Did Scott Coker Just Get Lucky w Strikeforce?

[Herwald]

It was a different time, different promotion methods and shit. PPV was still king. It's hard to adapt to internet and all this streaming future. Even UFC have nose dived in the past 3 years, in terms of card quality.

Plus, MMA in general is closer to being a fad than a real sport. No organization, besides UFC, has been able to crack 300k viewers on constant basis.

 

[Siesta]

This Thursday day card that Daley dropped from isnt a real good bar setter

Pick any of the other fight cards then...

 

[felmmando]

Second Strikeforce had Gina Carano and Cyborg and essentially put WMMA on the map.

Not to mention Rousey.

 

[GueseGuy]

Who? I see 6-7 fighters that could possibly get a title shot at some point. And Maybe some even win a title. But you KNOW 6 or 7 would become champs? There are only 7 weight classes lol. They have a decent roster, but they are not SF where they picked up all the Elite XC fighters. SF had what? 7 fighters who won a belt in the UFC (one being Ronda. The UFC didn't have a women's division)? You think fucking Bellator would match them?

Yeah they would no problem lol I remember idiots like you said SF wouldn’t even have 1 fighter that can win in UFC. Now look at you bringing up SF like you knew all along. You’re repeating the same pattern. Wake up.

 

[GueseGuy]

Really? Maybe the top 2 or 3 in most divisions would end up in the top 15 of UFC, but most of these guys and girls look barely above regional level. Also it feels like you're watching a sparring match I'd say 80% of the time in Bellator.

Lol Bellator’s roster is huge, they have prospects that you’ve never even heard of that will be the best in the world at some point. Just like SF. Bellator’s roster is even bigger.

 

[Kingz]

UFC's Fox and ESPN deals hampered Bellator's ability to build a roster. The bigger sports networks demanded a lot more content. More shows bulked up the UFC's roster. With somewhere between 600-1000 of the top fighters tied up in the UFC Bellator just ended up with a few stars and whatever the could put together to fill in. There's a big skill gap between their average guy and their best guys. They ended up picking up the UFCs castoffs. Their cards are thinner.

The other X factor is that strikeforce focused on a single division. Their HW division was about as good as the UFCs. The whole org was good, but really not a lot better than Bellator. No one cared because they hand Fedor and Overeem.

it wasn’t as good as the UFCs...it was better

 

[Domitian]

Scott Coker should thank god every evening that someone is willing to pay his bills. He is by far the worst promoter I ever saw in both MMA and boxing. I actually haven't seen him promoting anything, ever. His matchmaking is terrible too and his scouting team speaks for itself.

Agreed. Bjorn was better.

 

[DS66]

The HW tourney with old, over the hill, way past prime legends was kinda fun. But they ruined it by putting a fighter who wasn't 5 years+ past his prime (Bader) in there.

They should go all-in on being a "legends" org with older fighters after they leave the UFC. That would have appeal with lots of fans and fill a nice niche. The way they're doing it now as a second-rate UFC with a mish-mash of a few good prime fighters mixed with a lot of minor league talent mixed with a bunch of old guys just doesn't make sense and clearly isn't working in terms of viewership and growth.

 

[DoubleA012]

Personally I think it is just the timing of the sport. Pride FC had amazing talent that was equal too (or to some fans even better than) what the UFC had when they both existed together. Then the UFC took most of their best fighters when Pride folded, but there was still a large group of fighters that were overlooked or unknown who ended up in promotions outside of the UFC. Also, the UFC wasn't running an event every weekend at this point so they didn't need as many fighters.

Point being, when Strikeforce came around there were still a lot of really good, entertaining, high level fighters that Coker could bring in. Fast forward to today and most of them are in the UFC or one of the smaller UFC feeder promotions like LFA, Invicta, Contender Series etc. Coker and Bellator are basically left fighting with China, Japan, & PFL over young up and comers or old veterans no longer employed by the UFC. To find a young star in their prime is nearly impossible, to keep them even harder. Because of this they are left to do the best they can with what they have, and unfortunately their isn't much available, basically a handful of guys maybe a dozen if we're being generous who could compete at the highest of levels in the UFC.

 

[TJH Exitium]

He did get lucky with timing.

Strikeforce grew during a period when some other big MMA organizations were having financial troubles and going under (EliteXC, Affliction, etc). They managed to sign a lot of very talented fighters and some who were already stars. At the same time, MMA orgs started getting TV network deals and major exposure, which allowed Strikeforce enough fanfare to become a competitor to UFC. Enough of a competitor that UFC purchased and absorbed most of their roster to avoid competing.

Bellator exists in a different business climate. Most stars of the current era are already signed to UFC, and many who aren't, it's either because UFC wasn't interested in them, or have already released them... There aren't any stars who are free agents out there for Bellator to sign, only young rising talents who are not yet known, harder to market to the public, and are not guaranteed to become stars... also the initial boom of popularity growth in MMA has slowed compared to what it was 10 years ago so MMA is no longer the trendy new sport on TV

 

[snackgod]

I am starting to think he just got lucky fuck Bellator sucks so much, it's actually amazing how constantly boring it is

it helped that strikeforce at the time has alot of the best fighters in the world. there was a reason so many strikeforce guys did great in the ufc after the merger.,

 

[Delerator]

Honestly, considering the financial backing and just sheer size and scope of the UFC roster/schedule. I find it amazing that Bellator gets the fighters/shows they pull off.
For the football(soccer) fans, this is Premier League vs the championship. It is symbiotic, they need each other and they know it

 

[TheBrownRanger]

I honestly can't remember the last time Bellator put on a great card both on paper/reality in like five years. I think Bellator Vengeance was truly their last good card that was also entertaining.

Anyways, Bellator's peak in either popularity or talent were long ago.

 

[Osiris3657]

For someone who dislikes Bellator so much you sure like to make a lot of threads about them.



Scott loves you buddeh.

The irony of this post, coming from a certified UFC hater who only posts in UFC discussion

 

[dustbuster]

They need to kick everyone out of that broadcast team. It’s trash. Bring back Sean and Jimmy.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

People used to hate on Bjorn so much, but I honestly don't think Bellator has improved at all since Coke replaced him. There has been the occasional great event, but not many of them.

 

[TheChance]

Yu mean the company he was lucky enough to run into the ground?

 

[BjPenn2017]

Bellator was good years ago when they actually built up there own talent and had the tournament format.
Chandler, the pitbull bros, Ben Askren, Lyman good, Alvarez, Will Brooks and a bunch of other guys were all homegrown Bellator talent.

Once Bjorn got the boot and they brought in Coker it became senior citizen central.
Company completely switched focus from building there own talent to overpaying fighters well past their expiration date.

It worked for a bit but clearly isn't working now. They need to drop these dinosaurs and really work on building up new young talent over the next few years.

 

[Sweater of AV]

The irony of this post, coming from a certified UFC hater who only posts in UFC discussion

The hilarity of this post coming from someone who follows me around.



I don't make threads in wrong forums to bash people. Keep crying for me though little guy.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Bjornator was a very nice alternative to UFC. Cokertor is like a retirement center that holds Cage Rage events every so often.