The UFC's quest to secure the rights to Fedor Emelianenko was a failed one, as indicated just days ago by UFC president Dana White. Strikeforce saw an opportunity to take advantage of such a situation, and succeeded in doing so.
Recent news has revealed that heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko will now joining the Strikeforce roster, with his first fight set to take place later this fall. Both Fedor and Strikeforce benefit, making this a clear win-win.
Emelianenko is pleased due to Strikeforce's willingness to allow M-1 to co-promote the fights; this was the deal-breaker with UFC due to Dana White's unwillingness to allow this. Strikeforce gets a major name in the MMA world, and adds instant credibility to the brand with Fedor's involvement, not to mention a virtual guarantee of an increase in viewers. UFC and Strikeforce Set to Go to War
M-1 can only bring good things to the table for Strikeforce. Always outpowered by UFC, the household name in the industry, the cooperation of M-1 should help Strikeforce to gain strength in the MMA world. With UFC's alliance with Affliction, Strikeforce really had no choice but to give things a shot with M-1.
Fedor will now maintain a presence on Showtime, rather than just a pay-per-view arrangement, as he had with the UFC. This will increase his audience, as more casual MMA fans not willing to pay per fight will have a chance to see the heavyweight in action. Strikeforce also has an affiliation with CBS, which would be even bigger in terms of numbers.
From here, it's in Strikeforce's hands to use Fedor as a building block. If the organization can successfully recruit more top heavyweights to fight with Fedor (otherwise his matches may be boring), Strikeforce could easily gain a leg up on UFC in its quest to match the behemoth. While there are already a few talented fighters enlisted with Strikeforce (i.e. Brett Rogers and Alistair Overeem), Strikeforce still needs to add to the depth of its heavyweight division.
As for UFC? You can be sure they've got something up their sleeve. Dana White is a fighter, and is likely plotting his counterattack as we speak. White will never back down to a threat, and this is no exception here.
And that's not all. White will most definitely have some words for Strikeforce. While the relationship has been friendly on the surface in the past, things are about to get ugly from here.
Recent news has revealed that heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko will now joining the Strikeforce roster, with his first fight set to take place later this fall. Both Fedor and Strikeforce benefit, making this a clear win-win.
Emelianenko is pleased due to Strikeforce's willingness to allow M-1 to co-promote the fights; this was the deal-breaker with UFC due to Dana White's unwillingness to allow this. Strikeforce gets a major name in the MMA world, and adds instant credibility to the brand with Fedor's involvement, not to mention a virtual guarantee of an increase in viewers. UFC and Strikeforce Set to Go to War
M-1 can only bring good things to the table for Strikeforce. Always outpowered by UFC, the household name in the industry, the cooperation of M-1 should help Strikeforce to gain strength in the MMA world. With UFC's alliance with Affliction, Strikeforce really had no choice but to give things a shot with M-1.
Fedor will now maintain a presence on Showtime, rather than just a pay-per-view arrangement, as he had with the UFC. This will increase his audience, as more casual MMA fans not willing to pay per fight will have a chance to see the heavyweight in action. Strikeforce also has an affiliation with CBS, which would be even bigger in terms of numbers.
From here, it's in Strikeforce's hands to use Fedor as a building block. If the organization can successfully recruit more top heavyweights to fight with Fedor (otherwise his matches may be boring), Strikeforce could easily gain a leg up on UFC in its quest to match the behemoth. While there are already a few talented fighters enlisted with Strikeforce (i.e. Brett Rogers and Alistair Overeem), Strikeforce still needs to add to the depth of its heavyweight division.
As for UFC? You can be sure they've got something up their sleeve. Dana White is a fighter, and is likely plotting his counterattack as we speak. White will never back down to a threat, and this is no exception here.
And that's not all. White will most definitely have some words for Strikeforce. While the relationship has been friendly on the surface in the past, things are about to get ugly from here.
About the Author:
Artie Sullenberger is an MMA addict. He watches both UFC and Strikeforce, and is thrilled to see both organizations growing as they have. He consistently contributes to his favorite sports forum at RootZoo, a top sports community.
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