For the UFC guy's!! especially Weightpsher

[gmflex]

Strikeforce aint going nowhere 

Quote:
When it became apparent that Strikeforce's second show on network television would be held without the presence of heavyweight superstar Fedor Emelianenko, numerous theories were put together by a variety of MMA observers.

All of them seemed to spell certain doom for the partnership between Strikeforce and M-1 Global, the company that represents Emelianenko and of which he is a partial owner.

But Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker today told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) that the relationship with M-1 Global is still in fine shape, and he said he's in the final stages of negotiations for Emelianenko's next Strikeforce co-promoted fight.

"I can tell you this: we've been having really good dialogue with M-1 Global and (M-1 Global president) Vadim Finkelchtein, and I think we're in the final stages of buttoning everything up to make that happen again," Coker said. "I think we'll have an announcement soon on that, but I feel very confident we'll be promoting Fedor here in the near future."

Rumors have run rampant that the business ties between the Strikeforce and M-1 Global have soured since the two companies co-promoted this past November's "Fedor vs. Rogers" event.

Coker admitted there were a few items that needed to be addressed, but he felt the situation was anything but critical.

"When I dealt with companies in Japan (during my time with K-1), it's the same thing," Coker said. "You have cultural differences, and you have expectations. When expectations and the cultural differences meet with the cultural differences here and the expectations of an American company, sometimes there's some differences, and there's some things that we needed to button up.

"We're at the 11th hour of getting this done, and I think in a couple of days we'll have something to announce."

While it's certainly too late to work out a potential late addition to April 17's "Strikeforce: Nashville" show, Coker said he doesn't expect Emelianenko to stay out of commission for too long.

"It depends how long it takes to button everything up, but I would say sometime in the later part of the second quarter or beginning part of the third quarter, you'll see Fedor back in the cage fighting on a co-promotion between Strikeforce and M-1 Global," Coker said. "Depending on how long it takes to button things up – I mean, he's going to need what, 60 or 70 days to get ready – that will determine when he fights."

And when Emelianenko does return, Coker said it won't necessarily be on CBS.

"The rumors that I hear about 'he has to fight on CBS' are absolutely untrue," Coker said. "We have a good relationship with Showtime. Eventually, Fedor will be in the pay-per-view business with M-1 and Strikeforce and CBS and Showtime collectively contributing. There's not a certain media partner that he has to fight on. That's never been part of his contract, so that's all just speculation and rumors."

So it appears Strikeforce may be involved in another Emelianenko fight sooner rather than later. And perhaps most importantly for those vested in the future of the California-based promotion, Coker said the financial success of Strikeforce does not rest on the shoulders of "The Last Emperor."

"Our company is not built off of one athlete," Coker said. "Our company, we have some amazing athletes on our roster now, and we've got some of the best fighters in the world. I think they can compete against anybody. Fedor is an amazing athlete. I've followed his career for many years. Fedor is Fedor, and he's an amazing asset, but our company is not built financially off of just one guy.

"Believe me, my guys are very smart about building a model that works for us and works for M-1 Global. I think that we're at that point where that had to be looked at. We looked at it. We're not going to put all of our eggs into one basket and roll the dice with one guy. We're built for longevity. This is not a sprint; this is going to be a long-distance race." 

[WeightPSHR]

Strikeforce aint going nowhere 

Quote:
When it became apparent that Strikeforce's second show on network television would be held without the presence of heavyweight superstar Fedor Emelianenko, numerous theories were put together by a variety of MMA observers.

All of them seemed to spell certain doom for the partnership between Strikeforce and M-1 Global, the company that represents Emelianenko and of which he is a partial owner.

But Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker today told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) that the relationship with M-1 Global is still in fine shape, and he said he's in the final stages of negotiations for Emelianenko's next Strikeforce co-promoted fight.

"I can tell you this: we've been having really good dialogue with M-1 Global and (M-1 Global president) Vadim Finkelchtein, and I think we're in the final stages of buttoning everything up to make that happen again," Coker said. "I think we'll have an announcement soon on that, but I feel very confident we'll be promoting Fedor here in the near future."

Rumors have run rampant that the business ties between the Strikeforce and M-1 Global have soured since the two companies co-promoted this past November's "Fedor vs. Rogers" event.

Coker admitted there were a few items that needed to be addressed, but he felt the situation was anything but critical.

"When I dealt with companies in Japan (during my time with K-1), it's the same thing," Coker said. "You have cultural differences, and you have expectations. When expectations and the cultural differences meet with the cultural differences here and the expectations of an American company, sometimes there's some differences, and there's some things that we needed to button up.

"We're at the 11th hour of getting this done, and I think in a couple of days we'll have something to announce."

While it's certainly too late to work out a potential late addition to April 17's "Strikeforce: Nashville" show, Coker said he doesn't expect Emelianenko to stay out of commission for too long.

"It depends how long it takes to button everything up, but I would say sometime in the later part of the second quarter or beginning part of the third quarter, you'll see Fedor back in the cage fighting on a co-promotion between Strikeforce and M-1 Global," Coker said. "Depending on how long it takes to button things up – I mean, he's going to need what, 60 or 70 days to get ready – that will determine when he fights."

And when Emelianenko does return, Coker said it won't necessarily be on CBS.

"The rumors that I hear about 'he has to fight on CBS' are absolutely untrue," Coker said. "We have a good relationship with Showtime. Eventually, Fedor will be in the pay-per-view business with M-1 and Strikeforce and CBS and Showtime collectively contributing. There's not a certain media partner that he has to fight on. That's never been part of his contract, so that's all just speculation and rumors."

So it appears Strikeforce may be involved in another Emelianenko fight sooner rather than later. And perhaps most importantly for those vested in the future of the California-based promotion, Coker said the financial success of Strikeforce does not rest on the shoulders of "The Last Emperor."

"Our company is not built off of one athlete," Coker said. "Our company, we have some amazing athletes on our roster now, and we've got some of the best fighters in the world. I think they can compete against anybody. Fedor is an amazing athlete. I've followed his career for many years. Fedor is Fedor, and he's an amazing asset, but our company is not built financially off of just one guy.

"Believe me, my guys are very smart about building a model that works for us and works for M-1 Global. I think that we're at that point where that had to be looked at. We looked at it. We're not going to put all of our eggs into one basket and roll the dice with one guy. We're built for longevity. This is not a sprint; this is going to be a long-distance race." 

I DO hope that Strikeforce succeeds. Never had I said I wanted them to fold.
I just want Fedor and his management to stop fighting cans. That's all.

Besides, the UFC is on an entirely different level than Strikeforce.
The more MMA events , the better IMO.

[WeightPSHR]

4 shows in less then 30 days.
http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=event.ppvhome

[gmflex]

 

[MindSpin]

Is April 17th Strikeforce's Last Stand on CBS?
 by Kid Nate on Mar 8, 2010 11:30 AM EST in News


Photo by Ken Pishna via MMA Weekly
Dave Meltzer breaks it down:

MMA is at best marginal programming on CBS. The last Strikeforce show drew 39 percent lower ratings than CBS usually does in the same time slot, but it still has value to the network because it skews far younger and more male-oriented than usual Saturday night fare. It gives the network an outlet to attract sponsors who aim at the hard-to-reach male 18-34 demographic.

The April 17 show is a test, because if it does well without proven draws Emelianenko, Slice or Gina Carano, it's a major feather in the cap of Strikeforce going forward on the network. That is probably why UFC is looking at countering.

...

It should also be noted that UFC and Strikeforce do not draw from the same audiences. The Strikeforce events on CBS draw an older audience in general than the audience that watches UFC, which relates to CBS's generally older demographics. The cities where Strikeforce does its best television numbers have little similarity with the markets where UFC does its best pay-per-view numbers.

And MMA Payout brings it home:

Meltzer essentially captures the plight of the major networks have with MMA: whatever audience they gain as the result of MMA television is offset or surpassed by the audience they lose. Thus, at what point do they sacrifice their existing audience for something new and shiny? This is especially true where Strikeforce is concerned, because it doesn't have the brand equity or star power necessary to pull in an 18-34 year-old crowd capable of really making it worth a network's while.

...

Nonetheless, the importance of this show cannot be understated: if the ratings tank, it could very well mean the end of Strikeforce on CBS. The flip side, of course, is that Strikeforce has the opportunity to solidify a strategically important distribution channel for itself moving forward; the kind that would provide it with enough exposure to further build the equity of its brand and its stars. 

Strikefrorce CEO Scott Coker literally finds himself between the devil (Fedor and M-1 Global electing to sit out the April 17th event) and the deep blue sea (CBS and Showtime and their need for big time network ratings). CBS exec Kelly Kahl claimed that they "were being nice guys" by not counter-programming WEC's PPV on April 24th, but I think it's more likely they didn't want to counter Showtime's Super Six boxing tournament on that date.

One way or the other, I think Strikeforce may have struck out on CBS unless Dan Henderson vs Jake Shields suddenly becomes a fight of great interest to casual fans.