UFC To Buy IFL?

Adam Swift has the scoop:

Senior Producer at HDNet’s Inside MMA tells MMAPayout.com that the IFL will be bought by the UFC.

The IFL burst onto the scene a couple of years ago claiming a new format with MMA teams and good fighter pay with insurance. However, the concept never caught on and the company bleed money like a hemorrhaged elephant. In recent weeks, the UFC has announced several former IFL fighter’s signing with them. However, they would be unable to obtain the IFL’s champions unless they purchased the company. Former UFC fighters such as Jay Hieron and Vladimir Matyushenko are now champs within the IFL at WW and LHW. Whereas, fighters such as Dan Miller, Ryan Schultz, and Wagnney Fabiano are champs at the MW, LW, and FW divisions respectively.

Schultz is the only fighter to hold a win over UFC LW contender Roger Huerta. Fabiano would probably be sent to fight in the Zuffa owned WEC FW division…since there is no such division within the UFC.

I’ll post more on this as information becomes available.

UPDATE: According to Sam Caplan:

  According to a source speaking on the condition of anonymity, the IFL has been accepting bids the past several weeks with several existing promotions submitting offers. The source indicated that it was likely Zuffa’s bid was less than the $1,000,000 reported asking price.

That’s chump change for Zuffa…not only do you acquire a host of good fighter’s and a way to promote them…you keep your competitor’s from building their roster’s up with those same fighters.