Showtime extension to keep Strikeforce running next year

SAN DIEGO -- No matter what happens tonight against top contender Jorge Masvidal, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will remain in the organization for the foreseeable future.

The revelation was one of the most noteworthy items to come out of a Thursday announcement that the organization, owned by Ultimate Fighting Championship parent company Zuffa, had signed an extension with Showtime and will remain operational at least through 2012.

With several of Strikeforce's other champions already moved over to the UFC in the months after the purchase in early 2011, Melendez appeared headed in the same direction.

In fact, prevailing wisdom held for some time that the UFC would close up shop on Strikeforce with the expiration of the TV deal looming.

The new agreement, which calls for Strikeforce to air six to eight events on the network in 2012, ends all of that speculation for now.

"We built our own fan base and our own brand name, and that's going to continue now," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. "People say, 'Is it going to be a feeder brand?' If it was, they would have already taken Gilbert. I feel he's the top lightweight in the world."

UFC president Dana White also dismissed the notion that Strikeforce would serve as a minor league for the UFC.

"There's nothing wrong with being a feeder league, but that's not what this is intended to be," White said, adding he will be much more hands-on in promoting Strikeforce events. "We're going after the best talent we can possibly find. Wait and see what we do over the next year in Strikeforce."

Melendez is a major league talent. The 29-year-old, who trains with former Strikeforce champions Jake Shields and Nick Diaz, has won five straight fights and is 19-2 overall.

He previously has stated his desire to test his skills in the UFC but said Thursday he is "happy" to remain in Strikeforce.

"Whatever happens, happens. Strikeforce has been great to me over the years. So has Showtime. My popularity has gone up. I have nothing but positive things to say. I look forward to staying in Strikeforce," he said. "I see a bunch of great fighters around me, and I'm proud to be a part of it. I work for an amazing organization, and I will continue to do that. No frustration here."

He admits the situation has been on his mind, but said he hopes to put it behind him and take advantage of the Zuffa marketing machine, much the same way Urijah Faber did in World Extreme Cagefighting, so that he already will be a star when he enters the UFC.

At least Melendez has options beyond Strikeforce. The same is not necessarily true of the female fighters under contract to the organization. With no women's divisions in the UFC -- and no plans to add them -- Strikeforce is the top of the line.

They don't get much better than Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, who will defend the women's featherweight title for the first time in nearly 18 months when she faces Hiroko Yamanaka on the card tonight at Valley View Casino Center.

"I never worry about that, because I believe if I do everything the best way I can, everything will be OK," Santos said through a translator. "But whenever I fight, I fight not only for myself but for all of women's MMA. I'm always thinking about all of the women in the sport."

Coker admitted there were times he wasn't sure about Strikeforce's future.

"Going into it, of course there was some uncertainty at some points," he said. "For me, it would have been a sad day if that happened. As a founder of Strikeforce, you want to see it continue. It's like your baby. You want to see it keep going.

"With Dana getting behind it and Zuffa getting behind it, I think the sky's the limit."

Not everything will remain status quo under the new agreement. Strikeforce will eliminate its heavyweight division after the heavyweight Grand Prix title bout between Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett, plus one additional fight between the winner and another top contender.

Also, the Strikeforce Challengers cards, which are held in Las Vegas, will be eliminated. The events typically featured the organization's prospects. Instead, Showtime Extreme will air the undercards of the Strikeforce events live to showcase up-and-coming talent.

The first event under the new deal will be the Jan. 7 card at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Tonight's card, which also features a key light heavyweight fight between Gegard Mousasi and Ovince St. Preux, airs tape-delayed at 10:30 p.m. on Showtime (Cable 240).

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.