MMA: 5 Ways Strikeforce Has Changed Since Zuffa Took over

A little more than a year ago, if someone had told me that Strikeforce would be bought by the UFC I would have called him a liar. 

In fact, only a few months ago I would have said the same thing. 

The shock of the sale and the loss of the UFC’s biggest rival sent shock waves through the MMA community.

Most fans were worried by changes that might be made, but Dana White insisted that it would be “business as usual.”

It turns out that was a gigantic lie.  

White was already making changes by the first Strikeforce show and hasn’t stopped since. 

Let’s take a look at how “business as usual” turned into “I own you.”

5. Fewer Japanese Fighters on Cards

This might be more of a coincidence than anything. 

DREAM has been trying to keep itself afloat and been putting on fewer fights. 

Just recently, Gegard Mousasi just fought in DREAM and before that fought with Keith Jardine to a draw.

This could also be from the fact that a lot of DREAM fighters who were Japanese and big draws in Japan lost on American soil.  DREAM may have stopped sending its fighters over in an attempt to keep them marketable.  One example in particular is Shinya Aoki’s losing effort against Gilbert Melendez.

Still, it seems to have changed recently so I’ll tack it down as a possibility from new management.

4. Zuffa Fires Strikeforce Employees

This one is depressing.  Imagine you work for a company and your biggest rival suddenly buys you out.  You feel sad but excited at the opportunity of getting to work at the highest level.  You never thought it would be like this, but what could be better?

Well, keeping your job for one thing. 

In just a couple of months after the purchase, UFC let go of a quite a few Strikeforce employees.  Most notably, Rich Chou was let go.  This was Strikeforce president Scott Coker’s right-hand man and was replaced by former WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby.

Ouch.

I realize that redundancy in any company is terrible, but was it really necessary?  I’m sure a place could have been found for these people, but White didn’t want to.  They were Strikeforce guys, not UFC boys.

3. Alistair Overeem Gets Fired

I’m sure that because this just happened most of you reading this thought I would put this at No. 1, but I happen to be ranking these by the amount of power the UFC and Dana White have exercised over their one-time rivals.

Still, this one was pretty shocking.  Many people have considered the Strikeforce heavyweight division to be the one division they had that was better than the UFC’s.  Alistair Overeem was the biggest contender and the largest name, Fedor Emelianenko, was eliminated.  Many fans were expecting him to make it to the finals.  Instead he got fired from his contract with Strikeforce and Zuffa. 

Though this is No. 3 right now, if Zuffa re-signs him to an exclusive UFC contract in a short amount of time then it’ll shoot to No. 1. 

However, at this time it just shows how strict the UFC is when putting on events.

2. Adding the Rule That Allows Elbows to Opponents on the Ground

This affected how fights ended in Strikeforce and was the first shift made by the new regime.  It really doesn’t need much explanation unlike the other changes, but it was really significant in how it changed Strikeforce.

So the biggest and most important change to Strikeforce was…

1. Nick Diaz Signs to Fight Georges St-Pierre

The fight itself is exciting and I personally can’t wait.  However, what is important is how it happened.

Nick Diaz had the ability in his Strikeforce contract to box if he wanted to.  He was on a path to fight Jeff Lacy and where as this might be a ploy with most other fighters Diaz is crazy enough to do it.

Enter Dana White.  Suddenly the Strikeforce welterweight champion is headlining a UFC card.  Of course Diaz is relinquishing the Strikeforce belt, but that means little.

Jake Shields did the same thing, but because he walked out of the company undefeated he was seen as the true champ.  The same goes for Diaz.  No matter who gets crowned in his place he will still be seen as the “real” Strikeforce champion.

The difference between both circumstances though is that Shields' departure was when Strikeforce was a rival and Diaz's was after it became an asset.

Diaz was somehow able to sign a new deal with Zuffa that allows him to fight in the UFC, but also in Strikeforce. 

If he wins the title, though, don’t hold your breath on him returning.

The fact that White was able to pluck one of the champs from Strikeforce even after he stated he would let them be autonomous is not only the biggest change, but also the most telling.

It shows how much power he has.  It shows exactly how much he is willing to use it.  Most of all, it shows what he thinks of damaging Strikeforce and its championship.

For better or worse, White has chosen to interfere and tear off or mold Strikeforce into whatever he feels will be best for the UFC.  It’s not really that shocking though considering who he is. 

For White it’s just business as usual.