(Video courtesy of YouTube/5thRoundVideo)
Don’t expect to see any Strikeforce champions besides Nick Diaz fighting in the UFC anytime soon.
According to Strikeforce president Scott Coker, Diaz’s crossover to the UFC was a one-off exception that was made to prevent the Stockton native from turning his back on MMA in favor of a boxing career.
“When Nick was working his way over to the UFC, we had talks with [manager] Cesar [Gracie]. It was a process. It was a very unique situation because of the boxing allowance – that we had allowed him to box,” Coker explained during a recent press conference. That’s how it ended up working out the way it did. The idea was to keep him in MMA, and Nick used that as a little [bargaining] chip.”
Coker shot down the rumors that Diaz’s Team Cesar Gracie training partner Gilbert Melendez might be the next Strikeforce champ to jump ship to the UFC.
“Right now there’s no other fighters who are going over there. Gilbert [Melendez] doesn’t have the boxing provision in his agreement, so we expect him to fight for Strikeforce and get ready for a fight in the fall.
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All hope is lost.