As someone that enjoys an alternative to the UFC that involves free primetime fights on CBS, I want to see StrikeForce proceed and here's what I think they have to do.
If the primary goal is to gain viewership on CBS, SF needs to build up guys and fights people want to see. Easy concept right?
You have to take advantage of Fedor while you can, which is why you ride him early and make sure when the day comes that he loses, you have a situation where the guy who beats him instantly becomes the next must-see heavyweight.
Which is why the next CBS card should feature two heavyweight fights as part of a four-man tourney to crown a new champion. Strip Allistar of the belt for next defending it in ages and put him up against Rogers and Werdum against Fedor and market the winners fights at the next one for the heavyweight title. Three guys are now familiar faces and you can bring in a guy a lot of the undergroun world likes and is pretty marketable as the demolition man.
The opening fight of the night, assuming Lawler wins next month, you put a guy who has been on CBS a lot in Lawler against Mayhem. Book it as a rematch. Book it as Lawler's climb back to the top after a bad loss to Shields while Miller can sell plenty of tickets on his own. It's an exciting matchup and I think Lawler will be much more prepared and in shape than in the first meeting.
But none of these fights are the main evemt. You have go to absolutely STACK these four fight televised cards to gain viewership. You sign Dan Henderson and you IMMEDIATELY have him fight Gegard Mousasi for the belt. Hendo just finished coaching TUF and knocking the crap outta the bad guy foreign Bisping dude. He's at the point where he's as big as he's gonna get since he's at later point of his career. He brings the TUF newbs over and you pit Mousasi against him immediately. Mousasi is on the verge of stardom and he becomes the crazy assasin guy if he beats Hendo. If Hendo wins, you have a very popular champion who is as well known as anyone on your roster. He's not a champion that has to defend the belt all the time, so you can give him a couple extra months in between defenses to build up a roster at that weight class.
Main events fights set up, you have the finale of the HW tournament, you have Cung Le/Jake Shields if Le wins his next fight. You'd have a Hendo title fight or a Mousasi title fight, and could always do Melendez/Thompson II.
This short-term solution gives you a chance to use Showtime to build the heck out of the ladies and the lightweight division, building the big pay off fights for CBS. It also gives you time to go out and a get a couple of possible free agents that come up.
StrikeForce can't just throw fights together and expect people to watch. You have to make people want to see these fights and you need things like a tournament to garner interest, you have to have world titles feel like they MEAN something and let's be honest, you need guys for the early periods that can sell fights. That's why I'd be holding off on a Shields title fight (or let it be on Showtime) and instead get a Mayhem/Lawler type fight that has the makings to be very fan-friendly.
Sorry for the FRAT.
gangsta101 - Kurt Angle vs Bobby Lashley on CBS
How should Strikeforce proceed?
Paying Miller and Davis their win bonuses would be a nice start.
^this
Seems like Strikeforce is in a bit of a bind. No Fedor for 4-6 months which means they have to re-invent him and can't build on momentum.
Carano, the face of women's mma, lost with quickness and her opponent isn't anywhere near as marketable, actually no other woman fighter is either.
Shields hurt himself with that last fight and killed any speculation that he would be a dangerous opponent for any UFC fighter at 170 or 185.
Nick Diaz is completely unreliable and can't sell a show.
Overeem is a star in the making but seems reluctant to fight in the States.
Lawler and Smith are solid journeymen and not stars.
Good points
They do have Fedor they just need opponents
Gegard is really good. I think of him as the new Crocop, when Mirko was badass, just with a much better personality. Big star in the making.
Cung Le is coming back and he always sells tickets in San Jose.
Mayhem despite the loss is building into a bigger star. Set him against Cung.
- Welterweight Grand Prix
- Fedor versus Overeem for HW Title
- Pay Miller and Davis
- Lashley debuts in SF HW division
- Bring Arlovski back...
- ALLOW ELBOWS ON THE GROUND
- Give us some merchandise, like action figurines and stuff....
- More DVD's of Strikeforce events with behind-the-scenes footage...
- More in-depth FightCamp360 episodes (Fedor vs Rogers felt rushed)....