Dana White on UFC Purchasing Strikeforce; Wears Disgustingly Awesome T-Shirt

Click Here For Ariel Helwani’s Interview with Dana White

Ariel Helwani once agains nabs an interview that gets the world buzzing. This guy is trying to be some kind of MMA Geraldo or something. First he gets the infamous Undertaker-Brock exchange following Brock’s loss to Cain Velasquez, where everybody and their brother was talking about Brock abandoning MMA for a short period to work WrestleMania this year. Now, he’s the first to interview Dana and break the major news that Strikeforce has been gobbled up by the constantly growing empire that Dana and Zuffa are building.

The incredible interview has been linked or embedded above, so there’s no need to recap what Dana’s saying word-for-word. However, the most repeated phrase that Dana kept going back to is that, “It’s business as usual.”

Dana White and Vince McMahon draw constant comparisons within the pro wrestling fanbase. Dana often appears the prototypical model of what a perfect business man in the world of combat entertainment should be, whereas Vince tends to catch much wrath for the direction he chooses to take his WWE brand in. Arguably not as earth-shaking as the purchase of Pride: Fighting Championships, the acquisition of Strikeforce still amounts to another vast talent pool that could potentially be used in the UFC. If anyone reading this news didn’t instantly think “Fedor vs. Brock,” then it’s likely best you’re not booking any kind of promotion. Dana, however, has chosen to make it clear that this is a “purchase” in the truest sense of the word and not a merger of brands.

The news of this breaks almost exactly 10 years to the day that World Championship Wrestling was purchased by Vince McMahon and the WWF. Back at that time, there were several rumors floating around about what would happen with the merger. There was talk of WCW having its own timeslot on another channel, as well as buzzing about when or where the big clash of WCW “stars” versus WWF “superstars” would take place. As it would turn out, the WCW talent would be rushed onto WWF television, be featured amidst controversy for the talent selected, the major names were unavailable to be involved because of Time Warner contracts, and ultimately the entire WCW brand and legacy was quickly buried within 6 months of the greatest purchase in pro wrestling history.

Perhaps it’s a difference in finanacial standings at the time, or perhaps it’s just a difference of business strategy in general, but rather than execute a full-on absorbing of Strikeforce-contracted talent and instantly mesh divisions of both organizations, Dana has instead decided to allow Strikeforce to continue “business as usual.” Strikeforce will maintain their television contracts and deals, Strikeforce talent will be booked as they are within the context of Strikeforce events, and all business dealings will remain at the hands of Scott Coker. Strikeforce will remain Strikeforce, plain and simple.

What Dana realizes, which may have been a gigantic err in the ways of Vince McMahon with WCW, is that the Strikeforce brand has its own following and does a respectable amount of positive business by itself. It would be seem ill-advised to take a rival company, purchase it, and then instantly revoke any money-making ability it has had or could continue to have. Granted at the time of the WCW purchase the company was doing subpar television ratings and making horrid revenue off pay-per-view, but it was been well stated and theorized that whatever audience WCW did have in its final days, that those that watched Nitro and Thunder didn’t flip over to the WWF product and add to those ratings. They just disappeared, perhaps never to watch wrestling, or Vince McMahon’s version of wrestling, ever again.

There is potentially a degree of the Strikeforce fanbase that loves that brand of MMA and may not take any interest in the UFC’s brand of MMA. There may be Fedor or Overeem fans that only care to watch their matches and no one else. Rather than risk alienating that fan base, or restructuring the Showtime television deal, or re-negotiate the working relationship with K-1, Strikeforce will remain intact to make money as it has. Two entities are entirely maintained and allowed to live on their own merit. If perhaps down the road Strikeforce begins to fall apart, then I’m sure Dana would adjust the situation to best benefit all parties involved. At the moment, however, there is no reason to act in haste and destroy what Strikeforce has built itself into.

Still, this is some big, big news. Dana just continues to make major moves. He’s like Bradley Cooper, just popping them pills, banging fine hunnies, and telling the world of MMA what’s up. And wearing the sickest T-Shirts this side of Hot Topic. I mean, seriously, this dude doesn’t need fine threats. He just needs an 8×10 of Lennox Lewis, an iron, and a fresh shave and he’s ready to buy up half the United States.

– Nick
donnybrookboys@gmail.com

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