Scott Coker Launches Ki MMA With Global Tournament Format
A new MMA promotion is preparing to enter the global fight scene, and it is bringing a familiar name with a very different vision.
Scott Coker has announced Ki MMA, a new promotion built around tournament competition, international talent and a return to the roots of mixed martial arts. The name “Ki” is a Japanese term associated with spirit, mind and energy, three elements the promotion intends to place at the center of its identity.
One of the most noticeable differences will be the fighting environment. Ki MMA plans to stage its events inside a ring rather than a cage, a concept Rich Chou compared to the earliest days of mixed martial arts. “It’s fights in a ring, not in a cage, like the first MMA fights in the 1950s,” Chou said.
The promotion’s tournament structure will be built around 32-man fields, beginning with the featherweight division. Rather than relying on traditional rankings and open tournament entries, competitors will be personally invited. Coker and matchmaker Rich Chou plan to identify and recruit fighters they believe belong in the tournament. The concept goes beyond simply putting fighters together on fight night. Ki MMA wants fans to know the competitors before they ever step into the ring. The promotion plans to document the fighters’ preparations leading into the tournaments, potentially creating as much as five months of content before the opening bouts. The goal is to introduce the athletes, their stories and their personalities before fans watch them compete.
Ki MMA is also taking a truly global approach. The initial featherweight tournament will be divided across four continents: North America, South America, Asia and Europe, with each region hosting an eight-man tournament. The regional winners will then advance toward a global championship. Winning the world tournament won’t be easy. The global final is planned as a two-fight, one-night tournament, requiring a fighter to win twice in the same evening to claim the championship.
While Ki MMA is emphasizing a youth movement and discovering the next generation of MMA stars, the promotion isn’t closing the door on established names. Big-name free agents will also be considered as the organization builds its roster. The international schedule could eventually take Ki MMA into many of the same major destinations that helped establish Coker’s previous promotion, Bellator, as a global brand. Japan, France, Italy and Budapest are among the destinations being discussed as the promotion develops its international footprint.
Ki MMA is targeting a first-quarter 2027 launch, giving Coker and Chou time to build the roster, establish the tournament fields and introduce fans to the fighters who will compete for the promotion’s first championships. The formula is ambitious: old-school presentation, modern storytelling, international tournaments and a pathway designed to turn regional winners into global champions. If Ki MMA can successfully combine the drama of tournament MMA with Coker’s history of building international fight promotions, the new organization could offer something increasingly rare in the sport—an opportunity for fighters to earn their way to the top through competition rather than simply climbing a rankings ladder. The first step begins with the featherweights. The global tournament journey is scheduled to begin in 2027.
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