I’ve got some bad news for the UFC jetsam hoping to wash ashore on the beaches of Bellator MMA.
It appears Scott Coker and Co. are too busy planning world domination to create a flyweight division, which has become a topic of interest after UFC parted ways with several top names in the 125-pound weight class.
Sure, Bellator MMA is expected to double its number of live events by next year, but there’s plenty of existing talent to fill those newly-created spots when the Viacom-owned promotion starts taking advantage of its global reach.
“For right now, we’re going to focus on the divisions we have. I don’t want to be jumping in and out of different weight classes,” Coker told MMA Junkie in the wake of Bellator 222. “This is a company that’s owned by Viacom, which owns networks all over the world and is a media company all over the world. We have a lot of requests to come to different territories [and] start doing big fights like we’re doing here.”
Coker replaced former Bellator beer drinker, Bjorn Rebney, back in 2014 and slowly began crafting what appears to be Strikeforce 2.0, ditching the tournament format and creating a more fighter-friendly environment.
But unlike his former San Jose-based combat sports promotion, Coker has the backing of Viacom to support his vision, which includes territories all over the world. One thing it won’t include, at least for the time being, is a flyweight division.