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Scott Coker has presented his argument for Francis Ngannou potentially signing with Bellator.
Ngannou is the biggest free agent available, and every MMA promotion should be trying to sign him. The former UFC heavyweight champion has shown interest in professional boxing, but he doesn’t plan on retiring from MMA.
While discussing Ngannou’s free agency on The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani asked Coker if he plans to invite ‘The Predator’ to Bellator 290. The Bellator president responded by saying:
“Yeah, we’re definitely going to invite him. I’m not sure what his schedule is like, but we will invite him. More importantly, is when we can sit down and really talk some business and see if there is a fit… Listen, Francis Ngannou would be a great addition to any roster. I think we would be a great fit because you have Showtime Boxing. He could do boxing and he could do MMA with us, so it would be a one-stop shop for him."
At Bellator 290, Fedor Emelianenko will have his retirement fight against Ryan Bader in the main event. Regardless of the outcome, Bellator has organized a ceremonial event following Emelianenko's fight featuring MMA legends, including Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, and more. Hence, Helwani thought it would be a good idea to invite Ngannnou to start negotiations during the special event.
Watch Scott Coker discuss Francis Ngannou below:
Scott Coker says Bellator is in ‘preliminary discussions’ with Francis Ngannou
Scott Coker tends to be honest during interviews and not exaggerate the current nature of ongoing events. During his appearance on The MMA Hour, the Bellator president revealed he’s interested in signing Francis Ngannou but also said they haven’t started any serious negotiations. He had this to say:
“Of course there is interest. Anytime there’s a free agent at this level. We’re talking to everybody all the time, and Francis is somebody we would have high interest in, and I know there is dialogue going on. I look forward to sitting down with him in the very near future… Basically, it’s preliminary discussions to set up a meeting face-to-face, so we can have a good conversation and get to know each other.”
It’s unclear what’s next for ‘The Predator.’ The former UFC heavyweight has been consistent with his desire to compete in professional boxing, but nothing is official. Considering Coker’s connection with Showtime Boxing, Bellator could be the perfect promotion for Ngannou’s foreseeable future.
