Mixed martial arts (MMA) and, specifically, the Bellator 170 event at the L.A. Forum in Inglewood on January 21, made headlines last week after gaining attention from an unlikely sourceāfamed actress Meryl Streep.

Bellator MMA boss Scott Coker (above) invited Meryl Streep (inset) to attend Bellator 170 after she mentioned MMA in a Golden Globes acceptance speech on January 8. Photo/JOSH HEDGES/FORZA LLC/FORZA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES; PAUL DRINKWATER/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY IMAGES
After receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award,Ā Streep gave aĀ politically charged acceptance speech, part of which wasĀ aimed at Donald Trumpās negative stance on illegal immigrants. It was at that point that she gave MMA and football an unintentional boost.
āSo Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners,ā Streep said,Ā āand if we kick them all out youāll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.ā
The off-the-wall reference received national media attention, much of it focusing on the fact that MMA is an extremely diverse, global sport. As the Washington Post headline said, āMeryl Streep slammed mixed martial arts. She doesnāt know what sheās missing.ā
Scott Coker, the president of MMA promotional company Bellatorāwhich is putting on the event headlined by Chael Sonnen versus Tito OrtizĀ with oversight from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC)āseized the opportunity to formally invite Streep to Bellator 170 via Twitter.

Bellator’s Scott Coker posted this tweet on January 8, inviting Meryl Streep to attend Bellator 170.
There has been no word if Streep will accept the invitation, but the jolt of publicity surely helped shine a light on the worldwide reach and diversity of MMA.