Strikeforce buyout means uncertain future for women’s MMA
Of all the Strikeforce fighters who are struggling to figure out what the sale of their employer to its biggest…
Of all the Strikeforce fighters who are struggling to figure out what the sale of their employer to its biggest rival will mean, it’s the women on the roster who are in perhaps the most precarious position.
Despite UFC president Dana White’s assurances that it’s “business as usual” for Strikeforce after being purchased by Zuffa, White has made no secret of the fact that he’s not interested in getting into the business of women’s MMA.
According to everything coming out of the Zuffa offices, Strikeforce will continue to run its own promotion as it sees fit. But what will happen to women’s MMA if Strikeforce is eventually folded into the UFC?
“I think one of two things can happen,” said former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman. “The first is that they embrace the females and still try to push them using the Strikeforce venue and then maybe pulling them over [to the UFC]. That would be great, if that were to happen. The second option would be, they run the contracts out and then that’s it. I’m definitely hoping for the former, but I’m preparing for the latter.”
White’s said in the past that there aren’t enough female fighters to create a lasting division, leaving some of Strikeforce’s women wondering what it might take to change his mind, The way Kaufman sees it, in the end it might come down to how passionately MMA fans feel about the women’s division.
“I really hope that maybe the fans or anyone who can help push the females, I really hope that they stand up for us and prove to Zuffa that they want to see us,” she said. “Then hopefully they’ll listen and we’ll get to stay.”