Khabib Nurmagomedov took within the Bellator MMA vs. Rizin occasion on New 12 months’s Eve, and in accordance with Bellator President Scott Coker, the retired UFC champ was blown away by what he noticed.
Coker shared Nurmagomedov’s response after occasion on the hallowed Saitama Enviornment, which noticed Bellator sweep fighters from the Japanese promotion in 5 promotion vs. promotion matchups.
“It’s very fascinating, as a result of he wasn’t right here within the heyday,” Coker mentioned on the post-event press convention. “I obtained to see these fights. Lots of you understand that [I’ve been] within the martial arts enterprise a very long time, I began working for Okay-1 in 1999, so I obtained to see all the good fights in Okay-1. I obtained to see the good fights of PRIDE. And Khabib has by no means see the manufacturing and the followers, and he was freaking out.
“He was telling me, ‘That is unbelievable.’ He saved telling me, ‘That is unbelievable. I had no concept that one thing like this was occurring in Japan.’ And I mentioned, ‘That is the place it began, Khabib.’ That is the place MMA and martial arts fight, it began right here – it grew all through the remainder of the world, however there was a time when Japan had the perfect fighters on the planet, the perfect manufacturing on the planet, the perfect promotion on the planet, and that’s why the UFC purchased it. Identical to my firm, Strikeforce, I feel we had an important roster, nice occasions, in order that they purchased it.”
Nurmagomedov by no means fought beneath the Strikeforce banner, constructing his report principally in Russia earlier than signing with the UFC. However the undefeated fighter at all times maintained an in depth relationship with Coker, whose longtime colleague and former Strikeforce worker Javier Mendez coached on the American Kickboxing Academy the place UFC and Strikeforce fighters educated.
By the point Nurmagomedov transitioned from fight sambo to MMA, Japanese MMA had taken an enormous hit; the once-mighty PRIDE was shuttered by the UFC after being acquired in 2007. After a non-compete interval, former PRIDE chief Nobuyuki Sakakibara created Rizin. A longtime pal and colleague of Coker, Sakakibara and Rizin exchanged fighters with Bellator MMA earlier than becoming a member of forces for the New 12 months’s Eve occasion.
The Bellator MMA fighters featured on the cardboard took full benefit of the platform, infusing their walkouts with the costumes and drama that have been as soon as the trademark of PRIDE and Japanese MMA.
Nurmagomedov is perhaps retired, however Coker mentioned the 34-year-old ex-champ was impressed by what he noticed.
“It’s so ironic to sit down right here with Khabib – he’s like freaking out concerning the manufacturing and the staging and simply the pageantry,” Coker mentioned.
