Scott Coker spoke to the media present at Accor Arena in Paris following the completion of Bellator 296 on Friday.
The Bellator president spoke aboutGegard Mousasi’s loss to Fabian Edwards in the main event of the card, the wild war between Mansour Barnaoui and Brent Primus, and other results from the card.
Coker also discussed the re-signing of their women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and the company’s interest in two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison.
Below, you can check out Coker’s thoughts on the carious topics following Bellator’s event in France.
Gegard Mousasi's future after loss to Fabian Edwards
“That’s really up to him. If he decides to retire or fight, that’s his call. We do have a contract with him and we will honor it. But that’s a decision he can only answer. He’s got a great career, and it’s something he’ll have to talk to his manager and trainer and brother and figure it out.”
Brent Primus defeats Mansour Barnaoui in all-out war
“The fight that really impressed me was the Barnaoui with Primus. I thought they gave it their all, and they went back and forth. From a minute there I thought Barnaoui was going to stop him, but Primus dug deep. It was one of those fights that both those guys will never forget, but it was a great night of fights overall.”
Douglas Lima's win in return to middleweight
“Douglas Lima, I thought he looked good. I think he was still really careful. I wish he opened up a little more, but I think he did great. He did everything he had to do and the gentleman he was fighting has really long limbs and very tall, a great kickboxer, a great gym in Holland. I think he did what he had to do. (Costello Van Steenis’) coach came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I thought my guy won,’ and I said, ‘Look, it’s one thing taking someone down, but you have to do damage, too. You have to continue to advance your position if you take someone down. If you take someone down, that doesn’t mean you’re doing damage.’
“I think Douglas clearly did more damage in the fight, and he deserved the win.”
Cris Cyborg re-signs with Bellator
“You know what, it was really interesting. I don’t want to tell you about the whole process, but we got a phone call from her and her manager, and they said, ‘We have chosen to stay, and we would like to make a deal.’ So within an hour, we made a deal and inked it in the next two hours. So within a three-hour period, we went from waiting to see what was going to happen with her right to match and other offers coming from other leagues to her making a choice to stay with Bellator and continue her fighting career. We’ve been together such a long time. Her first fight with us was in 2009, so we have a long relationship. I just think she felt comfortable, and she saw our commitment to that weight division is strong.”
Interest in Kayla Harrison
“I can tell you this: We are committed to discussing with every free agent out there whether we’re the right fit for someone or not. If she does become a free agent, we’ll definitely have that conversation because that’s the business we’re in. Her and Cyborg would be an amazing fight, but right now she fights somewhere else, so let’s just see what happens.”
