Zuffa LLC/UFC Buys Strikeforce: Breaking It Down

This is a breakdown of what UFC President Dana White's statements regarding the deal of Zuffa LLC, owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, buying Strikeforce.

(courtesy The Telegraph)



Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, announced Saturday that it has acquired Strikeforce, its biggest rival MMA organisation in the USA, making it a single powerful entity. Strikeforce will stay as it is, for the time being, with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker remaining in place. The company will be run with “business as usual” for the foreseeable future.

With rumours leaking out, UFC CEO Dana White stepped out ahead of a major news announcement rumoured for Monday March 15, and explained the outline of the takeover to MMAfighting.com Saturday afternoon UK time.

The implications of the UFC takeover of the Strikeforce MMA organisation are broad.

Breaking down UFC CEO Dana White’s explanations in broad terms:

“We needed more fights, more fighters.”

“Strikeforce is liked by fans. It made sense. Our job is to put on the big fights – in other countries.”

“It [the deal] happened quickly.”

No disclosure of financial settlement. White admitted that Pride buy-up was bigger.

Strikeforce will run ‘business as usual’, with CEO Scott Coker at the head of it, on Showtime (in the US). On Primetime, in the UK (exclusive current deal).

UFC fighters may go to Strikeforce; and vice versa once out of contract.

Lorenzo Fertitta, not Dana White, will most likely deal with Strikeforce.

There will be no super fights between UFC and Strikeforce champions. White: “We don’t co-promote.”

Fighters banned/suspended/out of favour with the UFC “will have their Strikeforce contracts honoured”.

White: “I’m still not a Paul Daley fan. He will never fight in the UFC. His Strikeforce contract will be honoured.”

Background to the deal and Strikeforce set-up:

Strikeforce, owned jointly by Scott Coker, its CEO, and Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, which runs the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, was rumoured to be looking for a business partner. On March 1, Coker described whispers of a UFC takeover as “crazy”. It is believed that ProElite Inc, also interested in acquiring the company, had been offered Silicon Valley’s share for $20 million, and a $20 million capital investment. Draw conclusions from there about the sums the UFC would have paid for what Dana White described as “a very good deal”.

The UFC have bought Strikeforce’s licensing rights as an MMA organisation, all the fighter contracts, and its entire video library. Power tools indeed. Strikeforce have a television deal with Showtime until 2012 (in the US). In the UK, they have a deal with Primetime, owned by media mogul Richard Desmond. Desmond also has Channel 5, two national newspapers, and a magazine empire.

The UFC have systematically acquired PRIDE, the WEC, and now Strikeforce. The next Strikeforce event will be in San Diego, on April 9. The move may create sticking points with fighters who have individual contracts with Strikeforce. That could include the likes of Fedor Emelianenko.

With the UFC reducing its roster to around 30 fighters per weight category, Strikeforce may become crucial as a feeder arena for developing talent, along with experienced, popular fighters who may be sliding down the rankings.

The Telegraph breakdown on the future…

The way forward…Strikeforce should dissolve its championship belts and have men’s Grand Prix and women’s titles.

The effect and the implications it will have on the world MMA scene, are severalfold. The main implications are that Zuffa have eliminated a rival organisation which was looking at expansion outside the US.

For now, Strikeforce will be run as a separate entity, with their current roster of fighters under contract, led still by CEO Scott Coker.

Strikeforce has recently been aggressively going after the UK market for the first time, doing a television deal in the UK, pay per view in Australia, and were talking about doing a show in Japan. They were at least showing the ambition to become the second truly international MMA organisation. Strikeforce already has an exclusive deal with Primetime in the UK, with some free to air events, and other pay per view events.

Even Pride did not have the ambition to do anything other than be a Japanese organisation until the very end, when they were bought out by Zuffa.

Other implications:

It strengthens Zuffa’s position in the global TV market.

When the UFC bought the WEC it was not long before some of its champions, Carlos Condit and Chael Sonnen to name two of them, moved into high positions in the UFC.

One of the conundrums for the UFC is that it does not make sense to have two world champions in the same division under the same umbrella organisation.

The UFC have always said that there is only one champion in a limited number of divisions, that (pre-WEC merger) there were only five UFC champions, and at that, the real champions.

Based on what happened with the WEC, the UFC are likely to be looking to amalgamate the Strikeforce leading fighters when it is contractually viable, and makes sense.

Arguably, given that problem with dual world champions, maybe Strikeforce should have a super-middleweight division with the likes of Dan Henderson, and a new roster of fighters such as Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and others who are not big enough to be light-heavyweights in the UFC.

It is one way that Zuffa could get around this conundrum, by changing the divisions slightly. Perhaps Strikeforce should drop all its champions, disintegrate its belts, and give its champions over to the UFC to fight in unification contests with champions in the UFC ?



In Strikeforce, perhaps they should consider having just Grand Prix champions, and women’s divisions, so they stay as a separate entity. Or arguably, a feeder organisation.

For example, should Jake Shields now be able to carry the Strikeforce middleweight championship into the UFC ?

One answer could be twelve Strikeforce events a year for women’s title fights and for men’s Grand Prix titles. That way, it would give Strikeforce a chance to have their own identity separate from the UFC, and not just have B-listers as a feeder fighting organisation.

It is not bad in any real sense for MMA globally. Better for the fans, certainly. The UFC will still need smaller organisations like Bellator and BAMMA for prospects to come through, just as Formula 1 needs Formula 2 and Formula 3. The winner of F1, is the ultimate racing driving champion.

Jeet Kune "Done"

Bruce Lee’s philosophies and the concepts of Jeet Kune Do have guided me in my martial arts journey but I am not a JKD practitioner. Personally I’ve found too much political conflict within that community and feel that movement has become many of the things Lee was originally against when he coined the name for his art. It’s ironic that an approach founded on the principles of evolution and freedom has become more about preserving the old and staying within the “way.”

When I train my focus is continuing Lee’s example of growth and expansion. The fact is Bruce Lee died at a young age and it’s preposterous to believe he had all the answers. Dan Inosanto has noted Lee was continuing to experiment and was evolving his “expression” up until the day he passed away. Since that time progress has been made in the field of martial arts/combative sports/self preservation and frankly I want to keep up in this modern era.

There are those whom I follow who are still part of the Jeet Kune Do universe, but they are part of the new wave of innovators in the field leading the way to new frontiers of effectiveness instead of clinging to old “dated” ways. One of the final lines in the “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” talked about leaving the boat behind after crossing the river. I left the “boat” behind long ago.

I like gyms that do not get into martial arts politics and pointless debates prevalent in those circles. I want focus on training and personal development, not talking about doing so.

Besides, as Bruce said “man is more important than any style or system.”

Anthony Pettis Matrix Kick

This is the kick that everyone is talking about. The final kick thrown in World Extreme Cagefighting's history(since it will merge into the UFC.)

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis runs off the cage to land his foot on Ben "Smooth" Henderson's face. Pettis used the move in the closing seconds of the 5th round of the lightweight championship and went on to win by unanimous decision. It would have been the perfect ending to the WEC's run if the kick and/or the follow up punches on the ground merited a ref stoppage.

Pettis and Henderson each earned a $10k bonus for Fight of the Night honors. $10k is pale next to the $100k bonuses the UFC gives, but that won't be an issue in the future since both will now fight in the Octagon.

Nontheless this is one of the most exciting moves ever pulled off in MMA's brief history.

Lea Michelle, GEEZUS!

People are up in arms over the sexy GQ spread featuring some stars from the cast of Glee. They say it's too provacative since the actors play high school teens. That's not the reason why I posted this entry.

I'm especially fond of Lea Michelle(Rachel Berry) getting her 'sexy' on in some white cotton panties. I'm a fan!






I watch the show, and thought she had nice ass. Her pics from the shoot pretty much dispute any claim otherwise. DAMN THAT THING IS NICE AND TIGHT.

Anticipation + Timing = Any Technique Can Land

This is simply an amazing piece of timing, as well as anticipation. The fight features a Kung-Fu practitioner against a Tae Kwon Do stylist. From watching it seems like no face punching is allowed, and this changes the dynamic of the fight. Also no takedowns are allowed, and the possibilities presented when they are "clinched" are numerous since both are wearing Gi jackets. Despite what the rules are, there is some impressive calculating and reading by the Kung-Fu guy.



Any technique can land provided you time it right, and you perfectly anticipate the opening created when the opponent is in transition(prior to initializing a strike or recovering strike to it's original position.)

Standing Guillotine - Nick Diaz

You may hate Nick Diaz's antics, or think he's too "ghetto" and unprofessional. But the guy has skills, and a technical fighter in both his boxing and grappling. When it comes to BJJ and submissions you would expect nothing less from a Ceaser Gracie blackbelt. I'm pleasantly surprised with Nick's wrestling knowledge w/ this video he shot with teh guys from Damage Control MMA.

Two-on-One Combinations - Part 1

Bad ass moves from wrestling Olympic champion Ivan Yarygin. I remember back in the early days there was an argument about the practicality of the two-on-one in MMA. The years were between 2000 and 2003. I remember when you could find a lot of awesome technical talk on the UG at MMA.tv the debate inspired a lot of discusssion on the pros and cons, but more importantly people going and testing the move in the gym and reporting back at their keyboards.



Watch this video and the you can totally see some applicable moves for the cage.

MMA EA SportsTrailer (Gamescom '10)

Wow! This game looks great. The roster of fighters doesn't get me excited, however the online play as well as being able to play in different venues look intriguing.



Another cool feature is downloading fighters created by other users.

However the most impressive feature is watching matches live on the the website, seeing the top users go at it with their created fighters during a live webcast takes gaming experience to a new level, I think.

EASportsMMA.com seems like a website I may have to frequent. October 13th, the game's release date, can't come soon enough. I wasn't too excited about this game till now. I still need to see how the actual gameplay is, especially the groundfighting.

It should be noted I got UFC 2010 about a month ago, but have not played it too much.

NBA handchecking explained and exposed (Michael Jordan vs handchecking)

Pip, The Mailman, The Dream Team Enter The Hall of Fame

It seems like only yesterday I was watching Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone and the 1992 Dream Team on television. To show how much time has passed by, I watched Pippen and Malone back when I was still in grammar school(it's been 13 since I graduated college.) When the '92 Barcelona Olympics took place it was the summer between my sophmore and junior years in high school.

I have this weird ability to vividly remember random things from the past. So as much as I saw Pip and Malone back in the day, I specifically remember watching The Dream Team. The olympics started while my family was vacationing in San Jose, CA with the rest of the Cid family. It was great watching those games together. The first game was against Angola and my cousins BJ, Anne, Jace, and brother Lou and sister Glayn watched up in the bedroom of my Lolo and Lola. Tita Ray would also pop in and out of the room to catch a glimpse. Tito Butch and Tito Mitch arrived later and watched downstairs while we were up(I believe they missed the beginning of the game because they went to the flea market.) That game was so lopsided to watch, but at the same time was one of the most exciting. Between Charles Barkley bullying the Angolan players, and me catching the replay of Magic's no look pass to MJ for the tomahawk jam(I was taking a dump when it happend live) that moment stood out from my childhood/teen years.

My second fondest memory of The Dream Team was watching them take on Croatia during pool play while eating dinner. Team USA would play Croatia twice, once in pool play and then again in the Gold Medal game. When Team USA won the gold, I was already back in Chicago from my Cali trip and I had to watch the game recorded on VHS because I had to work at Venture that Sunday afternoon. But that first time, the family eating and watching the game was a great bonding time. I remember getting the chills watching MJ and Pip take turns guarding Toni Kukoc, and although I idolized Jordan, I also remember shouting "ball hog" when I thought he wasn't passing enough and missing some jumpers. My frustration wasn't anger at MJ in as much as I was expecting a highlight reel quality play every trip on offense(that was how high the expectations were for the Dream Team.)

Anyway, here's to basketball memories of my youth. I'll always love seeing Pippen, Malone and Dream Team highlights cuz it takes me back to the days before I was an "adult."







Big "Congratulations" go out to the 2010 Inductee class of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Submissions: Nothing New Under the Sun

Eddie Bravo posted this youtube video on the UG. Shuichirou Katsumura defeats Masakatsu Ueda for the Shooto featherweight title. The particulars of the fight: ends in the second round at 3:39 by "Ninja Choke." At least that's what Katsumura is calling the finishing technique.



Bravo posted the vid cuz Katsumura nailed the choke from rubber guard, and admitted he hadn't seen the move before. But another member by the name of "Omoplautistic" pointed out, Baret Yoshida demonstrats that same choke in his book and DVD "Principles of the Art of Submission."



Yoshida calls the move a "Reverse Guillotine."

A lot of "haters" have tried to discredit Bravo and his Rubber Guard curriculum claiming his unorthodox/non-classical BJJ game isn't original because other players have taught the techniques previously, just not in the forefront of their curriculums. Eddie has never claimed to be the creator of anything, he just places more focus on the positions and techniques than other coaches.

This very example of the Ninja choke vs. Reverse Guillotine makes me think of Bruce Lee re-quoting "there is nothing new under the sun." However, there is such a thing as people "re-discovering" that which has already existed.

The Axe Murderer Victorious Again

Wanderlei Silva gets back on the winning track. Silva drops from the 205 pound division to middleweight. His opponent for his debut at 185 pounds is Michael Bisping. This fight took place at UFC 110 in Sydney, Austrailia.

Euro Ad: DC Wet Dream

Dig the commercial. Who knows what the point is, but it's a sexy take on the 60's versions of Batgirl and Catwoman, as well as the 70's Wonder Woman. The way I see it, I don't care what they're advertising/selling.

Major milestone for ChicagosMMA.com

So the website features a Gif of Hendo's right hand putting Bisping to sleep, as well as the followup on the ground. The post made the front page of Digg, and apparently the traffic was too much for the site to handle at once. If you go you get this message:

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems.

Ha! I love it. Good job for posting the Gif Mr. Lo Cascio! I love "503 Service Temporarily Unavailable" pages. And to all the people appalled by Hendo's "just for good measure" shot, please don't forget to clean your vagina.

I Thought "The Hammer" Was Washed Up

I thought for sure the "American Psycho" would win this fight. In fact, I thought he'd win it rather easily.



For all you who put big money on Coleman(the underdog) good for you. Lotta $$$ went into your pocket.

Keyboard Warriorism at its best

So I stumbled upon a comment I posted nearly a year ago on an MMA discussion board.

Women's MMA? Please, there isn't enough talent out there to legitimately fill the weight divisions. Bad idea. Let the other promos build up women's MMA... then purge their rosters if it takes off. But to field a women's division just becuase you have one potential superfight? Bad idea.

Even worse idea is to create division just because you have a face(Gina Carano). You'll run into the same matchup problems you have when trying make a Kimbo fight.
Gotta avoid putting Gina in there with someone who has legit all around skills? Aside from Gina, public does not like female fighting.

I got this response from someone with a tag peter p.

hey killa!.......you seem to know so much about mma, it's potential market and what the public wants to see. you must be some type of business consultant for some major companies. i'm sure you make tons of dough advising major corporations when and where to invest their money........give me a break. i know people like you, know everything, but have little. womens mma is just getting started and its picking up steam fast. the talent pool will work its self out as soon as women know their is a venue for them. why is it that their is such a tremendous amount of fight fans with all these great ideas on how to build a promotional company, when these guys can barely afford their mortgage????

I just laugh!

How fast is woman's MMA picking up steam? The announcement of Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos for Strikeforce will surely give the women some momentum. But what about after that? What happens if Gina loses?

My big question is are there fans of women's MMA, or of Gina Carano?

There's a reason UFC did not rush out to make this fight happen.

Halle Berry Got Foxx-ified

Halle Berry and Jamie Foxx Get it On | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

Damn! Halle Berry gets the award for "Decade of Hotness" from Spike TV's Guy's Choice Awards. Jaime Foxx, the presenter for the award, gets the real prize in the form of a deep and heated makeout session with Halle. Staged or not, how can I be down and get mouthful, AND a handful. SCHMACK DAMN!



Can there really be an argument about who else could possibly win this award? She is sooo ridiculously fione. And she's now 40 and a mommy? Gabriel Aubry you are so fucking lucky!

Is it Gina, or 'Gina? Either way I still dig you.

So I am one of a countless many who enjoy looking at Gina Carano, and watching her fight. I first became a fan when she appeared in the MSNBC documentary series "Warrior Nation."

Let's get the obvious out of the way first, she's quite beautiful. Let's get real, she's sexy! If you understand males then you understand what her immediate appeal is. She just landed the 16th spot in Maxim Magazine's 2009 Hot 100. She's also featured in the special ad for the Hot 100 section.


Then of course, she's a legit fighter who's pretty good. The fact she comes from a Muay Thai background and likes to strike makes her style more enjoyable to fans. She also has much love because of her stint as Crush on the short lived American Gladiators show on NBC.


One of my friends, Felice Herrig, is close friends with Carano. You'd think I would ask her to introduce me, but I don't think I really want to meet Gina. It would ruin my dream of ever having her as a, um, love interest? I know in reality I'd never have a shot with her, and it's weird meeting someone you have a thing for. So it's best to just leave her alone.

She's scheduled to fight Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos in August for Strikeforce. Right now I'm leaning toward "Cyborg" for the fact she seems a little more well-rounded. However don't count out a fighter who trains with a master strategist like UFC legend Randy Couture(Gina's trainer.)

I love you GML, but why would you remain a Sosa fan?

I produce "Garrard McClendon Live" on CLTV and today we discussed Sammy Sosa testing positive for a performance enhancing drug, as reported by the New York Times.

Garrard continues to grow as a TV host and the show may not be a ratings buster but Garrard has a loyal and growing audience.

Although we cross-promote our show with the news, we are not a traditional news show but rather and interactive opinion-driven program. Garrard's stance on the Sosa steroid story was he still held the former Cubs slugger in high regard and thinks he should still go baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.



I gotta disagree GML.