Here’s The Journey Of UFC And Strikeforce

Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC, is the biggest promotion in the game of mixed martial arts. We all know and have heard about UFC, but have you ever wondered how it led to being such a big name in sports? There have been many new promotions on the rise as its rival, but most of them shut down, and others ended up being purchased by the MMA organization itself.

Strikeforce In Zuffa’s Reign

One major category that was purchased by MMA was Strikeforce. It’s headed by CEO Scott Coker. The MMA org earned a lot of popularity and gave rise to some talented fighters such as Luke Rockhold, Tyron Woodley, and Daniel Cormier. Strikeforce’s talent was evident in the great fights and helped the promotion become the biggest competitor for UFC. However, on March 12th, 2011, things took a U-turn when former parent company Zuffa announced that they’d be buying Strikeforce for $40 million.

Even after it was sold, it continued to run as a promotion. However, significant changes were made during Zuffa’s reign, which included the use of elbows and finishing the promotion of amateur undercard bouts. The promotion successfully ran for two more years. After that, its fans witnessed the final show. The final Strikeforce show that was aired was a fight between Saffiedine vs. Marquardt in 2013. Post the fight, Zuffa dissolved the contract with some fighters, and some joined UFC. 

Bruno/Pexels | Strikeforce produced some amazing talent.

Strikeforce produced some amazing talent who had successful careers after they joined the new promotion. Luke Rockhold won the title for the UFC middleweight championship, and Daniel Cormier won the title for a two-division champion for both light and heavyweight championships.

Time/Pexels | Most of these talented players joined UFC and made great careers.

UFC’s Parent Company

UFC is a popular promotion in the growing sport world. Its parent company is Endeavor, and Zuffa purchased the promotion in 2001. The deal with the parent company took place in 2016. Things continued to run smoothly, and the American holding group increased its ownership further by purchasing the remaining shares from Zuffa in 2021 to acquire complete ownership. Many wondered what Dana White’s role would be in the company during the initial purchase.

He continued as the president of promotion and even shared his thoughts on the Endeavor group. After acquiring 100% shares in the promotion, White shared his thoughts and said that it was very hard for him, but it all worked out well in the end. He further added that he stayed and he is still one of the owners, so it was not a bad deal.

Ruslan/Pexels | Few athletes from Strikeforce won championships in weightlifting and other sports.

UFC finally became a public company in 2021 when the Endeavor Group launched a public offering for its shares. Dana White and other executives from Endeavor appeared on the New York Stock Exchange to start trading its shares. The Endeavor stock began trading its share at $24 per share. Amazing talent and good leadership are what enabled UFC to become one of the leading names in the Sports industry.