Scott Coker Speaks On Bellator Beating UFC To Hawaii

Bellator president Scott Coker is happy to be in Hawaii and admits it’s a good feeling to get there first.

There hasn’t been a major mixed martial arts event in Hawaii in a decade, but Bellator has beaten the UFC to holding an event there. You’ll have to go back to June 2008 to find the last major MMA event held in Hawaii. EliteXC: Return of the King was held inside the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards for the promotion’s lightweight title was the main event and Nick Diaz was a co-headliner.

Bellator is gearing up for a doubleheader with 212 taking place tomorrow night (Dec. 14) and 213 being held the following evening. Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Coker talked about Bellator being the first major MMA promotion to return to Hawaii:

“I’m not going to compare us to other organizations, but we are here first, and it does feel good – regardless of any other organization. Everybody has choices to make. (The UFC) had choices of whether they want to come do it or not. They decided not to do it, and we did it. I don’t think Max (Holloway) is too happy, but you can come watch our fights Saturday night.”

Bellator 212 will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Brent Primus and Michael Chander. It’ll air live on the Paramount Network and DAZN. Bellator 213 will see another title bout headline as Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defends her women’s flyweight title against Valerie Letourneau. This will be a DAZN exclusive event.