Dana White: The guys that are in Strikeforce are staying in Strikeforce
UFC president Dana White on Thursday, following the UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida press conference, confirmed that Strikeforce is not…
UFC president Dana White on Thursday, following the UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida press conference, confirmed that Strikeforce is not going away.
“It’s staying,” said White definitively during the press conference. “Just sit and wait and watch what I do. Trust me, it’s going to be just fine. Like I said last time I talked to you guys about this, I’m getting into this and I’m going to handle it. Watch and see. We’ll see what happens. I know I keep saying this every week, but that deal should be wrapped up any day now, and then I’ll make the decisions on who goes where and what’s going to happen. So we should know hopefully by Monday.”
At the UFC 140 post fight press con, White expanded on the remarks:
The guys that are in Strikeforce are staying in Strikeforce, White said. “Strikeforce lives.
Gilbert Melendez and all the guys that are in the Strikeforce show and with Showtime, I will make fights [for them]. They will be happy to be there. Believe me, I got this thing worked out. It’s going to be good for everybody. It’s going to be good for the fighters, it’s going to be good for Showtime, and it’s going to be good for Strikeforce.
When asked if there are any plans for co-promotion between Strikeforce and the UFC, White said, Strikeforce is completely separate, but that they have the ability to make some interesting things happen.
In addition, White confirmed Scott Coker will continue to be involved in Strikeforce affairs going forward.
Curiously, UG member Hammers Hamil posted several days ago that such an announcement was imminent. Whether all the other predictions he makes are also true will come clear in time
From: hammers hamil
Member Since: 3/10/11
Posts: 352
Business as usual for strikeforce has been agreed… The sticking point was the money for the licensing of the show as showtime thought the value was lost with the pilaging of the product showtime has reupped for 2 years at a reduced rate and has been reassured ufc fighters will be sent there and a rebuilding of all the division and the show will be more of a feeder league b team show… Showtime got a deal on the product and strikeforce lives on…
M1 Global has been shown the door as they have not been picked up for a renewal…
a return to columbus in march and a bigger focus on womans mma and maybe even a new weightclass has been discussed…
sho sports got it at half the value of its last contract for the new licensing deal…..
it will be official next week on the broadcast with annoucments for more cards in 2012 and the date for the strikeforce tourny finals…
There will be a few changes in production for the show sean shelby is hard at work recruiting new talent even talks of some sort of reality type content for strikeforce time will tell showtime is serious about mma..
Strikeforce will never be officailly announced as a feeder show it will be branded as a alternative to ufc and will have a different feel but to the true fan it will be considered …
Another reason why there sticking around is zuffa never had enough spots for the whole roster and did not want to cut and lose talent to bellator and other upstarts and wanted to make sure bellator did not capitalize on womans mma and carve there own niche and gain some market share as most of the woman and fighters would have likely ended up there…
Most shows will be done in vegas to save on costs and expendure and bigger shows in the already established markets its more a crawling before they run stragedy…