Scott Coker is in no hurry to have sold-out crowds at Bellator events again.
As the UFC is set to have a full capacity crowd in Jacksonville and Houston in April and May, Bellator doesn’t see the need. Instead, Coker says they want to make sure everything is safe and not create a super-spreader event.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel now,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “We’re going to take a beat and see how things open up, not just in those two states or three states or five states that have opened up, but we’re going to wait to see how it opens up across the country. I think that because there is light at the end of the tunnel here and we see it, I want to make sure that we don’t just respond and do something that creates some super-spreader event.
“When it’s safe, we’ll go. This is a big company. There is a COVID task force that we adhere to. We’ll see what they say,” Coker continued. “We’ve already inquired about doing fights outside the ‘Sphere. They are looking into and making sure we’re heading in the right direction. Upon their guidance, we’ll decide what they do.”
Bellator does have their bubble at the Mohegan Sun which has been working. For Coker and the brash, at this time, it doesn’t make sense for the promotion to leave and start going across the United States and Europe again.
However, with the pandemic nearing the end, it is only a matter of time before the Viacom-owned promotion gets back into having events in front of fans.
Bellator is set to hold their first event of 2021 on Friday night. In the main event of Bellator 255, Patricio Pitbull defends his featherweight title against Emmanuel Sanchez in the semifinals of the featherweight grand prix.
When do you think Bellator will have events with fans again?
