Kevin Iole has a very favorable piece on the Strikeforce mastermind. What's interesting to note in the piece is Dana White's praise of him:
Unlike nearly every other major promoter, he hasn’t incurred the wrath of the UFC or its outspoken president, Dana White.
White, who was 16 when Coker began promoting kickboxing, was effusive in his praise of Coker.
“This sport needs more guys like Scott Coker,” White said. “He puts on a good show and I think if you talked to his fighters about him, they’d all have good things to say.”
Those words are in sharp contrast to his comments about other promoters. He derisively refers to Affliction’s Tom Atencio as “that t-shirt guy.” He says, “I thought Elite XC was the (stuff) Anna Nicole Smith was taking when she died.” And he simply chortles at the problems the IFL has endured.
“It was a stupid concept that I told you would never work,” White said of the IFL’s team MMA plan.
What's notable is how long the two organizations will able to peacefully coexist. Dana White has gone on the record as saying he wants to sign Strikeforce superstar Cung Le. The dilemma of the mid-majors like Strikeforce is that they don't incur the wrath of Dana White by geographically narrowing their area of operation and by willingly serving as both feeder organizations for up-and-coming talent as well as homes/rebound opportunities for struggling or uninspiring UFC talent. However, eventually the upper echelon Strikeforce fighters are going to be coveted by White. He will want their services for his promotion and his endeavors. One wonders how a friendly relationship will be maintained amidst business necessities.
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