Strikeforce actually a force in MMA?

Well, the San Jose based fight promotion best known for the upcoming Carano vs Cyborg fight has signed a free agent.  Fedor. Pretty big news in the MMA world. So, the UFC will not get it's Brock vs Fedor fight any time soon and too bad. I don't see too many interesting fights on the horizon for the UFC beyond this year. The big question is how long Strikeforce will last. They have a few heavyweights, but Fedor will mow through them in 3 events. What then? It's basically Affliction all over again?

 

It would be cool to see them groom a ladies division that the UFC would probably not counter. Likewise, Strikeforce should probably leave the lighter weight classes as a niche to the WEC. But competition can be a good thing. Maybe a legit heavyweight fighter will give allow Strikeforce to succeed where Elite XC and Kimbo failed? In the end, I see this as purely a way for Dana White to have more fighters groomed in a rival league, which he will poach when they go out of business.

Here comes Fedor!

Well, Affliction Trilogy is an official bust. It was announced last week, that Affliction was cancelling the event. The bigger news is that the "T-shirt Guy" as Dana White called him, had agreed to work with the UFC, not promote their own fights, and have Affliction advertising back on the Octagon. Wild. So much is back to the future as far as the UFC is concerned. Randy Couture, Affliction and even Tito Ortiz has apparently made up with the biggest game in MMA. You can try to resist, but like the Borg in Star Trek, you will get assimilated eventually.

 

This means Fedor is a free agent?!! Well, kinda. I've read that M-1 Global, his managing partner, has put excessive demands on the UFC. Co-promoting the fight and building an arena in Russia are the common rumors. Sounds like extortion to me. The problem now is Dana White's ego. He doesn't appear ready to bow to anyone. This attitude made the UFC what it is today. But will it ultimately cost the heavyweight division?