For the past few weeks, UFC president Dana White has made it clear that his vision for the future of Strikeforce is only workable if Showtime executives are willing to cede a little control.
Now, according to the UFC boss, he and Showtime officials have bridged that gap.
White told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) that he'll now have a greater role in the operations of the promotion. And with a female title fight between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey on the horizon, White – not always the biggest supporter of women's MMA – is pumped for the contest.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really excited for that fight," White told MMAjunkie.com. "I'm really excited."
Female bantamweight champ Tate (12-2 MMA, 5-1 SF) and Rousey (4-0 MMA, 2-0 SF) meet in the main event of "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey," which takes place March 3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The evening's main card airs on Showtime, and prelims air on Showtime Extreme.
The event marks Strikeforce's second 2012 event, following January's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" card. Featuring a few somewhat curious matchups, that card didn't exactly resonate with many MMA fans, and White later said he was a little disappointed in the product.
"Let's just say the first Strikeforce fight didn't go the way I wanted it to go," White told MMAjunkie.com in January. "When you get into a deal where the network controls what goes on, controls the production, controls everything – I'm working on that. I'm working on that as we speak. When these guys hand over the reins and let me run that [expletive] thing, it will change."
White went so far as to say the ultimate future of the promotion could very well depend on how involved Showtime executives allowed him to be.
"I've got to get my hands on that thing," White said. "I've got to get my hands on the production and start controlling that show. If I don't, then it is what it is.
"We've got two years with these guys, but Showtime will run it (if I can't get control). We'll let Showtime run it on their own."
Since that time, White has teased an upcoming meeting with Showtime executives that always seemed to be scheduled for "next week." That meeting has finally taken place, and White seemed pleased with the results.
"We had a great meeting this week – great meeting – and I'm going to be very involved in Strikeforce," White said.
White refused to reveal precisely what his master plan for the promotion includes. Will it be a feeder league for the UFC? Will there be crossover fights with UFC fighters?
White preferred to keep those answers close to his vest but did say some changes would be evident as soon as the March 3 event.
"This week, when we got together with them, we made a few tweaks, and we're going to slowly tweak this thing until it's dialed in," White said. "So I'm happy. I'm really happy. I'm happy about the Columbus show."
