MMAterial Facts (03/02/10)

• Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Shields on CBS Official
• No Fedor, No Problem
• Dana White: Fighting’s in our DNA
• Urijah Faber AMP Energy Commercial – Video
• Lashley, Marshall build through support, teamwork

Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Shields on CBS Official

Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend and two-time United States Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) will challenge STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) in the main event of a highly anticipated STRIKEFORCE fight card at Bridgestone Arena (formerly known as Sommet Center) in Nashville on Saturday, April 17.

In other featured bouts, STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestling star “King Mo” (6-0) while STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (17-2) will put his title on the line against DREAM Champion and top-ranked Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki (23-4).

An exclusive special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for STRIKEFORCE: Henderson vs. Shields will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (www.strikeforce.com/signup.asp ) beginning at 10 a:m. CT tomorrow/Wednesday, March 3, and ending at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 4. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special
e-newsletter Tuesday tonight with the pre-sale code. (MMAPayout Perspective)

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Herschel Sitting Out April 17 Strikeforce on CBS

Herschel Walker will not fight on April 17 for Strikeforce’s sophomore effort on CBS, the promotion’s matchmaker Rich Chou confirmed with Sherdog.com on Tuesday.

Sirius satellite radio’s “The Fight Show with Mauro Ranallo” was the first outlet to report of Walker’s potential omission from the card, which will air live during its “Saturday Night Fights” slot on the major broadcast network.

Chou said the decision was made jointly on Monday between the promotion and network to allow Walker more time to train for his second career fight. Chou said Walker, who lives in Los Angeles, could return to the San Jose, Calif.-based American Kickboxing Academy within a few weeks to resume his training, but that no return date to the cage has been set for the 47-year-old athlete yet.  (Sherdog)

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Tickets on sale tomorrow for April 17 Strikeforce-CBS event at Bridgestone Arena

With official announcement of the event expected in the next hour, tickets for the April 17 “Strikeforce: Nashville” event apparently go on sale tomorrow.

According to Ticketmaster.com, the event will be held at Bridgestone Arena (which will be known as the Sommet Center until an official name-changing on Wednesday), and tickets for the show range from $25 to $195 plus fees/taxes.

“Strikeforce: Nashville” features a championship headliner between Strikeforce middleweight title-holder Jake Shields and UFC veteran/recent Strikeforce signee Dan Henderson.  (MMAJunkie)

No Fedor, No Problem

There have been rumors circulating in the last few weeks that Strikeforce and its co-promotional partner M-1 are having some difficulties in arranging the next Fedor fight, which had originally been planned for April on CBS. It’s really unfair to comment on those rumors at this time, but suffice it to say something hasn’t gone according to plan and Strikeforce has been forced to switch things up a little.

I’m not yet convinced that Strikeforce going with the triple title fight on CBS is necessarily a bad thing. In giving the spotlight to the six very talented fighters in Henderson, Shields, Mousasi, Lawal, Melendez, and Aoki, Strikeforce is hoping to put on a great event, build some brand recognition, and promote some of its other talented fighters.

Plus, there’s a risk to having Fedor headline every major event; something like what we saw EliteXC do in betting the farm on Kimbo Slice.  If they’re looking to build their brand only through Fedor, they’re making a terrible mistake.  (MMAPayout Perspective)

Dana White: Fighting’s in our DNA

He believes that when fans come to a live show, it brings a whole new experience to the fans, and that’s something electric that you can’t feel unless you’ve been there in person.

“Anybody that goes (to a live event)… they’re going to go and infect 30 or 40 more people with what they saw. You think you like it on TV, wait till you see it live,” said White recently.

And he doesn’t shy away from comparing the UFC to the biggest sport in the United States. White says that while the NFL has the right plan for the American market, it’s never translated worldwide.

“I think as big as the NFL is in the United States, it’s huge,” he stated. “This last Super Bowl that we just had was the biggest watched television show in history. That’s how big the Super Bowl is, and they’ve been trying to break into all these other markets, but people don’t understand it. They’ve never played it. They didn’t grow up playing it. They don’t know the rules and they’re never going to be invested in the New England Patriots or the New York Giants.”

Reaching down to the primal level is where White believes fighting will always be successful because everyone understands it, and everyone wants to watch.

“Fighting – I don’t care what color you are, or what language you speak, or what country you live it, we’re all human beings and fighting’s in our DNA. We get it and we like it,” he stated.

“Before a guy ever hit a ball with a bat, or a ball went through a hoop, there were two guys on this planet and somebody threw a punch, and anybody who was standing around was watching it. It translates across all different barriers, and this will be the biggest sport in the world, I guarantee it.”  (MMAWeekly)

Urijah Faber AMP Energy Commercial – Video

Fans of the WEC, and more specifically Urijah Faber, might have noticed a new primary sponsor on the former champ when he entered the cage in January to face Raphael Assuncao. Once the poster boy for Pepsi’s No Fear Energy, Faber now sports the company’s flag ship energy brand, AMP, which is presently the official energy drink of World Extreme Cagefighting as well as an official sponsor of the California Kid. But what you didn’t notice was the extra camera crew set up in Faber’s locker room, grabbing backstage footage and then filming his walkout for a “live” commercial for the popular energy brand.

AMP was granted unprecedented access by the WEC and its officials to film what was described as a “one and done” reality advertising campaign.

“We’re chronicling how people AMP up for events. The anticipation for something you are passionate about,” said Ken Strnad, Sr. Marketing Manager of AMP Energy. “With this, it’s Urijah getting ready in the locker room. Then the announcement and walk in. The cameras flashing. It’s capturing the raw emotion that not only Urijah feels, but the crowd feels as well. We’re giving the viewer something they don’t normally get to see.”

…

Strnad continues, “MMA is an incredible sport that is growing at an incredible clip. We absolutely know that MMA fans are energy drinkers and this is where we want to be.”  (Heavy)

Lashley, Marshall build through support, teamwork

When Bobby Lashley competed in his latest MMA match for Strikeforce at the Bank Atlantic Center in (South Florida) Sunrise, his girlfriend, former WWE Diva Kristal Marshall, sat ringside, taking cell photos of him and cheering him to victory.

They live together in Colorado.

“It’s good to have family around when you fight,” Lashley said, “because it’s always hard and it’s always tough to train and fight and keep going like that. It’s good to have fans, friends, family, everybody there to celebrate it with you.”

Lashley, 33, a former amateur wrestling standout who wrestled professionally for TNA and WWE, spends time running his new American Top Team Altitude location in Denver and also trains at the American Top Team facility in (South Florida) Coconut Creek.

Following Lashley’s win, improving to 5-0 in MMA, Marshall answered some questions.

“I’m so excited for him, and I’m so proud,” Marshall said. “It’s just really hard to watch him fight. I’m still not at a place where I’m OK with it.
…

“I just hope, and I think it’s going to happen very soon, but I hope that he gets more respect [from the MMA community]. He deserves it. People see him, and they think he’s just a pro wrestler, but nobody really recognizes his decorated background.

“He’s a tremendous athlete and a very, very decorated amateur wrestler. He’s phenomenal, and I’m just really proud of him, and I think that a lot of people are going to take more notice in him and take him more seriously.”  (Miami Herald)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If a promotion wants to give him a fight, it’s like if anyone else walking off the street wanted to fight, so I’m not going to say no. I’m going to say come on in, and it’s kind of a challenge for me,” added Gracie.

“Can we teach this guy who has no ability in MMA, and can we get him in three months, not to fight a contender, because I wouldn’t even waste my time, but to fight a guy like Herschel Walker? Who, to his credit, has learned some MMA and everything. That would be the challenge on my part, so I said, ’Yeah, come on in. Let’s try this challenge. Let’s try to make it where you beat this guy,’ and that’s it. That’s my mindset on that.”  (Cesar Gracie on Jose Canseco vs Herschel Walker, MMAWeekly)

IMAGE OF THE DAY

QUICK HITS

• Josh Barnett Signs with Dream (MMAPayout Perspective)
• WEC 47 Lineup Finalized (Sherdog)
• SRC 12 Finalized (Japan-MMA)
• UFC vet Marcus Davis and manager address inflammatory AIDS comments (MMAJunkie)
• “The Ultimate Fighter 11” exclusive photo gallery of all 28 cast members (MMAJunkie)
• Overeem Likely to Face Rogers in May (MMAFighting)
• Lesnar Rooting for Mir to Get Past Carwin (MMAFighting)
• WANDERLEI SAYS AKIYAMA NEXT, THEN BISPING (MMAWeekly)
• CESAR GRACIE ON JOSE CANSECO VS HERSHEL WALKER (MMAWeekly)
• If he wins WEC title, Cruz doesn’t care who’s next (Cage Writer)
• Javier Vazquez Has Been Preparing for Jens Pulver His Whole Career (Heavy)
• Three title fights official for “Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Shields” on April 17 (FiveOuncesOfPain)

TV LISTINGS

• HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (2008 K-1 World Max) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (03/05/10)
• InsideMMA (Matyushenko, Renzo Gracie) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (03/05/10)
• HDNet Fights Presents Furious Finishes IV, at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/05/10)
• Best of Pride FC at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (03/05/10)
• WEC 47: Bowles vs Cruz on at 10 PM ET on Versus (03/06/10)
  

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 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)