Jason Miller
Mousasi
Jacare
Fedor
Werdum
TRT Bigfoot Silva
Hendo
Cung Le
Overeem
Rockhold
Tim Kennedy
Barnett
Marquardt

Most of them, in their prime. That's fucking loaded right there.
Their belts were sweet too.







 

Haulport

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Jan 17, 2015
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Stikeforce had one hell of a roster. Just to name a few.

Cormier
Nick Diaz
Shields
Lawler
Aoki
Kharitonov
Mayhem Manhoef
Jason Miller
Mousasi
Jacare
Fedor
Werdum
TRT Bigfoot Silva
Hendo
Cung Le
Overeem
Rockhold
Tim Kennedy
Barnett
Marquardt

Most of them, in their prime. That's fucking loaded right there.
Fixed that for you.......

Plus
Paul Daley
Tyron Woodley
Jorge Masvidal
Frank Shamrock
Gilbert Melendez
Tatsuya Kawajiri (once I think)
Scott Smith
OSP
Roger Gracie
Yoel Romero
Feijao
JZ Cavalcante (he really fell to pieces though)
Josh Thompson

That org was STACKED.............
 
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teamquestnorth

Lindland never cheated
Jan 27, 2015
15,422
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Stikeforce had one hell of a roster. Just to name a few.

Rousey
Cormier
Nick Diaz
Shields
Lawler
Aoki
Kharitonov
Mayhem Manhoef
Jason Miller
Mousasi
Jacare
Fedor
Werdum
TRT Bigfoot Silva
Hendo
Cung Le
Overeem
Rockhold
Tim Kennedy
Barnett
Marquardt

Most of them, in their prime. That's fucking loaded right there.
Tell me more about Mayhem Manhoef