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Scott Coker says Caldwell vs. Horiguchi has rematch clause – in Bellator, not Rizin

Darrion Caldwell won’t put his Bellator title on the line when he meets Kyoji Horiguchi at Rizin FF 14 later this month. Rather, it’s Rizin’s inaugural 135-pound title that will be at stake.

That doesn’t exclude, however, the possibility of Horiguchi fighting for a Bellator belt in the future. In fact, the recently-announced meeting between Bellator bantamweight champion Caldwell and Rizin’s Horiguchi opens a few different paths for other cross-promotional bouts, perhaps involving the same two players.

Speaking to MMAjunkie about the deal, Bellator president Scott Coker explained the terms he discussed with Rizin FF president Nobuyuki Sakakibara in order to facilitate the bout, which takes place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama.

“If he goes there and ‘DC’ (Caldwell) loses, there’s a guaranteed rematch in Bellator as part of the deal,” Coker explained. “And if he goes there and wins then I agree with Sakakibara that once a year ‘DC’ will go to there to defend the Rizin belt. And if Horiguchi beats ‘DC’ here, as well, then we have to have access to Horiguchi to fight in Bellator once a year to defend his Bellator belt.”

As for how the deal came about?

According to the Bellator president, it started with Horiguchi’s manager, who also happens to a friend of his. Coker said he already liked the former UFC title challenger, whom he’d even considered bidding on for Bellator, and that at one point he manager asked him to please send Caldwell over to fight his fighter.

Coker didn’t commit to it at the time, but would go on to publicly suggest the cross-over to Sakakibara during a press-conference

“I just threw it out there and then my phone started blowing up that night,” Coker recalled. “‘Come on, let’s do it.’ We talked to ‘DC’s’ people like, ‘We would love to do it. It’s like his dream to fight in Japan.’

“I said, ‘OK, let me organize a few things on my end.’ We put it all together and now he is going to fight for the Rizin belt.”

The result of the transaction was a rare deal that, due to its unique nature in mainstream MMA, generated some excitement.

That includes fans, of course, but also fighters. Like, for instance, veteran and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, who looks to re-claim his title against Brent Primus this Friday. Talking to MMAjunkie ahead of his “Salute the Troops” headliner, Chandler expressed interest in the possibilities that seem increasingly open given MMA’s current landscape.

“I think nothing is out of the realm of possibility these days,” Chandler said. “And I’d love to be a part of it and I’d love to sit down and start talking about what the future looks like.”

We have good news for Chandler and peers who might be eyeing similar opportunities. Although Coker is careful to clarify that they’ll have to be assessed in a case-by-case basis moving forward, he’s open to facilitating more cross-promotional matches.

“Let’s see how this one goes,” Coker said. “But we’re not afraid to put our guys up and put them in risk or in harm’s way. Any fighter can get beat at any time. But there has to be a certain amount of business understanding that makes sense for us and for Rizin, to do these types of deals. I’ve been going to Japan since the late 90s and working in a martial arts fight company there, so I think I have a good understanding of how it works and what they’re looking for.

“I think that as long as the fighters want to do it, Sakakibara and I can have a good understanding, we’ll do it. For me, I think it’s created a lot of excitement for two fighters that collectively, together, they can create a much more exciting matchup than if they fought somebody else just for Rizin or Bellator.”

To hear from Coker, check out the video above.

And for more on Rizin FF 14 and the upcoming Bellator schedule, visit the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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