Rich Chou

Richard Chou is a Guam native whose early forays in athletic competition did not predict a career in the combat sports industry. In 1997, Chou graduated from Saint John's Episcopal School where he earned Most Valuable Player awards in high school basketball and volleyball. In 2002, Chou first entered the Mixed Martial Art (MMA) industry as a fighter. After two years he changed to the operations side to work for Rumble on the Rock in Hawaii. There, he helped with talent, matchmaking, and developed a friendship with B.J. Penn, who operated the promotion with his older brother, JD Penn. From Rumble on the Rock Chou went on to work for the Elite Xtreme Combat promotion, or "Elite XC". It was through EliteXC's co-promotion of some events with "Strikeforce" that Chou first met Scott Coker, Strikeforce's founder and CEO. Amidst controversy, EliteXC ended operations in October 2008 and left Chou unemployed. Coker, remembering Chou's various roles in EliteXC, hired him to be a Strikeforce matchmaker. In addition to the talent side, Chou's skill-set was expanded to include knowledge of television production and marketing. Coker later touted Chou as his preferred Strikeforce successor when he retired. That possibility never came to fruition as a result of Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce in March 2011. Two months later Chou, along with 'Crazy' Bob Cook, were removed from their matchmaking positions. That same year the former EliteXC was resurrected by Stratus Media Group and promoted three events as "ProElite MMA". with Chou as s Vice President of Operations.Chou did return to help with Strikeforce's final card, "Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine". In June 2014, Spike network President Kevin Kay appointed Coker President of Bellator MMA to replace its former Chairman and CEO, Bjorn Rebney. Encouraged by his former boss' plans to try things in MMA, Chou left his apparel work and joined Bellator MMA as a matchmaker in July 2014.