Bellator boss Scott Coker has 'a little army' to ensure his young fighters don't run off and burst the company's coronavirus bubble
- Bellator MMA returns for its second pandemic era show Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort, Connecticut.
- Bellator boss Scott Coker this week told Insider all about its first show back last month, the safety protocols within the company's bubble, and what's in store this weekend.
- There are many differences in the way his firm conducts its business now it has to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
- There's the sheer amount of testing, obviously, but there's also "a little army" to ensure everything goes to plan, everybody there is compliant, and nobody runs off and accidentally bursts the bubble.
The UFC is not the only mixed martial arts show fully operational in the coronavirus era.
Bellator MMA is set to hold its second pandemic event when it returns to the behind-closed doors Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut for the Bellator 243 event Friday.
Santa Monica-based Bellator, which is owned by the entertainment giant Viacom, is run by Scott Coker, an eighth-degree black belt in Taekwondo.
Insider spoke to Coker this week about his company's "bubble," the sanitized set-up in which his mixed martial arts players compete, as well as the matches he is most excited about.
At a normal Bellator event, more than 10,000 fans would be packed into the venue, but today's business model is completely different.
The worldwide health crisis saw sports emerge from an enforced hiatus with a plan to navigate around the pandemic, and so, for now, the live fan experience is removed entirely.
But the biggest difference in how combat sports is running during the pandemic is testing for the coronavirus, together with its associated safety protocols, and that cannot be overstated, Coker said.
"There's a lot of dialogue and communication about testing. A lot of testing. More testing. And then more testing," he said, laughing.
"That's the first [difference]."
There's also security measures to ensure the bubble does not burst
Coker, 57, has been involved in combat sports for decades.
He founded the kickboxing organization Strikeforce in 1985, and oversaw its evolution into a successful MMA firm which developed stars like Ronda Rousey, Dan Cormier, and Nick Diaz.
He took over at Bellator as the CEO in 2014 and now, with Viacom's backing, he wants his new company to close the gap on the UFC, if not top it as the industry's market-leader.
Coker is experienced in the fight game. And one thing he told us that he is acutely aware of is that communication with his fighters, in the middle of a pandemic, is crucial.
Many of his fighters, he said, are young. And one of the worst case scenarios would be an athlete being unaware of the seriousness of the situation, leaving Bellator's bubble, and risking contagion.
"Everyone really has to follow the protocol because these kids … fighters … they're young, [they have] young trainers, and some just want to go out.
"Sometimes I think they don't understand the gravity of the situation and it's up to us to instill our protocol and make sure they're in compliance — health and safety first.
"We'd hate for there to be a breakdown on our watch, so we're very careful, and we have people monitoring the hotel.
"And once you get to the hotel and you check-in, you go right to testing, quarantine, test results come back 12 hours later.
"We worked out a deal with a laboratory in Hartford [Connecticut's state capital] where we get our results back right away. Sometimes in California it could be a 10 or 14 day wait to get results back.
"So we're fortunate we have a relationship where we get results back in half a day. Then they're [athletes, staff, officials] released back into the bubble.
"They can go to the arena. Everything's in the arena. The training facility. The production offices. The fight itself.
"We urge people to leave their room and go to the arena, and the arena is a very sanitized area where nobody has access unless they've been tested and had a negative result. Everyone in that room is COVID-free.
"And then go back to the room. That's the process, and we put our foot down. You can't deviate from this."
Bellator's one pandemic era show so far was a success
The Bellator 242 event on July 24, also held at the Mohegan Sun, may have only had seven fights, but the event involved weeks of planning.
It wasn't just about constructing the card, but building the safety protocol.
"To see it on paper, in the planning stages for four to five weeks, trying to get approvals back then, and then to finally see it in action and to see operations, it's going well, and I'm very happy about the process and the protocols that we've implemented for the athletes, production, officials, cornermen."
Coker said there's "a little army" in the arena to ensure everything runs smoothly, and to oversee compliance.
"Everyone seems to be cooperative and understands it's a very serious matter and it's a very special time in history that we have to go through this. And it's working."
As for the matches themselves, Aaron Pico was one of the fighters to create the most headlines.
Pico signed for Bellator as a blue-chip prospect, and has been guided by Coker — but it has not been without hiccups.
Pico has long been touted as one of MMA's new generation of up-and-comers because of his outstanding wrestling background, and his training at the Wildcard Boxing Gym with Freddie Roach — who famously coached Manny Pacquiao to be one of the greatest boxers in the modern era.
Pico scored his second win of 2020 with a first round rear-naked choke submission win over Chris Hatley last month, something which thrilled Coker as it bucked back-to-back losses in 2019.
"Aaron could turn his career around and he's starting to do it," Coker said. "He's shown the skill-level he has, and he's still very young at 23 — still beginning his career. I'm happy for the guy."
The behind-closed doors format can actually benefit fighters, according to Coker
Because of Bellator's partnership with the premium television network Showtime, the set-design has evolved for the better, Coker said.
"And the behind-closed doors format can have advantages for fighters who just want to fight, rather than be caught up in media obligations throughout the week.
"I'm so happy with the relationship between Showtime Sports and our production crew. This is a collaborative effort. They designed the set. It's the best set in-studio. To me, the design was amazing.
"It doesn't feel cavernous like some of the boxing shows I've seen, or other MMA … a big arena, there's nobody there … cavernous feeling.
"We built an arena inside an arena. One of the best in combat sports right now. It looks good, feels good, and the fighters performed.
"The fighters I spoke to really enjoyed it and said they can't wait to come back into the bubble and fight again.
"It doesn't have pressure, for Aaron Pico, let's say. Where there's so much media attention, fans, obligation.
"Now, it's testing, train, isolate, go back to the room and hangout. He prefers this over a normal fight week and wants to fight again."
There are 9 fights on Friday's Bellator 243 card
Four of Friday's fights include:
- Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson — lightweight
- Matt Mitrione vs. Timothy Johnson — heavyweight
- Myles Jury vs. George Karakhanyan — lightweight
- Valeria Loureda vs. Tara Graff — women's flyweight
The bout between Matt Mitrione and Timothy Johnson could produce the next heavyweight to challenge for the Bellator championship currently held by Ryan Bader.
"This fight with Matt Mitrione and Timothy Johnson … both of these guys have similar records, and this fight, depending on who wins, might have a step closer to getting a title shot with Ryan Bader, or whoever is the champion at the time.
"Valeria Loureda … people are excited about that fight. She's continuing to grow and do quite well."
But it is the main event which is the most significant, a rematch between Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson, who first fought in 2016. Chandler won with a split decision over Henderson that night, and Henderson wants revenge.
"Of course, the Benson Henderson and Chandler fight is a big fight.
"Last time, honestly, Michael Chandler won the first two and a half rounds and I think Benson won the last two and a half rounds.
"Michael won I think it was a split decision. It was a very close fight, but Benson Henderson proved he might be the toughest guy in MMA.
"I'm looking forward to that fight because I genuinely feel like those two guys do not like each other.
"I'm excited because I think it could be an amazing match-up."
Bellator 243 airs on Paramount in the US and Sky Sports in the UK.
Read more:
An unbeaten American boxer landed an uppercut so hard his opponent's body stiffened, losing by instant knockout