TITO ORTIZ BELIEVES SCOTT COKER CAN SAVE "SINKING SHIP" BELLATOR

MMA veteran Tito Ortiz has been around sport for quite some time so one would assume he knows a thing or two about managers and promoters in this game.

Having made his Bellator debut in May after spending the majority of his 17-year career in the UFC, Tito wasn't around long before control of his current home changed hands when company founder Bjorn Rebney was ousted in favour of former Strikeforce boss Scott Coker.

"I'm really happy that Scott has stepped aboard to kind of save this sinking ship," Ortiz told USA Today Sports. "He did really well by building Strikeforce up big enough to where it became a threat and the UFC had to come in and buy it. The infrastructure's already build here at Bellator, now it needs somebody to come in and do the right business planning to build the next superstars, and I think that's what Scott Coker can really make happen."

Strikeforce was bought by Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, back in 2011. The promotion's final event was held in January last year before it was absorbed by the UFC. Coker took up a position with the company, but when his contract with Zuffa expired earlier this year he was free to move over to his new position with Bellator and the promotion's parent company Viacom.

Ortiz had a relationship with his former boss, UFC president Dana White, which was rocky at the best of times and Rebney had himself experienced problems with some of his fighters during his time at Bellator - most notably Eddie Alvarez with whom he was engaged in a long-standing legal battle with after Eddie tried to leave for the UFC.

However, Tito feels that Coker has the necessary qualities to get on well with his fighters and thinks that can only mean good things for the company.

"The guy's a really smart business man and, of course, the UFC wouldn't have bought Strikeforce if they didn't think the same thing and make him hold out for three years," says Tito. "Now he's part of Bellator and I think he's going to do a really great job because he's an honest guy. You need to be an honest guy to work with fighters and say what you're going to do and follow through."

http://www.fightersonlymag.com/content/news/21509-tito-ortiz-believes-scott-coker-can-save-qsinking-shipq-bellator

this is bellator mma with scott coker going down with it to

stu3ufc wrote:

this is bellator mma with scott coker going down with it to

Wait and see. I have a feeling Bellator will get better ratings during the Coker era than during the Bjorn era. If Coker fails I´ll give up on NA mma completely and put my trust in Europe.

better ratings with who? Baroni lol

Bellator is sinking !!

They are still under contractual obligations making there shows still bjorn era LOL.

2015 is the true era of BELLAFORCE!

Any scrutiny until then is basically scrutiny against bjorns model......

Fka president of team BELLAFORCE

Just wait I feel great things are in the works.

fka wrote:They are still under contractual obligations making there shows still bjorn era LOL.

2015 is the true era of BELLAFORCE!

Any scrutiny until then is basically scrutiny against bjorns model......

I am pro Bjorn model and happy the format will remain until then but what i dont like is the shitty ex strikeforce rejects coming in like phil baroni and ryan couture.....who's next in the tourney Cesar Gracie ??

Like I said before bjorn brought on Joey beltran, Houston Alexander,war machine so your argument has no value.....

They already added some cool signings in Daley and manhoef and are going to Garner way more attention then bjorn could have hoped for.

fka wrote:Like I said before bjorn brought on Joey beltran, Houston Alexander,war machine so your argument has no value.....

because he was forced to by VIACOM!

fka wrote:They already added some cool signings in Daley and manhoef and are going to Garner way more attention then bjorn could have hoped for.

LOL daley the can crusher with no wrestling who loses to anyone top 15

melvin manoeff who just got KTFO badly in kickboxing and has looked like shit recently

stu3ufc wrote:

fka wrote:They are still under contractual obligations making there shows still bjorn era LOL.

2015 is the true era of BELLAFORCE!

Any scrutiny until then is basically scrutiny against bjorns model......

I am pro Bjorn model and happy the format will remain until then but what i dont like is the shitty ex strikeforce rejects coming in like phil baroni and ryan couture.....who's next in the tourney Cesar Gracie ??

To be fair, Baroni was signed well before Rebney left. He was supposed to debut in May and The July 25th card wasn't even booked by Coker.

Exactly stu Phil was bjorn ...

Don't give me that Viacom made him do anything they gave him freedom in vision and talent signings then once it didn't really do as well as hoped ....he's gone.

Viacom is a money backer they have ni clue how to run a mma promotion that's why coker was sought after fir previous experience in building the first true competition to zuffa since pride from scratch.

Bjorn had great signings and horrible ones.

Current regime over past all day

FKA PRESIDENT OF BELLAFORCE SUPPORT FORCE!

Viacom has had total control of Bellator since the move to Spike. It wasn't that Bjorn was doing a terrible job, it's just the fact that Viacom had a different vision of what they want Bellator to be.

fka wrote:Exactly stu Phil was bjorn ...

Don't give me that Viacom made him do anything they gave him freedom in vision and talent signings then once it didn't really do as well as hoped ....he's gone.

Viacom is a money backer they have ni clue how to run a mma promotion that's why coker was sought after fir previous experience in building the first true competition to zuffa since pride from scratch.

Bjorn had great signings and horrible ones.

Current regime over past all day

FKA PRESIDENT OF BELLAFORCE SUPPORT FORCE!

you really think viacom is gonna let coker do whatever he wants? Bjorn was hard to work with because he wanted tournaments and to build his own stars meanwhile viacom wants to turn bellator into some poor mans elite xc with fucking kimbo being offered a contract. coker is a submissive yes man bitch.

wekka wrote:Viacom has had total control of Bellator since the move to Spike. It wasn't that Bjorn was doing a terrible job, it's just the fact that Viacom had a different vision of what they want Bellator to be.

exactly! and everyone looks at scott coker through rose tinted glasses like he's perfect when in fact he had strikeforce 40 million in debt.

stu3ufc wrote:

fka wrote:Exactly stu Phil was bjorn ...

Don't give me that Viacom made him do anything they gave him freedom in vision and talent signings then once it didn't really do as well as hoped ....he's gone.

Viacom is a money backer they have ni clue how to run a mma promotion that's why coker was sought after fir previous experience in building the first true competition to zuffa since pride from scratch.

Bjorn had great signings and horrible ones.

Current regime over past all day

FKA PRESIDENT OF BELLAFORCE SUPPORT FORCE!

you really think viacom is gonna let coker do whatever he wants? Bjorn was hard to work with because he wanted tournaments and to build his own stars meanwhile viacom wants to turn bellator into some poor mans elite xc with fucking kimbo being offered a contract. coker is a submissive yes man bitch.

that's exactly why they fired bjorn and hired coker, so he can just do whatever they tell him. pathetic and i too want to see them fail

Why would you want to see Bellator fail? Seriously, you guys complain about the UFC's dominance and yet you want other companies to fail? Why? Because Viacom is running things? In all fairness, I don't know who was signed because of Rebney, Coker, and Viacom.

Rocksoldier84 wrote:Why would you want to see Bellator fail? Seriously, you guys complain about the UFC's dominance and yet you want other companies to fail? Why? Because Viacom is running things? In all fairness, I don't know who was signed because of Rebney, Coker, and Viacom.

who said anything about "wanting" it to fail....I know it WILL fail!

History will repeat itself

Viacom cut Bellator once it doesnt make money for them.

stu3ufc wrote:

Rocksoldier84 wrote:Why would you want to see Bellator fail? Seriously, you guys complain about the UFC's dominance and yet you want other companies to fail? Why? Because Viacom is running things? In all fairness, I don't know who was signed because of Rebney, Coker, and Viacom.

who said anything about "wanting" it to fail....I know it WILL fail!

History will repeat itself

Viacom cut Bellator once it doesnt make money for them.

I didn't say you. I was talking about Fairweather who said he wanted it to fail.

wekka wrote:Viacom has had total control of Bellator since the move to Spike. It wasn't that Bjorn was doing a terrible job, it's just the fact that Viacom had a different vision of what they want Bellator to be.

And sadly, Viacom view MMA as sports entertainment rather than sport.

you really think viacom is gonna let coker do whatever he wants? Bjorn was hard to work with because he wanted tournaments and to build his own stars meanwhile viacom wants to turn bellator into some poor mans elite xc with fucking kimbo being offered a contract. coker is a submissive yes man bitch.

Bjorns model wasn't ever going to get bigger then it was.

He did what he thought would work bit even the ppv didn't go well.that was the beginning of end for bjorn.

He brought in the changes of having the tournament champion pool,rematch clause etc but it wasn't a money making model.

Strikeforce shits all over bjorn bellator and that'd what Viacom wants a destination for premier atheletrs not last resort.

Anyway all this bitching is pointless until 2015 when

When cokers model truly comes to fruition until then its using what was leftover from bjorn and a couple roster moves so thank bjorn for the uber roster talent at lhw LOL.

I predict Stu will be on the Coker run Bellator bandwagon before the end of 2015.

^^^^^ LOL agreed CD