See, that's where we disagree. I want that to happen, I just don't think we'll see it get to that point.
They first need to get to Strikeforce's level, which won't be easy considering all the notable Strikeforce guys are now in the UFC, and many of them are champs or championship contenders, making a return to Coker less likely.
I think it could take 5 years just to get this promotion on the level of prime Strikeforce - UNLESS this lawsuit by the fighters really forces change to the extent Zuffa can't lock down the elite fighters at every weight class. If that happens, then yes, your vision is definitely possible, but we're talking about game-changing judgments that essentially break the Zuffa monopsony. I think that's what we all want, but I bet all this lawsuit will do is simply make Zuffa more crafty at protecting their monopsony. They'll make some tweaks to appease some folks, then pretty much go back to what they were doing before.
I won't bash anyone for opposing my point of view,for the most part, and giving me theirs in a resptable way.
One thing we can agree on is that it'll take some time for Coker to do with bellator what he did with Strikeforce.
If you have been reading around, you would have notice some posters already dismissing Coker, almost as if they truly expected him to build an empire in a years time. It will take some more years to become as prominent as Strikeforce was.
You argue that Coker needs to get his Strikeforce guys to get on the old sf level. I don't agree with that. Of course it would help, but Let's not forget that Coker discovered and bred most of these Strikeforce fighters who are ruling in the UFC. If he did it once, he can do it again. The man truly has an eye for talent.
What Coker is doing now is basically a repeat of what he did with Strikeforce. Buy up some big name fighters(and use the ones they have) to draw in the ratings... then: hendo, overeem, fedor ect... Now: kimbo, shamrock, Tito, ect.. while he scouts talent and builds for the future. pico, Ruth, fortune. rumor also has it that bellator is bidding hard for bendo, and Overeem. Also, Coker aims for fights why can draw a solid hometown crowd, primarily in california( his backyard).
As I've stated before, I don't like some of the freakshows that Coker has put on, but I see why he does it. With these fights, he can boost ratings, draw bigger audiences, and potentially lure bigger sponsors. To put it simply, all that equates to more $$$$. With more money, Coker can then turn around and attempt to attract bigger more relevant names, promote the names he has, and increase the amount of cards they out on. All this could possible put him on a bigger platform. Coker had Strikeforce on a premium channel and somehow got them on network television. With bellator, he's already on cable tv, which means much more eyeballs than showtime.
Coker is also willing to co promote. Which allows for even more eyeballs on his product. He has made connections with oktagon, road, and rizin.
Bellator has a bigger platform than Strikeforce did. And with Coker leading the charge, I can see them growing exponentially in the next 2-3 years.