MMAterial Facts (02/26/10): Strikeforce VP Answers Lingering Q’s

• Strikeforce Answers Questions: Profits, Branding, & Decision Making
• Strikeforce Fighters to Appear on CBS Show ‘NCIS: L.A.’
• Mixed Martial Arts a growing sport in the Heartland
• Mixed martial arts adds economic punch
• Georges St. Pierre in New Under Armour Commercial

Strikeforce Answers Questions: Profits, Branding, & Decision Making

SI.com: What is it about your business model with Strikeforce that leads you to believe it will be successful for mixed martial arts? And has it been effective so far in terms of holding events, making money, being sustainable?

Goddard: We are making money. We believe it is sustainable. We believe we’ve got the right combination of expertise in the MMA business and business acumen, business sense. We are operating in a business-like way from the beginning. From the beginning we are making money, and we expect both the revenues and profits to grow over time. For that reason we believe it’s very sustainable. We think there’s plenty of room in the MMA business given the growth of the MMA industry for perhaps a second or even other participants. We’re excited about both the live-event business and the broadcast business. The growth of the sport and our role in that. We think we’re poised to be a leader in that industry.

SI.com: As a brand, how much value does Strikeforce have right now? How much has it grown since SVS&E’s involvement?

Goddard: We think it’s got a lot of value at the present time, especially among the core MMA audience. We do believe it needs more exposure and more recognition. We need to grow the exposure and recognition among the general sporting audience. We think both the live events help that on a market-by-market basis. Certainly the events on Showtime have helped that. And the broadcasts on CBS helped that immensely. We acknowledge that we need to grow that in the general viewing audience.

SI.com: Some of the critics of the way Strikeforce is operated say there are too many chefs in the kitchen, so to speak. Decisions are slow to get made. What would you say to those critics?

Goddard: I would simply disagree. Scott is running the company on a day-to-day basis. He has the authority to make decisions that need to be made. We’re in regular communication with each other so we can reach each other on a moment’s notice. We compare notes regularly. Whenever you’re starting and/or growing a business in its early stages, there are complexities. Both with live events and broadcast events there complexities. The fact of the matter is things are not necessarily as easy as they may appear to be from the outside. There are complexities which sometimes take time and effort to work through.  (Sports Illustrated)

Strikeforce Fighters to Appear on CBS Show ‘NCIS: L.A.’

Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and former titleholders Josh Thomson and Cung Le have been cast in an upcoming episode of CBS’s “NCIS: Los Angeles,” shooting next week in Hollywood, Calif.

Strikeforce fighters Dan Henderson, Frank Shamrock and K.J. Noons have also been cast in the episode.

“NCIS: Los Angeles” stars Chris O’Donnell and L.L. Cool J as agents with the Navy’s crime investigative service.

The fighters will play themselves as Cool J goes undercover as a mixed martial artist to investigate the death of a Marine, “tied to the world of MMA.” Referee “Big” John McCarthy has been tapped to play himself during an event sequence.

The MMA-centric episode is expected to air in April. “NCIS: L.A.” airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on CBS.   (Sherdog)

Mixed Martial Arts a growing sport in the Heartland

Participants say it’s one of the oldest sports in the world, we’re talking about cage fighting.

You may know it as mixed martial arts fighting, or MMA, it’s also one of the fastest growing sports in the world and here in the Heartland.

Since the ancient Greeks the sport of Pankration or cage fighting as it’s now known started out as an Olympic sport.  It’s popularity with spectators has grown rapidly in the past five years.

“The obvious conclusion, I think people are out there they’re looking for something that’s quick fast and there’s an ending to it. There’s hardly a question as to who wins and who loses.”

It’s a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques.

“In my opinion there’s no bigger rush than walking out to your music and seeing everybody, the cameras going off everyone cheering and then once you get in that cage it’s one on one.”
…

It’s that rush from the action inside the cage that is propelling audiences across the Heartland and the world to mixed martial arts fighting and pushing the sport to rank with the top sporting events in the world.

“More like an explosion, we’re just about to overtake soccer worldwide that includes South America, that’s a pretty big deal.”  (Channel 12 Heartland News)

Mixed martial arts adds economic punch

Efforts are under way to bring a major mixed martial arts event to the Bradley Center now that a state law regulating the sport has been enacted.

Bradley Center management hopes to secure a deal to bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event to the downtown Milwaukee sports venue some time this fall, Bradley Center president and chief executive officer Steve Costello said.

“We believe the event would be extremely popular,” Costello said. “Mixed martial arts has proven to be a very popular sport that has come into its own.”

A UFC event at the 18,000-seat Bradley Center likely would sell out quicker than a major concert and be a financial boon to the facility, Costello said.  (Milwaukee Business Journal)

Georges St. Pierre in New Under Armour Commercial

It’s certainly not news that Georges St. Pierre is a superstar in the world of MMA. But as MMA continues to creep into the mainstream, Georges is leading the charge. Already appearing in Affliction’s mainstream magazine ads and Gatorade commercials in Canada, somewhat under the radar, St. Pierre signed with Under Armour last November and began to pimp their products. The latest commercial features GSP alongside Olympic legend Michael Phelps and NFL prospect Dez Bryant. The commercial itself is amazing, but more importantly for the sport, it puts MMA and one of its athletes in the same breath with Phelps (worldwide megasuperstar) and America’s most popular sport, football.  (Heavy) … (MMAPayout Perspective)

IMAGE OF THE DAY

QUICK HITS

• Strikeforce Returns to CBS on April 17 (Sherdog)
• “Strikeforce Challengers VI: Kaufman vs. Hashi” play by play and live results (MMAJunkie)
• Gilbert Yvel to meet Ben Rothwell, not Pat Barry, at UFC 115 in Vancouver (MMAJunkie)
• Herschel Walker Yes, Jose Canseco No for Strikeforce (MMAFighting)
• Strikeforce, Showtime Give Female Fighters a Big Stage (MMAFighting)
• OLIVEIRA IN AGAINST WINNER AT UFC FIGHT NIGHT 21 (MMAWeekly)
• BELLATOR WELTERWEIGHT TOURNEY PAIRINGS (MMAWeekly)
• Liddell naked video “was Reebok advert’ (Fighters Only Magazine)
• Leites, Teixeira Win at Bitetti Combat 6 (Sherdog)
• White’s nightmare continues: Mainstream media still loves Canseco (Cage Writer)
• Barry, Cro Cop Agree to Battle of Strikers at UFC 115 (Heavy)
• Etim vs. Dos Anjos, Davis vs. Gustafsson set for UFC 112  (FiveOuncesOfPain)
• THQ versus Electronic Arts (ESPN)

TV LISTINGS

• HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (Hari vs Bonjasky) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (02/26/10)
• InsideMMA (Dominick Cruz, Alan Belcher and Karen Darabedyan) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (02/26/10)
• HDNet Fights Presents The Featherweights, Vol. 2, at 10 PM ET on HDNet (02/26/10)
• Best of Pride FC at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (02/26/10)
• Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs Hashi at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (02/26/10)
  

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs Hashi at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (02/26/10)
• WEC 47: Bowles vs Cruz on at 10 PM ET on Versus (03/06/10)
• HDNet Fights: Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 at TBD on HDNet (03/12/10)
• HDNet Fights: XFC X-Night of Champions at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/19/10)
• UFC on Versus: Vera vs Jones at 10 PM ET on Versus (3/21/10)
• 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)
• 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)