MMA: Scott Coker seeks grounded knees to the head for Ki MMA

Scott Coker wants to change the MMA rules in California. The former head of Strikeforce and Bellator announced on October 20 that his new promotion, Ki MMA, has filed a request with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to bring elements of the Global MMA Rules, used by several promotions outside North America, into the Unified Rules. MMA Fighting first reported the request.

The key point is knees to the head of a grounded opponent. The Unified Rules, used by the UFC and the PFL at their North American events, only allow knees to the body and legs of a downed fighter. Ki MMA would keep soccer kicks, stomps and linear knee strikes illegal, citing Rule 533.

A discussion set for December 1

The commission has not approved anything yet. Coker has asked for the topic to be placed on the agenda of the CSAC stakeholders meeting on December 1. "I've always believed MMA should keep evolving," he wrote on Instagram. The final scope of any approval, and the event where it might apply, remain unknown. CSAC executive director Andy Foster has previously shown openness to trialling different rule sets.

Grounded knees to the head were a trademark of Pride, the Japanese promotion that folded in 2007, and they are still legal in Rizin. If California agrees, Ki MMA would stand clearly apart from the UFC and the PFL, which follow the Unified Rules on American soil.

A featherweight grand prix in a ring

Coker launched Ki MMA in September with business partner Rich Chou. The league plans a 32-fighter featherweight grand prix contested in a ring rather than a cage, as in Pride. Its first event is slated for 2027, with no date or venue announced so far.

Coker has been a fixture of American combat sports since founding Strikeforce, originally a kickboxing promotion, in 1985. He ran Strikeforce until Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, bought it in 2011, then led Bellator from 2014 until the PFL acquired the promotion in late 2023. Strikeforce staged a heavyweight grand prix in 2011, a knockout format that has become rare in modern MMA.

In the United States, each state sets its own rules through its athletic commission, so a variance approved in California would only apply to events held in that state.