Scott Coker: Sakakibara Will Go Down As One of Greatest Fight Promoters of All Time

Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation have worked well together in recent years, and that relationship will continue with a dual-promotion event in Japan on July 30.

Unlike the previous iteration on New Year’s Eve, the upcoming card will be composed of two separate events, with Bellator bouts taking place in a cage and Rizin fights happening in a ring. Still, it’s rare to see two promotions working in such a collaborative fashion in this day and age. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, it’s something that should revolutionize the sport.

“This is unbelievable,” Coker said at a press conference to promote the upcoming event. “Last time I saw [Rizin president] Nobuyuki Sakakibara, we were in Paris together for a fight two weeks ago. We had a press conference in the Eiffel Tower that I thought was unbelievable until I saw the crowd here today. This is truly amazing. When I think of mixed martial arts I always think about Japan. This really was the mecca, when I was growing up as a promoter all the eyes were on Japan, all the best fighters in the world fought here.

“One day I said, ‘I am going to go there and we’re going to do some work together when I get into the mixed martial arts business,’ so when Sakakibara came back I was really excited because we can do things like we’re going to do on July 30, something that has never been done before where two organizations are getting together to create one show for the fans that really will be spectacular. I really feel this should be the future of mixed martial arts fighting.”

The featured bout for the Bellator portion of the card is a lightweight grand prix clash between A.J. McKee and Patricky Freire. Additionally, Kyoji Horiguchi will meet Makoto Takahasi for Bellator’s inaugural flyweight crown. On the Rizin side, Juan Archuleta will face Kai Asakura for the Japanese organization’s bantamweight crown.

“We could have brought this anywhere in the world,” Coker said of the grand prix matchup. “We thought about doing this in Los Angeles or doing it in New York but as [Sakakibara] and I continued our dialogue, we thought this was the perfect fight for Japan. A.J. was calling me every week asking ‘When am I fighting,’ but we had to wait a month and it worked out for the better. I think the fans in Japan are going to get a great show on July 30.”

Coker praised Sakakibara for allowing Bellator to collaborate with Rizin on a double event on its home soil.

“On July 30 you’ll see two leagues, and I want to thank Nobuyuki Sakakibara for allowing us to come here and be part of this,” Coker said. “He really doesn’t have to. “He's been a great leader … I would arguably say he’ll go down as one of the greatest fight promoters of all time.

“He’s been a great mentor for me, even though he doesn’t know it, so any chance I get to come here to work with him I always say yes. We have been planning this event for the last four months and we’re truly going to deliver something spectacular at Saitama Super Arena on July 30. I look forward to putting a great fight on with my fighters and it's going to be a fun event to watch.”