(Remember, this “schedule” is for entertainment purposes only.)
We’re just 12 days into 2015, and the UFC is already learning that announcing an entire year’s event schedule in advance is easier said than done. MMAJunkie passes along the word that the UFC Fight Night event slated for March 7th will not be taking place. The now-deceased card was expected to air on Fight Pass, and was rumored to be held in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. No fights had been officially tied to the event. According to an official statement issued to MMAJunkie:
“While rumors of an event in Windsor had been circulating, this event was never officially confirmed or announced by UFC. UFC did consider holding a Canadian Fight Night event in March. However, the organization always strives to put on first-class events in every city, and this was proving to be a challenge within the required timeframe.”
If you look up there at the schedule, you’ll see that the March 7th date was the fifth in a string of back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back UFC events from February 14th to March 21st. Good Lord. I can’t imagine what the UFC matchmakers are going through trying to fill all these spots. However, our buddy Adam Martin suggests that there’s more to this story than simply an overloaded event schedule collapsing under its own weight:
(Remember, this “schedule” is for entertainment purposes only.)
We’re just 12 days into 2015, and the UFC is already learning that announcing an entire year’s event schedule in advance is easier said than done. MMAJunkie passes along the word that the UFC Fight Night event slated for March 7th will not be taking place. The now-deceased card was expected to air on Fight Pass, and was rumored to be held in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. No fights had been officially tied to the event. According to an official statement issued to MMAJunkie:
“While rumors of an event in Windsor had been circulating, this event was never officially confirmed or announced by UFC. UFC did consider holding a Canadian Fight Night event in March. However, the organization always strives to put on first-class events in every city, and this was proving to be a challenge within the required timeframe.”
If you look up there at the schedule, you’ll see that the March 7th date was the fifth in a string of back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back UFC events from February 14th to March 21st. Good Lord. I can’t imagine what the UFC matchmakers are going through trying to fill all these spots. However, our buddy Adam Martin suggests that there’s more to this story than simply an overloaded event schedule collapsing under its own weight:
Well, it’s official: The debate should no longer be about whether or not Strikeforce is headed for an early grave, but whether or not we should allow their lifeless corpse to continue resting in its vegetative state or simply pull the plug. Less than a month after cancelling their September 29th card due to injury, word has just broke that Strikeforce will also be cancelling their event scheduled for November 3rd in light of another slew of injuries.
We know the discussion of the injury curse is beyond old news at this point, but is anyone else still having trouble coming to terms with the pure scale of devastation it has wreaked on the sport in 2012? Even the UFC has been forced to, as BG put it, scrape the bottom of the matchmaking barrel for available fighters and they’ve poached upwards of half the fighters that Strikeforce previously had under their banner, to the point that one key injury could completely undo a card. Thank God the UFC would never be forced to resort to such drastic measures.
In either case, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was already looking to the future when discussing the second straight cancellation:
Due to a series of injuries, we were forced to cancel the upcoming card on Nov. 3, but are already working to put together a stacked card in January.
Yeah, Scott, we’re sure UFC 156 will be pretty great too.
Well, it’s official: The debate should no longer be about whether or not Strikeforce is headed for an early grave, but whether or not we should allow their lifeless corpse to continue resting in its vegetative state or simply pull the plug. Less than a month after cancelling their September 29th card due to injury, word has just broke that Strikeforce will also be cancelling their event scheduled for November 3rd in light of another slew of injuries.
We know the discussion of the injury curse is beyond old news at this point, but is anyone else still having trouble coming to terms with the pure scale of devastation it has wreaked on the sport in 2012? Even the UFC has been forced to, as BG put it, scrape the bottom of the matchmaking barrel for available fighters and they’ve poached upwards of half the fighters that Strikeforce previously had under their banner, to the point that one key injury could completely undo a card. Thank God the UFC would never be forced to resort to such drastic measures.
In either case, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was already looking to the future when discussing the second straight cancellation:
Due to a series of injuries, we were forced to cancel the upcoming card on Nov. 3, but are already working to put together a stacked card in January.
Yeah, Scott, we’re sure UFC 156 will be pretty great too.
As you are likely very well aware of, the November 3rd event was supposed to be Daniel Cormier’s last fight under his Strikeforce contract. Unfortunately, the newly-crowned HW champ (among other fighters on the card), was not even made aware of this cancellation until the news was public knowledge.
Via Tim Kennedy’s Twitter: “Thank you @Strikeforce for letting me read about my flight being canceled on the Internet. I was 9 weeks into my fight camp. Awesome!”
Via Cormier’s Twitter: “Very sad about not fighting but at the end of the day something positive will come from it. More time to train. I am with a good company…”
Cormier spoke with Helwani shortly after being surprised with the news, and was slightly less empathetic to his soon to be former employers:
I wish somebody would have told me something. This is unbelievable. I’m very upset. I just want to be informed. That’s all. I don’t think that’s asking for too much.
No, Daniel, it wouldn’t be asking too much. Just like asking a sinking promotion that is holding some of the world’s best fighters to end their charade once and for all doesn’t seem like too much to ask either. But life has a way of complicating things.
So there you have it: Strikeforce is dead, and Vaudeville’s the box they’re gonna bury it in. The only question that remains is: How long do you give it? January? March? DARE WE SAY APRIL?
Most of the bouts slated for the event will be moved to the April 21 card which will take place in Atlanta at the Philips Arena.
The semi-complete Canadian-steeped card lacked the drawing power that a championship fight would bring, so rather than put on a less than impressive event for it’s only showing in Quebec it looks like they’ve decided to wait until a better line-up is available. Itseems likely that the UFC is banking on adding a unification bout between GSP and the winner of the Carlos Condit versus Nick Diaz interim welterweight title bout next month to the line-up when the Octagon returns to La Belle Province before the end of 2012. St-Pierre, who underwent surgery last month to repair a knee injury he sustained while training, announced yesterday that he should be back training in July and back in action by winter.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNet)
Here are the fights that will likely be moved to Atlanta:
Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills
Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Mark Bocek vs. Matt Wiman
Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell
Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani
Chris Clements vs. Keith Wisniewski
