Today Strikeforce announced that MMA is returning to primetime television on CBS with Fedor vs. Rogers:
The CBS Television Network will return to the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage with STRIKEFORCE: FEDOR VS. ROGERS, to be broadcast Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT). SHOWTIME Sports® will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.
In 2008, CBS aired the first live MMA fights on network television, with three successful events earning time period-winning ratings in all key young adult and young men demographics. CBS’s most recent broadcast in October 2008 ranked as the night’s highest-rated program on both broadcast and cable in adults 18-34 and men 18-34, topping all other sports programming in those demographics, including the Major League Baseball playoffs and college football.
On Nov. 7, the world’s Number One-ranked MMA heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, will face undefeated American Brett Rogers of Minnesota in the marquee match up. The fight marks the first bout for the highly coveted Emelianenko since his promotional company M-1 Global signed an agreement with STRIKEFORCE to co-promote major events.
“There’s no question this is a sport that is fast becoming a force in popularity and as a business,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Prime Time, CBS Television. “We’re excited to be the platform that will enable millions more to see the athlete regarded as the very best in his sport. The Number One heavyweight on the most-watched network has a very nice ring to it.”
Simply referred to as “Fedor” by fans around the world, the 6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport. He is a master of the Russian military combat system Sambo and boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions. The 28-year-old Rogers (10-0) is a massive physical specimen standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighing 265 pounds. He possesses two of the heaviest hands in the sport of MMA, an attribute that has helped him knock out all 10 of his professional opponents.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to bring the STRIKEFORCE brand to CBS,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE. “We are looking forward to bringing MMA back to the network and to having the world’s No. 1 heavyweight-Fedor-compete for the first time on live network television against one of America’s most promising young, undefeated stars-Brett Rogers.”
STRIKEFORCE has experienced significant growth since it launched its first MMA promotion on March 10, 2006. After signing a landmark deal to air live events on SHOWTIME® earlier this year, STRIKEFORCE earned the premium network its highest MMA rating ever on August 15 with Carano vs. Cyborg. Shortly before the live telecast, the main event principals-Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos-were the most searched terms on Yahoo! and Google, while the fight was the most discussed subject on Twitter.
Payout Perspective:
The announcement comes as a bit of surprise considering that the card had been rumoured to take place on Showtime and as soon as October 11th.
Strikeforce on CBS will provide Fedor with the mainstream platform that he’s long needed to try and convert his talent into a commensurate following amongst general/casual MMA fans. Time will tell whether the Russian will capture that attention, but certainly Strikeforce and CBS have a lot of angles to work with: the mysterious, calm, and invincible Russian; the best fighter in the world and why he’s not in the UFC; the new era for MMA on primetime, etc.
The fight had already been generating publicity as the result of the fighters trading barbs back and forth. That publicity will only be heightened now with mainstream attention. I also believe that the UFC’s success in the last nine months has really opened the media market for MMA news. Channels like ESPN and USAToday will likely be much more willing to pick up the news surrounding Fedor vs. Rogers than just a year ago.
Note: The UFC as of yet does not have an event scheduled November 7th, but you can guarantee the organization will find some sort of counter-programming to combat the primetime slot. This could be the impetus for them to get a deal done with another network and counter with that oft-rumoued third November card that we’ve been hearing about lately.
Could very well be Joseph. Or, depending on if they can figure out the timing, the UFC could put on a 2-hour The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights special that climaxes with Kimbo’s first fight.