When Strikeforce was forced to cancel their second consecutive event
earlier this year, everyone assumed the end of the organization was
near, even though the company announced plans for a return in January.
Thursday morning, a trio of title fights and Daniel Cormier’s
long-awaited Heavyweight Grand Prix follow-up fight were announced, and
the sheer volume of awesomeness scheduled for their January 12th card in
Oklahoma City made it clear that Strikeforce was loading up for one
final show. Thursday night, that news was confirmed, and it came with an
additional note — Ronda Rousey is officially moving to the UFC.
The news was first reported by TMZ, and subsequently confirmed
by Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com. Obviously, the news of the UFC
opening their formerly “No Girls Allowed” doors to the Strikeforce
women’s bantamweight champion is an historic moment, but this shouldn’t
be surprising to anyone.
UFC President Dana White has been enamored with Rousey for some time.
As soon as the Olympic bronze medalist turned Miesha Tate’s arm inside
out to become champion, she became a bankable star, and talk of bringing
Rousey over to the UFC – even if only for a one-off showdown with Cris
Cyborg – began to swirl. Late last month,
White said that women fighting in the UFC was “absolutely going to
happen,” and there was no question that Rousey would be the centerpiece.
The 25-year-old California native has become a superstar in the 18
months since she made her Strikeforce debut. Though she has just six
professional bouts under her belt, Rousey has won all six contests by
first round submission, drawing a tap from each of her opponents with
her signature armbar. She was featured on the cover of ESPN the
Magazine’s Body Issue, and has quickly become one of the most
recognizable fighters in the entire sport.
There have been no announcements made as to when Rousey will debut or
who will share the cage with her in the first female contest to take
place in the Octagon. While Cybord seems to be the popular choice, the
Brazilian star is currently serving the final few months of a one-year
suspension, and has balked at the idea of moving down in weight to fight
Rousey. A rematch with Tate is a possibility, as is a pairing with
fellow Olympian Sara McMaan. A silver medalist in freestyle wrestling,
McMann also boasts a 6-0 record and holds victories over veterans Shayna
Baszler and Hitomi Akano.
While Rousey’s impending arrival in the UFC has garnered the lion’s
share of the attention stemming from this story, the announcement that
Strikeforce will shutter their doors entirely following the January 12
event stands to have a great overall impact on the UFC.
The confirmation that this event will be Strikeforce’s last clears
the way for a litany of intriguing talents to be transferred to the UFC
roster early next year. Here’s a quick division-by-division list of
fighters you can expect to see making their way into the Octagon in 2013
(C denotes divisional champions):
Light Heavyweight: Gegard Mousasi, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, Ovince St. Preux, Gian Villante
Middleweight: Luke Rockhold (C), Lorenz Larkin, Ronaldo “Jacare”
Souza, Tim Kennedy, Adlan Amagov, Robbie Lawler, Derek Brunson, Roger
Gracie
Welterweight: Nate Marquardt (C), Tyron Woodley, Jordan Mein, Tarec Saffiedine
Lightweight: Gilbert Melendez (C), Josh Thomson, K.J. Noons, Jorge Masvidal, Ryan Couture, Caros Fodor
There will be some interesting calls that need to be made in each
division as well. Will former UFC competitors like Keith Jardine and
Jorge Santiago get another opportunity to compete in the UFC? Will
unproven younger talent like Nah-shon Burrell, Chris Spang, and Guto
Inocente be retained? With the UFC already having tremendous depth at
welterweight and lightweight, will they keep the number of transfers to a
minimum, and cut loose everyone else, producing a sudden and unexpected
glut of free agents?
Regardless of how those questions are answered, the eventual arrival
of fighters like Rockhold and Melendez to the biggest stage in the sport
is exciting. Both have dominated their respective divisions over the
last year (two years in Melendez’s case) and had run out of viable
challengers on the Strikeforce roster. Once their fights in January are
complete, we’ll finally get the chance to find out once and for all how
each man stacks up in comparison to their UFC counterparts.
This news also shakes up the title situations in the UFC heading into
2013. Provided Rockhold and Melendez make the move to the UFC as
champions, will either (or both) receive an immediate title shot?
Automatic entry into a title eliminator bout? What does that mean for
the UFC holdovers who have put in their time and earned their way into
contention with wins inside the Octagon?
One things for certain — as exciting as 2013 already looked, things
just got even more awesome, and I cannot wait to see how all this
unfolds next year.