Latest ScottCoker Stories

Although there were plenty of critics, Herschel Walker did everything right when he made his mixed martial arts debut last month: He said all the right things, he took his training seriously, he showed respect for the sport and for opponent Greg Nagy, and he left the cage with his hand raised.

So it's no surprise that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says he hopes Walker makes a return to the cage. But Coker said Jose Canseco, who has been talking up a potential fight between himself and Walker, will not be fighting in Strikeforce.

After Bobby Lashley whipped an overmatched Wes Sims at Strikeforce Miami, Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker said he wanted Lashley's next opponent to be Brett Rogers.

So when Lashley appeared on HDNet's Inside MMA and was shown a poll saying that the majority of fans want to see Lashley vs. Rogers next, that should make it a no-brainer, right? If Lashley's boss wants him to fight Rogers next, and Lashley's fans want him to fight Rogers next, he'll fight Rogers next, right? Right?

Wrong.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- An exhausted Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker asked to sit down before granting an interview in the wee hours of Sunday morning following what he termed a successful Strikeforce Miami show, but he wasn't looking to take much of a break.

Coker is already preparing to promote several big fights in the spring, including fights pitting champions Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz and Cris Cyborg against new challengers.

Scott Coker was in New York City Wednesday to promote Herschel Walker's mixed martial arts debut against Greg Nagy on Jan. 30, and MMA Fighting spoke to the Strikeforce CEO about why he was initially reluctant to sign Walker and what he expects to see from him in the cage later this month.

Coker also talked about the possibility of seeing of DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki in Strikeforce, why Jay Hieron is fighting on the non-televised portion of the upcoming Strikeforce: Miami card, and the organization's busy 2010. Check out the video interview below.

Nick Diaz told the media following Saturday night's Strikeforce: Evolution card that he believed he should have been the one to face Cung Le, not Scott Smith. But Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had other plans in mind for Diaz, who is set to face DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis at Strikeforce: Miami on Jan. 30 in Sunrise, Fla.

Watch below as Diaz and Coker talk about the upcoming fight and his maturation as a fighter. He also explains why he thinks Hayato Sakurai is ducking him.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says he expects Dan Henderson to fight for both the middleweight belt and the light heavyweight belt in 2010. He's just not sure which one will come first.

In an interview with FanHouse, Coker said he expects the newly signed Henderson, who was a champion in two weight classes in Pride and was last seen knocking out Michael Bisping at UFC 100, to have big fights against both Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi. He also responded to criticisms from UFC President Dana White and talked about what's next for Fedor Emelianenko.

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CHICAGO -- Scott Coker has been promoting combat sports events for more than two decades, but he'll be the first to admit that Saturday night's Strikeforce on CBS card is the most important event that he has ever been part of.

FanHouse spoke to the Strikeforce CEO and founder at Thursday's press conference about promoting Fedor Emelianenko on CBS, the Strikeforce middleweight title picture, and what this card means to the future of the organization.

CHICAGO -- Strikeforce entered into a co-promotional deal with M-1 Global primarily for Fedor Emelianenko's services, but what else does M-1 Global actually do other than loan out Fedor?

According to M-1 Global executives, Strikeforce broadens its reach to the rest of the world outside of America through its partnership with the international MMA organization.

CHICAGO -- Fedor Emelianenko says he's committed to continuing to fight in the United States over the next year, saying Thursday that after his upcoming fight with Brett Rogers, he'll fight at least twice more in the United States in 2010.

"I'm planning on performing in the United States of America – definitely -- next year," Fedor said at a press conference to promote his fight with Rogers. "I know for sure I'll have two more fights in the United States next year and then we'll see how the contract works. Maybe I'll sign another contract."

Little has been heard from Gina Carano since her loss to Cris Cyborg in August, and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker doesn't expect to see her back in action before mid-2010.

Coker said on this week's edition of The MMA Hour that Carano, who is set to begin filming the new Steven Soderbergh movie, Knockout, in early 2010, isn't in Strikeforce's immediate plans.

On this week's edition of The MMA Hour, we were joined by Dan Hardy, who faces Mike Swick in a No. 1 contender's match at UFC 105 on Nov. 14. Hardy talked about getting a shot to fight for the title early in his UFC career, MMA's popularity in the United Kingdom, and his recent criticism of Bernard Hopkins after the boxing legend blasted MMA.

Later in the show, we spoke to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker about the upcoming Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers bout on Nov. 7, the Dan Henderson sweepstakes, and when we should expect to see Gina Carano return to action. Ray Hui and I also looked back at UFC 104 and Brock Lesnar having to pull out of his title fight at UFC 106.

Watch or listen to the show below.