Ronda Rousey, Luke Rockhold, Other Strikeforce Fighters Reportedly Contractually Blocked From Moving To UFC

Dave Meltzer took to the Wrestling Observer Forums in the wake of the podcast earlier that dropped the bomb that there is a list of Strikeforce fighters who can't sign with the UFC because of a deal between Zuffa and Showtime. On the forums, Meltzer clarified some of the details.

Here's the info:

I said as long as Zuffa and Showtime have a deal, they can't fight on a UFC show unless Showtime gives the okay. It's in the Zuffa/Showtime contract. (Ed. note: actually, he said "as long as Showtime broadcasts MMA." but that's unimportant)

...

I was told by one of the fighters who got it straight from Stephen Espinosa that certain guys are Showtime fighters as long as the Zuffa/Showtime contract is in effect. The fighter was a main guy on a list agreed to be Showtime and Zuffa when the new deal went down and the agreement was all fighters on the list are Showtime fighters as long as they are under contract to Zuffa and as long as Showtime airs Strikeforce.

Zuffa and Showtime can sign a new contract that changes the stips between Zuffa and Showtime now or when this deal expires, but he was told he can't transfer to UFC as long as the current deal is in place and could not fight on a UFC card unless Showtime gives the okay.

The fighter was told by Espinosa that in specifics because they insisted on the deal after what happened with Dan Henderson where his Strikeforce contract expired and they signed him to a new deal but brought him to UFC at a time when nobody knew the future of Strikeforce. This stip was insisted on by Showtime so something like that couldn't happen with their however many exclusive stars.

So it's not quite as dire as it first seemed. But it's still clear that Zuffa basically sold the ability for the Strikeforce fighters to play out their contracts until they run out and then move on to the big stage of the UFC.

I'd be pretty unhappy were I on "the list" because control of my career has been taken out of my hands.

That makes no sense and if I was Gilbert I'd either challenge it in court or wait till my contract is over, sign for 1 fight in Bellator then leave and sign with the UFC.

lol, Bellator wouldnt sign him for only 1 fight...nor could Gilbert do any of that. What is there to challenge in court? he has a Strikeforce contract in which he signed that says nothing about the UFC...and why just sit back? He just has to fight out his deal.

If the UFC didnt want this, they should have shot Strikeforce dead last year or made sure all the guys they wanted were somehow released and signed to UFC a week later...but they were indecisive on wheter they wanted to allow Ronda Rousey, Cyborg, Miesha, Sarah Kaufman and im sure they were thinking of Gina Carano to be available for other promotions. They arent ready to bring WMMA to the UFC but they also know that all those women have proven to draw ratings and interest and would be a huge boost for other promotions. So, by doing that..they trapped everybody.

These fighters complaining now are full of shit. They think now that Zuffa owns SF that the inmates run that asylum and their contracts are now null and void...but SF is still standing and Showtime is right to protect their roster of fighters after they were gouged of most of their biggest draws after they were blindsided by Coker and co. selling.

Dana said this was not true btw

Yeah I read that yesterday and just kind of laughed. How could you make it so that Gilbert/Rockhold/etc could fight out their contracts and then not have a right to sign wherever they want. That doesn't make any sense and is the kind of thing that would seem to need the fighter's consent before it could happen