Bellator and RIZIN have had a relationship for years, but the partnership is less about the companies than it is the individuals heading them.
Scott Coker and Nobuyuki Sakakibara have worked together for almost two decades. That’s why year after year, the two promoters meet, talk business, and oftentimes, come to an agreement for some sort of crossover event.
There’s friendship, but as Coker described, “it’s not always easy.” There have been “bumps and bruises,” where business interests don’t align. Despite that, the two parties have crafted cross-promotional events nearly yearly since Coker (formerly Strikeforce) and Sakakibara (formerly PRIDE) were terminated in UFC-led mergers.
