The Federal Trade Commission is currently looking into whether or not the UFC has an illegal monopoly on mixed-martial-arts in the U.S. (what about Bellator??) and since UFC purchased Strikeforce last year, and then decided to continue to run it as a seperate (but “equal”) promotion I think it’s clear that this concern is overblown. After all, ESPN Outside of the Lines did a terrific report chronicling how the UFC actively blackballs U.S. fighters who have the audacity to complain about their compensation, and then UFC feels free to pluck Dan Henderson, Nick Diaz, Jake Shields (to be fair he signed while Strikeforce was independent of UFC), and Alistair Overeem to UFC.

But turn those frowns upside down Strikeforce fans, because they just poached one of UFC’s prized guys…granted he had been released from the promotion and looking for work for a year.

Less than a year after his departure from UFC, Marquardt has signed a new deal with Strikeforce to compete in their welterweight division.

Yay!

Ironically enough, while Marquardt was released last year from his UFC contract after elevated testosterone levels kept him out of his scheduled fight at UFC on Versus 4 against Rick Story, the Colorado based fighter never actually competed in another promotion.

Marquardt was signed to the British promotion BAMMA and was expected to debut in February, but after multiple delays the fighter asked and received his release from the organization.

The world is your oyster, Nate.

Ex-aerobics instructor and bald Vince McMahon Dana White has been on a subtle mission to ruin Strikeforce since the UFC announced that it was purchasing the U.S. fight promotion earlier this year. While the UFC is indeed the top dog in the U.S., with apologies to Bellator, Strikeforce still represented an alternative to see fights from people who didn’t have to kiss Dana’s ass, or who the UFC demonstrated no patience for in earlier forays. Strikeforce brought us the likes of King Mo, Fedor, Gina Carano, and Alistair Overeem.

First, we saw Jake Shields shift over to the Octagon, then Strikeforce occasional heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem was announced to fight in December against Brock Lesnar (boing!), and now Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is likely to make the switch.

Pull guard and sink in a guillotine, ESPN:

UFC president Dana White said he wants to have Melendez in his promotion very soon.

“We do want to bring Gilbert Melendez over [to UFC] and we’re looking at it right now,” White said Saturday night. “We’re going to bring him over ASAP.”

It was believed that Melendez (19-2) would defend his Strikeforce title in December against Jorge Masvidal. But White further emphasized his desire to have Melendez’s next fight be in UFC.

“We’re looking to bring him over right now,” White said.

White refused to guarantee a title shot for Melendez in his first UFC bout, but he would not rule it out.

“It’s a possibility.” White said. “The thing is, that division is stacked.

“And usually timing has a lot to do with it.”

The article goes on to note that, in total, four Strikeforce champions have vacated, including Dan Henderson, and welterweight Nick Diaz, and they are all in UFC now. Meanwhile, Paul Daley sits by the phone pretending to play bridge, and Keith Jardine is probably underneath a bridge right now sharing a can of turpentine with Boxcar Joe after they boxed for a sandwich. Where is my source for this information, your mom, that’s who!! (points to crotch).

After suffering a somewhat humiliating loss to Dan Henderson, who is better known to fight at middleweight, his third loss in as many fights, Fedor Emelianenko has been let go by the Titanic of MMA Strikeforce.

Naturally, UFC President Dana White handled this news with the circumspection and grace that we have come to know throughout the years. Oh wait, nevermind.

UFC president Dana White on Thursday confirmed his release to MMAWeekly.com.

“Yeah, he’s being cut,” White confirmed. “You guys thought he was the pound-for-pound best in the world, I said he was overrated for years.”

Emelianenko’s legendary undefeated run first came to a halt when he faced Fabricio Werdum last year, and after clipping the Brazilian early in the fight, he was submitted by triangle choke.

Bummer. But wait, there’s more!

According to White, he believes Emelianenko’s contract was up anyway, which paved the way for him not to come back to the promotion.

“Yeah, I think so as far as I know,” White said about Emelianenko’s contract.

White also stated he had no conversations at all with Emelianenko or his camp, and has stayed out of the situation since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce earlier this year.

It would have been cool to have Fedor in UFC during his prime; but his handlers protected him, at least some of the time, from fighting top quality fighters. Fedor went beatless for almost a decade; and has notches in his belt over the likes of of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. His Pride fights are some of the best stuff you will ever see in MMA. Still, once he started fighting in the U.S. his aura collapsed like he was Kimbo Slice.

If UFC has taught us anything it is that on any given Saturday night you can fall. It’s not all just father time stuff, either, doing boxing exhibitions in half-empty arenas is not top-notch competition and won’t do you any favors during legacy talks. But I guess that doesn’t really bother Fedor; or at least it didn’t when he started doing it. I hope Alistair Overeem is paying attention to this development because he could be facing the same decision. If Overeem wants to do random boxing exhibitions for paydays, then fine; but it could eventually diminish his drawing power. Both fighters are represented by Golden Glory, a promotion that pays their fighters; and shields them from outsiders.

Look, we all know that UFC is gobbling up fight leagues like Pac-Man, or Val Kilmer, but that’s the way shit is sometimes; like when I gotta buy my kids new sneakers because they outgrew their hand-me-downs. WHAT ARE YOU EATING, SON, STEROIDS!!!? STAY AWAY FROM DADDY’S STEROIDS! I NEED THOSE TO IMPRESS THE WOMEN I RENT A HALF-HOUR AT A TIME!

So, Alistair Overeem decided he didn’t want to main-event an MMA-event for the second largest promotion in the U.S.; which was acquired earlier this year by UFC. You pretty much have to leave earth now; or fight for a sandwich to not fight for UFC. Dana White has always pissed off fighters; but it doesn’t mean you can completely bypass him and still be relevant in North America. Overeem was replaced as part of the Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight tournament; perhaps the only division in Strikeforce where the promotion can claim some legitimate depth. Then again; Fedor caught a butt-whooping from Dan “Jake Shields made me his bitch” Henderson and his 40-year-old fists Saturday night; so who knows?

For Strikeforce, it’s time for them to have somebody that they can count on to help represent, and grow, the company before it is inevitably folded into the growing UFC umbrella. It pains me to see the second biggest promotion being absorbed, but that’s another topic for another column. Overeem just didn’t fit the bill as a company guy. First, he wasn’t exactly a fighting champion. In the almost four years that Overeem held the Strikeforce heavyweight belt he defended it just once; and he only fought under the Strikeforce banner only twice. He never really seemed ready to carry the flag for Strikeforce, doing boxing exhibitions in Japan. Word is that Overeem wanted to slide over to UFC to fight for their heavyweight division. That’s a big “no no” for Dana White right now, especially if your name is Paul Daley.

Overeem has made a name for himself in Japan, but is largely unknown by casual fans in the U.S. At times, he seemed petulant; and hellbent on “taking his talents” to where ever he wanted to fight, whenever he wanted to fight. How’s that working out for Fedor right now?

By now you have heard the news that UFC has made yet another acquisition by buying up Strikeforce, home to scorned ex-UFC fighters like Frank Shamrock, and Paul Daley. Not to mention bigger draws like King Mo, Bobby Lashely (when was his last fight!??) Dan Henderson, and Herschel Walker.

Tim Marchman has a good column on SI about the barriers that the UFC must overcome in order to expand the business and compete with the likes of the NBA, NFL, and the WNBA.

Full disclosure, I am a Strikeforce fan. Just as I was a K-1/Pride fan, and a WEC fan before they got folded into the ever-expanding tent of UFC. Strikeforce is going to be separate until at least 2014, and they are immediately adopting UFC rules. Still, this is bittersweet for me because, although I like the potential future match ups, I believe that competition is best for consumers (straps dynamite to chest, prepares to run into the Comcast headquarters). Buying up Strikeforce potentially means that if Fedor wants to try his hand in the UFC heavyweight division, he can. It means that Herschel Walker can show up on a UFC card. It means that Bobby Lashley may someday fight again.

With Strikeforce now under the Zuffa brand, Bellator represents the only competitor left. Bellator is somewhat unique from UFC in that it structures its events around tournaments, rather then assigning match-ups. The roster does not have any big names for casual fans but the hope is that the concept catches on, like bj’s after Monica Lewinsky, or adopting african children after Brangelina. Like sex with your mom, I strongly encourage you to check out Bellator on MTV2. It won’t call you up in six weeks hysterical because you don’t like condoms, either. What am I, a sailor!?