"One of the pillars" - Ali Abdelaziz lavishes praise on Bellator president Scott Coker for his contributions to MMA
Ali Abdelaziz recently lavished praise on Bellator president Scott Coker for all of his contributions to the sport of MMA throughout the years.
While speaking to The Schmo, the MMA manager weighed in on the rumors regarding Bellator being sold to the PFL. When asked if he had a message for his supporters, the 45-year-old took the opportunity to compliment Coker for his leadership skills and generosity to the fighters.
He said:
"Scott Coker is one of the pillars in MMA. He's one of the pillars...I've been around the business for over 30 years...A guy [Scott Coker] who gives so much opportunity to all the fighters, so much opportunity myself also. He first guy to buy me a meal in the U.S...I'm grateful for him and I wanna say thank you to him, thank you to Bellator." [9:35 - 10:05]
Ali Abdelaziz then credited the Bellator president for his ability to find talent and believes that it has resulted in the promotion having some of the best fighters in the world under contract. He mentioned that the promotion wouldn't have been as successful had Coker not been at the helm with his staff, saying:
"Bellator today arguably have some of the best fighter in the world...Patrick Mix, Minakov, Johnny Eblen, many guys. They have a claim to be they are the best in the world and was all Scott Coker, Mike Kogan, the whole Bellator staff, it would not be possible...And he [Scott Coker] always should get his flower, always should get his respect." [10:12 - 10:41]
It remains to be seen whether Scott Coker will still be involved in the sport should Bellator be sold to the PFL, but it's clear that Ali Abdelaziz enjoyed dealing with him.
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Ali Abdelaziz reveals that Derek Brunson will join PFL's light heavyweight division
It appears as though Derek Brunson is moving on from middleweight and will be making the move up to light heavyweight when he makes his official PFL debut.
During the aforementioned interview, Ali Abdelaziz noted that it was time for Brunson to move on from the UFC and that he mutually parted ways with the promotion. He mentioned that 'The One' will be setting his sights on the PFL light heavyweight championship and $1 million prize, saying:
"Derek [Brunson] have nothing bad to say about the UFC, UFC have nothing bad to say about him. I think UFC did a lot for Derek Brunson. But I think Derek Brunson time there is done and he have to move up to light heavyweight, and probably gonna win a million dollars in this tournament." [6:43 - 7:00]
