For months it’s been speculated that Strikeforce was on the brink of shutting down, and after two straight cancelled events, it appears that Zuffa and Showtime are finally pulling the plug on the promotion.
Much like Pride FC and WEC before it, Strikeforce didn’t last very long after being purchased by Zuffa before it was purged for talent by the UFC, and the loss of top stars like Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem made the promotion feel even more like the minor leagues than it already did.
Once the UFC raided the promotion for talent, they may as well have placed Strikeforce on life support. The fighters left had little in terms of credible opponents, and the few world-class fighters left on the roster made it known that they would have rather moved to the UFC with the rest of the top talent.
Luckily for those fighters, their wait is almost over.
After two cancelled events ended 2012, it was obvious Strikeforce was running on fumes, and the promotion has now booked their final card set to take place in January.
The lineup is stacked with three title fights and the return of Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier, so while Strikeforce has struggled to put together meaningful fight cards over the last year, they are guaranteed to make headlines one final time in early 2013.
Once that event is in the books, the fighters that the UFC deem worthy enough of a roster spot will officially become UFC employees and the fans will finally get a chance to see some fights that were once thought of as impossible.