Do you like the buyout of Strikeforce?

Couple things

- Love that they kept Scott envolved as a Zuffa employee, a real number 3 guy. For his shortcomings, he also has favorable traits and can be a valuable asset.

- Report is that Zuffa bouth SF for around $40 million. With their previously reported fiscal revenue at around $30 milion, I'm thinking they were making somewhere in the high single digits annually.

- They should totally have a surprise guest UFC fighter in the booth for SF April 9th, imagine like Randy out of nowhere, any of those guys would do.

captain organic wrote:

LA wrote:

Haven't seen the UFC make any bad moves for MMA yet, and bringng he UFC Global naturally brings MMA Global at this point. Now they may do the same with SF further speading MMA Globally.

It wouldn't matter if roles were reversed and it was SF in the UFC's shoes, whoever is the best Organization to respresent the Sport is all that matters.

Seriously? The UFC makes it as difficult as possible for non-UFC events to survive. Their head guy consistently bashes non zuffa fighters. They cut media credentials to reporters who don't toe the company line. They strong arm their own fighters in an attempt to control their video game rights, they boot fighters to the curb who don't kiss dana's ass, or guys who may have one questionable performance. Etc Etc

And that's fine, it's a business, they are looking at their own best interests. But they are not in this to support MMA as a whole.

Personally Im in the mixed feelings dept. I was digging the fact that SF was bringing high level fights to non ppv. And yeah I was digging the fact that the success of SF was getting under Dana's skin, as well as the many UFC huggers.

I worry that if SF is absorbed into the UFC we will see a bunch of cuts much like we have seen when the WEC was absorbed. And those guys will have less options (although I have stated I suspect other org's will fill that void). And taking a cue from my paragraph above. Where do the talented fighters who Dana black balls go?

I'd feel much better about all this if Randy was running this thing.

On the other hand when it's Reem vs Cain for the title, all this side stuff won't mean ish.

That is a right idea. Integrity. If we could be so lucky.

I dislike White (used car salesmen sleaze imo) and his lawyer casino buddies. They operate at their gain, gain to mma as a whole is a fortunate tradeoff at times, but it is far secondary. I don't have confidence in them. They have more power to make more rules. Take more, give what they will, form the market how they benefit, unchecked.

http://www.cagepotato.com/news-flash-ufc-strikeforce-deal-is-not-good-for-the-sport/

White is not my man for this, his intentions serve him best. He is not who I care to have running all of big MMA. What to me was a great and ever improving SF promotion becoming his to alter how he sees fit a sad thing to me.

A brash guy like Dana contributed in making MMA what it is today. Some may not like his tactics, but who would you rather have running this to get it where it is today? Coker is the second best promoter in MMA and there were questions about the Prix even getting completed. I mean of course these guys have self serving intentions. But when does that not come into play? Mergers in Football or Basketball weren't made for the players initially. In the long run though look how these guys have benefitted. This will take MMA to the next level as a sport, everyone will end up benefitting, fighters to fans.

I have completely mixed feelings about the whole thing even though I am sure the Zuffa will handle everything well. I think it is a disadvantage to the fighters, because it hurts their efforts to make more money and take care of themelves, which I don't like. I am pro capitalism, but that means competing, not monopolizing.

LA wrote:

A brash guy like Dana contributed in making MMA what it is today. Some may not like his tactics, but who would you rather have running this to get it where it is today? Coker is the second best promoter in MMA and there were questions about the Prix even getting completed. I mean of course these guys have self serving intentions. But when does that not come into play? Mergers in Football or Basketball weren't made for the players initially. In the long run though look how these guys have benefitted. This will take MMA to the next level as a sport, everyone will end up benefitting, fighters to fans.

You seem awful sure about that. I thought my view on the subject was optomistic but you make me look very pesimistic by comparison. I'm hoping it all works out for the best. But it is really hard for me to imagine that this won't have some negative side effects. I'm just hoping we see as little of that as possible.

mixed feelings but im liking it more minute by minute

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/15/2051821/is-the-ufcs-purchase-of-strikeforce-bad-for-the-fighters

Haven't read it all yet, but there are def some negatives that can come from this.

As a fan, i think its for the best

I am not convinced "Good for the Sport" and "Good only for the UFC" are not ultimately the same most times. The days of the Pride are long gone now. The UFC is what is driving the sport. Strikeforce has been wonderful, but the UFC is what really matters, and what is good for them is always going to be good for the sport. Maybe not for everyone involved in the sport, but is everything that is good for the NFL as a company good for all people involved in pro football?


Anyway, short term sure this hurts some fighters in their next negotiating cycle but Bellator is ripping it up on MTV2 and there always seems to be someone new willing to throw money at MMA for 12 or 18 or 24 months and someone close behind ready to replace them when they bow out. In two-three years, or even less, Bellator could be the Strikeforce of last week.

Like that first paragraph

Inevitably, which announcers would you lke to see call UFC/possibly SF fights?

Pick any out there.

If they were to ever go to Japan or back to Astralia, might be a good event to bring in the Voice.

They might be holding 52 events one day, going to need multiple guys.

LA wrote:

Inevitably, which announcers would you lke to see call UFC/possibly SF fights?

Pick any out there.

If they were to ever go to Japan or back to Astralia, might be a good event to bring in the Voice.

They might be holding 52 events one day, going to need multiple guys.

the voice imo, is worse then Mauro. Dudes are all about their schtick. But on an australian card he would make sense.


The one SF guy who needs to be in the mix is Miletich.

And I know Im against the grain on this one, but I think Gus is pretty good. Def needs more time cageside, hard to get a really firm handle of the sport when u only work once every other month, but his ability to call a big time sporting moment is unquestionable.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/16/2053837/ufc-buying-strikeforce-is-a-good-situation-for-someone-whos-climbing
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/03/14/the-mma-hour-with-jim-miller-jay-hieron-in-studio/
Give Meathead some credit: This is maybe the most realistic assessement of the buyout I've heard from a fighter thus far:

"[UFC buying Strikeforce] is a good situation for someone who's climbing the ranks. It legitimizes lots of the competition. Now, as an up and comer... it makes development in the UFC near impossible, as there will be so much pressure because the talent level will be so much higher.

It also eliminates Plan B. Plan B is now fighting in Omaha for $6000. .. Strikeforce was obviously a Plan B.
For a fighter it's not necessarily a good thing, as a fan it's awesome.

Mixed emotions, we'll have to wait and see...
I would love to get all the divisions to become as deep as possible, with rich talent, I love it, I'd love to fight Brett Rogers, Alistair Overeem, over time I think it will be great for everyone involved. Once you get signed by the UFC it really is the NFL of MMA. There's no other show in town.
But the downside is, your paycheck's outside of the UFC will go down exponentially. ... There will be no competitor outside of the UFC, as a result.. if you ever get cut, your career is over, playboy, that's all you got. That's the threatening aspect of that, which gets me concerned.

Plan B is gone, only Plan C, fighting in Omaha is left. "

Meathead is spot on IMO. Talks about the positives and negatives of the merger.

captain organic wrote:

LA wrote:

Inevitably, which announcers would you lke to see call UFC/possibly SF fights?

Pick any out there.

If they were to ever go to Japan or back to Astralia, might be a good event to bring in the Voice.

They might be holding 52 events one day, going to need multiple guys.

the voice imo, is worse then Mauro. Dudes are all about their schtick. But on an australian card he would make sense.


The one SF guy who needs to be in the mix is Miletich.

And I know Im against the grain on this one, but I think Gus is pretty good. Def needs more time cageside, hard to get a really firm handle of the sport when u only work once every other month, but his ability to call a big time sporting moment is unquestionable.

I personally like the Voice, and Mauro is bottom of the barrel for me, I can do without the whole SF crew but Pat. The thing is, they will inevitably put on more shows then their current crews can cover, that's where guys like the Voice, Bas, Pat ect could potentially come in.

OU wrote:

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/16/2053837/ufc-buying-strikeforce-is-a-good-situation-for-someone-whos-climbing
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/03/14/the-mma-hour-with-jim-miller-jay-hieron-in-studio/
Give Meathead some credit: This is maybe the most realistic assessement of the buyout I've heard from a fighter thus far:

"[UFC buying Strikeforce] is a good situation for someone who's climbing the ranks. It legitimizes lots of the competition. Now, as an up and comer... it makes development in the UFC near impossible, as there will be so much pressure because the talent level will be so much higher.

It also eliminates Plan B. Plan B is now fighting in Omaha for $6000. .. Strikeforce was obviously a Plan B.
For a fighter it's not necessarily a good thing, as a fan it's awesome.

Mixed emotions, we'll have to wait and see...
I would love to get all the divisions to become as deep as possible, with rich talent, I love it, I'd love to fight Brett Rogers, Alistair Overeem, over time I think it will be great for everyone involved. Once you get signed by the UFC it really is the NFL of MMA. There's no other show in town.
But the downside is, your paycheck's outside of the UFC will go down exponentially. ... There will be no competitor outside of the UFC, as a result.. if you ever get cut, your career is over, playboy, that's all you got. That's the threatening aspect of that, which gets me concerned.

Plan B is gone, only Plan C, fighting in Omaha is left. "

Guys will get cut and and resigned with SF, also talented guys that have been cut will find a spot there as well.

People act like this eliminates all possibility of competitors signing or making offers. Bellator is still an option. They've shown a willingness to pay for free agents.

So outside of Zuffa, is Bellator now the default number 2?

Bellator would be #2 with room to grow, but the "Eye" will see them

I kind of made that one^, well put UFC in..

I want them to merge so we can have the greatest HW division in MMA history.

Well maybe a top talent merger, but keeping SF as a "B" Organization would be wise, a lot of talent and up and comers to fill it.

LA wrote:

Well maybe a top talent merger, but keeping SF as a "B" Organization would be wise, a lot of talent and up and comers to fill it.

Yeah, I'm against a full merger.