Establishing pipelines to the sources of talent is key for Bellator's/Viacom's long-term success.
- Sponsorship of Collegiate and youth sports (Wrestling, Martial Arts)
More and more kids are getting into wrestling, specifically as a path to get into MMA. Why not get too them early? Involve yourself in the development process (see: Under Armour's strategy vs Nike)
- Build/Strengthen relationships with local/regional Promotion Orgs (Tachi, FEFoMP, Legacy, ROC, etc)
Bellator has already done well in breaking into the Russian talent pool; from Shlemenko to Koreshkov to Minakov. There seems to be about a dozen different Promotions in Russia like FEEoMP, which Coker can't afford to neglect.
- Foster deep relationships with Gyms/Teams/Coaches
Bob Cook, Javier Mendez, and Cesar Gracie were huge for Coker and Strikeforce. AKA and Gracie Fight team were the two cornerstones that helped build Strikeforce into the major promotion it became.
- Co-Promote with major international Promotion Orgs (One FC, M-1, DEEP, KSW)
Cross-Promoting or fighter-lending between Promotions (in foregin markets) means more eyeballs on Bellator fighters/fights. Even if in some cases they're just one-offs like Alex Shlemenko vs Mamed Khalidov (KSW; Europe)... the big-event feel of a fight like that will naturally draw wider interest in general (fighters and fans).
What else should Scott Coker do to build talent pipelines for Bellator?
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