Bellator: Rebney Out, Coker In

[EmpireWF]

There have been rumors about Scott Coker jumping in with Bellator for awhile and according to some, an official announcement will be made as soon as the next week.

Coker was the boss behind Strikeforce, built the company into the legit #2 MMA promotion in the country before selling to Zuffa. He was retained by them but his contract ran out some time ago and apparently, his "no-compete" arrangement is also out the window.

What this means for Bellator founder Bjorn Rebney, I'm not sure. It would be reasonable to say if Coker is joining the company, what's Bjorn needed for? Is this a move made by Viacom officials who believe Coker can run the fight company better, seeing his history (he started SF as a kickboxing company 20 years ago)?

Plus, if Coker is going to be the booker or promoter or at least the brains of the operation, what kind of changes are in store?

[EmpireWF]

From Bloodyelbow

A press release sent out by Spike TV has made it official. Along with Rebney, COO Tim Danaher is also out.

The statement from Rebney in the presser is as follows:

"It is with bittersweet emotions that I announce that I am leaving the company I founded. I have great pride in having turned my vision into reality, a thriving business with television distribution to over 140 countries around the world, a partnership with one of the world’s largest entertainment giants and wide array of sponsors, partners and strategic allies all over the globe. This has been a wonderful eight plus years of creation, development and success. I will miss the courageous, strong and dedicated fighters I have had the pleasure of promoting, and equally, I will miss the incredibly hard working, remarkable team that has become a family for me over the years. Viacom and Tim and I differed in our views of the right strategic direction for Bellator, but Tim and I both wish them well,"

Kevin Kay of Spike TV added, "I would like to thank Bjorn and Tim on behalf of Spike and Viacom for their dedication and hard work building Bellator from the ground up. They worked tirelessly in getting Bellator to where it is today. They were great partners to work with and we wish them all the best."

Coker is not official yet but he's coming in.

[Steel Mamba]

And they're trying to sign Kimbo as well. lol. Hopefully this means they ditch the tournament format and start matchmaking. Or, save the tournies for special events.

[EmpireWF]

It's official. Coker is the new President of Bellator and reports to the Spike TV President Kevin Kay.

Based on the press release, Rebney was resistant to replacing the tournament format because it says they will focus away from that and more on "big fights."

[Steel Mamba]

Yep, tournament format is gone. I think that's a good move for Bellator, you just can't build a brand off of tournaments featuring mostly unknown fighters. Crazy that a founder can get fired from his own company though, I guess Dana was right when he said Spike runs Bellator.

[EmpireWF]

FrontRowBrian says Viacom went to Chael Sonnen and offered him the Bellator Presidents gig if he signed a confidentiality agreement. He declined.

I don't get that one. If it's true, they're dumb as fuck.

[Steel Mamba]

Chael likely would have been a figurehead, similar to Dana, while execs did all the dirty work. He would bring Bellator a lot of eyeballs and would be great at promoting fights.