Strikeforce

[uki]

many russians have had it very very hard. a very hardy people. just dont cross the wrong ones.

i had a friend in berlin who ran from the russian military... he was like 5'2" and was recruited when he was like 20 or something... he told them he was crazy, they said no you're not, so he grabbed the officers glass and smashed it, cutting himself up pretty bad until they gave him a release waiver for psychosis or some crap... he fled to germany... i asked him why he did it and he said that he wouldn't make it thru boot camp.

[Lucas]

ouch. that doesnt suprise me for some reason. i can only imagine how hardcore that boot camp would be.

[GeneChing]

Looks like this Saturday will be a bigger fight than just Carano vs. Cyborg.

UFC schedules broadcast against Strikeforce event
Aug. 11, 2009

LAS VEGAS -- The Ultimate Fighting Championship will re-broadcast several bouts from its landmark UFC 100 show on Spike TV on Saturday night.

That just happens to be the same day as a big event for Strikeforce, the promotion that's emerging as UFC's most legitimate competitor.

UFC 100, held July 11 in Las Vegas, was among the biggest pay-per-view events in MMA history. Brock Lesnar retained his heavyweight title in the main event.

UFC's move undoubtedly will draw some MMA fans away from the Strikeforce show on Showtime from San Jose, Calif.

UFC president Dana White publicly criticized Strikeforce for the first time last weekend after the Bay Area-based promotion signed heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who rebuffed UFC's overtures.

[GeneChing]

#1. I hate monopolies. UFC has dominated for long enough.
#2. Strikeforce is San Jose based, so their local for me.
#3. Strikeforce has always been respectful to Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine.

Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:37 pm EDT
If the UFC wants to hurt Strikeforce, they need to try harder
By Maggie Hendricks

This Saturday, the UFC is airing tons of fights on Spike television. For the small cost of basic cable, you can watch fights from UFC 100, including Mir vs. Lesnar, as well as the entire Top 100 fights countdown. What is the cause of the UFC sharing their closely guarded vault?

Strikeforce, of course. The UFC is counterprogramming against Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. It's all part of the UFC's plan to crush their new enemy, "Strikefarce." Too bad it isn't going to work.

Strikeforce is going to attract both casual sports fans, who want to see Gina Carano fight, and MMA fans, who want to see not only Carano vs. Cyborg, but also Mousasi vs. Sobral and Melendez vs. Ishida. We also want to see if Jay Hieron takes out his frustration from being screwed over by Affliction and Nick Diaz on Jesse Taylor's face.

So that leaves Spike with UFC and Brock Lesnar fans from his days of MMA. Guess what? Those people, the ones loyal to Dana White and the UFC no matter what, wouldn't turn on Showtime on Saturday night if it were the last station left on Earth.

If the UFC was serious about taking viewers away from Strikeforce, then they should have done what they did last July, when "Affliction: Banned" aired. Put together an Ultimate Fight Night, have some live action to combat live action.

This round of counterprogramming is just silly, and won't do anything to hurt the strong card that Strikeforce has put together, despite its bad luck.

[goju]

i agree with gene they need another big company out there
lol same thing happend with elite xc airing its shows on tv the fertittas and white were posting free shows of their ppv

[Vash]

That reeks of genuine fear.

I dislike Dana White, just because of his total lack of class in his public persona. I suppose he appeals to the "hardcore" crowd, which makes it impossible to discuss MMA, TMA, or any type of training outside of the dojo/kwoon/gym.

[GeneChing]

Ancillary buzz from the Hershel Walker fight.

Strikeforce revving up but can wait to go global
Posted 2h 57m ago
By Beau Dure, USA TODAY

In Strikeforce's second year as the primary challenger to the UFC in the mixed martial arts marketplace, the California-based company is getting more ambitious.

The UFC has been on a pace of roughly 20 shows a year and is going global, announcing this week an April 10 show in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, that is to feature title defenses by Anderson Silva and BJ Penn.

RANKINGS: Melendez, Daley are big movers

UFC executives Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta say the company will work with new co-owner Flash Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi government, with an eye toward expansion into Asia. Strikeforce, which has its 2010 premiere Saturday on Showtime (10 p.m. ET), isn't in a rush to get overseas, and the company promoted 10 cards in 2009. CEO Scott Coker says Strikeforce is planning to step up to 20 cards a year in the second year of its Showtime contract, which begins in March, with some on Showtime and some on CBS and pay-per-view.

"We want to get into the pay-per-view business with Fedor (Emelianenko)," Coker says.

Strikeforce also is signing international TV deals and might look to promote a card overseas if ratings show an interest in a particular place, Coker says.

Meanwhile, Strikeforce plans to continue to exchange fighters with Japanese promoter Dream, which is loaning welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis and veteran Melvin Manhoef for Saturday's card.

Saturday's card also features a couple of U.S. veterans (Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler) and a women's bout (Cris "Cyborg" Santos, last seen beating Gina Carano), plus football legend Herschel Walker and professional wrestler Bobby Lashley.

[Cimaroon]

Goofy card last night....

[GeneChing]

No Asia. UFC is way ahead of them there.

STRIKEFORCE GOES GLOBAL
Shine International Closes Deals across Europe, Australia and Latin America

LOS ANGELES, February 2, 2010 - Shine International has expanded the STRIKEFORCE brand internationally, selling more than 70 hours of STRIKEFORCE's mixed martial arts (MMA) programming in six markets across Europe, Australia and Latin America. Virgin Media Television's Bravo in the UK, Turner in Latin America, FX in Portugal, Ukraine's Megasport, Seven Network Australia and Dahlia TV in Italy have all purchased STRIKEFORCE's library of TV programming.

"STRIKEFORCE is the leader in mixed martial arts content as proven by the huge demand for their programming around the world. They have the world's best fighters, the world's best events and they know how to translate that into fast-paced programming that captures what will soon be the most popular sport in the world," said Chris Grant, President of Shine International.

This includes 30 episodes and 56 hours of fights that have aired on NBC and SHOWTIME®, respectively. Internationally distributed content includes upcoming live fights through February 2012 as well as STRIKEFORCE Challengers fights, pitting STRIKEFORCE up-and-comers against each other. After signing a landmark deal to air live events on SHOWTIME last year, STRIKEFORCE earned the premium network its highest MMA rating ever on August 15, 2009 with "Carano vs. Cyborg."

About Shine International
Shine International is the sales and distribution arm of the Shine Group, a leading independent production and distribution company focused on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights through scripted and alternative television formats. Shine International distributes programming from the growing library of programming of the Shine Group, including Reveille, Kudos, Dragonfly, Princess Productions and Metronome, along with a broad array of programming acquired from independent producers and U.S. networks, to more than 150 countries worldwide.

[Pork Chop]

I think "way ahead" is stretching it

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles...disputed-20332

Being that the UFC and “The Ultimate Fighter” are broadcast on the premium cable channel WOWOW, the UFC’s reach in Japan remains limited at best. Though WOWOW’s subscription base has steadily grown, its subscribership as of March 2008 was approximately 2.4 million households -- a mere fraction of the 48 million television-viewing households in Japan.

http://www.pro-wrestling.com/display...rea=5&sid=3062

UFC® Events to Live Broadcast on China’s Leading Sports Media Portal Starting with UFC 109

http://strikeforce.com/blog/2009/08/...obal-audience/

For the first time, SHOWTIME Sports will offer Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans around the world STRIKEFORCE: All Access, the cutting edge online interactive experience, live on Saturday, Aug. 15, for STRIKEFORCE: “Carano vs. Cyborg” from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

The immersive digital initiative will stream simultaneously with the live SHOWTIME® telecast beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET* and for the first time be available to fans in Brazil, Japan, throughout Europe as well as in the U.S. and Canada.

In other words:

The UFC hasn't broken into the Japanese market that deeply and their broadcast strategy for China is an online webcast that'll start with UFC 109 this weekend.

Meanwhile, Strikeforce already streams online globally as of last summer and they have a close business relationship with Japanese promoter DREAM (to the point of signing a lot of their fighters).

[GeneChing]

Closure as in the final outcome, not the end of the discussion. I imagine the discussion will take up over here: UFC gets Bigger !!

Updated: March 13, 2011, 1:40 PM ET
UFC buys rival Strikeforce
By Josh Gross
ESPN.com

NEW YORK -- Zuffa Inc., the parent company of the UFC, has purchased rival mixed martial arts promoter Strikeforce, though they will continue to operate as separate entities.

Financial terms of the sale were not available.

Strikeforce spokesman Mike Afromowitz confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on Saturday night.

"Right now the plan is to operate on our own," Afromowitz said. "Business as usual."

UFC president Dana White told MMAFighting.com and The Canadian Press that Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce.

An official announcement will come Monday in Las Vegas.

Negotiations between representatives for Zuffa and Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, which also runs the NHL's San Jose Sharks, have been in the making for months, various parties familiar with the deal said.

Three years ago Silicon Valley agreed to a partnership with Strikeforce's parent company, West Coast Entertainment, a San Jose-based promotion created by Scott Coker in 1985. A kickboxing-based organization, Coker did not move to promote MMA under the Strikeforce banner until 2006. Coker and Silicon Valley shared an even split of the company.

Coker did not respond to requests for comment regarding the deal with the UFC.

On March 1, Coker described rumors of a pending sale to the UFC as "crazy." He said Strikeforce was searching for "strategic partners" and that there were at least two options, but that "the UFC is not one of them."

Among those potential investors was ProElite, Inc., which was told it could buy out Coker's Silicon Valley partners for $20 million and another $20 million investment in capital, a source involved in the negotiations said. ProElite is a publicly traded company that promoted MMA on Showtime under the EliteXC banner until it sold its assets to Strikeforce and its partner Silicon Valley in February 2009. That 2009 sale created the opportunity for Strikeforce to strike a deal with Showtime.

Sources confirmed Coker, the current Strikeforce CEO, attempted to wrest control of the brand, but in the end was unsuccessful. Instead, an agreement to sell Strikeforce's licensing rights, fighter contracts and video library closed with the UFC on Thursday or Friday.

White told MMAFighting.com that Coker would remain in charge of Strikeforce and retain his staff of around 10 employees. The company would run separately from UFC and exhaust its contracts with Showtime television.

Ken Hershman, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, declined through a representative to comment. The network has a deal with Strikeforce that runs through early 2012, sources said.

As it did with WEC at the start of 2011, it is expected UFC will fold Strikeforce under its banner at the conclusion of the partnership with Showtime. The UFC attempted to create an under-one-roof competitor with its purchase of the Pride Fighting Championships in 2006, however it chose to dissolve the company months later. With the WEC, Zuffa hoped to build another relevant brand to take to pay-per-view, but again the decision was made to bring those fighters under the UFC banner.

Current contracts between fighters and Strikeforce are transferrable to Zuffa, sources with knowledge of the contracts' language said.

Strikeforce will feature two events beginning in April, notably a card on April 9 in San Diego.

Cesar Gracie, jujitsu coach for Strikeforce welterweight titleholder Nick Diaz and Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, both of whom are set to defend their belts on the card, expressed concern over the impact one dominant MMA brand would have on top to mid-tier fighters.

"We're definitely concerned that it's going to impact their future contracts and their pay in future contracts," Gracie said.

UFC Hall of Fame fighter Randy Couture said the deal between UFC and Strikeforce "has the potential to be tougher for fighters who are free agents."

"The Strikeforce purchase strengthens and stabilizes the [UFC] brand," said the 47-year-old Couture, who fights Lyoto Machida on April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto in front of an expected crowd of more than 50,000. "It solidifies Zuffa's monopoly on the sport of MMA.

"Overall it's too early to tell if it's positive or negative for the sport until we see what direction the new owners take with the brand."

Unless another organization with a strong television presence and deep pockets arrives on the scene, fighters' leverage will be determined by their talent, popularity and success. Currently, the UFC is reducing the size of its roster to create an average of 28 fighters per division, an overall decrease from 260 to around 200.

Couture famously challenged the UFC in court in 2008 over rights to his likeness as well as his earning potential. In the end, he failed to free himself and returned to the company. Long an advocate for some sort of safeguard system for the sport's athletes, Couture suggested the idea of a union or fighter association emerging as response to the UFC's firm grip over the sport is "wrought with hurdles and will be difficult to execute."

It will, however, remove the largest impediment in the way of the best fighters having the opportunity to fight one another. Prior to closing the deal with Strikeforce, UFC contracted roughly 70 percent of the top-10 ranked mixed martial artists from heavyweight through bantamweight, according to ESPN.com's MMA rankings. This move gives Zuffa a lock on talent that is considered to be the best in the sport.

Josh Gross covers mixed martial arts for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[GeneChing]

Been waiting for this inevitability... Tempted to change the title of this thread, but I won't for posterity's sake.

The bittersweet demise of Strikeforce
November, 9, 2012
5:27 PM ET
Mindenhall By Chuck Mindenhall
ESPN.com

Strikeforce HeavyweightsEd Mulholland for ESPN.comThe ambitious Heavyweight Grand Prix marked the last big enterprise for the Strikeforce brand.
As a still nascent sport, the landscape in MMA can change rapidly. The only constant in a sport like this is there are no constants.

Not quite two years ago, in January 2011, Strikeforce rolled out eight of the fiercest heavyweights in the land to partake in a grand prix tournament. This was the "biggest heavyweight tournament ever," we were assured.

All eight participants crowded onto a stage on Manhattan's west side and it was a spectacle -- Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov, Brett Rogers. Somewhere in the wings, an alternate named Daniel Cormier.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had the heavyweights -- the remnants of Affliction, the banished from the UFC, the coveted Russian G.O.A.T., and the colossus of Pride.

Later, that same collective went to the top of the Empire State Building for photo ops -- perhaps a symbol of Strikeforce's great heights.

Turns out that was the last big enterprise for Strikeforce, the little "regional" that had played so well at second place that it appeared at times to be gunning for first. By March 2011, Zuffa bought the San Jose-based promotion. The heavyweights on display were undoubtedly a big part of that. It was the one division on which the UFC didn't have the market cornered.

(Well, that and women's MMA, which was still a revival in the making.)

From the point of the Zuffa purchase, it's been a matter of time and of constant speculation. When will it end?

It's been a matter of respirators and promises and flickering glimmers of hope. It's been neglected, sifted, picked over and left for dead. Nick Diaz came over, and Dan Henderson and Overeem and Cung Le. It's been charades. The belts began disappearing, and then whole cards. There were two forces pulling at Strikeforce from behind big oak desk: Zuffa and Showtime. At times, they were friendly. At other times (most of the time), cold. Strikeforce, in the middle, a loud sort of mute.

What was going on behind the scenes? Scott Coker was forever circling back around to it, trying to find those answers.

Turns out the answer is "good riddance." Reports broke on Thursday night via TMZ that the promotion will finally come to an end. In January 2013, just two years from that ill-fated heavyweight tournament, the whole thing's gone belly-up. This came to the surprise of nobody (and as a relief to most), but it's still a bittersweet moment.

Why? Because Strikeforce, for all of its uncertainty and guessing games, was a lot of things.

It was leverage, for starters, before Zuffa purchased it. It was an alternative (to fighters). It was variation (to spectators). It was a partition that sparked debate (for message boards). It was cable, not pay-per-view. It was CBS for a bold minute. It was all about Frank Shamrock's forever braces.

And yet, it's been a purgatory for Gilbert Melendez. A salvation for Keith Jardine and Nate Marquardt and Paul Daley. A platform for Ronda Rousey, who unexpectedly became the star of the promotion. In fact, Strikeforce was the center of women's MMA -- it was Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos and Miesha Tate. It was prospects. Cormier was on the Strikeforce challenger's cards back when farming talent was in vogue. Ditto for middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and Lorenz Larkin.

It was local, too. Those pre-Zuffa cards always had a bunch of fighters from whichever state in which they were fighting on the undercard. In that way, it was a chance. It was a circus on national television (the brawl in Nashville) and at times a little loose in matchmaking (remember the Brandon Saling incident?). It was Mauro Ranallo, the "bi-polar rock and roller," and Pat Miletich. It was all the single-word identities -- "Jacare" and "Feijao" and "Mayhem." For a while there, it was like the ABA in the mid-1970s.

Now it's dissolving, and at this point it's for the better. This thing's gone on as a wounded animal as far as it can. The bright side is that Showtime can get back to being untampered with MMA, and all the good, viable pieces from Strikeforce will now be integrated into the UFC. That means Melendez, so high on media pound-for-pound polls, can get on with proving it. It means Gegard Mousasi might be motivated and Rockhold will be thrown to the wolves at 185 pounds. It means Cormier, too, against not just Frank Mir, but anybody. These guys are (seemingly) wading into an infinity pool.

In these ways, it's good. Strikeforce's best fighters will be working again regularly. There will be women's divisions in the UFC, which is an added component. Rousey, what's not to like? And Strikeforce's journeymen ... well, those journeymen will be like jacks hitting the linoleum. Probably time to journey elsewhere.

But that's just business. This is all just business. And in 2013 in the ever-expanding UFC, business should be good.

I'll miss Strikeforce. I had some good times at those fights.

[GeneChing]

I will mourn the loss of Strikeforce. I had some great times with that org. I will treasure all the Strikeforce press laminates I have in my collection. Each holds good memories of thrilling fights.

Ten moments in Strikeforce history
January, 9, 2013 8:36 AM ET
Gross By Josh Gross
ESPN.com


Strikeforce helped catapult the careers of female fighters like Gina Carano.

Saturday night in Oklahoma City marks the final chapter for Strikeforce mixed martial arts, ending a turbulent and groundbreaking period in the sport.

Moving from regional promotion to one of global significance, Strikeforce offered a compelling model for how organizations could rise to a place of national prominence during the Zuffa era. And, of course, the subsequent demise of Strikeforce produced a cautionary tale that indicated trying to put on big-boy pants in this business is a fool's errand.

Over his six years in the MMA business (following 20 as a kickboxing promoter), Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker took risks, made his vision come to life, then saw it come down like a house of cards. During that time, however, his promotion delivered many moments -- good and bad, in the cage and out.

10. Nick Diaz versus Paul Daley, Round 1

Regardless of the promotional brand, mixed martial arts delivers furious conflict. And under the Strikeforce banner, no two fighters delivered on that promise better than Nick Diaz and Paul Daley.

Headlining the first major Strikeforce card of the Zuffa era, Diaz and Daley, competing for the promotion's 170-pound title, unleashed a furious opening round that ended with three seconds left when Diaz put the Englishman down. Strikeforce often delivered action in part because the rules encouraged it (no elbow strikes on the ground) and the types of fighters Strikeforce looked to promote (it wasn't wrestler-heavy).

9. Heavyweight Grand Prix

Well-intentioned as it was, the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix -- a multi-stage tournament that in theory could have crowned the baddest man on the planet -- was a flop. From injuries to postponements to a reserve fighter winning the whole thing, the ambitious effort never delivered what it billed. Daniel Cormier, by all rights a terrific alternate, handled Josh Barnett in the finals. And Zuffa, which ceded control of Strikeforce shortly after the tournament's open round in February 2011, decided to move heavyweights out of the promotion entirely.

From what could have been to what was, the heavyweight GP proved to be many things, especially a great source of frustration for Strikeforce and Showtime.

8. Emelianenko loses to Werdum

There weren't many people that gave Fabricio Werdum a shot to upend Fedor Emelianenko. But lest you forget, MMA is sport. Anything can happen. And Werdum made it so, stunning the Russian in 69 seconds to win by triangle choke. Forgetting everything he'd accomplished over the previous nine years, the result gave all the ammunition Emelianenko deniers needed to chip away at the Pride champion's legacy. Emelianenko would go on to lose three straight before righting the ship and retiring in 2012 with a 35-4 record. Werdum, meanwhile, was propelled into the upper echelon of the heavyweight division, where he remains.

7. Brawling in Nashville

Of all the times to start an in-cage melee, doing so on network television will go down as one of the worst moments in the promotion's history. Following a card that featured three lopsided championship contests on CBS, Jake Shields and his team were confronted in the cage by Jason Miller. It was a combustible scene yielding punching and stomping and all sorts of nonsense that prompted play-by-play man Gus Johnson to utter the infamous line: "Sometimes these things happen in MMA." As it turned out, the event in Nashville marked the final time Strikeforce appeared on CBS.

6. Carano versus Cyborg and the rise of women’s MMA

To credit Strikeforce with the growth of women in MMA would require forgetting many passionate players that preceded its efforts. But there's no question that the promotion eagerly adopted women into the fold, and allowed them tremendous visibility. Such was the case when Gina Carano, whose stardom rose out of the ashes of EliteXC, met her match in Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. A couple weeks after the announcement that Fedor Emelianenko would join the promotion's heavyweight division, Carano, who by then was an extremely marketable commodity, suffered a beating at the hands of the Brazilian mauler -- the first major event to feature headlining female combatants. 2013 could deliver Ronda Rousey against Cyborg in the UFC, a fight unquestionably forged under the Strikeforce banner.


5. Signing Fedor Emelianenko

On the upswing following its acquisition of EliteXC talent and a quality television platform, Coker took a risk on the Russian heavyweight star regarded at the time as the world's best heavyweight. This wasn't just any deal. With Fedor Emelianenko came his promoter, M-1 Global, and a bull's-eye on Strikeforce's back that signified a regional show had evolved into a global venture. That meant it would be perceived as a "competitor" to the UFC, which was rebuffed in its attempts to sign the Russian. Emelianenko provided a big boost, as his debut on CBS scored just under 5.5 million viewers. In the end, despite the interest he generated, the deal for Fedor forced a relatively frugal promotion to accrue debt and that ultimately led investors to bail.


4. Strikeforce purchases ProElite assets, partners with Showtime

Strikeforce was already making waves in 2008 when it signed a broadcast deal with NBC to air taped programming, but the promotion didn't mature until the following year. Gobbling up assets from ProElite, including fighter contracts that included Nick Diaz, Jake Shields and Robbie Lawler, Strikeforce was now capable of producing enough content to fill a regular series of live fights. Thus the relationship with Showtime, which previously aired ProElite, was born. In addition to the deal with Showtime, Strikeforce also signed on to deliver live fights to CBS.

3. The talent

From the start of its venture into MMA, Strikeforce's small band of scouts and matchmakers pulled a wealth of talent from West Coast gyms, making the most of local relationships, particularly with American Kickboxing Academy and Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu. Soon enough Strikeforce had signed internationally recognized fighters and lived as one of the few viable alternatives to the UFC. There's no question that history will be kind to Coker and his team when it comes to their ability to identify, showcase and develop fighters, all the while agreeing to more flexible partnerships that gave talent the option to compete in other venues.

2. First regulated event in California draws record turnout

California cleared the path toward MMA regulation, yet it took six years for the Golden State to actually oversee an event. On March 10, 2006, Strikeforce promoted the state's first MMA card, packing the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., with 18,265 eager fight fans -- then a record in North America. Frank Shamrock returned to the cage for the first time in three years and in the headliner knocked out Cesar Gracie. His effort, along with fighters who became Strikeforce and UFC mainstays, made a memorable night for Strikeforce, and more broadly the sport in the U.S.

1. Zuffa purchases Strikeforce

Just as it appeared Strikeforce was set to be a true competitor to the UFC, Zuffa swooped in and rattled the landscape. The move, announced in March 2011, was monumental for several reasons. Though Zuffa said it planned for Strikeforce to operate independently, that never happened. Much of the promotion's staff was ousted in favor of Zuffa employees. Strikeforce fighters began matriculating to the Octagon.

Hope of Zuffa's promotional prowess augmenting what Strikeforce already had in place was dashed. Insiders took to calling Strikeforce a "zombie promotion," and as with the other organizations Zuffa purchased during its rise to the top of MMA, Strikeforce was eventually assigned to the dustbin of history.

I'm changing the title of this thread from "Strikeforce Moving up in the World" to just "Strikeforce".

[Syn7]

I knew that the UFC would absorb Strikeforce. All that "no no, we won't interfere. We love Strikeforce." Yeah right. They pilfered the roster, nothing more.

They only thing I like about strikeforce closing is to see where semtex ends up. Whether Dana White caves on his words, again. He always does what he says he will NEVER do. So I'm curious to see what happens to a guy with a decent draw who was said to never be welcome in the UFC again. We will see.

[GeneChing]

Strikeforce's finale a UFC audition for most fighters
Matt Erickson, USA TODAY Sports11:46a.m. EST January 11, 2013

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The sun will set on Strikeforce as a mixed martial arts promotion in the heart of cowboy country.

The longtime second fiddle to the Ultimate Fighting Championship will shut down after Saturday'sStrikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedineevent at Chesapeake Energy Center (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET/PT).

Though that wasn't made official until December, the writing had been on the wall for months following a pair of canceled events and rumors about its future.

But the four fighters headlining the promotion's swan song aren't looking at their fates as glass half-empty. Each has motivation to win in order to seal the deal with a future in the UFC.

Welterweight champion Nate Marquardt (32-10-2 MMA, 1-0 SF) headlines against challenger Tarec Saffiedine (13-3, 5-1). With a win, Marquardt likely will be back in the promotion that cut him loose 18 months ago. But he's trying to keep that out of the equation.

"All I've got to do is go in there and knock this guy out, and everything else will take care of itself," Marquardt says.

Most of the fighters on Saturday's card have been given no guarantees they'll be folded into the UFC. However, victories would seem to make their paths much smoother, and that's what Saffiedine has in mind.

"I'm just focused on winning the fight," he says. "That's what I train for. That's what I'm here for. I want that belt, I want to win, and I want to put on a last exciting fight for Strikeforce."

Daniel Cormier (10-0, 7-0) is the one near-certainty to be in the UFC after Saturday.

While the heavyweight refuses to look past heavy underdog Dion Staring (28-7, 0-0), he has a clear idea about what he'd like to do once he migrates to UFC. He wants to fight original opponent Frank Mir atUFC on FOX 7on April 20 in his home training ground of San Jose, Calif.

"Frank said he'd like to fight me, and I'm saying, 'OK, let's do it in San Jose on FOX,'

" Cormier says.

Not much is expected for Staring, given that Cormier opened as a 20-1 favorite. Few U.S. fans have heard of the Dutchman, who's a longtime training partner of UFC contender Alistair Overeem.

He plans on changing that.

"I'm going to fight him, I'm going to beat him, and then I'm going to see where I'm going to," Staring says.

And that seems to be the theme — uncertainty, yes. But win and make the UFC brass' decisions about the remaining Strikeforce fighters' futures a little easier.

The main card follows preliminaries on Showtime Extreme starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT

Strikeforce was my first live major MMA fight. It was California's first. I've posted on every Strikeforce fight that I've attended here, so as an archival elegy, I'm listing those here. I think I got them all. I suppose I could double-check by reviewing my press laminates.

Gracie VS Shamrock

Cung Li vs. Frank Shamrock

Shamrock vs. Diaz

Gina Carano vs Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos

Strikeforce: Evolutions

FEDOR VS. WERDUM

Diaz vs Cyborg