Chrom
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 |  Subject: Bigfoot vs. Lesnar? Le vs. Leben? Coker optimistic for crossover fights – later Tue Jul 12, 2011 12:14 pm | |
| - Quote :
- It seems Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker can't make a media appearance these days without being asked one question in particular: When are we going to see Strikeforce vs. UFC fights?
The short answer? Not anytime soon.
Still, Coker holds out hope for crossover bouts in the future. And he's not talking about just champion vs. champion affairs. The Strikeforce boss said he'd like to see matchups up and down the roster.
"Personally, I'd like to see them all happen – not just the champions fighting the champions, but how about Fedor Emelianenko fighting Randy Couture?" Coker asked MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "That was supposed to happen a few years ago. Why not do it now? How about Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva against Brock Lesnar or Shane Carwin? I think there are some amazing fights. Not just our champion versus their champion, but fighters in our lineup fighting fighters from their lineup going two or three deep. I think all those fights would be fantastic.
"I'd love to see Cung Le fight Chris Leben. Wouldn't that be fun to watch? I would love to do it, but for now, we'll just see what happens."
Of course, it was the the sale of Strikeforce to the UFC's parent company that made discussions such as this possible, and fans immediately called for Strikeforce's best to make their way to the UFC octagon. When former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz then successfully negotiated passage to the UFC, those fan calls became even louder.
Coker said the company's current plans simply don't call for the migration of its athletes to the UFC. However, he also said don't rule it out somewhere down the line.
"For right now, there's no other fighters that are going to crossover," Coker said. "For now, that's going to be the company policy. We have a business to run, and that business is Strikeforce, along with working with Showtime television. We have obligations to them to produce these great fights for them. We're going to need the roster to be there to fight. I think in time, those fights will all happen, but I think fans need to be patient."
Some MMA pundits have predicted those contests will only take place when Strikeforce, like the WEC before it, eventually shutters its doors and folds into the UFC. Coker declined to speculate on any potential merger, instead focusing on the positives that Strikeforce has gained by residing under the UFC umbrella.
"It's still a very new transition and very early in the game," Coker said. "I think as we start building some momentum heading into the semifinals of the heavyweight grand prix, not to mention some of the other big fights we're doing, I think you're going to see some better results, some bigger results.
"We've got an amazing marketing team and resources. We didn't have that available to us when we were just Strikeforce The rest at http://mmajunkie.com/news/24355/bigfoot-vs-lesnar-le-vs-leben-strikeforce-boss-optimistic-for-crossover-fights-but-not-yet.mma | |
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