After cancelling events recently, including their Nov. 3 card featuring some of its biggest stars, rumors of Strikeforce’s future have been running rampant through the MMA community.
The promotion was already on virtual life support under the Zuffa umbrella and after the Nov. 3 event was cancelled, it seemed Strikeforce was ready to close their doors.
But Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is planning to put on a “mega-show” sometime in early 2013. MMA Fighting has the details:
“We’re looking at a show in January with Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold and Gilbert Melendez, and don’t be surprised to see Ronda Rousey and Nate Marquardt as well,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.
Cormier, Rockhold and Melendez were all scheduled to compete this fall but injuries forced Strikeforce’s hand. Frank Mir, who was moving over to Strikeforce for a single fight, was injured and Strikeforce was unable to find a suitable replacement for Cormier.
The reasoning behind Strikeforce putting on this quality of a show is likely due in large part to Strikeforce’s contract with Zuffa ending early in 2013. Then there’s also Showtime as a third player in the negotiations, as it’s believed they want to stay in the MMA game.
Strikeforce ratings have remained relatively strong when you consider the cards are on premium channels, and the promotion also features one of the biggest stars in the sport today in Rousey.
Contract negotiations are always a murky situation, especially with how many players are involved in this particular situation.
But MMA fans should be pretty happy with the possibility of all the top stars in Strikeforce fighting on a single card.
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