Scott Coker is preparing a new global MMA league for 2027, and Tony Hawk is among the investors
Scott Coker, one of the best-known promoters in the history of mixed martial arts, is planning to return to the top level of professional MMA by launching a new global league in 2027. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the project currently has no publicly confirmed name, but 60 million dollars in financing has been secured for its development, and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is among the investors. The financing is led by the investment firm Creator Sports Capital, while Griffin Gaming Partners and a group of investors from sports, media, technology and finance are also involved in the project. Coker is expected to take on the role of chief executive officer in the new organization, while Peter Levin has been announced as chairman of the board.
The announcement is important because Coker is not just another business figure entering combat sports. He is the man who built Strikeforce, an organization that during the 2000s and early 2010s became one of the most important alternatives to the UFC, and he then led Bellator MMA for years. His return comes at a time when the global MMA market is becoming increasingly commercial, media rights are becoming more valuable, and fighters and managers are more often looking for greater room to negotiate outside the dominant UFC system. According to Coker’s announcement, the new league wants to position itself as an international brand focused on sporting credibility, respect for fighters and a clearer presentation of their personal stories.
A project with 60 million dollars in initial capital
According to the available information, Coker’s new league is starting with initial financing of 60 million dollars. The Hollywood Reporter states that the financing is led by Creator Sports Capital, a company that invests in sports, entertainment and media projects, while the investors include Griffin Gaming Partners, Tony Hawk, D.C. United owner Steve Kaplan and other investors connected with professional sports franchises. The names of all the investors involved have not been publicly released, and details about the ownership structure, the planned number of events, fighter contracts and media partners have not yet been officially presented.
In the published statements, Coker said that he had long known he wanted to return to MMA when the right conditions were created, with a clear vision and a carefully selected team. His emphasis on a “fresh global brand” shows that the project will not try to present itself merely as another regional promotion, but as an international league that from the beginning should seek an audience in multiple markets. Such an approach carries greater ambitions, but also greater costs, because global production, travel, licensing, marketing and fighter salaries require stable sources of revenue.
Peter Levin, who is expected to be chairman of the board, is known in combat-sports and sports circles for his earlier work with Strikeforce and for his experience in media, gaming and sports investments. The involvement of investors from outside the traditional combat-sports space shows that the new league will probably not rely only on ticket sales and classic broadcasts, but will seek to develop a broader media product. In modern MMA, that includes digital content, social networks, documentary formats, building fighters’ personalities and partnerships with platforms looking for live sports content.
Why Coker’s return is significant for MMA
Coker’s reputation in the sport was built on two major chapters. As the founder of Strikeforce, he developed an organization that became an important stage for fighters such as Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz, Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey. Strikeforce was sold in 2011 to Zuffa, the then owner of the UFC, and some of its fighters later achieved top results in the UFC. That historical detail is important because it shows that Coker already has experience in creating an organization that can recognize talent before it becomes a global star.
The second chapter of his career is connected with Bellator, where he took over a leading role in 2014. Under his leadership, Bellator combined the development of young fighters, appearances by established veterans and international events. The organization did not manage to seriously threaten the UFC’s market dominance, but it remained one of the most recognizable names outside the UFC system. After the Professional Fighters League announced in November 2023 that it had acquired Bellator from Paramount Global, Coker did not remain at the center of the new structure, and his professional path in MMA was an open question for some time.
At the time, the PFL presented the acquisition as a move that created a strong global competitor to the UFC. According to the PFL’s official announcement, the acquisition of Bellator was supposed to expand the fighter roster and enable new international formats, including special events with Bellator champions. Coker’s new project therefore appears at a market moment in which consolidation has already taken place, but also one in which part of the audience and fighters are still looking for additional alternatives. For the new league, that may be an opportunity, but also a challenge, because it must fight for attention in a space where the UFC, PFL, ONE Championship, Rizin and a number of regional organizations are already active.
Tony Hawk as a symbol of broader sports and media ambition
The inclusion of Tony Hawk as an investor has drawn particular attention because Hawk is not a name from MMA, but a globally recognized athlete and entrepreneur from the world of skateboarding. His presence in the investor group does not mean that the new league will be tied to skateboarding, but it shows that the project wants to attract investors with experience in building sports culture, personal brands and audiences outside the traditional boundaries of combat sports. During his career, Hawk became one of the best-known examples of an athlete who turned competitive success into long-term media and business influence.
For an MMA league that still has to build its identity, that kind of investor can be useful primarily in the area of branding. Today’s combat sport does not depend only on sporting results, but also on the ability of organizations to turn fighters into recognizable public figures. The UFC developed that model through a combination of sporting competition, reality formats, social networks and global distribution. Coker’s new league, if it wants to be relevant, will have to find its own way of presenting fighters that will not look like a copy of existing formats.
According to the information published so far, one of the project’s goals will be precisely an emphasis on fighters’ stories. That is a logical approach because in MMA, personal history, fighting style, rivalries and the path to the professional scene are often just as important for attracting audiences as the win-loss record. Still, good production alone will not be enough for long-term success. The league will have to sign competitive fighters, ensure regulatorily reliable events, arrange distribution and convince the audience that something sportingly important is being decided in its fights.
The market is larger than before, but the competition is fierce
Coker’s project is entering a market in which MMA is no longer a niche, but an established global sports-entertainment product. TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the UFC and WWE, announced in its financial results for 2025 that the UFC generated 1.502 billion dollars in revenue, which shows how commercially strong the world’s leading MMA organization is. Such figures at the same time confirm the attractiveness of the market and warn how difficult it is to build sustainable competition. The UFC has a globally recognizable brand, a deep fighter roster, a strong production system, a developed network of sponsors and long-standing relationships with regulators and media partners.
The PFL, on the other hand, is trying to differentiate itself with a season-based and tournament format and with international leagues. After acquiring Bellator, the PFL gained additional fighters and a stronger global presence, but also the obligation to integrate two different competition and branding systems. ONE Championship has a strong foothold in Asia and a broader combat-sports portfolio that includes MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai and grappling. Rizin in Japan nurtures a different tradition of combat-sports events, while regional organizations in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East serve as development spaces for new fighters.
In such an environment, 60 million dollars in initial capital is a significant amount, but it is not a guarantee of success. The costs of launching a global combat-sports organization include fighter contracts, broadcast production, securing arenas, marketing campaigns, medical protocols, travel, local permits and work with athletic commissions. If the new league wants to operate globally from the beginning, it will have to choose markets and formats carefully. Expanding too quickly could increase costs, while expanding too slowly may make it harder to create the impression of a major international platform.
The key question will be the relationship with fighters
In his public messages, Coker emphasizes respect for athletes and the integrity of competition. That is not an accidental choice of words. Discussions about fighter pay, contractual freedom, sponsorship rights and health care have accompanied professional MMA for years. An organization that wants to attract quality fighters outside the UFC and PFL will have to offer terms that are clear and competitive enough. That does not mean only high purses for the biggest names, but also a system in which fighters understand how they can progress, how often they can compete and what kind of support they receive outside the cage.
If the new league is indeed structured as a global competition, sporting logic will also be important. MMA audiences often quickly recognize when events are based only on famous names without clear competitive meaning. On the other hand, a tournament or league format can be attractive if it is simple enough to follow and if it gives winners real status. Coker has experience in organizing major fights and building combat-sports narratives, but the new era also requires greater transparency around rankings, criteria for title fights and the international development of talent.
For fighters who are not under contract with the biggest organizations, Coker’s new league could open an additional market. That is especially important for athletes from regions where MMA is growing quickly, but local organizations cannot offer global visibility. However, until details about contracts, media partners and the event schedule are known, it is too early to assess how much the new league will truly change fighters’ negotiating position.
What is still not known about the new organization
Despite the major announcement, key operational details have not yet been released. The official name of the league has not been confirmed, nor have weight classes, a list of fighters, host cities or media partners been presented. It is not known whether the organization will rely on classic events, a season format, tournaments or a combination of several models. It is also not clear whether the new league will immediately try to sign established fighters with big names or will first build its roster through young talents and regional champions.
According to reports by specialized combat-sports media, the first phase of the project is focused on preparation for a 2027 launch, which means the next few months could bring concrete information about the brand, leadership and business model. If the league wants to start as early as the beginning of 2027, negotiations with fighters, arenas and media partners would have to be launched well before the first event. In combat sports, building trust takes time, and new promoters often face the question of whether they can regularly pay contracted purses and maintain continuity of events.
Coker’s advantage is that the industry knows him. Fighters, managers, television partners and sponsors already have experience with his organizations, which may make the first conversations easier for the new project. But reputation alone will not be enough. Over the past two decades, several MMA organizations have announced major ambitions, but many have shut down or remained regional because of costs, a lack of media distribution and the inability to retain the best fighters. That is why Coker’s new project will be viewed from the beginning through the question of sustainability, not only through the size of the initial investment.
A new opportunity for global MMA, but without a certain outcome
The announcement of the new league shows that investors still see room for growth in professional MMA outside the existing leaders. Coker, Levin and the investor group will try to take advantage of a moment in which audiences increasingly follow combat sports through digital platforms, short video formats and international events, while athletes are more often presented as independent brands. If the project succeeds in combining a quality sporting format, stable financing and clear distribution, it could become an important new player in the market.
Still, the path to that will be demanding. The UFC remains the standard of commercial success in MMA, the PFL and Bellator already occupy the space of the main alternative, and a global audience is not easily transferable from one organization to another. For the new league, the most important thing will be to prove that it is not only an announcement with famous names, but a system that can regularly produce relevant fights, develop fighters and build an audience. Until the official name, schedule and first signed fighters are announced, Coker’s return remains one of the most interesting business stories in MMA ahead of 2027.
Sources:
- The Hollywood Reporter / Yahoo Sports – original announcement of Coker’s plan to launch a new global MMA league, the financing amount and the investors involved (link)
- MMA Fighting – report on Coker’s return to MMA, his role as chief executive officer and the project details known so far (link)
- talkSPORT – additional information about the investors, Peter Levin’s role and the planned 2027 launch (link)
- Professional Fighters League – official announcement of the acquisition of Bellator from Paramount Global in November 2023 (link)
- TKO Group Holdings – financial results for 2025, including UFC revenue (link)