Unifying the titles is a pipeDREAM

October 15, 6:37 PMMinneapolis MMA ExaminerChris DeLine

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If you forget about WAMMA, that PRIDE and the UFC were unable to co-exist under Zuffa, and that history has typically acted against the realization of co-promotion: Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker's suggestion of a championship unification with DREAM is a great idea. In a press call yesterday Coker implied that there may be a future championship unification between the two promotions, but no matter how noble the idea may be, the possibility of such a scenario working out in the forseeable future is, at best, unlikely.

That being said, Coker's idea would serve the sport well. Not to imply that champions in any particular organization are inferior to any others, but a unified championship would bring further legitimacy to each weight class as it would remove much of the ambiguity generally associated with rankings. It's a worthy goal, but a lofty one that has many roadblocks along the way. Speaking to the agreement that Strikeforce and DREAM have which allows fighters to work between the two promotions, Coker noted,

"I think that one of the reasons why we made the alliance is so we can see some of the best fighters of DREAM fight the best fighters of Strikeforce. Unifying those title belts, I have no problem with that. As a fan and as a company, we would definitely like to pursue that."

But what purpose does the suggestion serve when there is only a single weight class that has an active champion in both organizations? Bibiano Fernandes is the featherweight champion for DREAM, but Strikeforce is lacking a champion in the weight class. Gegard Mousasi is the Light Heavyweight champion for Strikeforce, but DREAM doesn't have a champion in that weight class. You get the idea. As MMAFighting.com's Michael David Smith suggests, "Before either promotion starts talking about championship unification bouts, they both ought to make sure they have champions to fight in them." And how.

But is there a way to circumvent the flaws that might potentially cramp the unification? Would a Grand Prix-styled tourniment offer a more reasonable scenario than a one-off fight? If such a unification did take place, would the organizations fairly promote the other's fighters? Furthermore, would either organization be sustainable if they become unable to retain any of the unified championships? Time will tell, but as of right now the title unification appears to be a pipedream.