Dana White at it Again - Strikefarce vs. UFC

Just like many of the fighters employed by his organization, UFC President Dana White never seems to miss an opportunity to play up a feud in front of the cameras.

With the UFC’s position as the MMA world’s top organization now secure, he’ll take on any organization that so much as hints at crossing his path.

And now that the Showtime network’s Strikeforce organization has swooped in and stole the world’s top heavyweight fighter from under White’s nose, Fedor Emelianenko, White has fired back by calling the organization “Strikefarce,” a declaration that smacks of WWE-style, Vince McMahon-type tactics.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who has been extremely complimentary of the UFC in the past and has even said that they “saved” MMA, was diplomatic in the face of White’s comments and merely chalked it up as White trying to be a promoter.

It’s a refreshing change of pace from Coker and a good sign for MMA fans everywhere because it’s obviously not in the interest of Strikeforce to compete with the UFC, at least not now.

If the San Jose-based promotion were to go down that route, they would most likely be put out of business like PRIDE, Affliction, and Elite XC among others were by the American giant.

But if they stay the course and continue to make shrewd signings, they can find a niche as a solid second promotion.

Whether or not Fedor’s salary will hurt Strikeforce is yet to be seen but the signing does give the organization a ton of credibility as a legitimate league.

Despite White’s contention that Showtime is only watched by four “f***ing people,” most movie and TV fans know that isn’t true; just look at the wildly popular show “Dexter” and its legions of fans and you’ll know why.

Showtime is capable of delivering quality MMA fights to millions of people and with the UFC still only showing five-six fights each night for a $49.95 pay-per-view even as the undercard fights continue to get better and better as the talent pool gets deeper, fans are going to want more action and turn out in droves to watch Strikeforce’s fights.

Once the league develops some more talented prospects the way they did with guys like Brett Rogers and Cung Le for example and learns how to promote them better, they can step up into the pay-per-view game and make a decent living there with Fedor leading the way.

It won’t be a UFC-level success, but then again, few things are in this economic environment. Even established leagues like the NBA and the NHL have been struggling recently.

But as long as the UFC leads the way and reins in more MMA fans across the globe, there are going to be more and more people looking to watch quality fights, and Strikeforce will be right there alongside the UFC to provide them as long as Coker and co. are content with being second place.

And in the world of sports, there are scores of athletes, coaches, promoters, commissioners, and plenty of others who make a pretty good living coming in second in place.