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‘We’re a Better Fit’ – Bellator President Scott Coker Welcomes Axed UFC Talent

Published 01/04/2021, 10:49 PM EST

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Scott Coker and Bellator MMA have made some major acquisitions of late. The Bellator president has been steadily building the promotion to rival the UFC as the top MMA organization in the country. While the UFC has had a head start and holds most of the top talent, Bellator has built its roster with a mix of young rising talent and veterans with big names.

However, in recent times, Bellator has only tried to sign the big names that part ways with the UFC. Their latest signing is former UFC middleweight title challenger, Yoel Romero. As confirmed by Dana White, the UFC will release up to 60 fighters from its roster as the company moves to 2021.

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Has Bellator MMA Bridged the Gap Between the UFC?

Scott Coker happy to sign top free agents

Speaking to MMA media, Coker talked about the recent cuts from the UFC roster. The Bellator president has signed Corey Anderson, Yoel Romero, and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in recent months.

He explained to the media, “You’re talking about a couple of guys that really made a difference in their division. I’m surprised they didn’t want to keep them. To me, it’s a great opportunity for us.”

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Many fighters that have moved to Bellator have been happy with their choice. Coker continued, “To be honest, I think we’re a better fit for those guys. They’ll have a great home here. I think they’re going to be extremely happy here.” 

Scott Coker believes that the environment in Bellator is what attracts the fighters. He said, “People see when they get here how we treat the fighters and how it’s a family atmosphere. Yes, it is a business so we run like a business, but it’s really run a lot different than other organizations.”

Scott Coker looks more than happy to welcome fighters whom the UFC discards as he believes that the latter are still the best on the planet.

“Too bad for them, good for us, and now look at that light heavyweight division we have.”

Is Bellator’s 205 division better than the UFC?

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With Yoel Romero now moving to light heavyweight at Bellator, the division has become more stacked than ever before. Champion Vadim Nemkov, Corey Anderson, Anthony Johnson, and now the ‘Soldier of God’ make up the star-studded 205 division at Bellator.

The UFC’s light heavyweight division has recently gone through a generational change with champion Jon Jones moving up to heavyweight. Jan Blachowicz finished Dominick Reyes at UFC 253, bringing home the gold to Poland.

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While Blachowicz has an impressive record, fans still do not see him as the dominant force Jon Jones was. The 205 division at the UFC is undergoing changes as new contenders emerge. Could Bellator have finally created a division that could rival if not better the UFC?

Is Israel Adesanya vs Jan Blachowicz a One-Sided Matchup?

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Written by:

Keith Dsouza

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Keith D'Souza is part of the Essentially Sports MMA writing team. Having followed the sport since 2013, some of his favorite fighters include Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, and Johny Hendricks. Keith also runs PureMMAIndia, a brand that promotes MMA over social media which aims at growing the sport in India.
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