The UFC has snatched up and gutted both Pride FC and the WEC. Pride, which was already in its death throes when the UFC scooped it up, had most of its big-name fighters like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Wanderlei Silva absorbed into the UFC’s roster. The WEC, meanwhile, functioned separately from the UFC for a long while, but they eventually met the same end.
Naturally, when the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, snatched up its only real competitor, Strikeforce, fans assumed that the promotion’s days were numbered. This was all but confirmed as almost every major fighter on Strikeforce’s roster made their way to UFC.
In spite of this, Strikeforce persists. News came earlier this year that not only is Strikeforce going to keep going, but it is going to be running on Showtime for “multiple years.” While that would signal that the California-based organization is here to stay, many are counting the days until Strikeforce finally folds.
That group of naysayers will be keeping that tally for a long while, however. Strikeforce is too valuable a commodity for Zuffa to completely do away with.
Here’s why: