Scott Coker has officially launched his newest venture into mixed martial arts, and the plans are ambitious. Ki MMA is set to debut in the first quarter of 2027, built around a global tournament format that hasn’t been attempted at this scale before.
Ki MMA’s The Grand Prix Format
The centerpiece of the launch is a 32-man featherweight World Grand Prix. The tournament will draw eight fighters from four continents who will battle through their respective regional brackets. The four continental winners then advance to a finale event, where they’ll compete in both a semifinal and a final on the same night to crown Ki MMA’s first champion.
Despite being the promotion’s headline feature, the tournament will only account for roughly 30% of the total fights across the year, with the rest of the calendar filled out by Super Fights involving established names in the sport.
Free Agency and Funding
Scott Coker has made clear that signing talent is a priority from day one, stating the promotion is interested in any free agent and has the financial backing to make it happen. That backing comes from $60 million in secured funding, with Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners joining Coker on the executive team.
Potential Event Locations
Ki MMA is looking at a genuinely global rollout, with target markets including:
- San Jose, USA
- Los Angeles, USA
- New York, USA
- Japan
- South Korea
- Spain
- Italy
- France
- Dublin, Ireland
- Budapest, Hungary
All bouts of Ki MMA will be contested in a ring rather than a cage, a notable departure from the standard UFC setup.
Coker has already proven that he can turn a new MMA venture into a major promotion. He launched Strikeforce in 2006, giving several future stars a platform to establish themselves, including Daniel Cormier, Ronda Rousey, Luke Rockhold, Miesha Tate, and Robbie Lawler. The promotion was eventually acquired by the UFC in 2011, after which Coker went on to lead Bellator MMA as its president. Now, he is taking on another challenge with Ki MMA, bringing years of experience to a promotion that aims to offer something different from the established MMA model.
Also read: Michael Venom Page Is a Free Agent – Could Scott Coker’s Ki MMA Be His Next Stop?
About The Author
