Coker is regarded as a pioneer in MMA after being instrumental in the rise of former promotion Strikeforce.
Coker points to former UFC stars such as Daniel Cormier and Ronda Rousey as examples of fighters where he helped build their brand from scratch.
Cormier debuted in Strikeforce before winning UFC titles at light-heavyweight and heavyweight in a distinguished career.
Rousey, meanwhile, had fought two professional bouts prior to being signed by Coker, before going on to become one of the biggest MMA stars of all time.
Coker says his Ki MMA team have been searching gyms in cities such as Tokyo and Paris looking for “diamonds in the rough”.
“I don’t think anyone has built stars from scratch like we have in the past,” said Coker.
“We will be in the star building business and the star searching business and that’s what we’re doing, searching for diamonds in the rough. We’re gonna go mining.
“This is going to be a long distance race and take several years to build this group of fighters but the tournament speeds up the process.”
Coker, who was born in South Korea, describes Ki as an East Asian word which means the “inner energy and spiritual journey of martial arts”.
Coker has described Japan as the “birthplace of MMA” and wants his new promotion to reflect that.
A key change he wants to make is hosting Ki MMA fights in a ring as opposed to a cage, which was a key characteristic of former Japanese promotion Pride.
MMA fights are held in cages primarily to stop athletes falling out and to keep the action flowing, but Coker says it makes fights hard to see.
“I’m sitting right at the cage, and once they go to the side, I end up watching the whole fight on the big screen,” Coker said.
“With the ring you have better viewing and more action because a fighter can’t hold you against the cage and control you.”
Coker says some details still need to be finalised but he’s aiming to hold Ki MMA’s first event early in 2027.
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