Ex-Strikeforce CEO Coker Rumoured To Bellator, Rebney Out?

By Jay Anderson / June 18, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tauA7Ae1YhI According to multiple reports, it is believed that Viacom has hired Strikeforce founder and former CEO Scott Coker, the idea being to have him run the world's #2 MMA promotion. Viacom purchased Bellator in 2011, and the promotion airs its "seasons" on Viacom's Spike TV. Last month, they ran their first PPV show, which drew an estimated 100,000 buys, although no official numbers have been announced. Bjorn has become the other side of the Dana White coin over the past year or so, and the two have often butted heads in the media, with White taking pot-shots at his competitor despite claims that he "doesn't care" about Bellator. Viacom, who have deep financial pockets, were reportedly with odds with Rebney over the direction of the company. Coker, meanwhile, was most recently employed by Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, who bought out Strikeforce in 2011. Although they initially continued to run Strikeforce shows, and allowed Coker, who is well-respected in the MMA industry, to stay on, they eventually merged the promotion into their ranks, which allowed Strikeforce's greatest asset, the heavyweight division, to bolster the UFC's own flagging heavyweight offering. Coker's contract was terminated in March, and word making the rounds states that Viacom was waiting for his non-compete clause to expire. It remains to be seen if Bjorn Rebney will put up a fight, or step aside gracefully from the promotion he founded.