Scott Coker, former CEO of both Bellator and Strikeforce, has revealed his plans for a new promotion named Ki MMA, which is expected to start producing events in 2027.
While in the past he established promotions as direct competitors to the leading UFC, Coker is coming at this one from a completely different angle, and kicking things off with a 32-fighter global tournament.
Rather than rely heavily on the North American market, which he has done with past companies, Coker plans for the tournament to consist of fights in four different countries to crown ‘continental champions’. Once the continental champions have been established, they will meet in the finals and each compete twice in a single night. At the launch press conference on Monday in New York City, they indicated the tournament would be meant for young featherweight MMA prospects with under ten fights.
🚨 Ki MMA just announced a 32-man featherweight Grand Prix tournament 👀
– 32 fighters across 4 continents
– 4 single-elimination tournaments, 8 fighters each
– Winners from each continent will meet in one final event, and the winner of that will become Ki MMA champion(via… https://t.co/THvbigs63E pic.twitter.com/Mt1wPoLIIb
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 14, 2026
But it seems that’s not all that’s in the pipeline for 2027, as the tournament is expected to only represent 30% of their fights for the year. An additional key difference between Ki MMA and other promotions is that all bouts will take place inside a classic ring, instead of the more common cage, as Coker feels the viewing experience is better for the fans.
スコット・コーカーが新たに新設したMMA団体「Ki MMA」 はリングで行われる📝#KiMMA pic.twitter.com/ARf4MjyVJV
— CageSide Note (@CageSideNote) September 15, 2026