BEHIND THE SCENES MMA ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
09/25/2012
Injuries 2012 – The Cancellation of Strikeforce
By Christopher ‘sLapDatSuCKa’ Jester
When people think back on 2012 they will remember how injuries played a huge part in the matchmaking and in the events that were unfulfilled or downright cancelled. UFC 151 was cancelled due to an injury and now exactly a month later Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy has to be cancelled due to the champion Gilbert Melendez sustaining an injury in training.
The injuries this year have been endless. While matchmakers have continuously found replacements for fighters throughout the year, it was the big fights that have either left events weaker in depth or scrapped altogether. After UFC 152 helped mixed martial arts fans get over the cancellation of UFC 151, now Zuffa has to deal with another cancellation in Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy.
Receiving the news late Sunday night, Strikeforce announced that Melendez had sustained an injury. Showtime, the broadcast company for the Strikeforce brand, then announced that the card no longer carried the weight to be broadcasted without its biggest draw in Strikeforce’s lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. Without a main event, Showtime did not believe the card could perform. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker then made the decision to cancel the show altogether.
Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy was scheduled to take place Saturday September 29th in Sacramento, California. Fans that had purchased tickets for the show will be able to get refunds. But how will this affect Zuffa from a monetary standpoint? The company took a huge hit with the UFC 151 cancellation. Now with two cancelled events in one month, it stands to say that this will mark a significant hit in the financial performance for Zuffa this year.
But how will this play out with the other 19 fighters who were on the Strikeforce card. The fighters under the UFC brand spoke out heavily about how UFC 151’s cancellation would affect them financially. The effect must be greater for fighters under the Strikeforce banner who fight much less than UFC fighters within a year, and some fighters have spoken out about how they are paid significantly less than their UFC counterparts (Some Strikeforce fighters have reportedly been paid). While the UFC 151 fighters were simply placed on the next couple of cards, the Strikeforce fighters don’t have this option. The Strikeforce annually scheduled events is nowhere near as large as the UFC’s, and it is sure to cause their fighters worry about how they will provide for their livelihoods. 19 fighters may very well not fight again this year and this is a huge problem for Strikeforce and Zuffa.
Zuffa has had a strange and unbelievable summer filled with injuries, blown main and co-main events, and two cancelled cards. How will Zuffa right the ship? Is there an answer for all the injuries? Zuffa may say this is a normal part of business but this has to hurting them in some way behind the scenes that they may not be so open to talk about. Nevertheless, it has the fans growing wary of the situation and if you combine that with fighters not getting paid, this may be just the ditch that Strikeforce cannot climb itself out of.
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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