UFC Buys Strikeforce

[CrimsonGhost56]

press release from Zuffa and the first comments from Scott Coker about the deal

Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand, announced today that it has purchased the assets of Explosion Entertainment, LLC dba Strikeforce®. Under the terms of the deal, all Strikeforce fighter contracts will be honored, as will its broadcast agreement with Showtime® Networks, Inc. Strikeforce will continue to operate as a separate business and current Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has signed a long-term employment agreement with the company.

"We have worked hard to make mixed martial arts the fastest growing sport in the world," UFC President Dana White said. "We've spent countless hours getting this sport regulated and taking the Octagon® all over the world. Acquiring the Strikeforce assets allows us to continue to develop this sport into a global force."

"We intend to operate Strikeforce as a separate business much like we did with the WEC for many years," Lorenzo Fertitta, Chairman and CEO of Zuffa, said. "We look forward to working with Scott Coker, and the entire Strikeforce and Showtime teams to continue to provide quality content for mixed martial arts fans.

"We've long admired Scott Coker and the Strikeforce business he launched and developed," Fertitta continued. "We feel that together with Scott, we can continue to build both Strikeforce and the UFC."

Currently, Strikeforce holds 16 events annually across the United States. The organization will continue to do so under new ownership and fans can look forward to exciting fights featuring their favorite Strikeforce athletes. While there are currently no plans to bring Strikeforce fighters to the UFC, a new strategy to strengthen Strikeforce's talented roster is being developed.

"This is an important day for the sport of mixed martial arts," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. "We are excited to work with Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta, Dana White and everyone at the UFC on the quest to make MMA the biggest sport in the world. Fans can continue to expect quality Strikeforce shows and we look forward to giving our athletes an even broader platform on which to perform."

 

[CrimsonGhost56]

Josh Barnett with kind words for Dana and the UFC? cant be...

When Josh Barnett saw news of the impending marriage of the UFC and its closest competitor Saturday morning, the first thing he did was glance at his calendar.

“I had to double-check,” said the Strikeforce heavyweight. “I was like, ‘I know it’s not April 1.’”

And the deal is certainly not a joke. It will pair the world’s top mixed martial arts promotion with the organization that held the last significant collection of top-level MMA fighters not already under their banner, and Barnett is hopeful he will be part of that union.

“Things have changed,” said the former UFC champion, “This is major and great things can come from it and I just want to be a part of that, and the way I can best do that is be the best fighter I can be.”

It just might not be that easy.

There is a massive hurdle standing in the way of a Barnett-UFC reunion and that is the president of the company, Dana White.

Barnett and White have had a contentious relationship -- if you can call it that -- over the past nine years or so since Barnett, in quick succession, became the organization’s youngest heavyweight titlist by defeating Randy Couture in 2002; then reportedly made it clear he wanted to be paid more than anyone was being paid at that time and finally was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for allegedly testing positive for anabolic steroids in the Couture fight.

For his part, Barnett states that no matter what has been said in the past, he has respect for his former boss. He also hopes his performance in the cage will go a long way in proving he belongs on the sport’s biggest stage.

“I’m not here to make this a personal vendetta or judgment with [Dana], especially in terms of business,” said Barnett. “I know what I’ve got to do and I know what his position is in terms of being the president of the UFC, and that he has excelled at. He’s done a great job.”

And Barnett has a job in front of him that is first and foremost. That is winning the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.

“It makes a difference with everything,” explained Barnett in regards to winning the tournament. “There is not a single thing in my life that winning this tournament will not make a difference with.”

One can’t help but think that it may be the only way for Barnett to find his way back into the Octagon, and it may be a long shot at that.

The volleys of vitriol between White and Barnett have been some of the most caustic dialogue ever recorded in the nascent sport’s young life.

Barnett has, in the past, been a vocal critic of White and his company, and the UFC boss -- as we have all become accustomed to -- has fired back early and often. Barnett’s alleged three failed commission administered drug tests have been an easy target for the sharp-witted White.

Those public repartees may be a thing of the past if Barnett is successful in persuading his former archrival to allow him back into the Octagon. It would not be the first time White has extinguished a bitter feud. He and Tito Ortiz squashed a high-profile quarrel that had them set to fight a televised boxing match.

Barnett may or may not have been joking when he talked about getting a shot at White in a professional style wresting match, but it is clear as day that he is serious about getting back into the UFC. Competing against the best fighters in the world is what motivates him, and even a blind man can see that the UFC will soon be the only game in town for a fighter of his caliber to scratch the competitive itch that consumes him.

“If he hates me, he hates me; but if he sees the value in what I bring to the table as a fighter I think that will speak for itself,” he said. “But you know what? I don’t hate Dana and I do business, and I’ll go out there and do the absolute best that I can do and if he happens to be my employer … literally, if Dana White has an office that I have to write into every day, because that’s the person I report to for my business, well that’s what I’ll do.”

This is an amazing sea change from the notoriously recalcitrant Barnett and it doesn’t stop there. Perhaps reflecting on the uncertain nature of MMA, especially so in recent years, he made a point to commend the UFC for providing a stable platform for the sport to grow upon in North America. He even went as far as to state he may have erred in his handling of his divorce from the company.

“There is a part of me that absolutely wishes that things between myself and the UFC had worked out differently,” stated Barnett. “I was 23, 24-years-old at the time and I took advice from where I took it and I tried to do what I thought was the best thing at the time, but this guy that is sitting here talking to you now would tell that kid [that] he was a moron.

“But even still, I got to see and experience a lot of amazing things in my life even because of that. I could sit back and cry about it and really think what a horrible way this turned out, but my life has been really awesome. I’ve done a lot of awesome things and I’ve been a part of amazing moments of time and got to fight in amazing places and see amazing things and fight amazing fighters and I would never trade that in. The thing is, every step you take is forever. I’m going to do what I’ve got to do and I’ll try to do the best I can to avoid mistakes of the past and use those experiences to be better at everything I try to do in life.”

With all that said, Barnett, like so many others who have clashed with White, see quite a bit of themselves in the supremely confident UFC president.

“Dana likes to go out there and crush, kill, pillage, whatever; and let’s face it, that’s kind of my M.O.,” said Barnett in an admiring tone. “As much as I may have ever had difficulty with Dana at the end of the day there is a part of me that absolutely vibes with what he is does.

“Whether he wants to think about it or not, here and now, no bulls**t, Dana White is pretty f--king metal and I am a metal dude … we’ll at least have that sort of respect that can’t be overlooked.”

We’ll see.

Noting his complete lack of control over the process of reconciling with White and the UFC, Barnett was clear in outlining his best chance of gaining any shred of influence in the matter.

“I know the biggest thing that will affect my career, and that’s going out there and winning this tournament. That’s the biggest thing that I can actually make a difference in, that’s something I actually have control over

Barnett on UFC-Strikeforce Deal: ‘I Just Want to be Part of That’

 

[CrimsonGhost56]

double post goodness

 

[EmpireWF]

Meltzer notes from wrestlingobserver.com

Strikeforce fights will be in a Hexagon

Elbows on the ground now legal in Strikeforce

Showtime deal runs through 2014

Showtime controls the announcers on Strikeforce events

Dana considered a good chance the heavyweight tournament finals will be on PPV

The idea of keeping separate champions has changed from Saturday to today. They were not specific on what would happen but they said they will make the fights people want to see as opposed to not doing interpromotional fights. So UFC vs. Strikeforce championship fights will be made when they believe it's the right time.

They talked about doing considerably more overseas shows. As a theoretical, for Australia, instead of one show a year they talked about running 1-2 major shows and 8-10 smaller shows trying to develop local stars and television for those markets.

 

[clovett]

- Scott Coker: "This is a historical day for the sport of MMA."
- "Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment wanted to get back to their core business (hockey). I wanted to stick around in MMA."
- "We have around 140 fighters under contract in Strikeforce."
- "HWGP delay had more to do with finding the right location for the fight. This deal had nothing to do with it."
- "I think fans are eventually going to get to see the fights they want to see."
- "We had booking approval for guys with non-exclusive contracts."
- "Fedor fights for Strikeforce. Fedor fights on Showtime. I can't get into the specifics."

- Dana White: "Right now, we're looking to run Strikeforce on Showtime. Business as usual."
- "I'll never say never to anything, but right now Strikeforce will continue to run on Showtime. Showtime runs the production for Strikeforce. There's things we can do to help out, but they're running production."
- "There's always going to be competition. We're just looking to expand and grow the business. We need more fighters."
- "I wouldn't count anything out with regards to fighters crossing over. As of now, we're keeping things separate, but it's a work in progress."
- "There are a lot of people who aren't big fans of mine, but we can still do business." (Re: Barnett, Daley)
- "All you have to do is have some money and some big balls to get into the MMA business."
- "My thoughts on women MMA is the same. That's Scott's deal, not mine."
- "We're open to the idea of the HWGP final being on PPV."
- "We have the largest MMA video library in the world."
- "A fighter's union is up to the fighters. The problem is that this isn't a team sport. Guys at the top might not want to kick money down to the guys at the bottom."
- White dodges a question about multiple champions in each weight class.

- Lorenzo Fertitta: "It's a positive for the fighters to work for Zuffa. We have vast resources and will honor contracts."
- "There are plenty of promoters around the world for fighters."
- "We haven't had a chance to meet with Showtime yet. Strikeforce still has a contract for 16 fights with Showtime. If Showtime is interest in something beyond that, we're interested."
- "So far, we have not been able to do a deal with a network that makes sense for us."
- "Strikeforce will continue to use the hexagon. Strike WILL ADOPT the Unified Rules. Elbows on the ground will be allowed in Strikeforce."
- "Showtime contracts runs through 2014. Showtime controls production which includes announcers, etc. We'll offer input, but that's all."
- "We put this together in short order, and we don't have all the answers yet."
- "It's important for fighters to remain professional. We're honoring our side of contracts."
- "There's a lot of "unfinished business" over in Strikeforce with regards to matchups."
- "We're not worried about opening ourselves up to anti-trust suits. There are 1000s of other promotions."
- "Scott does not have an equity stake in Zuffa."
- "We started talks in mid-December."

 

[EmpireWF]

this is garbage. Zuffa is going to fuck the fans and the fighters with monopolizing the sport. I'm also tired of hearing this wrestling shit. Real sports should never emulate sports entertainment. Fuck Dana White.

They're not monopolizing anything.

What wrestling shit?

 

[EmpireWF]

WWE/F/WCW acquisition. Buying up mixed martial arts organizations so fighters have to fight for them and thus fight under their pay structure, to me is a monopoly. Good for you if you think differently.

No monopoly.

There are plenty of places to work in pro wrestling outside WWE. TNA, ROH, PWG, Chikara, FIP, OVW, not to mention all the rest of the indy groups, then you have international promotions in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Japan, wherever else.

In MMA, no monopoly either. Plenty of options to work in America or abroad.

Obviously it's shitty in terms of not having significant competition for a #1 promotion, but it's not like the NFL or MLB.

 

[EmpireWF]

rly:

The NFL and MLB can't give blanket pay terms to all players like the UFC can. Buying up the competition is the definition of monopoly. You can't expect a fighter to want to make more money at a promotion that nobody knows. Pride gave fighters a real option in the 90's and until recently Strikeforce gave them somewhat of an option.

Being a monopoly means you are the ONLY option in the business.

The UFC is not the only MMA promotion around.

 

[EmpireWF]

UFC has controlled the American MMA market from day one.

Of course having less options out there sucks for the lower tier fighters.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Technically it's not a monopoly by law, because Zuffa is not actively preventing other MMA businesses from operating in the open market.

A monopoly, by definition, has nothing to do with being, say, the only widget manufacturer. That is not a monopoly. Now, if you are the only widget manufacturer, and you actively prevent others from getting into the widget business (via strongarm tactics to customers, or predatory business practices, or whatever) that would be a monopoly.

For example, lets say Zuffa went to viacom and said, "Look, forget out contract. Pull Bellator off of MTV2, or we pull our programming off of Spike." And let's say Bellator then went to FX, and had a deal, bu Zuffa swooped in and gave FX PPV quality shows for no fee, just to keep Bellator off the air. These are extreme examples, but this would be more in line with monopolistic business practices. Zuffa could buy Bellator from Rebney, buy MFC, whatever, thats fine. Preventing others from competing in the business is where the fine line sits.

With that said, in realistic terms, of course Zuffa now controls the market, and no, it isnt good for fighters. Its actually terrible for fighters, they lose more than anyone else. Empire playing the "other places to work" card is laughable. There is no leverage for anyone, because Bellator is not at a level to compete for the biggest stars. They may grab a few prospects from under Zuffa's nose or outbid for a mid level guy now & then, but the days of somebody like Dan Henderson or Fedor or Jake Shields playing both sides and getting the best deal on the table are long gone.

 

[EmpireWF]

Certainly the days of Arlovski somehow getting 800k from Affliction or Strikeforce or Dan Henderson leaving for a big contract are gone.

Until the next time someone with lots of money starts up a promotion and wants a name.