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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=183011" target="_blank">
Strikeforce: How Saturday’s event ushered in a new ...
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<a href="/go=news.detail&gid=183011" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=73&q=75&x=9&y=53&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=8CA33BB2-1D09-6BFC-E5EF789E73A93262.jpg" /></a>
<strong class="ArticleSource">[fiveouncesofpain.com]</strong>
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Saturday night I crawled into my bed and flipped Showtime on to tune in to the 10:30 live showing of “Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg”, expecting a less than stellar showing. Tom my pleasant surprise, it was a great night of fights.
Gilbert Melendez continued the Skrap Pack’s win streak in dominating fashion, Gegard Mousasi showed why he is one of the top three pound for pound fighters in the world, and Cyborg defeated Gina Carano in what I considered one of the more exciting first rounds in MMA this year.
Immediately people began predicting the death of Strikeforce due to Carano’s loss, but after watching the show that ended about forty minutes before it was scheduled to, I realized that maybe I, like many MMA fans, are spoiled and possibly brainwashed into believing that any MMA show that the UFC does not put on is doomed for failure. I have been reading a plethora of ranting and raving by almost ever MMA and fight website saying how the signing of Fedor Emilianenko would be the death of Strikforce. However, after taking stock of Strikeforce, M-1, and possibly DREAM, I realized that the UFC has every right to try to downplay the importance of Strikeforce as a threat because deep in their hearts they know that they are a legit threat.
By Sunday morning, the entire Strikeforce event was the hottest topic in the world of MMA. With Carano’s loss, we saw Women’s MMA finally gain the respect it deserves, and more importantly we saw the birth of Strikeforce. Strikeforce was able to push a women’s fight as the main event and not only succeed in the ratings, but in the fans eyes. For five straight minutes we saw two women with conflicting styles go at it, and the ending come down to the difference of one second. The fight had everything a good MMA fight needs, a good back story, recognizable faces, and great action. Strikeforce proved that they could market a non-traditional fight into something that fans may have been willing to pay to see.
While the show itself had its flaws, including the 40 minute pre-mature ending in which no preliminary card fights were shown or even recapped, the continued usage of the pointless “Frank’s Keys to Victory” (I mean come on, break the fight down, but saying a triangle choke is the key to a fight is amateur ), and the fact that Gus Johnson just seems completely lost at what he does. The post fight interviews he gives are horribly slow and he seems as if he doesn’t want to be there. Joe Rogan at least comes across as someone who can capture the spirit of MMA and the fight that just happened and transfer it into an interview, the show did entertain.
Strikeforce has everything it needs to put on an amazing set of shows that would rival anything the UFC can put on, and unlike Affliction and EliteXC, the savy and smart business sense that rivals that of Zuffa and Dana White and the financial assistance of Billionaire Mark Cuban. The simple addition of Fedor increases the profit levels of Strikeforce exponentially due to the fact that at least 75 – 80% of the cost of putting on the show is covered by Showtime, including the marketing. Most importantly, Strikeforce has the desire to develop it’s less than “main eventers” via its Strikeforce Challengers cards. The biggest thing we have to look at is the talent available to Strikeforce and the potential match-ups they can build around.