It was reported earlier this year that Strikeforce programming distributor Shine International had inked a deal with Turner to televise events in Latin America. MMAPayout has now learned that SPACE TV (Canal SPACE) will be televising Strikeforce programming exclusively in Latin America and the Caribbean starting with the Shamrock vs Diaz event this Wednesday, September 29 at midnight, with a replay set for Sunday morning at 10 AM.
SPACE TV Schedule:
September 29, 2010 : Frank Shamrock vs Nick Díaz
October 6, 2010: Evangelista Billy vs Mike Aina
October 13, 2010: Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler vs Jake Shields
October 20, 2010: Joey “Smokin” Villaseñor vs Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
October 27, 2010: Gina “Conviction” Carano vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
November 3, 2010: Tim Kennedy vs Zak Cummings
November 10, 2010: BillyEvangelista vs Jorge Gurgel
November 17, 2010: Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley vs Rudy Bears
November 24, 2010: Cung Le vs Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith
December 1, 2010: Marius Zaromskis vs Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
December 8, 2010: Sarah Kaufman vs Tayako Hashi
December 15, 2010: Lavar Johnson vs Loloho Mahe
December 22, 2010: Dan Henderson vs Jake Shields
December 29, 2010: Alistair “Demolition Man” vs Overeem Brett Rogers
January 5, 2011: Roger “Relentless” Bowling vs Bobby Voelker
January 12, 2011: Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler vs Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Payout Perspective:
Strikeforce has had it’s mind set on expanding as a global brand after they inked a deal earlier this year with Shine International, when Shine made an announcement that they would be selling more than 70 hours of Strikeforce’s mixed martial arts (MMA) programming in six markets across Europe, Australia and Latin America.
SPACE TV is distributed in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, including countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Mexico. SPACE not only shows high level combat sports such as world class boxing and now Mixed Martial Arts, it also has a deal with the NBA and televises Hollywood blockbuster movies and various TV shows. SPACE TV was acquired by Turner Broadcasting Systems (a division of Time Warner) in 2007, in a package deal with channels such as Fashion TV, HTV, Infinito, I.Sat, Much Music, and Retro. It is now currently being packaged with the previous mentioned channels along with TNT, TCM, truTV, and Tooncast. The deal with SPACE will open up the Latin American and Caribbean market for the Strikeforce brand, set to reach millions of new viewers and for the most part, introduce the sport of MMA to new fans.
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’ll be taking a look at UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop which was held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 25th. The event was headlined by a heavyweight tilt between former UFC Champ Frank Mir and Pride OWGP Champ Mirko Cro Cop.
Mir finishes Cro Cop in otherwise uneventful main event
Frank Mir ended a fairly lackluster main event with a bang when he delivered a crushing knee to the chin of Mirko Cro Cop. To that point neither fighter had managed to do much damage. The crowd booed consistently throughout the match, seemingly to break with applause only when referee Herb Dean intervened to separate the numerous stalls in the clinch along the cage.
If you subscribe to consumer psychology and believe in the recency effect, this event may be remembered for the dramatic knockout in the main event. However, given the volume of discontent currently visible on many blogs and MMA forum boards, it’s more likely to be remembered as an average event at best.
The win over Cro Cop won’t be enough to immediately establish Mir as the next in line after dos Santos, but it does provide the UFC with a solid fighter for a contenders bout in the future. He’ll also be available for a rubber match with Lesnar should Lesnar be defeated by Velasquez next month; an event that would provide the UFC with an extremely lucrative non-title PPV event.
TUF winner Bader takes next step, defeats Nogueira
The Ultimate Fighter has had a difficult time developing top-tier talent over the last few seasons, but Ryan Bader appears to be an outlier. Bader is 12-0 (5-0 UFC), an excellent wrestler with solid ground and pound, and an evolving stand-up game with decent power. His victory over Rogerio Nogueira wasn’t overwhelming, but he showed that he definitely belongs in the UFC’s top ten.
Prior to UFC 119, it was largely speculated that Jon Jones would face the winner of Nogueira-Bader. However, I’m not sure that makes a lot of sense at this point in time. Jones is not only at another level than Bader, but a win over Bader wouldn’t advance Jones’ career as much as a fight with someone like Forrest Griffin or even Thiago Silva. Plus, if you look at this from the perspective of continuing to develop Bader, it might be in the UFC’s best interest for him to fight someone else (perhaps also a Griffin or T. Silva).
UFC 119 meets mixed reviews
The jury is still out on UFC 119. I’ve heard and read everything from it was the worst UFC event of all-time to it was a solid card given the names and caliber of fighters involved.
I, myself, don’t think it was even close to the worst UFC show of all-time — I still think that’s UFC 72 — but I do see where some people are coming from. The card featured a host of decisions and a few grappling matches towards the end of the night that probably tainted how the entire show was perceived by most.
In fact, I’d argue the card was probably at a disadvantage to begin with. I’m inclined to believe that most people wrote the night off before it even began due to its lackluster main event and the absence of any truly compelling match-ups. Sometimes that’s a good thing, because it takes the pressure off the fighters and removes some of the expectation placed on an event. UFC 108 and 109 come to mind as events without great main events or compelling match-ups that ended up delivering entertaining fights. UFC 119 just wasn’t on that level.
However, I don’t think the performance of UFC 119 — the value it provided for fans or PPV buys it generated for the company — is an issue or cause for concern. The UFC is going to have bad, good, and great events just like any other sports property. The fans will continue to return so long as the UFC can consistently deliver a compelling reason to purchase the events. For example, this show certainly won’t prevent anyone from watching UFC 121 next month or dissuade them from UFC 124 in December.
This is interesting to me, because I think it underscores the continued development and growing sophistication of MMA fans. The hardcore fan is obviously quite well educated about the sport, but we’re now seeing similar levels of awareness from the average and casual fans (i.e., they are able to discern fights with good potential from fights with bad potential).
There’s definitely both a glass half-full and glass half-empty view to this trend for the UFC. If you’re an optimist, you see growth and a deeper level of awareness which should translate to an eventual expansion of the dedicated/hardcore fan base (your bread and butter). If you’re a pessimist, you’re perhaps disappointed that the influence of the UFC brand is slowly waining – people are no longer buying just because it’s a UFC fight.
Strong Prelim Show May Boost PPV Buys
The UFC 119 buyrate is expected to be relatively weak compared to the last eight events that have all done over 500k buys, but the stellar set of preliminary fights broadcast on Spike might help to boost the show’s bottom line. The Mitrione-Beltran slug fest went all three rounds and likely gained pretty well on viewership; and, despite the rather short nature of the Dolloway fight, his submission of Joe Doerksen was also impressive.
If you combine theose two bouts, it’s more than possible that the UFC did enough to convince additional households to purchase the fight card. It’s very tough to quantify any of the Prelim’s potential impact, but we’ll at least have an idea if it might have helped when we get the quarterly ratings this week.
Sponsorship Watch
This is often my favorite segment, but today I’m going to keep it short.
The one thing I really wanted to mention was the addition of Boost Mobile as a sponsor on the mat and cage padding. Boost has been slowly increasing it’s investment in MMA over the last year; most notably with it’s sponsorship of Rampage Jackson back at UFC 114. It appears the brand will be the presenting sponsor for UFC 120, so look for plenty of signage that evening. I’d also expect, seeing as it’s a Spike TV broadcast, that Boost will purchase some additional ad inventory to further activate it’s new found relationship with the UFC.
I’ll be watching this with a keen eye over the next couple of months to see where this relationship goes. The UFC is a potentially incredible platform for a mobile phone operator to advance on that coveted 18-34 demographic; especially one such as Boost that doesn’t require users to sign contracts.
Parts 2 & 3 after the jump.
After missing weight twice (UFC 103, UFC Fight Night 22) and losing twice (Evan Dunham, Charles Oliveira). From "Hecho en Mexico:"
Hello true fan I was released by the Ufc today speaking to strikeforce and bellator. Taking a week off and make my way back!!!!!
Did Escudero, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 winner, get a fair shake? And what kind of impact can he make in the Strikeforce (or Bellator) lightweight division?
Melendez? Huerta? Bueller?
Cue Cindy Lauper because that's all the former champion really waaaaaaaaaaants ... some fun (via Montreal Gazette):
"These last couple fights, I’ve really, really had a good time. The walk-out, in the locker-room. It’s all just been extremely fun. I think I’ve found a way, and I can’t explain it, where I’m just having a good time out there. I’m just having fun with it.... I don’t know who would be in front of me [in regard to a future title shot]. I don’t know who would be behind me as far as on the ladder for the title shot. I’m still fighting because I still enjoy getting in there."
A refreshed Matt Hughes, who is apparently really enjoying his current three-fight win streak, provides some insight into his current state of mind as he prepares to take on BJ Penn for the third and likely final time at UFC 123 in two months. The most dominant welterweight champion of his era, Hughes now does what he does because it's a good time. He's not concerned with adding another belt to his collection, just another Hawaiian pelt to hang above his fireplace. Is Hughes in for yet another fun night on Nov. 20 or will "The Prodigy" rain on his parade in "Motor City?"
Josh Gross over at Sports Illustrated interviewed Shark Fights CEO Brent Medley after making their PPV debut this past Saturday night with MMA veteran fighters such as Keith Jardine, Trevor Prangley, Houston Alexander, Rameau Sokoudjou, Paul Daley, and Joey Villasenor.
It’s no secret how successful the regional promotion has been in it’s home-base of Amarillo, Texas where they recently drew 10,918 MMA fans to their Shark Fights 12 Unfinished Business event. Shark Fights also touts holding the attendance record for an outdoor MMA event in Texas set in 2009 with 10,603 fans.
Medley gives his thoughts on what he is trying to accomplish with Shark Fights, and what his reasoning is behind having single-fight contracts, and borrowing other promotions fighters such as Strikeforce (Trevor Prangley, Joey Villasenor, Tarec Saffiedine, etc) for this event:
Waldburger, the Shark Fights 170-pound champion, heads to Austin on Wednesday for his UFC debut against highly regarded Californian David Mitchell. And while Medley would have happily promoted the 22-year-old welterweight Saturday night, he says he’s interested in raising talent that “makes it to the next level.”
What Medley believes will set Shark Fights apart from the crowded MMA promotional field:
Few, if any, have ever had a mascot (for what it’s worth, Shark Fights is set to unveil one in a few weeks), which Medley sees as a way to reach mainstream viewers with a product he wants to believe is family friendly.
Medley on Shar Fights 13 PPV expectations and keys for a successful event:
“I knew eventually we’d push to a network or pay-per-view,” said the promoter, who hoped for 30,000 to 50,000 buys. “I wanted to do it backward from some of the other promotions we’ve seen. I wanted to make sure we had packed houses and the live gate was built up enough. The only difference is you come in and plug your cameras into something that shoots it out across the nation.
Medley also spoke to MMAJunkie before the event took place, answer questions about how this event was put together and how they were able to finance it:
“One of the great things is that I’ve got great, great investors who are committed,” said Medley, a former pro fighter who owns a 1999 victory over WEC contender Leonard Garcia. “They’re big fight fans themselves. … So I went to them, and we got separate money for this show. I said I want it (the event costs, including fighters salaries) paid for before the event.
“I’m a fight fan then a promoter. … Are we trying to play with the big boys? Is this event going to leverage our company? The answer is no. The event is separate from our day-to-day profile.”
***
MMAJunkie reports that Shark Fights gave Alexander and Sokoudjou Fight Of The Night Bonuses:
Light heavyweights Houston Alexander and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou were each awarded $2,500 “Fight of the Night” bonuses for their performances at “Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs. Prangley,” which took place Saturday night at the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas.
Payout Perspective:
Shark Fights and Medley are following the keys to success for a regional promotion, which is first to build up a fan base and a home town (Amarillo), slowly building up your promotion with key strategic partnerships and deals (Sherdog, TapouT, Coor Light, ClearTalk, Hooters, Picture Lab Entertainment), and finally having enough backing and investors who are committed to your product where putting on a big show like they did Saturday night would not damage the company’s financial health or bottom-line.
It looks like Shark Fights has a good thing going here, using a footprint similar to what Strikeforce utilized to catapult to the #2 promotion in North America.
Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller says he wants to knock some sense into voters. He is teaming up with UFC for a voter registration rally called "Fight for Your Ultimate Right" at noon on Wednesday in Pida Plaza, which is part of a campaign aimed at inspiring voter turnout. Two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Roy "Big Country" Nelson will speak at the event. Read full article here.
Where does a win over Cole Miller put "The Real Deal" in the UFC's crowded lightweight division?
Controversial upstart mixed martial arts promotion Shine Fights was at it again tonight when it went ahead with it's one-night, eight-man lightweight grand prix tournament from the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma, despite disapproval from the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission.
Drew "Knight Rider" Fickett, Carlo Prater, "Alley Cat" Kyle Baker, Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton, Shannon Gugerty, James Warfield, and Dennis "The Menace" Bermudez were the eight fighters with balls big enough to not only defy the athletic commission, but also face the possibility of having three fights in one night.
Perhaps the least surprising two names on that list, Fickett and Bennett, led off the telecast with the first of the opening round bouts. "Krazy Horse" pulled off a beautiful sweep from the ground on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in the early going and appeared to be in top form, but Fickett kept working for submissions and eventually locked in a fight ending guillotine choke from a standing position with just under a minute and a half remaining in the first round.
In the second opening round bout, Dennis Bermudez used a lot of clinching and a couple of timely takedowns to secure a unanimous decision over short notice fill-in Shannon Gugerty. There wasn't much action in the fight, but there was one "Oh shit!" moment at the end of the first round when Bermudez scored on a trip takedown that sent both fighters tumbling through the ropes and onto the ringside floor.
Thankfully, both fighters escaped injury after the fall.
Warfield and Baker were next up and they were the first set of fighters to make it to the overtime third round. Warfield jumped out to an early lead with some entertaining striking, but Baker battled hard to win the second round with a takedown and some hard ground and pound.
The third round was more of the same from Baker as he took a top position on the ground and pounded his way to a come from behind decision victory. He used up a ton of energy during the fight, though, and also sustained a pretty nasty cut just above his left eye that would come back into play later on in the night when he was unable to get clearance to come back out for the semifinal fight.
Former WEC number one contender Rich Crunkilton would eventually suffer a similar fate.
"Cleat" squared off against MMA journeyman Carlo Prater in the final opening round fight, and they also battled hard for three very close rounds before Crunkilton was able to pull out the split decision. Crunkilton fell behind early, but scored with several takedowns and punching combinations to steal the second round and the third overtime frame.
However, he appeared to be very tired afterward, and it was later announced that he suffered a rib injury and would also be unable to continue in the tournament. Prater and alternate match winner Charlie "Hollywood" Brown would fill in as their replacements in the semifinals.
Fickett and Bermudez met in the first semifinal battle, and Fickett wasted no time scoring another quick submission victory to secure his spot in the final. Bermudez made the mistake of following Fickett to the mat after a slip, and Fickett immediately took his back and sunk in an impressive rear naked choke finish.
He was fired up afterward and looked to be full of energy with one more fight remaining.
Prater would go on to score a two round unanimous decision victory over Brown in the second semifinal bout after having to retape his hands when he found out he would be getting a second chance to fight. The first round was very close, but Prater dominated the second stanza with two takedowns and a lot of top control.
Brown was solid with his striking in the first frame, but the judges awarded the fight unanimously to Prater without needing to see an overtime round.
In the championship final, a fresh Drew Fickett took advantage of the fact that Prater had fought over 17 more minutes than he did in the previous two rounds. He dominated for the third time on the night en route to the tournament title.
In the past Fickett has been accused of being his own worst enemy, but he looked more focused than ever tonight, fighting for the first time as a lightweight. He warned any and all 155-pound fighters afterward to watch their back, and as long as he stays on the path he's on, I see no reason why he can't continue to be as impressive as he was tonight.
The talent is definitely there.
It is Drew Fickett, though, so we'll have to take a wait and see approach on that. But for now things are looking up for "Knight Rider."
That's a wrap from "The Sooner State" on what proved to be a fun night of fights from Shine.