Scott Coker: Recent Strikeforce cuts were done 'in fairness to the athletes

Scott Coker: Recent Strikeforce cuts were done 'in fairness to the athletes' - MMAmania.com

http://www.mmamania.com/2011/8/4/23...strikeforce-cuts-were-done-in-fairness-to-the

Because there are only so many spots on a televised fight card to go around -- and they have to be saved for people who win.

That's according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who recently told The Fight Show with Mauro Ranallo that Valentijn Overeem and Marloes Coenen were released from the Strikeforce promotion to allow them to "create another future somewhere else."

You don't have to go back to Amsterdam, but you gotta get the heck up outta here.

It's probably just coincidence that both Coenen and Overeem are from the Golden Glory fight camp. As was former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, who was stripped of his title and told to pack his bags after stubbing his toe.

After all, if the Showtime television schedule is already mapped out for the next six to eight months, it really doesn't make much sense to hang on to Jon Olav Eienemo, especially when he fights for the UFC.

Oh, wait.

Star-divide

"Well, you know, Mauro, that whole thing about Alistair (Overeem), I think it's been documented," Coker said. "I think it's been regurgitated over and over so I don't know if we have to get into that. But with Valentijn (Overeem) and Marloes (Coenen), you know, right now, there's only so many TV spots, as you know, until the middle of next year. And, uh, they're, um, you know, in this business, you've gotta keep winning. So, to me, it was a situation where Valentijn had that loss, I believe in June, so that was already in the works anyway. It just seems sudden to everybody because it just all happened this week. But that was already on its way for Valentijn. The slots are going to be for the fighters that are victorious right now. We have a lot of athletes under contract and we have to get everybody fights and there's only so many slots. There's only so many TV dates, we only have two more TV dates on the big show before the end of the year. September is already full, December is getting full and then January is hopefully are finals and that's going to have a full card already. So in fairness to the athletes, why just let them hang around? It's a much fairer situation to let them go fight elsewhere and create another future somewhere else."

UFC President Dana White shocked the MMA world back on March 12 when he revealed that Zuffa, parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was the proud new owner of what was widely considered the world's number two fight promotion.

While both Strikeforce and UFC continue to operate as separate entities, most of the MMA community expects Zuffa to eventually merge the brands much like it did with UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) earlier this year.

Until then, it's "business as usual."

So don't expect fighters from Golden Glory who lose to be "hanging around."



Seriously WTF is this mafia bull****? Who's putting Coker up to this? Is Dana holding a gun to everyones head at SF?!?! Did Coker really even say this? Honestly i think im done with MMA. This sport is a ****ing joke.

 

That doesn't make him any better. Very plausible that Dana put him up to this if you ask me. Secondly Dana does the Feritta's bidding. He's hardly a stalwart of virtue who makes any decision on an ethical basis.
White is a scumbag. Point blank point simple.