American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez delivered some lofty praise for Scott Coker during a recent discussion around the upcoming Bellator 300.
There’s been considerable speculation over the last few months that Bellator might be up for sale, and when the promotion announced that Bellator 300 was going to include four title fights many fans immediately took that as a sign that it was going to be the organization’s final show.
It didn’t take long after those rumors arose for Coker to quickly shut them down, and while discussing Bellator 300 on his YouTube channel Mendez discussed how the Bellator president has managed to have such a long and successful career as an MMA promotor.
“Scott’s very smart, he doesn’t listen to one person,” Mendez explained. “He’ll take advice from multiple people, and if it comes up with the same answer and he’s got the same conclusion then he goes with that…
He’ll listen to what I have to say and then have somebody else of credibility, if they say the same thing he’s gonna go with that. And if he has someone of credibility like myself or someone like me – like a Greg Jackson type guy – and they tell him something and he feels the same, then he won’t go anywhere else.”
“Scott Coker Chooses Not To Be In The Limelight”
Coker previously saw AKA fighters such as Luke Rockhold and Daniel Cormier have tremendous success in Strikeforce when he was that promotion’s CEO, and Mendez says that one of Coker’s greatest assets is the fact that he doesn’t try to take any attention away from the fighters.
Scott’s one of the smart promotors out there, he knows how to do it right. That’s why you never see him in the limelight in any situation, ‘cause Scott Coker chooses not to be in the limelight. He chooses not to be controversial…
That’s where he feels really comfortable doing the best promotion job he can do. And that’s what he does, that’s why to me he’s a great promotor. I mean, he’s the best in my opinion.”
It’s impossible to hear Mendez compliment Coker’s willingness to stay in the background with Bellator and not think of Dana White, who never backs away from any controversial statements and often seems to relish being in the spotlight as president of the UFC.
Bellator 300 promises to be possibly the biggest card the promotion has ever put on, and Mendez will be cage side for the night’s main event when Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin Usman Nurmagomedov defends his lightweight title against Brent Primus.
I mean…I’m sure Coker is a great guy, but the whole point of promoting is to bring awareness and attract eyeballs and make money.
How can the guy who runs the promotion that nobody watches and most haven’t really heard of be the best promoter?
Apparently, it’s because of the UFC and their business tactics. I guess he was forced to sell Strikeforce and now is being forced to sell Bellator too.
Didnt Bjorn Rebney (sp) start it ?
I believe so yes.
Then Coker came in and promoted it right to a sale 
.
As a very very long time MMA fan who is even active on an MMA forum I somehow never know when Bellator events are on or where to watch them.
Occasionally I come across some prelims being live streamed on YouTube but that’s it.
I know I don’t actively follow or watch Bellator but to not know when events air while actively following the sport and a forum I gotta say that isn’t really great promotion any way you slice it.
He’s proven to be more of a hatchet man then a promoter