[Dan] Henderson beat Fedor Emelianenko last month to finish off his Strikeforce contract, making him a free agent. The UFC has expressed interest in bringing Henderson back into the mix, and Henderson has expressed interest in returning to the promotion.
But Coker said Tuesday nothing has been figured out yet, and that if Henderson did return to the UFC, vacating his light heavyweight title, he was not yet sure how that belt would be filled - but that the winner of a fight between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Roger Gracie, on Sept. 10, could position himself to be in the picture.
"There are ongoing discussions with Hendo, and it hasn't been determined yet," Coker said during a Strikeforce media call.
"I like to watch the fight and stir the pot after," Coker said. "Let's see who wins and how they win. We also have some other fights coming up in the 205 weight class - Mike Kyle will be fighting again shortly, and Gegard Mousasi will be probably be fighting before the end of the year. When the time is right, we'll let everybody know."
It hasn't been determined yet whether Henderson will head to the UFC or not, but isn't it inevitable at this point? Coker's comments suggest there is an alternative. There isn't one. Henderson isn't sticking around in Strikeforce. He will vacate the title.But Coker said Tuesday nothing has been figured out yet, and that if Henderson did return to the UFC, vacating his light heavyweight title, he was not yet sure how that belt would be filled - but that the winner of a fight between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Roger Gracie, on Sept. 10, could position himself to be in the picture.
"There are ongoing discussions with Hendo, and it hasn't been determined yet," Coker said during a Strikeforce media call.
"I like to watch the fight and stir the pot after," Coker said. "Let's see who wins and how they win. We also have some other fights coming up in the 205 weight class - Mike Kyle will be fighting again shortly, and Gegard Mousasi will be probably be fighting before the end of the year. When the time is right, we'll let everybody know."
The Strikeforce heavyweight title was vacated when Alistair Overeem was released by the promotion over payment issues. It was recently revealed that the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix would not determine the next champion. The obvious question is why. Doesn't it make perfect sense to award the man who ran through the tournament field with the belt?
No, that would mean the promotion is sticking around for years to come. It isn't. Unless there is some sort of scenario in which Zuffa wants to give Fabricio Werdum the opportunity to obtain the title outside of the grand prix, this is a clear sign that the promotion will fold into the UFC next year. All of the contract signings as of late are simply ways to fill the remaining cards that Zuffa must fulfill. That's it. Don't expect four-fight deals under the Strikeforce regime to run out the actual length of the contract.
Understandably, Zuffa isn't going to come out and say that a merger will eventually happen. As the deadline nears however, I fully expect to hear credible rumblings of such a deal. Continually vacating the title spot and allowing contracts to expire so that Zuffa can swoop in and sign the next best thing that Strikeforce has produced isn't helping the promotion. It's helping the UFC. Fans will get what they want early next year. Count on it.