Batista Says His First MMA Fight Is Off & Deal With Strikeforce Fell Through
Former WWE superstar Dave Batista won't be making his professional mixed martial arts debut any time soon.
A cameraman from TMZ.com caught up with Batista at the LAX airport over the weekend and asked him for an update on his MMA career. To see the video, click here.
Batista said he was negotiating with the Strikeforce MMA promotion to have his first fight soon, but that deal fell through after the company was recently bought out by the UFC.
Batista said he is "real disappointed" with the way things turned out says he really "had his heart set" on Strikeforce.
* VIDEO of BATISTA's MMA Training: The Next Brock Lesnar?
(Source: TMZ.com)
BAMMA Boss Comments on UFC Aquiring Strikeforce
BAMMA - British Association Of Mixed Martial Arts.There’s a good chance by time you read this you’ve heard the huge story in the mixed martial arts industry – UFC buying out Californian based competitors Strikeforce. From what I’ve heard so far Zuffa (UFC parent company) is not planning amalgamate Strikeforce with Ultimate Fighting Championship, instead the established brand popular with fans will co-exist as a feeder fight promotion, keeping all branding in place.
Liam Fisher, Head of Business Development for BAMMA comments:Whether I look at this as an MMA fan or a representative of BAMMA, it?s definitely a game changer, but a positive thing for us. There?s going to be some fighters that want to work with the UFC again and this is their way to do that but there?s also going to be some fighters that can?t or won?t work with them and this is where we come in. BAMMA is not only a breeding ground for new talent but we?re also a place for more established fighters to compete at a high level in big arenas on live globally broadcasted shows.STRIKEFORCE have contractual obligations to fulfill so until they?re done, I don?t think anything is really going to change but for the fighters that can’t or won?t work with the UFC, this does limit their career progression in the short term. I’?ve seen Paul Daley’s comments on our Facebook page and whatever Paul chooses to do, he knows he always has a home at BAMMA. Paul has been incredibly supportive of BAMMA from the start and we are proud to have him on our shows.I think the implications of the UFC/STRIKEFORCE DEAL are more focused on North America than anywhere else. STRIKEFORCE recently signed in to a PPV deal in the UK but traditionally, we’re not a PPV nation. There?s too much good sport on TV for free, added to the fact that MMA is still an emerging sport in the UK. BAMMA brings in more viewers than STRIKEFORCE do in the States and we wouldn?t even dream about doing a PPV in the UK.None of this scares or worries us and I don’t think it puts an end to the MMA business. STRIKEFORCE wanted the money and they took it but that doesn?t change the sport one bit, it just means the biggest brand within the sport just got a little bit bigger, and someone got a little bit richer. Just remember, for every Microsoft there needs to be an Apple.- Comment back, tell us your opinions?
Breaking Updates: UFC Buys Strikeforce
UFC approached Strikeforce about purchasing the company.
The deal was finalized this morning (Saturday). There had been talks for several weeks now. It was done fairly quickly.
Almost nobody knew that talks between UFC and Strikeforce were ongoing.
Dana White says he knows Strikeforce is a brand that people like and the purchase opens up more fights.
Scott Coker will remain in charge of Strikeforce. They will remain separate brands. Strikeforce will continue to run "business as usual". All Strikeforce contracts remain in place.
Dana White again says "it's business as usual" with both companies running separate events.
White would not disclose how much the deal was worth but said "it was a good deal".
You can compare this deal to the UFC/PRIDE purchase years ago as well as the WWE/WCW purchase. This is a huge deal in the MMA world guys.
The video of Dana White and Ariel Helwani that we posted earlier explains a ton. We've re-posted it again below and it's definitely worth checking out. You'll know the entire situation after watching the video below. Keep in mind that Dana White changes his mind on a daily basis so who knows.
We'll keep you posted on this MAJOR breaking MMA story over on FightLine.com. We'll keep the rest of the updates over there as WrestlingINC.com mainly features pro wrestling news. We just thought this was a big enough story to also post here as well. Check out FightLine.com for breaking updates on this story. Thanks for your continued support of WrestlingINC.com as well! Have a great rest of your weekend.
Breaking MMA News: UFC Buys Strikeforce
White added that Strikeforce fighters will remain under the Strikeforce roster for the time being, while UFC fighters may eventually make their way over there.
"Strikeforce is going to continue to run business as usual," White said. "There's contracts in place. These guys are on Showtime. Strikeforce pulls good ratings for Showtime. I think Showtime is happy with them. All those contracts will be honored. These guys are going to remain Strikeforce fighters. Could guys from the UFC leave and end up over in Strikeforce? Yeah."
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker will be staying on, just as WEC executive Reed Harris did after UFC bought WEC in 2006.
White also ruled out the possibility of cross-promotion "superfights," saying fighter contracts, broadcast deals, and business partnerships will remain unaffected.
The main reason for the buyout on the Zuffa side appears to be the need to acquire more talent as they continue to expand globally, even though White insists Strikeforce will run as its own business.
"That's a separate business that has their own income," White said. "They have their own budgets and everything else that they do. They have they're own television deals. If they're that interested in acquiring (a fighter), it's no different than it was before."
A video interview featuring Ariel Helwani and UFC President Dana White can be seen below.
Please be sure to check out WrestlingINC.com's sister UFC/MMA website, FightLine.com, for more on this huge breaking story.
