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.
On New Year’s Eve 2022, Bellator and RIZIN will come together again – this time for perhaps their most deep offering yet: a five-fight main card that pins some of the biggest Bellator stars against the biggest RIZIN stars. The event, also known as RIZIN FF 40, will take place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
It’s one thing to send a few fighters to a friendly competitor promotion. It’s another to go head-to-head with poster boys where someone is going to lose. But in the spirit of martial arts, Coker said he and Sakakibara were able to come to a rare agreement.
“What does the business look like maybe looking forward after the event is over?” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a virtual news conference Tuesday. “So there’s a lot of questions because, as you know, you’re putting your fighters in harm’s way. You’re putting your brand in harm’s way. That’s OK because that should be the martial arts way. Right? Where the best fight the best. When Sakakibara owned PRIDE, that’s what happened.
“Before the UFC came and bought PRIDE, the best fighters were fighting in PRIDE. The best fighters were fighting in K-1 at that time. I don’t mean to go off on a tangent, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the best fighters should fight the best fighters. But there is a business component to it and does it make sense in the long run? Is there a certain level of trust between you and the other promoter to make sense? Then, it makes business sense.”
According to Coker, Sakakibara was the one who suggested going A-list vs. A-list. For Sakakibara, the lineup Bellator returned may have even exceeded his request. Bellator featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, former featherweight champion A.J. McKee, former bantamweight champions Kyoji Horiguchi and Juan Archuleta, and rising Russian lightweight Gadzhi Rabadanov comprise Team Bellator.
“When we first saw Bellator’s lineup, we truly felt how serious Scott was with this co-promoting event,” Sakakibara said. “As he said, he brought the best. He was extremely sincere to our request. When we saw the lineup, we were very excited and also surprised at the same time because now we know that Scott is absolutely serious. Bellator is absolutely serious. We need to bring our absolute best. It’s an absolute task to take on the best of Bellator. We need to respond by needed our fighters to fully commit to taking the fight.”
The next chapter in the Bellator-RIZIN cross-promotion might be next, but it’s unlikely to be last. According to Coker, agreements are in place for another similar event in 2023 – potentially in Hawaii.
Business remains paramount in the fight game, but Bellator and RIZIN show there may be ways to preserve it while also honoring truly merit-based, world-class matchups. But just because there is a lot of respect, doesn’t mean the competitive fire is absent.
“It’s hard to predict an outcome,” Coker said. “But I can tell you my goal, which is to go 5-0. I’m sure Sakakibara wants to go 5-0 against us, too. That has to be his goal. I think that’s why it’s such a great promotion because he feels confident. I feel confident. Let the fighters fight, and we’ll see what happens.”
Sakakibara confirmed Coker’s hunch of a different opinion.
“If RIZIN’s fighters can beat all of Bellator’s top athletes, that’s going to surprise the world,” Sakakibara said. “That would instantly make our fighters recognized throughout the world. … So, Scott, we’re sorry but we’re going 5-0.”
The five-fight Bellator vs. RIZIN main card includes:
- A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
- Patricio Freire vs. Kleber Koike
- Juan Archuleta vs. Kim Soo Chul
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs Hiromasa Ougikubo
- Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda
