Scott Coker targets early 2027 Ki MMA launch with global featherweight tournament

Scott Coker is aiming to stage the first Ki MMA event in early 2027, telling BBC Sport that his new promotion will prioritise developing fighters and use a ring rather than a cage. The former Bellator president said some arrangements remain unfinished as he prepares his return to running an MMA organisation.

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The BBC reported that the venture has $60 million in backing. Coker said he expects to begin signing free agents in around two to three months, while his team has already been visiting gyms in cities including Tokyo and Paris to identify prospects. He presented building that group of fighters as a process that would take several years.

The competitive structure was outlined in an earlier announcement reported by Sherdog. Coker and Peter Y. Levin plan a 32-fighter featherweight World Grand Prix, divided into four continental tournaments of eight competitors each. Events are planned for North America, Europe, Asia and South America, with the regional brackets providing a route to the overall championship.

Each continental tournament will operate on a single-elimination basis, Sherdog reported, and its winner will advance to a separate World Grand Prix Final. That concluding event is designed to contain both semifinals and the championship fight on one night. Under the announced format, the eventual champion would have to win five fights across the regional and final stages.

Ki MMA also intends to stage bouts involving established fighters alongside its tournament programme. Sherdog reported that additional contests would extend beyond featherweight into other weight classes. Those bouts and the Grand Prix are planned for a ring, making the competition structure and fighting enclosure central elements of the promotion’s announced identity.

Coker told the BBC that the choice of a ring reflects his preference for clearer spectator sightlines and his view that it prevents fighters using cage control. He also said a tournament could accelerate the development of new stars. The early-2027 opening remains his target, rather than a fully finalised event schedule.