White will keep Strikeforce, UFC separate for now

Even with the Ultimate Fighting Championship's acquisition of Strikeforce over the weekend, fight fans shouldn't expect UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez's next title defense to come against the winner of the ongoing Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix.

After that, who knows?

UFC president Dana White held a joint conference call with chairman Lorenzo Fertitta and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Monday to reiterate that UFC and Strikeforce will continue to operate as separate organizations at least for the foreseeable future.

White did concede the likelihood of matching up the talent from the former rival organizations at some point, based on demand.

"Our job is to make sure the fans get the fights they want to see," he said. "It's just a matter of when."

In the meantime, all parties tried to push the notion of "business as usual" for MMA fans, starting with a stacked Strikeforce card scheduled for April 9 in San Diego, with a few slight changes.

Strikeforce bouts will now be contested under the unified rules, which allow elbow strikes to downed opponents, something that has been banned in the organization in the past.

White and Fertitta said they plan to offer their input into Strikeforce production, which is controlled by Showtime, but in the end, decisions will remain in the hands of the network. Strikeforce's deal with Showtime expires in 2014.

Just what will happen down the road to the Strikeforce brand and the approximately 140 fighters under contract is uncertain.

The UFC took a similar approach when it acquired World Extreme Cagefighting in 2006, allowing it to operate as a separate entity until January, when it fully absorbed the WEC.

"We put this thing together in pretty short order, and honestly we don't have all the answers yet. We'll just have to see how it all plays out," said Fertitta, who acknowledged that the parties first began talking about a deal in December.

Many questions have been raised about Strikeforce fighters who are in the organization essentially because they had a falling-out with White and the UFC.

Paul Daley and Josh Barnett, among others, are not necessarily on the best of terms with the new owner.

"There's a lot of people on that side of the fence that aren't big fans of mine," White said. "But we can still do business. Scott Coker is the guy who's going to be running the day-to-day and doing everything. They're never going to have to deal with me."

Also, what about the women's divisions? White has long been against promoting female fights because of what he perceives as a lack of quality depth, but Strikeforce is home to the top women's fighters in the world.

"My thoughts are the same as they were before," White said. "That's Scott's deal. Not mine."

The expanded roster of fighters could allow Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, to put on more shows, particularly internationally.

Fertitta said the few shows Zuffa does outside North America each year still have more of a "special event" feel and the markets could handle more cards.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Coker was partners with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, the owners of the San Jose Sharks. With the sale, Coker has stayed on with Zuffa to continue to run Strikeforce operations.

■ JONES PROFILE -- In addition to the customary "Countdown" special in advance of Saturday night's UFC 128 pay per view, Spike TV (Cable 29) will broadcast a special on light heavyweight title challenger Jon Jones.

Dubbed "Jon Jones: In the Moment," the half-hour program will detail the 23-year-old's meteoric rise to contender status but focus largely on his preparations leading up to his title fight Saturday night against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in Newark, N.J.

The show, which will air at 11 p.m. Thursday, will be told from Jones' perspective, with no narration.

Jones also will be featured in the Countdown to UFC 128 show, which will premiere at 11 p.m. Tuesday night.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.