UFC President Dana White stated numerous times during his conversation with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani that "business will go as usual" between UFC and Strikeforce, promising fans not to do any immediate changes. But still, there's one thing that will definitely change in a relationship between two of MMA's leading promotions. The role of Strikeforce.
But before we get into discussion about what will be that role, let's play Captain Obvious. Ultimate Fighting Championship is still ZUFFA's leading brand. It's the UFC fighters who travel to Australia, UAE and Germany. And it's only the UFC fighters who ZUFFA want to present as the best in the World. That's why there's no sense at all in keeping things "as usual" with Strikeforce, which will also preserve their status in minds of many fans as UFC's competitor.
The only competitors ZUFFA need for the UFC are Bellator, Shark Fights, M-1 Global, Legend FC and BAMMA. These promotions who serve as the proving ground for future stars who will eventually make their way to a bigger stage. The gap between the UFC and its competitors is so big, that it will take more than a decade of brand building and billions of dollars to surpass it.
Since ZUFFA will not be co-promoting or immediately transferring fighters from Strikeforce to the UFC, there's only one reasonable route I see for Scott Coker's promotion. Strikeforce will become a feeder of the UFC. Fighters will be promoted to UFC, and relegated to Strikeforce after they get caught up by a streak of defeats. This way Dana White and the Fertitta brothers will boost UFC's status as the leading brand in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
UFC need Strikeforce as a "separate" body, but not as a competitor. MMA fans love variety, and the Strikeforce product in association with Showtime offers them this variety in a pretty good way. That’s why WEC is a perfect example for thiskind of relationship. Vast majority of casual fans never knew WEC were a ZUFFA promotion, while even the hardcores sub-consciously considered it as an alternative to the UFC product. This was one of the key aspects in WEC’s preparation to convergence with the UFC.
Will Strikeforce eventually merge with the UFC? In my opinion, it's a tough question that could be answered only in a year or two. Today ZUFFA clearly reminded everyone who is who in the world of MMA. I hope everyone understands that Strikeforce would have never surpassed the UFC as the leading MMA organization in North America. Sooner or later, Strikeforce would cease to exist or get purchased by ZUFFA. And at the end of the day, fans may finally see the match-ups they only dreamt about.
