The good folks over at BloodyElbow.com have put together a nice compendium of the previous video. Ariel Helwani mentioned in the video it's surreal to see Dana White talking about Strikeforce and looking at the early transcription below, it's hard to argue with that. Here are more details with timestamps of the video:
UFC Buys Strikeforce: Dana White Talks Showtime, Scott Coker
- 0:48 "We just closed the deal"
- 0:53 "As we continue to expand, we need more fights"
- 1:10 "Strikeforce has a following, people enjoy the fights, it made sense to us"
- 2:05 "The deal happened quickly; I don't want to disclose the details"
- 2:30 "The reality is we now own Strikeforce"
- 3:18 "Strikeforce is going to continue to run as business as usual, there are contracts in place, Showtime is happen with them, these guys will remain Strikeforce fighters. Could guys from the UFC leave and end up in Strikeforce? Yes absolutely."
- 3:46 "Scott Coker is staying on, Scott is a good guy"
- 5:20 "Lorenzo can deal with Showtime"
- 6:00 "Scott Coker will continue to run that business (example: M-1 Global, Dan Henderson)
A few other notes:
Fighters like Josh Barnett are not out of a job. According to White, Coker will continue to run that brand as he sees fit. White will not make a play for Barnett once his contract is up, but Coker is free to sign whoever he feels is best for the Strikeforce brand.
You will see ads for Strikeforce shows on UFC broadcasts. Weird. It will be interesting to see what kind of a bump Strikeforce gets from the added promotion. Apparently there will also be live show help and television assistance of the Strikeforce product.
This entire purchase could also be a play to get a slice of the Showtime/CBS deal.
If a UFC fight is booked and a fighter pulls out due to injury, Strikeforce fighters will not be called upon to fill in. The only time a fighter changes rosters is when they sign a new contract agreement after a previous one expires. For now.
White is very complimentary of Coker and agrees Strikeforce does respectable ratings numbers on Showtime.
You also won’t see White at Strikeforce shows, but you will see Lorenzo Fertitta and Joe Silva.
More to come as this develops.
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