Fedor signing with Strikeforce is a complex issue not because of the deal itself, but because of the underlying implications it may or may not have for the MMA community as a whole. Thus, we’ll take a look at the signing from the viewpoint of the many different stakeholders in this situation.
The Strikeforce Perspective:
Strikeforce has not only managed to add one of the world’s top fighters, but they’ve also denied their competition that same opportunity. The UFC is without the ability to promote the biggest heavyweight match of all-time, and while it won’t hurt their competitor, it’s not going to help.
Emelianenko isn’t just any top fighter, either – he’s a top heavyweight fighter. Scott Coker is banking on the allure of the heavyweight division to help further his promotion along as a PPV entity and tap into some of that UFC money.
However, one has to wonder whether the potential benefits in signing Fedor will outweigh the costs. In other words, will gains in revenue and reputation be enough to off-set and exceed the costs of the marketing push necessary to make Emelianenko a PPV draw? He’s a talented fighter, but the casual MMA fan needs to be aware of him in order to follow him.
In addition to the substantial marketing push, it’s worth pointing out that Strikeforce will also have to pay Emelianenko and put up with the operational inefficiencies that are sure to crop up as the result of this “co-promotion” agreement with M-1 Global. The co-promotion thing didn’t work out too well for Affliction; neither did having the “strongest” heavyweight division on the planet for that matter.
The signing also begs the question: who is Fedor going to fight? It’s not enough that Fedor is a superb talent, he also has to fight superb talent. Fans want to know they’re watching the best fight the best, not the best fight the mediocre. Aside from Overeem, Werdum, and Rogers, who is there?
The Fedor Perspective:
In signing with Strikeforce, Fedor will fight in the U.S. and have the opportunity to build his brand on network television. If all goes well, Strikeforce plans on producing PPV events that could potentially be quite lucrative for Emelianenko.
Yet, Fedor is also assuming some risk with this agreement. He’s banking on the ability of Strikeforce to a.) market him properly and increase his drawing power, b.) provide him with suitable opponents to test his skills, and c.) competently manage their organization so as to not go out of business.
The real question here seems to be, what does Fedor want? Nobody really knows, but if it were money, or even exposure for that matter, he probably would have been better off signing with the UFC. This leads me to believe the Strikeforce deal was made for reasons independent of money or exposure.
Fedor may have very well signed with Strikeforce to spite the UFC; the same organization that has openly taunted and criticized the Russian for the better part of two years now. And, really, why work for someone you despise?
The Showtime/CBS Perspective:
The Fedor signing gives both networks yet another tool to help market and enhance the credibility of their events. If either one can manage to sell the human interest story of the stoic Russian who trains in a Siberian school yard – only to annihilate former UFC heavyweight champions – they might be able to seriously cash in on the return.
The downside is that they’re likely going to be dumping a ton of marketing dollars into Fedor (in addition to picking up part of his payday for each fight). If Strikeforce can’t come through with solid opponents, or Fedor simply doesn’t catch on, it might push both networks out of the MMA business for good (or the foreseeable future). Both Showtime and CBS were burned by the EliteXC experience; it’s probably not a stretch to suggest they’re extremely cautious right now.
The M-1 Perspective:
Vadim Finkelstein gets to plaster his M-1 brand all over network and premium cable television, and by virtue of that, help to grow the name of the company in the hopes of making it a global empire. The details of the agreement haven’t been released in full, so it’s difficult to say whether things will truly be split down the middle, or whether Strikeforce will be left with the operations and M-1 will merely get to push its name and logo on telecasts (and as the sponsors of every fight).
Interestingly enough, M-1 also retains more control over Fedor in this deal. The UFC has a history of separating fighters from their management – in fact they said repeatedly that they only wanted to deal with Fedor. By signing with Strikeforce, M-1 keeps Fedor away from the UFC, gets him involved with the Strikeforce co-promotion, and gives him a degree of ownership in a project which is likely to make him feel more connected to M-1.
However, it’s tough to say whether the M-1 will gain any sort of significant traction as a single entity while being attached to a co-promotion. They’ll need to find a way to leverage their M-1 Breakthrough series and their M-1 Challenger series through the Strikeforce agreement and make people aware of who they are and what they’re doing. If they fail, they’ll probably just be relegated to “official sponsor” status in the minds of most viewers (an official sponsor that doesn’t sell any clothing or produce anything tangible, simply because they don’t know about it).
The UFC Perspective:
Dana White and the UFC are going to be angry, obviously. In missing out on Fedor they feel they’re missing out on giving the fans what they want: the ultimate heavyweight showdown between Brock and Fedor. It’s also a lost opportunity to crank up the UFC hype machine and give the UFC yet another MMA star to help build its global brand. Fedor would have been another piece to the Asian puzzle and could have helped cement the resurrection of the heavyweight division.
With that said, the UFC isn’t necessarily going to be hurt by this deal. As we’ve pointed out, they’re on pace for a record year with or without Emelianenko. Brock Lesnar is truthfully a far better draw – even if the debate will continue to rage on as to whether he’s the better fighter – and that is what’s important to the UFC from a business perspective. The UFC has plenty of good heavyweights that they can pit against Brock in order to do great PPV buy numbers; they don’t need Fedor in this sense.
However, I do think it’s worth mentioning that the UFC’s history of trash talking has finally caught up with it. When is the organization going to learn that trash talking other non-UFC fighters isn’t going to get them anywhere? Dana made it clear last week, contrary to his previous statements over the last few years, that he thought Fedor was a top-flight heavyweight. The fact that he was willing to give Fedor a title shot right out of the gate is a case of actions speaking louder than words.
So why burn a bridge with someone that you’d like to have in your company; someone that could potentially help you in the future? And for what? Fedor has failed to become an entity in North America not because of Dana White’s trash talk, but because of the incompetence of those he’s surrouned himself with.
The Sport Perspective:
In the short term, Fedor will be fighting once again – and that’s a great thing.
In the long term, there are still many unanswered questions:
– Will the Strikeforce/M-1 partnership work out? What happens to Strikeforce if it fails?
– Can some combination of Strikeforce, Showtime, and CBS manage to market Fedor properly?
– Will Strikeforce be able to successfully adjust its business model towards PPVs and Network TV?
– Can Strikeforce provide Fedor with the opposition he deserves?
– And…what the hell happens if Fedor loses?
Those are serious.
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