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UFC knocks out remaining lone competitor, Zuppa buy's Strikeforce.
Zuffa LLC, owner and operator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship purchased its last competitor, Strikeforce, according to reports. UFC chief Dana White confirmed the deal to one MMA media outlet and the purchase is expected to be announced this coming week, perhaps as early as Monday.
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They'll let it die as they did PrideFC
Pocket change for Zuffa.No place to hide ....
Actually Dana is saying he will keep it going.
Thats what he is saying anyway, that they will honor all existing contracts.Quote:
Originally Posted by cog
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/03/1...s-strikeforce/
PrideFC Purchase
I don't think they would have spent all that money buying PrideFC without looking if they could get the TV Deal first. I think they'll run it awhile then bring over the best fighters and close it down.Quote:
On Tuesday, March 27, 2007, Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that Station Casinos Inc. magnate Lorenzo Fertitta, co-owner of Zuffa and its subsidiary MMA production Ultimate Fighting Championship, had made a deal to acquire all assets of Pride Fighting Championships from Dream Stage Entertainment after Pride 34: Kamikaze in a deal reportedly worth under USD$70 million,[13] though the figure was not publicly disclosed.[14] Managing the assets under the newly created Pride FC Worldwide Holdings, LLC, including their video library and the contracts of the fighters currently on the Pride roster, the new management company had originally planned to continue to promote Pride events in Japan and keep to its previously announced schedule. Lorenzo Fertitta announced they planned to operate Pride separately from Zuffa's two MMA brands, the UFC and WEC, planned on having occasional crossover shows and matches, pitting fighters from Pride against fighters "from the UFC," using the metaphor of the AFL-NFL merger to compare the situation.[13]
Subsequent remarks by Zuffa spokesperson Dana White however cast doubt as to what the new owners would actually do with Pride. After the sale officially closed on May 25, 2007, White remarked that he planned on bringing Pride's biggest names into UFC competition instead of keeping them in Pride and that they were still deciding on what to do with Pride itself.[15] In later comments made in August 2007, White expressed doubt that Zuffa can resurrect Pride in Japan, claiming, "I've [or, we] pulled everything out of the trick box that I can and I can't get a TV deal over there with Pride. I don't think they want us there. I don't think they want me there."[16]
On October 4, 2007, Pride Worldwide closed its Japanese office, laying off 20 people who were working there since the closing of DSE.[17]
The final Pride events have been released on DVD under the Pride Worldwide label.
Past fights from Pride are shown on Best of Pride Fighting Championships. The program premiered January 15, 2010 on Spike TV. The program's host is Kenda Perez.
I still think it makes sense to have it running still. You can treat it like the minor leagues. Guys that are good fighters that have lost a couple bouts for one reason or another can go down and work there way back up the ladder to the big show. Kind of like Robbie Lawler. That dude is only 28 but he looks like he is ready to come back to the ufc. He's still throwin bricks at people!