Penick's Take
PENICK: "Business as Usual" - The State of Strikeforce One Year After Zuffa Purchase
Mar 12, 2012 - 10:35:42 PM PENICK: "Business as Usual" - The State of Strikeforce One Year After Zuffa Purchase

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"Business as usual."

One year ago today, those were the words UFC President Dana White spoke regarding Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce, and what was in store for the UFC's former competition going forward. The sale of Strikeforce came as a bit of a surprise, as the organization had just kicked off their Heavyweight World Grand Prix in February, and had run a successful event in Columbus, Ohio, just a week and a half prior.

However, Scott Coker's former partners - Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment - were looking to get out of the MMA business despite the modicum of success that Strikeforce had built up to that point. Zuffa - owners of the UFC - ultimately won out, and on March 12 of last year the purchase was announced.

White's "business as usual" mantra didn't last long, as it was only a little over two months before much of the Strikeforce staff had been replaced by Zuffa staff members, and only a couple weeks after that before the UFC poached their first fighter.

Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz vacated his belt to come to the UFC for a fight with Georges St-Pierre, one that to date hasn't happened. However, he has fought twice in the UFC, while Strikeforce hasn't yet put on a Welterweight Title fight since he left.

But that was only the beginning. Dan Henderson was then brought over after defeating Fedor Emelianenko last July, and sits poised to get a shot at UFC gold after a win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Also, Strikeforce's Heavyweight World Grand Prix, which began with a lofty but attainable goal of providing the number two heavyweight in the world, has instead devolved to a mess which hasn't yet been resolved. Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and tournament competitor Alistair Overeem was kept out of the semifinals due to a reported injury, then signed by the UFC. Daniel Cormier, who was never in any of the established "alternate" fights, was plugged into his spot, knocking out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva to earn a fight with Josh Barnett.

Ultimately, the beginning of the tournament field did contain perhaps the top fighter in the division, but it wasn't out of the tournament that he'll prove that mark. In fact, Alistair Overeem may capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship just a week after the Heavyweight Grand Prix finishes up this May.

The other note about that fight is it will be the second to last heavyweight fight in Strikeforce history, as the rest of the division has already been folded into the UFC.

That's three Champions gone from the organization in the span of six months, and a full division no longer a part of Strikeforce. Business as usual, indeed.

Of course, Strikeforce has been revived for at least this year, with a new deal being made for eight full events, abolishing the challengers series in the process. Fighters like Champs Gilbert Melendez and Luke Rockhold have been promised they'll be made happy to be in the organization, yet there hasn't been evidence to this point as to why that would be the case.

Ultimately, "business as usual" has led to most of the draws in Strikeforce already being taken by the UFC. And the longer fighters like Melendez and Rockhold remain in Strikeforce instead of competing against their counterparts in the UFC, the more unrest will build.

One year of Strikeforce as a Zuffa product has it nearing extinction. With the FTC closing their investigation on Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce, and White now taking himself out of the equation entirely, the future of the organization certainly isn't a bright one. There are still fights to be made, and events to be put on, but Strikeforce as we know it today is a completely different entity than it was on March 12, 2011, and there's no guarantee it will be here at all on March 12, 2013.