Strikeforce has cancelled their Nov. 3 event scheduled to take place in Oklahoma City, their consecutive cancelled event in a row, officials stated in a press release Friday. MMA Junkie was the first media outlet to have the story.
“We don't want to put on cards unless they're of the caliber that fans who pay for a subscription have come to expect," a Showtime rep told MMA Junkie.
Showtime has routinely broadcast the main card for Strikeforce events for years now.
"Due to a series of injuries, we were forced to cancel the upcoming card on Nov. 3, but are already working to put together a stacked card in January," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said in a statement.
The card originally boasted one of the biggest fights in the promotions history, pitting Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier against former UFC champion Frank Mir.
This also would have been the first cross-promotional bout under the Zuffa banner, but Mir suffered an untimely training injury and was forced to withdraw from the fight.
Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold was then set to defend his title against undefeated prospect Lorenz Larkin as the headlining bout, but Rockhold also suffered a training injury and was pulled from the card.
"While we're disappointed with the cancellation, we are looking forward to an even bigger Strikeforce event on Showtime early next year," stated Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports' executive vice president and general manager.
Last month, Strikeforce had to can an event when one of the organization’s biggest stars, lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, was forced out of his title defense with Pat Healy when he suffered a separated shoulder the week of the fight.
Is a “stacked card” a legitimate possibility given the current state of the Strikeforce roster or is this the nail in the coffin for the sputtering fight organization?