It’s as though Strikeforce is caught in a triangle choke.
North America’s second most popular mixed martial arts promotion is lying in the octagon and the Ultimate Fighting Championship has its legs firmly locked around its neck. Strikeforce is slowly losing consciousness and about to tap out.
It won’t be long now.
In fact, the Strikeforce brand has been suffering ever since Zuffa — the UFC’s parent company — purchased its chief rival earlier this year.
Just take a look at some of the recent blows to the promotion:
• Welterweight champion Nick Diaz, who was 6-0 in Strikeforce, vacated his belt to crossover to the UFC to take on title holder Georges St-Pierre
• Animated middleweight Jason Miller left to fight in the UFC and was immediately inked to serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality television series
• Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem was freed from his contract with one fight remaining on his deal to negotiate a potential deal with the UFC
• Veteran heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was released from his contract
• Light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson’s contract has expired and he is considering a return to the UFC
In essence, Strikeforce has arguably lost five of its most marketable fighters in the past five months. If this trend continues, lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will be next to go.
As it stands now, with Henderson’s uncertain future, three of the five men’s weight classes in Strikeforce don’t have a champion. It’s a troubling sight.
Zuffa doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to competition.
In 2006, it purchased World Extreme Cagefighting and four years later it was shut down and folded into the UFC. In 2007, Zuffa bought Japan’s Pride Fighting Championship and closed its offices soon after.
It makes you wonder how much longer Strikeforce can survive.
When Zuffa bought Strikeforce earlier this year, the company line was that it would be business as usual. Since then, the league has lost is marquee fighters and its foothold as a viable MMA alternative in the United States.
UFC president Dana White has a history of luring the best mixed martial artists to fight in his promotion — even if he has to pilfer them from other companies within Zuffa’s portfolio.
We saw it with WEC and Pride. Now, it looks like Strikeforce is going down for the count as well.
JABS: BJ Penn’s younger brother Reagan makes his MMA debut next Saturday at ProElite Return in Hawaii. Former UFC fighters Kendall Grove and Andrei Arlovski are also on the card. … Alberta’s Maximum Fighting Championship has inked former Pride standout Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
The light heavyweight is expected to make his debut against Canadian Ryan Jimmo at the promotion’s Oct. 7 event at a yet to be determined location. … UFC light heavyweight Matt Hamill has retired. … Thoughts go out to the family of Shawn Tompkins, who passed away in his sleep this past weekend. He was just 37.
Tompkins was a Canadian MMA pioneer responsible for training countless fighters including Chris Horodecki, Sam Stout and Mark Hominick. I had the honour of interviewing Tompkins earlier this year and left the chat a better person.
jbrown@therecord.com
Twitter: intheclinchmma
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