“I feel like there’s a bit of fun in the MMA space right now,” Coker told Ariel Helwan. “And I don’t know what it is. But I just feel like it has a function right now. So, you know, let’s mix it up. The thing with MVP, their show, they turn it up. It gets people excited. It gets people rooting for somebody. And then we do the same thing. So we’re going to root for me. I think sports need a little bit of a shake-up — and that’s something we’re really good at.
Coker’s leadership team includes Kevin Kay, Chief Content Officer (Paramount Network, Spike TV), Tom Fox, CEO (Gatorade, NBA Properties, Arsenal), Rich Chou, VP of Athlete Relations (Strikeforce, Bellator MMA) and Chris DeBlasio, VP of Sports Communications (among others, Global Head of Sports at Showtime.
“We turned down $40 million,” Coker added. “I said, ‘No, we don’t want that.’ Because I don’t want to be diluted to where I don’t control the company. This is not my business the way I want to run it… I don’t want to be in a situation where I lose control of this business because I don’t want that to ever happen. So, we turned them away. There is a learning curve in this business, and if you don’t know it, you’re paying crazy money because you don’t know it. And you know what? I have been in this business for almost four decades or more than four decades now. I know this business.”
Whether or not he knows enough to stay afloat remains to be seen.