Strikeforce: Sarah Kaufman vs Roxanne Modafferi Build Up and Aftermath
July 28, 2010
MMAFighting and E. Casey Leydon from AllElbows collaborated on a three-part behind-the-scenes series featuring this past weekends title bout participants between Strikeforce 135 lbs champ Sarah Kaufman and #1 contender Roxanne Modafferri.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
ESPN Features Sarah Kaufman’s Slam as the #4 “Top 10 Play of the Weekend”:
MMAPayout Perspective:
As previously reported, the Strikeforce Challengers 9 event drew 197,000 Showtime viewers this past Friday night. The peak audience of the show took place during the Kaufman vs Modafferi co-main event which drew 254,000 viewers. In fact, the main event between Shane Del Rosario and Lolahea Mahe saw a drop of 28,000 viewers for the nights headliner.
A big storyline coming into and out of the event was the decision made by Strikeforce to relegate the women’s title bout as the co-main event on a Challenger’s card. Sarah Kaufman was outspoken about continuing to fight on Challenger cards as the Strikeforce champ, and felt it was time for her to start fighting on the bigger Strikeforce events. It was a great storyline in hindsight considering how emphatically Kaufman was able to finish the fight and how fans have gathered around her and supported her, in the process becoming a flag bearer for women’s MMA in the North American scene.
What most likely prompted Strikeforce to make the decision was what occurred during the last Strikeforce Challengers card in San Jose which was headlined by Sarah Kaufman and Takayo Hashi. Although the ratings peaked at 189K for that nights main event between Kaufman and Hashi, the audiance at the San Jose Civic Auditorium started to exit the venue half-way through the fight, and was nearly empty when the winner was declared at the end of the 5th round. Some blame was given to Kaufman by median and fans after the event for not doing enough to finish her over-matched opponents, similar criticism that UFC MW champ Anderson Silva received for his previous performance against Demian Maia.
The good news to all parties involved here is that with all the buzz coming out of the event (ESPN featuring Kaufman’s slam in SportsCenter and also trending on Twitter), Strikeforce and Sarah Kaufman received some very valuable mainstream attention this weekend. In fact, SportsCenter host Stuart Scott mentioned Strikeforce 145 lbs female champ Cristy Cyborg as someone he would want to see take on Kaufman:
“I want to see her fighting Cristy ‘Cyborg,’ though” said Scott, referring to Strikeforce’s women’s middleweight champ Cristiane Santos. “I’m just saying.”
Strikeforce is picking up momentum for their women’s division, and whether you are an advocate of it or not, you can’t deny that what happened this weekend was good for Strikeforce, Kaufman, Modafferi, and women’s MMA. Their upcoming August Challengers event in Phoenix will feature some other standouts in the 135 lbs division like Miesha Tate and Hitomi Akano. The winner of the 1 night GP will be a contender for the belt after Kaufman makes her next title defense against Marloes Coenen (if she is able to cut the necessary weight) in the near future. Keeping the division flowing with worthy contenders is a must for Strikeforce, which can now boast of having 3 female fighters that have recently surfaced in the mainstream: Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg, and Sarah Kaufman.
Using these behind the scenes videos not only builds up buzz leading up to the fight, but it’s another way for Strikeforce to communicate to their fan-base, the media, and to the general public. Creating more of these videos helps improve the product and creates more awareness for their fighters, aspects that fans feel could be greatly improved by the promotion.
Strikeforce Fedor vs Werdum: Payout Perspective
June 30, 2010
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’ll be taking a look at Fedor’s Strikeforce debut on Showtime, titled “Fedor vs Werdum”, which took place in the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. The event featured 4 fights (1 title fight): Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum, Cung Le vs. Scott Smith, Cris Cyborg (champ) vs Jan Finney at 145 lbs, and Josh Thomson vs. Pat Healy.
Fedor loses for first time in nearly a decade
I will provide a quote from Kelsey’s previous post “Fedor Loss Not the End of the World”:
He lost. He’s not the invincible machine that everyone thought. He’s human.
Is that not the beauty of this sport? Mixed martial arts has a way of mimicking the trials and tribulations of life in a manner that few sporting events can. The moment that Fedor decided to become more aggressive is the moment that he became perilously vulnerable. How often is that not the case in real life?
Forget the hyperbole you’re hearing. This is not the end of the world. Fedor lost, but losses happen – to everyone – in life and in sport. It’s the ability of someone to bounce back that really matters, and Fedor will have his opportunity.
That is why I’m inclined to think the situation is still very workable for Strikeforce. There was obviously interest in Fedor fighting Overeem, but there’s now probably even greater interest in Fedor fighting Werdum in an immediate rematch. Why? The fans will want to see whether Fedor’s loss was an aberration or a true representation of his fighting ability.
The key for Strikeforce here is to turn this situation into a positive. Before Fedor vs Werdum took place, everyone assumed that Werdum was nothing but a speed-bump to a potential mega-fight between Fedor and Alistair Overeem. Since Fedor lost, those plans have gone out the window, Werdum vs Overeem is the match-up that makes sense.
Well, not so fast. Everyone is talking about how shocking it was to see Fedor lose his first fight in a decade, specially in the manner that it did. The buzz around this weekends event is high and people want to see the rematch to see if it was a “fluke”. Instead of having just one fight to look forward to, it’s Strikeforce’s job now to market this rematch between Fedor and Werdum as “the most anticipated rematch in the history of MMA”. Putting on this fight on PPV or on CBS and having the winner face the Strikeforce Champ (in a perfect world scenario) is obviously the way to go here.
Fedor’s Fall Return?
I will again provide a quote from Kelsey:
The question is not, will Fedor be back or will the fans be interested, but what will Strikeforce do to leverage Fedor’s next, and potentially last, fight to improve the organization? The company cannot afford to have this fight accomplish nothing; to have this fight become another one-off that leads to zero gain in terms of awareness, interest, and product consumption. If Strikeforce is going to leverage Fedor in any way, the preparation has to start now.
The first step is to address the Strikeforce roster. The company has been working to sign some really great talent, but none of them have really been given the opportunity to fight on the big stage. If Fedor is gone after this next fight (worst case scenario), then who fills the void? The organization can’t ride UFC and Pride retreads into the limelight.
An obvious solution is to devote more time to showcasing homegrown or emerging talent. The forthcoming middleweight tournament is a perfect avenue to do so, but what beyond that is my question. There needs to be some sort of matchmaking structure and hierarchy that pushes these young guys up the ladder and into more prominent roles within each division.
Strikeforce has the roster to create stars, the problem is their inability to do so through Showtime and CBS so far. By default, Fabricio Werdum will now and forever be known as the first guy to really defeat Fedor. Strikeforce has to make a strong push using this angle for the rematch. Fedor’s sell will be quite easy, and should capture everyone’s attention. Will the greatest HW of all time be able to regain his old form or are his prime years behind him? That angle should be good enough to have a successful show whether they have it on CBS or on PPV, that is as long is they also add some buzz creators on there like a Gina or Walker.
Another great boost for a fall event is the release of EA Sports MMA. The release of the game should give an added boost to the brand and it’s fighters. Creating buzz between both events and synergy for a big fall event. The UFC has done this twice now with the release of UFC Undisputed 2009 last year and around the Rashad Evans vs Rampage Jackson fight this year, both considered very successful shows.
What to make of the Strikeforce HW division
If Strikeforce plays their cards right, they can take Overeem (Strikeforce Champ), Werdum (who now has victories against Overeem and Fedor), and Fedor (waiting to avenge his loss and be crown the best HW in MMA again) and build these fighters up to have huge fights amongst each other. What about the rest of the HW division you ask? Well, take a look at this. Antonio Silva lost a heart breaker to Werdum, so one more solid victory can definitely put him on the driver seat for a title match.
Recently signed HW Sergei Kharitonov has victories over both Overeem and Werdum (you couldn’t write a better storyline for an instant contender), and others like Arlovski and Brett Rogers have some recognition but need to be built back up. While the top of the division unfolds, HW prospects like Daniel Cormier, Shane Del Rosario and Lavar Johnson should use this time to further develop into future contenders. The wild card in the division are the likes of Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker, who will give whatever event they participate in a boost of interest to the casual fan and mainstream.
Questions that still linger
Quoting Kelsey again:
The other problem is PR. I’ve harped on it before, and I’ll do it again: there’s no consistent information flow between the organization and the fan base. The information gaps might be excusable if Strikeforce were only running four shows a year, but it’s running at least one show per month. Where is the content? This absolutely HAS to change. Strikeforce needs to be communicating with its fans, telling stories and driving interest in its product.
The Challengers Series is just sitting there for all intents and purposes. With the exception of last week, the series has yet to really gain any sort of traction with the fans, the media, or even Strikeforce itself. The organization should be using these monthly events as a way to develop a consistent relationship with the fans.
I think a lot of the dissatisfaction towards Strikeforce has been their lack of consistency and communication to both the media and fans. There needs to be some sort of medium other than fight night for fans to care about the fighters and promotion. UFC does a great job at doing this through Spike TV programming (TUF, Unleashed, Prime Time specials, etc) and social media, utilizing it for updates and one-on-one interaction with fans using websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Giving the fans and media a sense of acknowledgment and importance really goes a long way to creating a dedicated fan-base, which will ultimately drive up the brand and success.
***
Sponsorship watch
It was a really interesting night on the sponsorship side, specifically compared to their Strikeforce Los Angeles show.
EA Sports MMA and GoDaddy.com continued to be major sponsors to Strikeforce along with now veterans Full Tilt Poker and Rockstar Energy Drinks. The new kids on the block were Clinch Gear and GameFly (who purchased commercial slots in the Nashville CBS show earlier this year) on the mat.
If you recall from Kelsey’s post, Tapout was supposed to sponsor Fedor for the event but the deal was nixed last minute due to pressure being placed by the UFC to ban them from the Octogon if they went ahead with the sponsor. Needless to say, Fedor and M-1 were not to pleased with the situation, but Clinch Gear picked up where Tapout left off and sponsored Fedor for the event. Due to this last minute ordeal, Clinch Gear’s role in the event increased significantly. A source at the event told met that Clinch Gear did a great job selling their gear because it seemed like every other fan was sporting a Fedor shirt that night.
As I pointed back in the Strikeforce Los Angeles write-up, BestBuy appeared to be a local sponsor on the mat tied to the EA Sports MMA logo. BestBuy was indeed gone from this event. On the other hand, GameFly had big role as a sponsor, where it’s logo could be seen on the mat and on the cage. It appears that more sponsors are starting to jump on Strikeforce, which can only be a positive for their future events and possibly their return to CBS.
Another big winner in the event was Cage Hero, which heavily sponsored Cung Le and his corner as you can see in the picture above (Channing Tatum). It also had heavy advertisement on MMAJunkie heading into the fight. Cage Hero also sponsors Strikeforce MW prospect Luke Rockhold, who is expected to make his return in August in the upcoming Houston event.
As I mentioned before, BlowOutCards.com was another winner in the show. They sponsored Jan Finney in her 145 lbs fight against Strikeforce champion Cris Cyborg, who incredibly made it to the second round after taking an incredible amount of punishment in the first. Great display of heart and courage by her, though many felt the fight should have been stopped in the first round.
Celebrity watch
It has been an interesting trend to monitor, but more and more celebrities are starting to attend Strikeforce events. When I attended Strikeforce in Los Angeles, I was shocked at how many celebrities were in attendance, but I assumed it had more to do with the event itself being in Los Angeles. Needless to say I wasn’t expecting that in San Jose, and I was completely wrong. Actors Channing Tatum, Micky Rourke, Forest Whitaker and many other professional athletes were reported to be in attendance. This is something interesting to keep an eye out on for future events.
Actor Forest Whitaker was so caught up in the moment of Werdum beating Fedor, that he was spotted celebrating with Werdum’s entourage backstage (picture above).
Ratings, Gate, and Attendance
The reported attendance for the event was 12,698 total (11, 757 paid, 941 in luxury boxes) with a gate of $1,066,739.00. If our numbers are correct, this would be their second gate ever over 1 million dollars, which is always a good sign. That attendance number is the sixth biggest attendance and second biggest gate in Strikeforce history.
The ratings are still being sorted at the moment, but MMAJunkie is reporting that the ratings are up 56% from the last Showtime televised event and garnered the third-highest rated Strikeforce event on Showtime.
Early estimates for this past weekend’s historic “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum” co-promoted event put the average Showtime viewership at approximately 550,000 viewers when including DVR and on-demand figures.
…
As is typical for mixed martial arts broadcasts, the viewership increased throughout the broadcast, and the ratings peaked during the main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum with a 2.1 household rating and more than 700,000 viewers when factoring in DVR and on-demand data.
Contrary to those numbers, SpikeTV has a press release which states that the Strikeforce show garnered a 1.38HH rating with an average viewership of 412K while drawing a 1.39 in M18-34 and 1.2 in M18-49.
Since the SpikeTV release, Dave Meltzer has reported updated ratings for the event, which he states as doing a 1.5 HH rating with a viewership of 492k. The main event peaked at a 2.1 HH and garnered 700K viewers. The show itself did a 1.48 in Males 18-34 and 1.08 in Males 35-49.
Fighter Payouts
Fabricio Werdum: $100,000
def. Fedor Emelianenko: $400,000
Cung Le: $100,000
def. Scott Smith: $55,000
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos: $35,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus and $5,000 champion bonus)
def. Jan Finney: $6,000
Josh Thomson: $60,000
def. Pat Healy: $8,000
Chris Cope: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Ron Keslar: $1,500
Bret Bergmark: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Vagner Rocha: $2,500
Yancey Medeiros: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
def. Gareth Joseph: $2,000
Bobby Stack: $2,800 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Derrick Burnsed: $2,000
Total: $789,000.
HT: MMAJunkie
Event Notes:
- Josh Gross: Fabricio Werdum signed a three-fight extension with Strikeforce prior to the Fedor fight, so he’s not going anywhere for a while.
- ESPN: Fabricio Werdum makes ESPN‘s Ford Cross-Sport Power Rankings, ranked #3 in poll. Reason given by ESPN: “He beat a guy who hasn’t lost since 2000. Enough said.”"
TUF 11, Episode 11: 1.24 HH
June 10, 2010
MMAPayout.com has learned that Spike’s final episode of the Ultimate Fighter Season 11 earned a 1.24 HH on the strength of an average audience of 1.6 million viewers on Wednesday night. The special two-hour broadcast also earned a 2.0 in the M18-34 and 1.7 in M18-49.
Quarterlies: 1.09, 1.01, 1.08, 1.24, 1.32, 1.42, 1.37, 1.43
Payout Perspective:
The final ratings are in and Season 11 ranks 5th on the series list in terms of overall HH ratings with a 1.27; which is a decent up-tick from what the series was doing prior to TUF 10. Although, it remains to be seen whether this year’s show experienced a bump due to TUF 10 or whether the mild renewal of interest is a sign of the UFC’s success in the larger sports landscape.
Here’s a final look at the numbers:
| TUF 11 | Overall | M18-34 | M18-49 |
| Episode 1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Episode 2 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.54 |
| Episode 3 | 1.3 | 1.63 | 1.53 |
| Episode 4 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Episode 5 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 1.92 |
| Episode 6 | 1.3 | 1.54 | 1.4 |
| Episode 7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Episode 8 | 1 | 1.54 | 1.2 |
| Episode 9 | 1.1 | 1.53 | 1.33 |
| Episode 10 | 1.25 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Episode 11 | 1.24 | 2 | 1.7 |
| Season Ave. | 1.2718 | 1.894545 | 1.5836 |
| Season Med. | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.54 |
| Season | Overall | % Change | M18-34 | % Change |
| 1 | 1.6 | 2.2 | ||
| 2 | 1.4 | -12.5% | 2.5 | 13.6% |
| 3 | 1.7 | 20.7% | 2.9 | 15.6% |
| 4 | 1.2 | -26.6% | 2 | -30.1% |
| 5 | 1.2 | -4.8% | 1.6 | -20.3% |
| 6 | 1.1 | -5.1% | 1.5 | -4.3% |
| 7* | 1.1 | 0.00% | 1.6 | 6.70% |
| 8 | 1.15 | 4.17% | 1.46 | -8.91% |
| 9 | 1.11 | -2.98% | 1.50 | 3.20% |
| 10 | 2.21 | 99.21% | 3.89 | 158.68% |
| 11 | 1.27 | -42.57% | 1.89 | -51.31% |
| Average | 1.3 | 2 |
This season wasn’t fantastic in terms of entertainment value – though it did have its moments – but I think the one true point for concern is that there doesn’t seem to be a bona fide star coming out of the show (nor has there been from the last few years). I wonder if the UFC might begin to channel some of these prospects it’s signing through the TUF program to give them a little more exposure and birth their star a little earlier; this as opposed to giving them a few fights on the under card of various PPVs.
Then again, the secondary purpose of TUF has always been to promote the fight between the coaches and that’s something the show has done pretty well with in the past. Next season’s contest between Team St-Pierre and Team Koscheck should fare no worse.
UFC 114 Prelims: 1.6 Million Viewers
June 2, 2010
MMAPayout.com has learned that the UFC 114 Prelims on Spike TV drew a 1.1 HH rating on the strength of an average audience of 1.6 million viewers on Saturday night. The broadcast also drew a 1.6 in M18-34 and a 1.55 in M18-49.
Quarterlies: 1376k, 1535k, 1689k, 1784k
Payout Perspective:
The UFC 114 Prelims rank second on the list behind UFC 109 as the highest rated prelim show since the UFC began the practice at UFC 103 last September. The ratings for these shows have been somewhat of an oddity, because there’s been very little correlation between the number of viewers and the PPV buys to follow. UFC 109, for example, has the highest prelim rating of any event, but also the lowest buyrate.
Hopefully we’ll see a more consistent pattern emerge as the UFC continues with these prelim shows in the future. While the UFC doesn’t host prelims for every event, they have announced prelim shows for both UFC 115 and 116:
- UFC 115: Danzig vs Wiman and Griffin vs. Dunham
- UFC 116: Grove vs. Reljic and Schaub vs. Tushscherer
Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery – 308,000 Viewers
May 19, 2010
The Staff at MMAJunkie are reporting that Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery drew 308,000 viewers on Showtime last Saturday, which marks a 40% drop from the last time the promotion ran a big show on the network (January 30th – Strikeforce: Miami).
This past weekend’s “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” event, which featured the long-awaited return of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem to the U.S., drew an average of 308,000 viewers on Showtime.
While the premium cable network has yet to officially announce the ratings, MMAjunkie.com confirmed the figures with industry sources.
A two-and-a-half hour special, “UFC’s Ultimate Fights,” which aired on Spike TV to counter-program the Strikeforce event, drew 894,000 viewers.
Payout Perspective:
This show certainly lacked the star power of Strikeforce: Miami in January, but it was more or less on par with what the promotion did in December with Cung Le headlining a Strikeforce: Evolution card that drew 341,000 viewers.
It certainly hasn’t been a great month for Strikeforce. The CBS show ended badly and fared poorly in the ratings. It’s likely to lose its middleweight champion, Jake Shields, to the UFC; the same man smothered its prized acquisition, Dan Henderson, in his debut. The company was also forced to renegotiate with Fedor Emelianenko and M-1, which forced him off the CBS card that fared so poorly.
But if you’re a cup’s half-full type, there are some big and relevant fights on the horizon:
- Fedor vs. Werdum on June 26th. This card could very well be Strikeforce’s highest rated Showtime card yet, especially considering the amount of promotional muscle the organization and network are bound to throw behind the fight.
- Overeem vs. Fedor later in the year.
- Melendez vs. Alvarez as a potential co-promoted bout.
MMAterial Facts 04/08/10: Zuffa Needed Investors? Bellator Debuts On FSN
April 8, 2010
- Sheikh’s love of jiu-jitsu leads UFC to Abu Dhabi
- Bellator championships preview
- UFC eyes cards in Afghanistan and China
- “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ ratings at 1.5 million viewers for episode No. 2
Sheikh’s love of jiu-jitsu leads UFC to Abu Dhabi
“I probably had more to do with (the UFC-Flash partnership) than people will probably ever realize,” said Gracie, who will make his UFC debut on Saturday. “When I found out they were looking for investors, I was in Singapore and I brought back this package they were sending out to investors. I brought a copy of that back to the Sheikh and he was very interested because he loves fighting.
“After that, they got in touch through a lawyer and [UFC president] Dana [White] and [UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta], came over and they got a deal done.” (Yahoo! Sports)
Bellator championships preview
Thursday in Hollywood, Fla., Bellator Fighting Championships kicks off its second season with an event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Bolstered by a television deal for 2010 that includes 24 live prime time Thursday night broadcasts on Fox Sports Net, the upstart promotion, which also secured weekly highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo, is pushing its single-elimination-tournament format as a major selling point to fight fans. (Sports Illustrated )
UFC eyes cards in Afghanistan and China
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said Thursday he will stage a card to benefit United States military forces in Afghanistan in the next several months, and said a card in China “is closer than you might think.”
In a wide-ranging interview with reporters prior to UFC 112 on Saturday at Ferrari World, White also hinted at renewed contract talks with iconic heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and said the UFC is going to create a Middle Eastern edition of its popular reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter.” (Yahoo! Sports)
“The Ultimate Fighter 11″ ratings at 1.5 million viewers for episode No. 2
This week’s second episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ drew a 1.2 household rating and scored an average of 1.5 million viewers, Spike TV officials today announced.
The April 7 hour-long show was the No. 2 ranked program in its timeslot among men 18-49 and men 18-34.
Last week’s season debut of “TUF 11″ drew 1.9 million viewers. (MMAJunkie)
VIDEO OF THE DAY
- MMA Live: 4-8-10: MMA Live gets you ready for UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, as champions Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn put their belts on the line. Also, King Mo Lawal checks in before his Strikeforce title fight against Gegard Mousasi next week on CBS.
IMAGES OF THE DAY
QUICK HITS
- UFC Eyes Afghanistan Show (Sherdog)
- ‘Cacareco’-Patterson Confirmed for Shine Fights 3 (Sherdog)
- Dana White says UFC event in Afghanistan “two to three months” away, will benefit troops (MMAJunkie)
- Madame Tussauds chooses UFC legend Chuck Liddell as MMA’s first wax figurine (MMAJunkie)
- Chad Mendes replaces Mackens Semerzier, faces Anthony Morrison at WEC 48 (MMAJunkie)
- White Talks Abu Dhabi, GSP vs. Silva (MMAFighting)
- Roger Huerta Wins Bellator Debut Via Third-Round Kneebar (MMAFighting)
- NCAA CHAMPION ERIC LARKIN MOVES TO MMA (MMAWeekly)
- FEDOR NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING, PENCILED FOR JUNE (MMAWeekly)
- “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ Episode 2 Recap (Heavy)
TV LISTINGS
- Bellator Fighting Championships XIII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/08/10)
- HDNet Fights Vault: XFL Team Takedown at 8 PM ET on HDNet (04/09/10)
- Fighting Words with Mike Straka (feat. Matt Hughes) at 8:30 PM ET on HDNet (04/09/10)
- InsideMMA (Aaron Simpson, CB Dollaway, Javier Vasquez) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (04/09/10)
- HDNet Fights: K-1 World GP 2010 at 10 PM ET on HDNet (04/09/10)
- UFC 112 : Silva vs Maia at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/10/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Bellator Fighting Championships XIII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/08/10)
- UFC 112 : Silva vs Maia at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/10/10)
- Bellator Fighting Championships XIV at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/15/10)
- HDNet Fights: KOTC Bad Boys Too at 10 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
- Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs Shields at 11 PM ET/PT on CBS (04/17/10)
- Bellator Fighting Championships XV at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/24/10)
- WEC 48: Aldo vs Faber at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/24/10)
- Bellator Fighting Championships XVI at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/29/10)
- Bellator Fighting Championships XVII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/06/10)
- HDNet Fights: MFC Vindication at 10 PM ET on HDNet (05/07/10)
- UFC 113 : Machida vs Shogun 2 at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/08/10)
- Bellator Fighting Championships XVIII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/13/10)
- Strikeforce St. Louis: Overeem vs Rogers at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime (05/15/10)
- Bellator Fighting Championships XIX at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/20/10)
- UFC 114 : Rampage vs Evans at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/29/10)
Strikeforce Challengers 7 Wrap-Up
March 31, 2010
The Staff at MMAJunkie are reporting that Strikeforce Challengers 7 drew 4,963 to the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California last Friday, which was good for a live gate of $109,222.
“Strikeforce Challengers VII: Johnson vs. Mahe” was the second 2010 edition of the organization’s prospects-based events series.
The attendance figures mark a sharp increase for the previous edition of Strikeforce Challengers, held Feb. 26 in San Jose, Calif. That show drew 2,318 attendees for a live gate of $86,440.
The figures for “Johnson vs. Mahe” represent an increase of an astounding 114 percent in attendance, as well as a 26 percent increase in gate revenue from “Strikeforce Challengers VI: Kaufman vs. Hashi.”
MMAJunkie also reported the event garned a very solid 1.0 rating with an average audience of 316,000 viewers – a 111% increase over the previous Challenger show. However, it should be noted that the event likely benefited greatly from Showtime’s free trial weekend where the premium channel was available to all digital cable and satellite subscribers.
The Staff at MMAWeekly acquired the fighter paydays from the California State Athletic Commission that totaled $73,000.
-Lavar Johnson $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Lolohea Mahe $3,000
-Ron “Abongo” Humphrey $7,000 (includes $3,500 win bonus) def. George Bush III $5,000
-Andre Galvao $10,000 def. Luke Stewart $5,000
-Miesha Tate: $5,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Zoila Frausto: $3,000
-Justin Wilcox: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Shamar Bailey: $4,000
-Daniel Cormier: $500 def. John Devine: $2,500STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS 7 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $73,000
Payout Perspective:
The Strikeforce Challengers 7 event held in the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California turned out to be a successful event for Strikeforce. Coming into the event, I was unusually noticing a healthy amount of traffic for the event, which is rare for a Strikeforce Challengers event. There were 4 factors that played a huge role in the success of this event:
- Lavar Johnson’s Story Line – Coming back after being wounded from a gun shot was definitely a story getting a fairly good amount of press. The Fresno crowd was definitely behind Johnson in his comeback fight after almost losing his life.
- Miesha Tate vs Zoila Frausto Storyline – There was a legitimate storyline between these two fighters even before the bout was booked. Zoila wanted to fight Miesha and said some words, which then were addressed by Miesha. This back and forth spilled over to the internet, interviews, and chat rooms. Not only the storyline, but MMA fans have taken a liking to Tate, and may be the 3rd most marketable fighter Strikeforce has after Gina Carano and Cyborg Santos.
- Solid Matchmaking – Strikeforce booked Johnson, Tate, Galvao, Stewart, Cormier , Humphrey, Wilcox, and Bailey. All are considered young prospects in MMA and were all matched up in competitive matches coming into the event. A good number of fans considered this one of the better Strikeforce Challenger events.
- Showtime Advertising Free Preview Weekend – Showtime and Strikeforce did a great job at letting MMA fans know that this weekend everyone would get the chance to watch the Strikeforce Challengers event along with the Super 6 Boxing tournament bout between Dirrell and Abraham event for free. The free Showtime weekend exposed a good amount of combat sport fans to tune in on Friday, which was almost treated as the appetizer to a great combat sports weekend. Through the free weekend promotion, Showtime’s reach jumped from around 12-18 million homes to 54 million.
Numbers in Perspective:
Now, there is no denying the fact that the 316,000 viewers had a lot to do with the free weekend preview, but lets take a closer look. The Challengers 6 event, which was headlined by Kaufman vs Hashi for the 135 lbs Women’s Strikeforce belt, and which did not benefit from a free-preview weekend garnered 150K viewers, peaking at 189K. These numbers were substantially higher than the usual numbers Challenger events get, which are estimated to be around 100K viewers. For the sake of contrast, lets take a look at other Strikeforce ratings:
- Strikeforce Challengers 7 – 316K viewers
- Strikeforce: Lawler vs Shields – 275K viewers
- Strikeforce: Le vs Smith – 341K viewers
Here are the ratings for the weekend, which pinned the UFC, HBO Boxing, and Showtime Boxing head to head:
- UFC 111 Prelim’s on Spike – 1.2 Million viewers
- Showtime Boxing (Dirrell vs Abraham) – 736K viewers
- HBO Boxing (Maidana vs Cayo) – 650K Viewers
After comparing these numbers, its obvious to see that Showtime benefited greatly due to the free-preview by getting good ratings for the Strikeforce Challengers show on Friday and the Super Six boxing bout on Saturday, beating out HBO boxing . One thing we will keep our eyes on is the Strikeforce viewership numbers, which appear to be rising ever since the November 7th Strikeforce: Fedor vs Rogers CBS event. In their latest big Showtime event, Strikeforce Miami (Diaz, Walker, Lashley) garnered 517K viewers, which just finished behind Kimbo vs Tank (522K viewers) and the MMA ratings leader event at Showtime, Gina Carano vs Cyborg Santos (576K viewers).
MMAterial Facts (03/30/10): UFC 115 Vancouver Update, UFC Backs Off EA MMA Fighter Threats
March 30, 2010
- UFC exec Marc Ratner not giving up on UFC 115 in Vancouver just yet
- Strikeforce Challengers VII draws 4,963 attendees for $109K gate, Ratings Up 111 Percent
- Dana White Backs Off Threat To Ban EA MMA Fighters
- Strikeforce Readies for a Fight
- Liddell/Couture 4 Planned For UFC 116 on July 3
UFC exec Marc Ratner not giving up on UFC 115 in Vancouver just yet
Amid reports the UFC’s first trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has been moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, due to legal issues with the Vancouver City Council, Ratner told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the promotion will make a final decision regarding the June 12 event within 24 hours.
“We’re certainly working hand in hand with the mayor’s office and the city council, and hopefully we have what they want,” Ratner said. “The fight is still going forward as we speak.”
However, UFC president Dana White today told Rogers Sportsnet that the promotion can’t wait any longer to announce the event and is in the process of moving it to the U.S. (MMAJunkie)
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MMAPayout Note: A meeting is being held tonight between UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner and the Vancouver city council regarding UFC 115. The fate of UFC 115 may be determined after tonight’s meeting.
Strikeforce Challengers VII draws 4,963 attendees for $109K gate, Ratings Up 111 Percent
Strikeforce’s most recent Challengers Series card, headlined by a heavyweight fight between undefeated Lavar “Big” Johnson and Hawaiian Lolohea Mahe, drew 4,963 attendees to the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., for a live gate of $109,222. (MMAJunkie)
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This past weekend’s Strikeforce Challengers 7 event, which featured notable prospects such as Lavar Johnson and Miesha Tate, drew a 1.0 rating and a total average audience of 316,000 viewers on Showtime, MMAjunkie.com confirmed with an industry source.
Compared to February’s Strikeforce Challengers 6 event, which averaged just 150,000 viewers, ratings for the March 26 event were up a staggering 111 percent. (MMAJunkie)
Dana White Backs Off Threat To Ban EA MMA Fighters
White revealed that he is backing off his earlier threats to ban any fighter who appears in EA’s game to be a part of UFC. “Nah, some people have crossed over,” he told Kotaku, “But believe me this is still going to continue to be a battle. …they’re the me-toos. The UFC game is the original game. (Kotaku)
Strikeforce Readies for a Fight
With the competition between Strikeforce and the Ultimate Fighting Championship heating up, the open workouts on March 17 at Legends gym in Hollywood were a chance for Strikeforce to promote its upcoming Nashville card. The media turnout was huge, and with good reason, because the show has some truly incredible matchups that fans have been wanting to see for ages. (Skinnie Magazine)
Liddell/Couture 4 Planned For UFC 116 on July 3
A fourth bout between UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture is currently being planned for UFC 116 on July 3.
A source close to the promotion informed Heavy.com of the news on Tuesday afternoon.
The bout would serve as the co-main event of the blockbuster card that is expected to be headlined by a UFC heavyweight title bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. (Heavy)
QUICK HITS
- UFC’s Toney Signing Shrewd on Many Levels (Sherdog)
- The Day After: GSP Reflects on Title Defense (Sherdog)
- UFC 111′s “UFC Prelims” broadcast draws 1.2 million viewers, ratings dip (MMAJunkie)
- Bellator confirms Hector Lombard vs. Paulo Filho non-title “super fight” for Bellator 18 (MMAJunkie)
- Strikeforce Challengers 7 fighter salaries: Headliner Lavar Johnson leads paydays (MMAJunkie)
- “TUF 11″ coach Chuck Liddell on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” tonight (MMAJunkie)
- King Mo Has No Time for Haters (MMAFighting)
- Lesnar Favorite in Early Line Against Carwin (MMAFighting)
- STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS 7 FIGHTER SALARIES (MMAWeekly)
- ROY NELSON HOPES TO STACK UP TO STEFAN STRUVE (MMAWeekly)
- UFN 21 weigh-in: Fighters want extra pounds with double weigh-in (Cage Writer)
- Falaniko Vitale vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua scratched from Shine Fights “Worlds Collide” (FiveOuncesOfPain)
- “UFC Fight Night 21″ Official Weigh-In Results (Heavy)
TV LISTINGS
- UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 10 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
- The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)
- InsideMMA (Bjorn Rebney, John Howard, C.B. Dollaway) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (04/02/10)
- HDNet Fights: K-1 World MAX 2010 Japan GP at 11:30 PM ET on HDNet (04/02/10)
- HDNet Fights: K-1 World GP 2010 at 4 AM ET on HDNet (04/03/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 8 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
- The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)
- HDNet Fights: K-1 World MAX 2010 Japan GP at 11:30 PM ET on HDNet (04/02/10)
- HDNet Fights: K-1 World GP 2010 at 4 AM ET on HDNet (04/03/10)
- UFC 112 : Silva vs Maia at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/10/10)
- HDNet Fights: KOTC Bad Boys Too at 10 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
- Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs Shields at 11 PM ET/PT on CBS (04/17/10)
- WEC 48: Aldo vs Faber at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/24/10)
- HDNet Fights: MFC Vindication at 10 PM ET on HDNet (05/07/10)
- UFC 113 : Machida vs Shogun 2 at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/08/10)
- Strikeforce St. Louis: Overeem vs Rogers at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime (05/15/10)
- UFC 114 : Rampage vs Evans at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/29/10)
MMAterial Facts (03/26/10): Alves Update, Details on UltimateFighter Website
March 26, 2010
- Athletic commission gives UFC conditional approval for event
- Alves off UFC 111, expects to return soon after minor procedure
- Station breakup proposed, Fertitta brothers would acquire stake in four casinos
- Spike Launching UFC Destination Site
- Bellator Signs International Distribution Deal
Athletic commission gives UFC conditional approval for event
The Vancouver Athletic Commission gave conditional approval Wednesday for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at GM Place on June 12.
The mixed martial arts event at the 19,000-seat venue would be the UFC’s first in B.C.
Commission chairman Mirko Mladenovic said the approval is contingent on insurance and indemnity issues with the city being resolved. Those issues are expected to be addressed at a city council meeting April 6.
The commission also tentatively approved a promoter’s licence for UFC. (Vancouver Sun)
Alves off UFC 111, expects to return soon after minor procedure
Alves announced that he is having an Angiogram, a non-invasive exploratory procedure on Wedneaday. The procedure will be performed at Hyman-Newman Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery located at Roosevelt Hospital.
Alves has malformation of the left side of his brain. After a few days of anguish, they found that whatever it is, it should not be career ending- not an aneurysm. He should be back to training full speed in three weeks. (Cage Writer), (Tracy Lee)
Station breakup proposed, Fertitta brothers would acquire stake in four casinos
The Fertitta brothers would acquire a minority stake in four casinos but the bulk of Station Casinos’ 18 properties would be put up for court-supervised sale under a reorganization plan to be filed this morning with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Reno.
Under the proposed joint plan of reorganization, the ownership of Red Rock Resort, Palace Station, Boulder Station and Sunset Station would be taken over by a creditors group controlled primarily by investment bankers Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan. The four casinos have been given a value of $1.8 billion.
The newly formed company would sell 46 percent of the equity in the four casinos to Station Casinos founders Frank Fertitta III, the company’s current chairman and chief executive officer, and Lorenzo Fertitta, the company’s vice chairman.
The brothers will make an $85.6 million investment in the new company. (MMAJunkie)
Spike Launching UFC Destination Site
MTV Networks Entertainment Group Executive VP of Digital Media Erik Flannigan says the decision to create the site was spurred on when Spike and UFC looked at where people searching on the web for info about fighter names and video ended up. More often then not, third party sites such as YouTube were at the top of the search results. The new site is designed to capture some of those searches.
“While the business model for UltimateFighter.com will yield material direct revenue to both parties through ad sales, sponsorship and other distribution opportunities, the value of the property is equally tied to converting more of those casual fans to paying customers of the UFC, as well as converting a massive group of people scouring the web to see footage of fights into viewers of The Ultimate Fighter and other UFC programming on Spike TV,” Flannigan said at a press event in New York Thursday (March 25). (Broadcasting Cable) … (MMAPayout Perspective)
Bellator Signs International Distribution Deal
The international production and distribution company Engine Entertainment has completed an agreement with Bellator Fighting Championships to handle the exclusive worldwide distribution (excluding US and Canada) for this first-of-its-kind mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.
With its unique tournament format, Bellator allows fighters to control their own destiny by eliminating the subjectivity of matchmaking and replicating the objectivity of virtually every other professional sport. Guided by this concept, Bellator produces a unique, exciting, competitive and entertaining brand of MMA programming that is based on the most successful real-sports, objective competition format.
Bellator has taken the U.S. by storm since it debuted in April 2009 on ESPN Deportes. Due to the success of its first season, Bellator returns for its second and third seasons with one of the largest domestic television distribution alliances in fighting sports history, including 24 live events on Fox Sports Net (reaching 92 Million homes), with weekly highlight shows on both NBC (112 million homes) and Telemundo (62 Million homes) – bringing Bellator to virtually every home in the U.S.
In addition, Bellator will be broadcast across Canada through an alliance with The Score sports network.
Engine Entertainment is exclusively distributing the twenty-four 2010 season live events, plus all additional premium pay-per-view events that Bellator produces, worldwide (outside of the US and Canada) as well as the twelve previously aired 2009 Bellator Season 1 shows.
“With fighters from across the globe, Bellator has produced some of the most electrifying moments in MMA history,” said Chris Philp, Chief Executive, Engine Entertainment. “Bellator will thrill audiences in every country and we are excited to be distributing this successful nationally televised sports franchise worldwide.”
Said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney: “Bellator is very pleased to be working with Engine Entertainment—a dynamic and accomplished player in the highly competitive international programming sales industry. With some of the best fighters from every corner of the globe and a unique format that allows fighters to truly control their own destiny, we are confident that our real-sport format will enjoy success internationally that equals or exceeds the success we have had to date here in the U.S.” (PRESS RELEASE)
IMAGE OF THE DAY
UFC 112 Venue in Abu Dhabi
QUICK HITS
- Fistic Medicine: Alves and ‘Brain Irregularity’ (Sherdog)
- “MMA Live” debuts May 6 on ESPN2, future placement could depend on May ratings (MMAJunkie)
- Gatorade Canada re-signs UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre (MMAJunkie)
- Strikeforce Challengers VII official weigh-in results and photo gallery (MMAJunkie)
- UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen staying busy on campaign trail, title path (MMAJunkie)
- Featherweight champ Joe Soto meets Diego Saraiva in Bellator 19 non-title fight (MMAJunkie)
- Alves Will Return to UFC After Minor Procedure (MMAFighting)
- Lesnar: Mir, Carwin Vying for ‘Make-Believe’ Belt (MMAFighting)
- St. Pierre-Hardy, Carwin-Mir Official for UFC 111 (Sherdog)
- STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS 7 WEIGH-IN RESULTS (MMAWeekly)
- The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Video Preview: Chuck vs. Tito (MMAWeekly)
- UFC 111 weigh-in: Mir and Carwin bring the beef, Hardy is the devil (Cage Writer)
- “Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe” weigh-in results and quotes (FiveOuncesOfPain)
- Gatorade Announces New Deal with St. Pierre (Heavy)
TV LISTINGS
- HDNet Fights Vault (Eddie Alvarez) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- InsideMMA (Wanderlei Silva, Joe Soto, Shane Carwin) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- HDNet Fights: King of the Cage “Legacy” at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
- UFC 111: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
- HDNet Fights Presents DREAM.13 at 11 PM ET on HDNet (03/27/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- HDNet Fights: King of the Cage – Legacy at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
- UFC 111: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
- UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 10 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
- The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)
MMAterial Facts (03/24/10): ESPN Boosts MMA Coverage, DirecTV/Versus Settlement Details
March 24, 2010
- ESPN ‘MMA Live’ graduates to television on ESPN2
- Dana White looking to build a giant family entertainment complex in Vegas
- UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones” draws 1.24 million viewers for live broadcast
- Monte Cox Joins KOTC, HDNet, and Lake of the Torches Casino Partnership
- The Launch of M-1 Global Japan, Evgeni Kogan Interview
ESPN ‘MMA Live’ graduates to television on ESPN2
MMAmania.com has learned that host Jon Anik along with analysts Franklin McNeil and Kenny Florian will soon bring their mixed martial arts news, highlights and analysis to the world’s biggest sports network on ESPN2. (MMAMania)
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Georges St. Pierre, Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar scheduled for ESPN SportsCenter
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and heavyweight contender Frank Mir will be appearing live on SportsCenter this Thursday (March 25) on ESPN. “Rush” is expected at 10:15 a.m. ET while Mir will be stopping by a little later at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Later in the week, UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will return to SportsCenter on Friday (March 26) at 10:15 a.m. to discuss his pending return to MMA. (MMAMania)
Dana White looking to build a giant family entertainment complex in Vegas
“I’m gonna build a bad-ass, nice, clean place up in Summerlin where people can take their kids and have a blast on the weekends,” he told me.
White’s complex would offer entertainment diversity on the level of a chain called Dave & Buster’s, which some Las Vegans know for its California locations. Dave & Buster’s combines a restaurant with scores of interactive games, from boxing to NASCAR simulators, video games, Skee-Ball, billiards and other indoor activities. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
UFC on Versus draws 1.24 million viewers, Details On Versus/DirecTV Settlement
The UFC’s first-ever event on Versus, “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones,” held this past Sunday in Broomfield, Colo., drew 1.24 million viewers, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed.
UFC on Versus 1 marked the first event on the cable channel available to the 18 million homes serviced by DirecTV after a six-and-a-half-month service interruption due to a dispute over carrier fees.
The ratings included a 1.66 rating in the males 18-34 demographic, as well as a 1.21 figure in the persons 18-49 category. (MMAJunkie)
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Mixed martial arts fans helped to get Versus back in DirecTV’s lineup
“I know the fans were upset about WEC fights not being on the air, and I can only imagine that the volume multiplied by a number I can’t even guess with the fans knowing this UFC fight [with Jones] wasn’t going to be on, either,” UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta said.
Fertitta admitted that he got into the ear of the DirecTV officials, and his company has given millions of dollars to DirecTV via monthly UFC pay-per-view cards. Fertitta said he told the DirecTV officials “it’d be nice” to have Versus accessible to the 25 million satellite customers in the U.S. and Latin America. (LA Times)
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MMAPayout Note: Though DirecTV and Versus reached on a settlement and Versus was able to stay in its previous tier (non-premium), the deal wasn’t all favorable for Versus. The new agreement reached placed Versus in the Channel 600 range, instead of its former Channel 300 range. It may not seem like much, but the prime channels for DirecTV are in the 200′s, so the 600′s are quite a distance away and may detract future channel surfers from ever stumbling on to MMA on Versus. Not to mention the confusion this ordeal created by taking away the channel from DirecTV customers for months and then placing it back on a different channel.
Monte Cox Joins KOTC, HDNet, and Lake of the Torches Casino Partnership
Lac du Flambeau’s Lake of the Torches Resort Casino just added more star power to its already successful mixed martial arts events. The casino, along with host promotion King of the Cage, has announced the affiliation of KOTC and high-profile promoter and fighter manager, Monte Cox, for the casino’s events.
Monte Cox is regarded as “The Godfather” of MMA and is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the sport today and in the sport’s history. Over the past 14 years no one has promoted more MMA events (nearly 600) or managed more UFC champions (seven) than Cox.
…
“King of the Cage has done a great job promoting events in the Midwest and at Lake of the Torches specifically,” Cox said. “I think it is, without a doubt, the top event in the state. Now, we will use our contacts, fighters and promotional team to bring the current and future stars of the sport to the area.”
King of the Cage President Terry Trebilcock and Cox have been long-time friends and have often looked for opportunities to join forces. “Terry and I started in MMA about the same time and we’ve known each other for a long time. There’s a lot of mutual respect and we’ve often talked about working together on projects,” Cox said. “I’m excited about this and I know with the two of us behind it great things will follow.” (PRESS RELEASE)
The Launch of M-1 Global Japan, Evgeni Kogan Interview
A press conference was held today in Tokyo. The theme of the event was “aiming at the globalization of MMA.” The press conference was to announce a small show on 4/16 at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo called “M-1 Selection ASIA EDITION 2010 Japan.” Heading up M-1 Global Japan is former AtoZ Japanese pro-wrestling women’s wrestling ring announcer Mr. Tsuruga (he’s in the middle of the photo linked above). There will be M-1 events throughout Asia (including South Korea). (FightOpinion)
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MMA Nation Interview Recap: Evgeni Kogan Talks Fedor Emelianenko and M-1 Global’s Goals
Kogan made it clear that M-1 does not currently have the level of brand recognition in America that they would like but that they do plan on continuing to attempt to make the connection with the sport’s fanbase. Also important to M-1 is developing an understanding that they are not simply a “management company” but are a full fledged fight promotion putting on events in multiple continents this year. Kogan also admitted that in part the lack of narrative control by M-1 during the Fedor/UFC negotiations led to the issues with understanding the company and that they plan to work more with the media and fans going forward. (BloodyElbow)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I want to take The Ultimate Fighter all over the world. We’re working on the Middle East right now. That will probably happen the soonest. I want one in the UK and then one for all of Europe. …That has been in the works for a while and that isn’t an easy one to pull off.” (Dana White on Globalizing TUF, MMACanada)
QUICK HITS
- Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama set for UFC 116 in Las Vegas (MMAJunkie)
- Showtime offers free preview weekend, Strikeforce Challengers VII included (MMAJunkie)
- Dana White promises UFC return to Dublin in 2010 (MMAJunkie)
- Bellator adds “TUF 7″ alum Luke Zachrich for season-two middleweight tourney (MMAJunkie)
- Four amateur contests round-out Strikeforce Challengers VII’s 11-bout fight card (MMAJunkie)
- Dana White expects UFC’s return to German TV, not ruling out live event in interim (MMAJunkie)
- UFC Makes Big Splash in New York City (MMAFighting)
- White Unsure of Direction, Purpose for Toney (MMAFighting)
- UFC 111 Presser Notes: White on Toney Deal, Upcoming Shows & More (Sherdog)
- Hendo Grades Early Strikeforce, CBS Efforts; Calls Counter-Programming ‘Childish’ (Sherdog)
- K.J. NOONS HAD BROKEN FOOT DURING TO DIDA WIN (MMAWeekly)
- FEDOR CONFIRMED FOR JUNE RETURN AGAINST WERDUM (MMAWeekly)
- White vlog: Trapped in Toronto (Cage Writer)
- ADCC champ Braulio Estima set for MMA debut against Rick Hawn at Shine Fights (FiveOuncesOfPain)
- News Roundup: Marshall, Gugerty, Another Bellator Signing (Heavy)
TV LISTINGS
- HDNet Fights Vault (Eddie Alvarez) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- InsideMMA (Wanderlei Silva, Joe Soto, Shane Carwin) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- HDNet Fights: King of the Cage “Legacy” at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
- UFC 111: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
- HDNet Fights Presents DREAM.13 at 11 PM ET on HDNet (03/27/10)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- HDNet Fights: King of the Cage – Legacy at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
- Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
- UFC 111: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
- UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 10 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
- The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)
