[Updated with Dana White response] Details emerge on certain Strikeforce fighters blocked from move to UFC
Updated:
UFC President Dana White went on the Undeground forum and posted the following:
“Dave has lost his mind!! Now he is just making shit up.”
Original:
Dave Meltzer took to the Wrestling Observer Forums recently to clarify some intriguing comments that were recently made on his podcast, specifically, that Showtime has a deal in place which blocks certain fighters from leaving Strikeforce to go to the UFC. Below are some highlights from the podcast and the aforementioned comments.
On fighters being blocked:
“They made this list of guys and they said ‘these are our guys’ and, even if their contract expires, they can’t move to UFC,” explained Meltzer. “That’s part of their deal with keeping this alive. So these guys are stuck.”
On what would be required for one of the Strikeforce fighters to fight under the UFC banner:
“As said as long as Zuffa and Showtime have a deal, they can’t fight on a UFC show unless Showtime gives the okay. It’s in the Zuffa/Showtime contract.”
Where he got the information from:
“I was told by one of the fighters who got it straight from Stephen Espinosa [Editor's Note: Espinosa heads Showtime Sports] that certain guys are Showtime fighters as long as the Zuffa/Showtime contract is in effect. The fighter was a main guy on a list agreed to be Showtime and Zuffa when the new deal went down and the agreement was all fighters on the list are Showtime fighters as long as they are under contract to Zuffa and as long as Showtime airs Strikeforce.”
Why Showtime added this stipulation to their contract with Zuffa:
“The fighter was told by Espinosa that in specifics because they insisted on the deal after what happened with Dan Henderson where his Strikeforce contract expired and they signed him to a new deal but brought him to UFC at a time when nobody knew the future of Strikeforce. This stip was insisted on by Showtime so something like that couldn’t happen with their however many exclusive stars.”
Who is on the list:
“There’s a list of guys, not everyone on Showtime is on the list, but Ronda Rousey is on the list, Gilbert Melendez is on the list, Luke Rockhold is on the list…
Source: MMA.TV
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