Coker: Bellator discussing fight night bonuses
Scott Coker: There are ‘internal discussions on the matter’, but ‘nothing to announce…Maybe I’ll hav esomething to announce in the near future.’
After every UFC event, the UFC gives $50,000 to four fighters for performance bonuses, a perk that only fighting in the UFC gets you at the moment. However rival promotion Bellator MMA has been having internal discussion about implementing a similar award system on their events:
Although Bellator President Scott Coker didn’t rule out the possibility of awarding fighters additional cash for their performances, telling MMAjunkie Radio there are internal discussions on the matter, there is nothing to announce.
Maybe I’ll have something to announce in the near future, Coker said in a traditional refrain for the longtime promoter.
Freire, who won the belt this past September in a rematch with Pat Curran, previously told MMAjunkie that Bellator has an opportunity to distinguish itself as a fight promoter by rewarding its current talent.
If Bellator can pay fighters the same as the UFC does, give them the opportunity to win fight-night bonuses and the freedom to choose who their sponsors are, it’s easy to see they can change the sport as we know it, he said.