Scott Coker Recounts Hawaii’s History With MMA After Bellator 279
Scott Coker addressed the media after two days of mixed martial arts in Hawaii with Bellator 278 and 279. It was becoming part of their regular schedule before COVID-19 hit and Coker plans to do it again because of the rich culture of martial arts that Hawaii has always had.
Best laid plans are often forgotten when something like a global pandemic derails them. However, Bellator MMA managed to pull off a doubleheader event with titles on the line and some memorable finishes and results. When asked about a return to Hawaii, Coker seemed pleased with how everything went and reminded everyone about Hawaii’s history and love for competitive martial arts.
‘I’ll tell you, I’m so happy about the way that things unfolded. I mean we had a great night last night with the military and the first responders. And, you know the wild card slots for the (bantamweight) tournament have now been filled. So, we’ll know who’s going to enter into the tournament on June 24th.”
Then, he talked about the talent pool and what draws him, and the promotion to Hawaii.
“When I see the local fighters here, there’s a great talent pool here. There’s always been a great talent pool here in Hawaii and they have a great history of martial arts. Like we talked about before but the great history of MMA. You go back to Rumble on the Rock with the Penn family, go back to Super Brawl with TJ and what he did here in the mid-90s. I mean MMA didn’t stop when it kind of slowed down in America MMA didn’t stop and I believe it’s because the culture of Hawaii loves martial arts.”
He finished his remarks on Hawaii saying, “You could feel the passion and the energy from the crowd and it’s just something. It’s someplace very special.”
There’s another special place for MMA and that’s Japan. Coker said he would be meeting with RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara and while not much was revealed about what came of the meeting, Coker seemed to hint at plans for Japan and Horiguchi in December.
You can see his full comments after the event above.
