Bellator MMA returns on July 24 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, the same venue where their last scheduled event was canceled at the last moment, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the aid of parent company Viacom, a safety sphere is being created for the events, which will have no audience. Empty arenas are anticipated through 2020 and for months into 2021.
Coker described the guiding document to Kevin Iole for Yahoo Sports as, “so thorough and so complex it’s kind of like the re-entry of SpaceX coming back to the planet from space.
Even now, as we’re months into this thing, there is a lot we don’t know, said Coker. So our goal and the question I have constantly asked is, ‘How do I keep everyone as safe as possible?’ That’s my fighters, our staff, the families, the commission, the officials, the media. We’re only going to have absolutely essential personnel in the arena and so we had to find a way to keep them safe.
I think the protocol we’ve got outlined in this document does that. I feel comfortable that we’re doing everything we possibly can to make this the safest and most secure environment we can.
Bellator 242 will be headlined by Sergio Pettis vs. Ricky Bandejas, and the four-fight main card will include Aaron Pico vs. the unheralded Chris Hatley Jr. Pico debuted as one of the greatest prospects in years, but in his eight fights to date, he was submitted in his debut, and was T/KOed twice before bouncing back with a KO win in January.
Coker, who has decades of experience developing world-beating talent, remains positive about Pico.
People might think I’m crazy over whatever, but I feel he’s just now learning to become a mixed martial artist,” said Coker. “It’s taken this much time, but that’s just how long it takes to develop some of these guys. Aaron’s still a young kid.
Do you know how long it would take someone to start a new sport and to do the things he’s able to do now? It would take years, so he’s way ahead of the game. He just has to tighten up a few things. Will he? Well, that’s something I can’t answer, but I’m cautiously optimistic.
