What Is Ki MMA? Everything to Know About Scott Coker’s New Format
Scott Coker has unveiled Ki MMA, a new mixed martial arts promotion launching in early 2027 with a 32-fighter World Grand Prix spanning four continents. Fights will take place in a ring rather than a cage.
Scott Coker who turned Strikeforce into a launching pad for stars and later ran Bellator has a new project, and it's called Ki MMA. Announced this week in New York, the promotion is aiming for a 2027 debut with a format that looks nothing like the UFC's. There's a tournament at the center of it, fighters from four continents chasing one title, and a decision that flips a decades-old MMA convention on its head. Here's what's actually happening.
What Is Ki MMA?
Ki MMA is built around a 32-fighter World Grand Prix in the featherweight division, drawing competitors from North America, Europe, Asia and South America. It's not a traditional weekly card system. The promotion will run continental brackets that funnel into a global finale, crowning one champion from the entire field. Scott Coker has also floated the idea of fighters competing more than once in a single night during the tournament rounds, a structure closer to old-school combat sports than modern MMA scheduling.
Alongside the Grand Prix, Ki MMA plans to run Super Fights featuring established names, giving the promotion a second track for veteran talent even as its main focus stays on developing new stars. Most bouts will pull from a younger pool, fighters generally between 18 and 25 with fewer than ten pro fights, though exceptions are expected.
Ki MMA fights will happen in a ring, not a cage, a callback to the visual style of Japan's Pride FC and current promotions like Rizin. Coker has lived this debate before. Back in 2006, he wanted Strikeforce's first California event to use a ring too, but the athletic commission wouldn't allow it without an eight-month delay. He gave in at the time, but the intention never left him. "I told them we were going to do a ring," Coker said, recalling the moment he pitched it to regulators.
Who Founded Ki MMA?
Coker is the co-founder and Peter Levin, who worked with him previously, holds the title of co-founder and chairman, while longtime associate Rich Chou steps in as executive vice president of athlete relations. The venture has $60 million in funding behind it. Coker's résumé speaks for itself, Strikeforce built the early careers of Daniel Cormier, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate before UFC bought the company in 2011, and Bellator later helped him develop names like Usman Nurmagomedov until PFL acquired that promotion in 2023. "We want to build stars while staying true to the discipline and respect," Coker said of the new venture's mission.
When Will Ki MMA Launch?
The promotion is targeting an early 2027 launch, with the featherweight World Grand Prix as its opening statement. No fight card, venue or broadcast partner has been locked in yet, but the framework, four continents, one weight class, one ring, is already set.