Is the mixed martial arts world ready for a new global challenger? Former Bellator boss and Strikeforce founder Scott Coker thinks so, and so does a group of strategic investors across sports, media, technology and finance providing $60 million in financial backing. So, TKO Group’s UFC, led by Dana White, and Bellator MMA will want to watch out!

After nearly four decades shaping the global combat sports landscape, Coker is back to lead a new MMA league venture with funding led by investment firm Creator Sports Capital and participation from Griffin Gaming Partners and others. Additional investors include Upper Deck; Steve Kaplan, owner of D.C. United and co-founder of Oaktree Capital; Swimmy Minami, founder of Visional and a limited partner of the New York Yankees; skateboarding legend Tony Hawk; former Fortress Investment Group vice-chairman Dean Dakolias; and others, “including several with ownership stakes in both the NFL and NBA,” according to the founders.

Coker will serve as co-founder and CEO of the still unnamed company, whose global debut is eyed for early 2027. Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners will serve as co-founder and chairman of the board.

The company’s advisory group features former TelevisaUnivision CEO and former Viacom CFO Wade Davis, former Sony Pictures Television chairman Steve Mosko, and Kevin Kay, the former president of Paramount Network, CMT, Spike TV and TV Land.

The timing of the unveiling of the plans for a new MMA league comes as the sport has grown into a $20 billion-plus global market with more than 625 million fans worldwide, driven by the highly coveted male 18–34 demographic. “Yet despite that growth, professional athletes across more than 40 countries lack a clear pathway to career advancement and access to elite competition, a gap the new league is being built to close,” the founders highlighted. It wants to “set a new standard for the sport and place athletes firmly at the center of the global MMA ecosystem.”

The founders pointed to Coker’s track record of discovering and developing the careers of such MMA legends as Daniel Cormier, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.

“I always knew I wanted to come back when the time was right, with the right vision and a carefully curated team. That time is now,” said Coker. “There is an incredible demand for a fresh, new global brand in MMA. This new league is about returning to what matters: the integrity of competition, respect for the athletes and sharing their remarkable journeys with the world. We are building something authentic, something that belongs to the athletes and to the fans who live and breathe this sport.”

Levin served as both an advisor and investor in Strikeforce, which was sold to UFC in 2011. “Scott is a generational operator in the world of combat sports,” said Levin. “He has proven time and again that he can scale a business globally and profitably. His ‘fighter-first’ orientation has earned him loyalty and admiration from MMA athletes around the globe and across generations. He’s a world-beater, and I’m looking forward, yet again, to embarking on this journey together.”

Levin’s sports track record also includes previously representing such MMA competitors as Randy “The Natural” Couture and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and investing in the likes of the World Golf Tour, Par 3 golf league Grass League, Major League Volleyball and Welsh soccer club Swansea City A.F.C.

Added Benjamin Grubbs, co-founder and co-managing partner of Creator Sports Capital: “Scott Coker is one of the few operators in combat sports who has built winning franchises at a global scale, and he has done it by putting athletes first. The sport has reached a moment where a generation of world-class talent deserves a clear path to the top, and Scott has the experience, the relationships and the vision to deliver it.”

The full leadership team of the new league is expected to be named in the coming weeks. Additional details, including the league name, its structure and different format, region and athlete participation, and event schedules, are also planned to be revealed in the near future.