Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer shares his observations regarding the crowd in attendance at last weekend’s Strikeforce: Miami show.
It was clear the crowd for the most part had no idea who international stars like Manhoef, Zaromskis or Coenen were, as they didn’t react at all too them. The shocking thing was the lack of reaction to Cyborg. When all of the Strikeforce stars at ringside were introduced, like Rogers, Scott Smith, Cung Le, Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez, there was barely recognition to them. The only two names in the building who were really over were Georges St. Pierre and Dan Henderson. Walker and Lashley got the biggest of the fighters, but neither got the kind of reaction you’d think. It was more a recognition reaction, similar to what Diaz got. Cyborg got almost nothing. There was a complete lack of interest in Cyborg vs. Coenen, which wasn’t a good sign for post-Gina Carano women’s MMA, but I wouldn’t read a ton into because it was an unusual crowd.
Payout Perspective:
Strikeforce may have a good distribution deal and some quality fighters, but it’s clear the organization still has a long row to hoe in terms of being able to match the reach and brand image of the UFC. It’s pretty telling that St-Pierre and Henderson are more popular than any Strikeforce fighter.
Then, again, did anyone really expect something different? Strikeforce has really only emerged as a legitimate player in the last year. Moreover this last event was essentially pushed around two non-MMA draws in Walker and Lashley. It wasn’t an experienced, hardcore MMA crowd; it was a host of casual fans that have seen enough UFC to understand the sport, know who the big names are, and curious enough about Walker/Lashley to see a live event.
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It may have been an unusual crowd, but its reaction towards Santos-Coenen likely indicates that women’s MMA has a difficult journey ahead in order to be considered a legitimate sporting attraction of its own. It would be easy to sell the women’s side of the sport from a sexual angle, but the path to long-term success will more likely come through the promotion of these women as the athletic, skilled, and hard working fighters that they are.
That won’t happen over night (or by scheduling a title fight around a former NFLer and WWE star). It’s going to take time to break down the barriers that still exist in today’s sporting society; just look around the current sports landscape and ask yourself how many major sports give equal weight to the accomplishments of men and women.
In the end, selling a sport based upon skill will prove to be far more beneficial than selling it upon a gimmick.
The UFC is great at building up fighters as a brand.
Strikeforce is just fighting to get attention for their company. The hardcores know them but the casual fans see their shows and thinks it’s a UFC show.
couple quick notes:
1.) the phrase is : ” a tough ROW to hoe ” as in if a farmer had a row of rough dirt to how for the next drop.
For whatever reason it bugs the heck out of me when a “writer” or someone who otherwise imparts to be a professional journalist uses a phrase or word incorrrectly.
2.) ” It’s pretty telling that St-Pierre and Henderson are more popular than any Strikeforce fighter. ”
um…fairly old news would support that Dan Henderson is, in fact, a Strikeforce fighter.
seriously man, just re checkour work and / or think about it line by line before you submit it…and do ya’ll need any proof readers? i’m available.
PK
yes, my typo on line 9 was sarcastic…ok not really! how ironic!
ok and the typo on line 2 ! but still my point is get your facts straight and don’t misuse phrases.
typos are ok
Strikeforce needs a more consistent presence. They will pull bigger numbers on CBS than the UFC will on PPV and Spike, but that’s due to the fact they’re on a network, and like JJ said many casual or fans who stumble upon it will think it’s “UFC.” Showtime just does not have enough homes IMO to make a major impact, IMO. They really need a regular show on a bigger network such as a FSN or the holy grail ESPN.
Look at a lot of the coverage the Walker fight got on ESPN. I watch “Around the Horn” and “Pardon the Interruption” on a regular basis, and in all their initial coverage of the fight not once did either show mention “Strikeforce” they just called it a MMA fight or said he was stepping into the “Octagon” which is trademark of the UFC. Same thing happened when Canseco made his grandstand challenge and late this week when Matt Millen, yes 53 year old Matt Millen, said he wants to get involved in a MMA fight (covered on PTI).
Many people just flat out hate Zuffa and Dana White and these same people refuse to give them credit for the awesome job they’ve done building their brand.
Settle down peeps. First Mr. Spell checker and than Mr. Dana White fan. It’s going to take some time for Strikeforce to build their brand. They will, if given enough time, come out as a viable competitor to any MMA org. The ratings on Showtime were very good and garnered Strikeforce approx. 700K rights fee. If you add that on top of ticket sales of 300K you have 1 million in total revenue outside of other broadcast rights fees. Total payroll was disclosed at $469,600. Whenever a company can double payroll with gate/rights fees you know they are doing okay. Maybe after it was all said and done they netted a couple of hundred grand in their pockets.
Now, looking to improve that showing, they need to take a hard look at where they are holding their events. Second, continue to steadily grow their fan base, roster and brand. I believe the April card, hopefully they take it up against WEC, will be a major turning point for them. If the likes of Hendo and Fedor can’t break 6 million viewers peak, then we might have a problem.
Guru,
Please don’t belittle me and by referring to me as “Dana White Fan”, my actual name is on my posts. Am I a fan of Dana White? In many ways yes, Zuffa has done a tremendous job of expanding MMA in the U.S. and Zuffa risked a ton of money in doing so. However, I also disagree with many things Zuffa does. All I was trying to point out was that many people hate whatever Zuffa does and never give them a fair shake.
Also, I agree, Strikeforce is a young company, but also, I think to make a bigger impact they need to have more exposure.
Guru,
I am not trying to start an argument with this question, but since you post here often I am just curious about your standpoint. With your post, such as things as “hopefully” it’s put against the WEC event and “we may have a problem” do you want to see Zuffa fail or are you looking for Zuffa to have competition?
I think Strikeforce’s best hope for a 6m peak next event is if Walker fights on the card, as far as I could tell the last event peaked at 4.01m viewers, I’m not sure where else they’re going to find an additional 1.9m casual viewers or MMA fans.
LOL, yeah Strikeforce is MAJOR competetion to the UFC. The’ll be putting ZUFFA out of business REAL soon.
Jesus Christ.
PK,
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I hope pointing it out in the fashion you did made your day just a little bit better. 😉
And, yes, I’m aware that Hendo signed with Strikeforce. I was alluding to the fact that he’s yet to fight for the organization, and thus his current popularity is the result of being a former UFC fighter.
Best,
Kelsey