A member of Bloodyelbow.com has written a very interesting fan post detailing the rather stunning MMA talent that Strikeforce has quietly managed to collect over the past few months. MMAPayout.com doesn’t often delve into the fan posts of other websites, but this piece has a certain business element that cannot be ignored.
The piece includes pictures, videos, and extensive background stories for most fighters, but here’s a snippet list of some of the men signed by the organization in the past year:
FW: Thomas Longacre (4-0):
Hometown: Sapulpa, OK
Age: 31
Height: 5’9
Weight: 147 lbs
Background: Kickboxing
Accomplishments: 2nd Degree Black Belt in TKD, 3rd Degree Black Belt in Goju-Ryu.
Background Records: Kickboxing: 28-2 (19 KOs), WCL (8-4).
LW: Bryan Travers (13-1):
Hometown: Bakersfield, CA
Age: 26
Height: 5′ 10
Weight: 155 lbs
Background: Wrestling
Accomplishments: Placed 4th in PAC-10 and became a NCAA Div. I national qualifier.
WW: Shamar Bailey (9-1):
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Age: 26
Height: 5’10
Weight: 170 lbs
Background: Wrestling
Accomplishments: Reached NCAA Division III national tournament (1st athlete in school to accomplish that.)
Background Records: Highschool: 32-0.
WW: Tyron Woodley (3-0):
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Age: 27
Height: 5’9
Weight: 170 lbs
Background: Wrestling (Currently training with American Top Team).
Accomplishments: Highschool: State Champion. College: Conference Champion (Missouri University).
Background Records: Highschool: 48-0. College: 2 Time All American Honors (Missouri University).
…
Payout Perspective:
We’ve touched on the subject of fighter roster management before, and it would seem as though Strikeforce also understands that the cheapest and most effective way to build a roster is through the prospect strategy. It also serves to keep some of this top-flight talent out of the hands of its competition, the UFC (who employ their own prospect strategy).
The flipside of any prospect strategy – in any sport for that matter – is having the resources to retain those prospects once they develop into contenders. We all know that the UFC has the resources to pay the likes of a Georges St. Pierre, but does Strikeforce? And can Strikeforce afford to pay 4-5 of these guys what they might be worth on the open market, once they hit it?
Time will tell.
Hopefully the organization experiences enough growth – in part due to these prospects maturing and putting on great fights – that they can retain their services.
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The MMA fanatic in me also appreciated the post: I love seeing organizations (MMA, NHL, NFL, or otherwise) stockpiling young prospects and building the right way. It’s a process that I find truly fascinating, and watching the fighters develop is also extremely exciting.
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