UFC's Parent Company Zuffa Buys Strikeforce – What Does this Mean for Women’s MMA?

posted by MarQFPR, a Women Talk Sports blogger
Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 4:04pm EST

About MarQFPR:

Marloes Coenen & Cyborg Santos Courtesy Ester Lin/Strikeforce

A blockbuster announcement was made this weekend as Zuffa, which is the parent company of the UFC, bought its biggest competitor Strikeforce. The questions are flying through the MMA world and one of the biggest is where the women’s division will stand. Dana White stated that he will never have women’s MMA in the UFC, although he had considered it in the past.

Lorenzo and Frank Fertittas - co-owners of Zuffa

In the short term there are no worries. Strikeforce will run independently with the same staff and all fighters under contract still have jobs. It’s going to be business as usual, with the exception that the UFC will be airing commercials, and the Fertitta brothers (who are the financial backers of the UFC) will be showing up at events from time to time. No cross over talent and no Dana White in the crowd (at least not initially).

In the long term, it gets a bit sketchy. There are talks that after the Showtime deal has expired (from what I am hearing 2 years) that certain changes could be made. I suspect that Zuffa will take the WEC route, in which they do run it independently for the next five years, and then consider merging the two organizations.

UFC President Dana White

One of White’s biggest complaints is lack of talent in the women’s division, and even though the argument has no basis now, it certainly won’t in two years time. Note that the Fertittas are the ones who need to be convinced that women’s MMA is viable, and the fighters have two years to do it.

So Strikeforce women’s divisions, keep doing what you do.

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Zuffa buys Strikeforce

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There are 2 comments on this post. Join the discussion!

madiq says:

But if Zuffa has no interest in promoting Women's Divisions when Strikeforce ends, why do we think Zuffa will invest resources in promoting and developing the divisions in anything more than a perfunctory way?

Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 4:19pm EST

MarQFPR says:

Like I said in the short term, Scott Coker and his management team will run Strikeforce - Zuffa is providing only the financial backing. Dana White has nothing to do with running shows. Contracts, on the other hand, is something we need to be scared about when their contracts are up. As long as they are making profit, no worries for the women's division. Dana White isn't the one controlling the purse strings - the Fertittas are. When it comes to three or four years down the road, when the UFC contemplates a merger, then we should be worried.

Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 6:15pm EST

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UFC's Parent Company Zuffa Buys Strikeforce – What Does this Mean for Women’s MMA?

Zuffa buys Strikeforce

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