Michael Page is the latest Bellator fighter to transition to the UFC, and naturally, former Bellator president Scott Coker is rooting for him.
Coker, who promoted Page for many years, was happy to see Page get his hand raised in his UFC debut. MVP defeated veteran Kevin Holland by unanimous decision on the main card of last Saturday’s UFC 299 in Miami. It was a solid debut win that had him show out for the UFC audience – which Coker was happy to see.
“I was so happy,” Coker told MMA Junkie Radio. “I texted him, I said, ‘Go show that boy what it’s all about because he’s out here talking all that mess.’ At the end of the day, it’s not about what letters you fight for, what alphabet you fight for. At the end of the day, you’re either a great fighter or you’re not, and MVP is a great fighter.
“He’s one of my most favorite athletes as a fighter because he can do things that you just can’t do. How many people can do what he does? To knock out the people he’s knocked out and the way he’s done it. Sure, he’s had some losses along the way but everyone loses in this sport. Everyone except Khabib (Nurmagomedov) – but if you’re Khabib, you’re at another level. This guy is so talented. I’m happy he got a win. He’s now able to show his skills to a different audience, but I saw this guy 10 years ago and was blown away by things he was doing 10 years ago, so I’m happy for him.
Page is one of many Bellator fighters who’ve transitioned to the UFC and found success. Coker, who prides himself on the promotions he’s built in MMA, has kept track of his guys’ success, and with Page, it was no different.
“I got my clicker out like baseball,” Coker said. “When we sold Strikeforce to the UFC, before they bought it, it was like Dana was out there saying, ‘Oh, these guys stink. Strikeforce has the worst fighters in the world,’ and I’m sitting back with the clicker going, ‘Ok, we’re 7-1, now we’re 8-1, 9-2, like the baseball umpires. I was like, ‘Ok, these fighters all suck, but now they’re kicking your guys’ booties over there.’
“To me, it’s about the fighters. We’ve developed some of the best fighters in the world. I did it in Strikeforce and I did it in Bellator, and we’ll do it again wherever we go.”
Coker parted ways with the Bellator brand in November after its parent company Viacom sold it to the PFL, ending his 10-year run with the promotion. It was recently announced that Coker would be working as an executive producer and helping former fighter Gilbert Melendez start and run combat sports promotion, Fight Night at the Tech. It’s unknown if Coker will dive further back into MMA promotion.
