mma / News

Scott Coker Addresses The Canceled Emelianenko vs. Mitrione Fight

February 18, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka

– Bellator President Scott Coker spoke with MMAjunkie tonight, discussing the canceled Bellator 172 main event. Here are the highlights…

On Mitrione’s Medical Issue: “This morning, (Mitrione) was in excruciating pain,” Coker said. “And so, I told his guys, ‘Hey, get him to the hospital. He needs to get this checked out.’ They took him to the hospital, and by the time they had ran all the tests, he was diagnosed with having a kidney stone. So he’s in excruciating pain because the stone was trying to pass, so we said, ‘You know, healthy and safety first. We know this is a big fight. All the fans are here, I’m sure they’re disappointed, but hopefully we’ll have some great fights for them tonight.”

On Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen Offering to Replace Mitrione: “I got calls from Chael,” Coker said. “‘Put me in coach.’ Tito Ortiz texted me. ‘Hey, put me in.’ I’m like, ‘We can’t just do that. It’s not that simple of a process, and then we just ran out of time. “Doors were opening at 3 o’clock. We had to decide are we going to pull it, or are we just going to continue to try and wait another half-hour, which means all the fans are standing outside? We just ran out of time, and we said, ‘Look, we’d rather just pull it. The fight’s off.’”

On Hoping to Have Fedor Fight in May or June: “We’re going to reschedule it,” Coker said. “We’re going to try and work something out with the building here to reschedule it and have it here in San Jose sometime in the next couple of months. That’s not guaranteed, … (but) when we reschedule it, whether he fights Matt or not depending on Matt’s health, it will be special because anytime Fedor fights, it’s a big, big, big thing.”