The California State Athletic Commission has released fighter payouts for Strikeforce Challenger 11. Billy Evangelista ($10,000) and Lavar Johnson ($10,000) were the top earners of the event. In total, Strikeforce paid out $52,000 in disclosed payouts.
Payouts
Note: that the money reported below is only the money required to be reported by the commission.
Courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:
Main Event
Bobby Voelker: $9,000 (includes $4,500 win bonus) def. Roger Bowling: $3,500
Main Card:
Lavar Johnson: $10,000 def. Virgil Zwicker: $3,000
Billy Evangelista: $10,000 def. Waachiim Spiritwolf: $2,000
Julia Budd: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus) def. Shana Olsen: $3,000
John Devine: $4,000 ($2,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Cash: $3,000
Under Card:
David Douglas: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus) def. Dominic Clark via TKO (punches): $1,500
Gate and Attendance
MMAJunkie reports that Strikeforce Challengers 11 drew 3,656 attendees for an official live gate of $60,885. The numbers were much lower than the Challengers 7 event held in the same venue back in March, where it drew 4,963 attendees for a $109,222 gate.
Ratings
MMAJunkie also reports that Strikeforce Challengers 11 ratings peaked with 260,000 Showtime viewers. Overall, the show averaged 178,000 viewers (0.59 rating) and peaked during the main event between Bobby Voelker and highly touted Strikeforce WW prospect Roger Bowling, which pulled a 0.86 rating. In contrast, the Challenger 10 show averaged 237,000 viewers, peaking at 280,000.
This event was the lowest rated Strikeforce Challengers event this year, but it is of no surprise considering the competition they had surrounding them. They went up against the Rangers vs Yankees MLB Playoff game head-to-head on that day, plus had the Bellator Eddie Alvarez vs Roger Huerta fight on the day before, and the HUGE UFC 121: Lesnar vs Valaszquez card the following day. Not surprisingly, it received little buzz going into the event. The silver lining here is that the show peaked at 260K with no real big names on the cards and had some serious competition from MLB, Bellator, and the UFC, which is a good number for a Challengers card.
22-1.
The streak is over as Zoila Frausto upsets Megumi Fujii via split decision at Bellator 34 on Oct. 28 in Hollywood.
Rumors have been floating around for the past couple of days involving the recently released EA Sports MMA title being “one-and-done” and “dead on arrival” according to Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz, but when MMAPayout reached out to EA Sports marketing manager Randy Chase, he told us that the report is a bit premature.
The video gaming website ComputerAndVideoGames was the first to report Crutz analysis of EA Sports MMA, which was then picked up by many MMA websites, eventually reaching ESPN’s MMA blog and other big name online media. Crutz went on to say in his report:
“EA’s recently released ‘MMA’ appears to be more or less DOA at retail, while UFC recently announced an extension of its license with THQ, likely putting an end to EA’s efforts to expand into the mixed martial arts genre,” the analyst said in a research note this morning.
The ComputerAndVideoGames article also goes on to note that EA Sports MMA debuted at No. 23 this week, just edging out another competitor which was released on the same day, Activision’s DJ Hero 2 which debuted at #25. The key factor for the disappointing debut for both titles was the the same week release of Fallout: New Vegas, which finished #1 on the chart and was highly anticipated by many video game enthusiasts.
EA Sports released the following statement regarding the rumors:
“EA SPORTS MMA has been in stores for less than a week and it has been well received by critics and consumers for bringing innovation to the genre. We are confident the game will connect with fight fans.”
Contrary to what Crutz said on his report, PastaPadre, a well known sports video gaming news and analysis website within the industry, believes there is a future for EA Sports MMA.
Just one week after the release of EA Sports MMA there are analysts predicting that the company will cease making an MMA game going forward. Sales are reportedly soft and with THQ locking up the UFC license through 2018 the thought is being perpetuated that there is no room to grow and pushing forward would prove futile. That really isn’t the case however and EA is not likely to abandon a growing sport when they have now established themselves as players in the market even as that comes from an underdog role.
Keep in mind these are the same analysts who just recently discussed poor sales coming in for Madden 11 only to have the official sales numbers release and the game show a 12% year over year increase. Basically take anything an analyst says with a grain of salt because they are not tied into the goings on of the sports gaming world and may not be even using official data. They are just looking at numbers and not taking into consideration the context of them.
Payout Perspective:
The low initial sales was something that MMAPayout noted in the EA MMA perspective write-up, and something that should be expected as realistic expectations for this title release. We also mentioned that the game was well received with good scores from respected video game websites/publishers and also garnered positive user feedback.
As PastaPadre points out, EA went into this project with full knowledge of being the underdog in the market and had realistic sale expectations for sales. The key here, if they choose to continue the franchise in 2012, is to establish the base for an MMA franchise that can be released on alternating years with their Fight Night boxing franchise. Though we must point out, releasing the game on the same week as highly anticipated Fallout: New Vegas was released was a big mistake (just as THQ did with releasing UFC Undisputed 2010 in the same week as Red Dead Revolver) and affected their sales.
Despite the low sales this year for both MMA franchises, there is no doubt that the MMA market is still growing and is predicted to keep growing in the next several years, so it is well worth their while to stay in the market. There is no doubt that the UFC brand creates an almost impossible hurdle for EA as they continue to dominate the market, but they also don’t have the pressures of having high licensing costs attached to the game, which ultimately lowers the expectations of the game. Only time will tell what EA decides to do with the franchise, but I believe it is just too early to make decision’s of this magnitude based on the current conditions. When MMAPayout asked EA Sports if there were any existing plans for a 2012 release, they said we were already working on it.
Jason Miller and Nick Diaz have had beef ever since Strikeforce: "Nashville," when "Mayhem" jumped in the cage to call out then champion Jake Shields and ended up getting jumped by the boys from the 209. He has been calling for a fight with Diaz ever since.
Those calls went largely unanswered, but the San Jose-based promotion may face more pressure to set up the fight after yet another confrontation, this time backstage after Strikeforce: "Diaz vs Noons II" earlier this month.
Plenty of stories came out regarding what went down that night. Now we can hear it straight from the horse's mouth courtesy of MMAFighting.com.
Here's a snip:
"I had just finished doing interviews in the back room, and I was walking the same way that he was coming down, and I was actually going to be like, 'Hey, good job, Nick.' But he's coming towards me and he starts mad-dogging me! I was like, really? You're really going to mad-dog me right now? You just fought for 25 minutes! Before I knew it, he had a water bottle hidden down by his side and he threw it at me. I moved out of the way and it hit [training partner] Ryan Parsons in the stomach. I was like, 'Man Ryan, he doesn't like you.' Then we got into some kind of juvenile 'F--- you' match. I was like, 'F--- you bro, you're not even going to do anything.... Actually, as he was walking off or being ushered off, I was like, 'Hey, it's cool, just stay at 170.' Since that's his whole thing is, he won't fight me because he's at 170 [pounds]. Even though he'll fight KJ [Noons], who's not at 170. That's cool for KJ to have to come up, but he won't fight me even though he's talking all this sh-t on me for like five years now, and jumped me on national television."
He also goes on to say that the only one holding up a fight between the two is Diaz himself.
Mayhem is coming off an arm-triangle submission victory over MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba and has now won two in a row since his decision loss to Shields. Diaz, meanwhile, has strung together eight consecutive wins of his own and is the current Strikeforce welterweight champion.
Will Strikeforce President and CEO Scott Coker finally figure out a way to put together this fight? Or will we continue to have to listen to Miller tell Diaz, "Don't be scared, homie?"
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’re taking a look at UFC 121: Lesnar vs Velasquez which was held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday, October 23rd. The event featured a heavyweight title clash between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, but also featured the debut of Jake Shields in the Octagon as well as the return of Tito Ortiz.
Velasquez punishes Lesnar, vaults UFC into new territory
Cain Velasquez was able to negate Brock Lesnar’s tremendous size and athleticism with his combination of wrestling prowess and stand-up acumen. He then displayed a great deal of patience and poise in picking Lesnar a part on the ground to finish the fight. Velasquez is the real deal. He may not be the best pure wrestler or pure striker in the division, but he’s the most well-rounded. Perhaps even scarier is the fact that he’s only 28 and still got room to improve just about everything.
The business implications of this fight are several and involve a bit of a trade-off between the short and long term. Lesnar is the sport’s top draw and best mainstream enabler, but he’s likely to lose a bit of his appeal without the belt. Certainly the 1 million buy guarantee is probably gone unless he fights Mir in a rubber match or lands another title shot. However, it is my belief that we’ve witnessed the birth of the next big draw in the UFC in the form of Velasquez. He may not be the most stirring interview or imposing physical specimen, but he finishes fights and that is ultimately what the fans care about most.
Velasquez also happens to bring a new demographic to the table. Say what you want about the UFC’s marketing tactics for this fight, but it knew it had to hedge its bets when promoting this fight. Velasquez may not sell 1 million PPV buys every fight, but he will prove to be a solid draw for the company on the merit of his 89% stoppage rate and the fact that he gives them a somewhat credible entry point into the Hispanic market both North and South of the border.
I also like this new heavyweight reality from the perspective of asset management. Velasquez is likely to fight more often than Lesnar, which means a quicker turnaround for lucrative heavyweight title fights for the UFC. Lesnar is also now unquestionably the biggest non-title draw in the UFC and someone that can anchor a successful PPV card without title fight support. This single fight has just given Joe Silva a host of new options to play around with when booking fights over the next 6-12 months.
Shields earns win, not fans
Jake Shields did what he does best on Saturday and that’s smother his opponent. It wasn’t an endearing performance and it seems reasonable to assume the UFC was looking for a little more from him last night. However, he did get the job done and remains the front runner to challenge the winner of GSP-Koscheck II, according to Dana White. The choice between Shields and Fitch – both of whom have similar styles – has likely come down to providing the welterweight division with a fresh-faced contender. Shields has been hyped for so long as the best welterweight outside the UFC that he’ll likely generate more interest than a guy like Fitch.
Note: Keep a close eye on the payouts this week. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of guaranteed money Shields received from the UFC to defect from Strikeforce.
Ortiz classy in defeat, but that may not help him
Tito Ortiz may have been all class on Saturday night, but I’m not sure that’s going to help him stay in the UFC. He’s now lost four of his last five bouts and is no longer a relevant player within his division – not even as a gate keeper. Furthermore he isn’t the PPV or live gate draw that he used to be which calls the nature of his sizable contract into question.
The new relationship between Ortiz and the UFC was founded upon mutual benefit, but I can’t see it lasting if Ortiz no longer brings something to the agreement. This is simply the nature of the business.
UFC 121 draws the smallest gate of Brock Lesnar’s career
The UFC drew 14,856 to the Honda Center on Saturday night for UFC 121, which generated $2.15 million at the gate. Here’s the paradox: UFC 121 has come in as the lowest gate of Brock Lesnar’s career but on an event that will likely become the second or third highest-grossing PPV card of his career.
It’s difficult to reconcile the above, but I think it’s largely reflective of ticket pricing. The range for this fight was $75, $125, $200, $300, $400 and $500. While the demand for this fight may have been there at lower ticket levels or on PPV, the $300+ tickets may have exceeded the Anaheim MMA area reservation price.
I’d be very interested to learn whether the UFC is experimenting with any sort of ticket pricing sensitivity models, because from what we’ve seen over the last few years it appears as though the company is leaving money on the table with some of these inflated prices. Sure, the UFC comps a couple thousand tickets every night and that’s great from an exposure perspective, but at some point you want to maximize ticket revenue. I’d also argue that there are benefits to making the consumer purchase a product that go well beyond short-term revenue: the consumer is far more engaged with a product when they’ve had to sacrifice something to get it and it’s certainly difficult to get someone to pay for something after they’ve been consuming it for free.
Sponsorship watch
UFC 121 marked the official debut of Boost Mobile as an official UFC sponsor. They had a host of cage and mat signage, cut graphics through the telecast, and a presence on the UFC promotional material in the weeks leading up to the fight. It’ll be interesting to see what they drum up in terms of activation. The company has already initiated a nationwide sweepstakes entitled Your Town, Our Fighter, which offers a UFC viewing party with the fighter of your choice. Interestingly, the promotional partner for this activation is Samsung. I’ve said for a while now that the consumer electronics industry ought to seriously look at a partnership with the UFC, and Samsung might be able to use this promotion with Boost as a way to test the waters.
The UFC has not been shy in how they are promoting Cain Velasquez. From the UFC 121 commercial stating that Cain could be the first Mexican champion, to the promotional videos shown below, the UFC is clearly banking on the Mexican fans to rally behind their potential Mexican HW champion Saturday night.
El Guerrero – Cain Velasquez (fan made but endorsed by the UFC):
Fight Hub – Cain Velasquez Gets Mobbed In LA
NOTABLE QUOTES:
StitchDuran – Weigh-ins was jammed packed with rabid fans. When I started the only Chicanos interested in the UFC where me and Tito. Not any more.
E. Casey Leydon (All Elbows) – The brown angle is working well right now judging by the crowd here at the weighins.
Wrestling Observer (subscription) – There is interest in the Mexican community in the main event. It’s funny because they really don’t know Velasquez, but because of all the commercials, people do know that a Mexican is challenging for the world heavyweight title and that has piqued interest.
Payout Perspective:
Boxing promoters have tried for many years to discover a Mexican HW champion that people could rally behind, knowing that the potential payoff in such a find would be huge due to the heavy Mexican support for their fellow fighters. The strategy is nothing new to Boxing, who tried doing the same with John Ruiz (born in Massachusetts), who became the first Latino Heavyweight Champion after he defeated Evander Holyfield to capture the WBA HW Championship back in 2001. Earlier this year, boxing was trying to do it again, though this time with newcomer Chris Arreola, but he was completely over-matched in his title bout against HW champion Vitali Klitschko.
The UFC is now trying to do something boxing has failed to do in the past, and that’s to find their “first” Mexican HW Champion (though Cain was born in the USA). The potential payoff is huge again here, and if Cain were to win, the UFC can always come back to Southern California or Mexico, where Cain would become a huge draw.
This marketing strategy has irked quite a few fans and many have complained about the UFC “over doing it”, but these opportunities don’t present themselves very often in combat sports, and the UFC is looking to be one of the first to be able to cash in on the opportunity. The weigh-ins for this event have already been reported to having more Mexican/Latino fans than ever before. The only question now is if Cain can deliver and give the Mexican fight fans someone they can rally behind, which will ultimately mean a growing audience in the coveted Latino demographic.
THQ and Zuffa have officially announced an extension of their exclusive video game licensing deal to continue publishing their UFC branded franchises through 2018.
THQ Inc. today announced that it has extended its exclusive, worldwide agreement with Zuffa, LLC to publish videogames based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) (UFC(R)) brand through 2018.
“We’re very excited to extend our relationship with Zuffa and the Ultimate Fighting Championship,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ. “Working closely together with Dana White and the incredible team at UFC, we plan to continue to deliver outstanding interactive UFC experiences to gamers around the world in all new ways, including social, mobile and brand extensions.”
“THQ has delivered the quality demanded by UFC and its fans with the first two Undisputed(TM) games and we are about to broaden the UFC brand experience among gaming fans through social and mobile apps,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We are impressed by the passion that THQ brings to making great games and we look forward to working together to create even greater gaming experiences for our fans in the future.”
Under the terms of the agreement, THQ has obtained the rights to create videogames for all current and next-generation consoles, PC and handheld platforms, in addition to certain social media and wireless rights, including iPhone and iPad. Rights also include online, downloadable and multi-player capabilities in connection with the various gaming systems.
Payout Perspective:
The deal was struck just a few months after UFC Undisputed 2010 fell short of expectations, shipping 2.7 million units for gaming consoles, trailing UFC Undisputed 2009 who shipped 3.5 million units the year before. Due to the drop in sales, THQ decided to delay the next UFC Undisputed release and move the development for the title into a 15-to-21 month cycles instead of the originally planned yearly release. Since the next Undisputed release is not scheduled until the first quarter of 2012, THQ and Zuffa are planning to release UFC Trainer (a motion-sensored workout game) in January of 2011 for the Wii, PlayStation Move, and the Xbox 360′s Kinect.
The move to extend the licensing agreement with THQ was a bit of a surprise for some industry insiders, who expected Zuffa to shop around for the highest bidder. Instead, UFC and THQ agreed to an extension which would guarantee at least 4-5 more Undisputed titles and plenty of other side projects such as the UFC Trainer game within that period. The deal also guarantees exclusivity for the UFC brand to be developed into video games for the PSP, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, which will be a vital market to target within the next few years. Last month, THQ released the mobile version of Undisputed 2010 on the Sony PSP mobile platform.
Florida-based, mixed martial arts American Top Team (ATT) has partnered with exercise equipment manufacturer VertiMax.
The VertiMax uses resistance to condition the athlete. To use the VertiMax, the athlete puts on a waist harness that is secured by resistance-like bands that are tethered to a flat 3 or 4 foot platform. Various exercises can be performed but the most common exercise is a quick jump which forces the athlete to jump against the resistance of the bands. According to the web site, models retail from $1,7995 and up.
ATT’s press release:
We are excited to align ourselves with a top-notch company like VertiMax whose expertise and know-how in the field of strength and conditioning equipment will help our athletes maintain that competitive edge. The VertiMax has been utilized by manyof the world’s premiere athletes in the sports world such as the NFL, MLB and NBA to develop explosive power and speed.
Payout Perspective:
ATT’s strategic partnership with VertiMax is an intriguing relationship that other gyms and teams will follow to determine its success. For ATT, there is the likelihood of VertiMax sponsorship for its fighters. It is another training method that can work on strength and explosion. For VertiMax, it opens its product to more athletes. It’s unlikely that many MMA athletes would use VertiMax but for the partnership.
Currently, the VertiMax web site states that Jon Jones, Rashard Evans and Frankie Edgar have implemented the VertiMax in their training. An impressive list. The success of the partnership will eventually be based upon the success of ATT fighters in competition. If ATT fighters win in competition, one may infer that the training works. If not, it will not. If ATT fighters succeed, VertiMax can approach other MMA gyms and teams to sell its product.
Thanks to FightMetric.com for the stats. Check out the total performance rating for "Bisping vs. Akiyama" and the anemic grappling report after the jump.
For complete UFC 120 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.
UFC 120: "Bisping vs. Akiyama" is set to take place LIVE today (Sat., Oct. 16, 2010) from the O2 Arena in London, England. It is scheduled to air via five-hour tape delay in the United States, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Spike TV.
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the tape-delayed main card action later this evening, However, for those who want to know the outcomes and/or discuss the fights as they happen, this is the place to do it.
We will not be updating this post with results -- it's all up to you, the readers, to make this post work.
So have at it in the comments section below -- the first preliminary card fight is expected to go off around 1 p.m. ET. Please keep all SPOILERS here and not in our main UFC 120 results post.
CHICAGO, Ill. (October 14, 2010) — Huntington Beach-based knockout artist "Razor" Rob McCullough has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator Fighting Championships and will compete in the upcoming Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament.
The former WEC Lightweight Champion enters the promotion riding a two-fight win streak and boasts a professional record of 19-6, with 10 of those wins coming via KO or TKO. The fan favorite, due to his consistently entertaining performances, holds impressive victories over Rich Crunkilton, Nam Pham, Marcus Hicks, and most recently, UFC veteran Corey Hill.
"Razor Rob is a dangerous lightweight with championship experience who has consistently displayed an ability to end fights throughout his career," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "If you are a fan of the Lightweight division in MMA, you’ve got to be a fan of Razor’s. I’m looking forward to watching him compete in our Season 4 Lightweight Tournament."
There is no question that it was McCullough’s life outside of the cage that made him the fighter he is today. Leaving home at age 14, he spent a large part of his adolescence on the streets of Huntington Beach, bouncing from friend’s couches and getting involved with gangs.
"I grew up with a pretty crazy family life as a kid. I separated from my family at a fairly young age," said McCullough. "I ended up telling my Mom that I was going to the beach, and I packed my bags, knowing that I wasn't coming back. I ended up getting mixed up in a lot of gang stuff after I left home."
However, "Razor" eventually found security and guidance in a local kickboxing gym where he started training in 1995.
"I started thinking to myself, 'Dude, this is not the road I pictured my life going down.’ I was packing knives and fighting all the time, and I was just like, 'Man, this sucks.’ That's when I started training kickboxing. Shortly after that I hooked up with Tito Ortiz, who was fighting for the UFC in its early stages, and just totally dedicated myself to training," said McCullough."I absolutely feel like martial arts saved my life."
McCullough went 35-2 in his amateur kickboxing career, eventually transitioning to training MMA fulltime and going pro in 2001. McCullough rose quickly in the sport. By 2007 he amassed an eight fight win streak, eventually capturing the WEC Lightweight title.
However, after winning the belt the dangerous striker admittedly lost focus and motivation, going 2-3 in his next five fights.
"I never grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth, and then all of a sudden I started making some money after becoming successful in my fighting career," said McCullough. "I was going to clubs all the time…flying to Tokyo…hanging out at the Playboy Mansion and next thing I knew, I was completely and totally distracted from my career as a professional mixed martial artist."
A year and a half ago McCullough felt himself losing grip on his life again and decided it was time to make a change, he has been clean and sober since that time. Getting married and having a little boy all within the last year, McCullough has found himself with a new dedication and drive for the sport.
"Before I was fighting just because I loved to do it and I couldn't believe I was getting paid to do what I love, but now it's a lot more serious," said McCullough. "The guy that I'm fighting is trying to take food off my kid's table. It's entirely different now. I've found a new focus and a new motivation, so I'm ready to get in there and get buck wild in Bellator."
"I'm really glad to be part of a promotion as great as Bellator. I'm ready to get back to work, and finish fights. Getting in the cage and being able to mix it up with the best of the best is what I'm in this sport for. I've been doing this for 15 years for a reason, and it's to test myself against the best competition in the world. I'll be able to do that at Bellator," said McCullough.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’ll be taking a look at the Showtime event headlined by Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, as he makes his first title defense and tries to avenge his only loss in the past 3 years against challenger KJ Noons.
The event took place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and featured 4 fights (2 title fights): Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons [WW Title] Sarah Kaufman vs Marloes Coenen [Women's 135 lbs Title], Josh Thomson vs “JZ” Cavalcante, and Tyron Woodley vs Andre Galvao.
Fighter Disclosed Payouts
MMAJunkie reports that Strikeforce: Diaz vs Noons II had a disclosed fighter payroll of $211,500.
Nick Diaz: $50,000
def. K.J. Noons: $10,000
Josh Thomson: $50,000
def. Gesias Cavalcante: $40,000
Marloes Coenen: $3,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus)
def. Sarah Kaufman: $20,000
Tyron Woodley: $15,000 ($7,500 win bonus)
def. Andre Galvao: $10,000
James Terry: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
David Marshall: $1,500
Josh McDonald: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Ron Keslar: $1,500
Jess Bouscal: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Luis Mendoza: $1,500
DISCLAMER: These are the base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect the total amount earned by each fighter.
Attendance and Gate
MMAJunkie reports that Strikeforce: Diaz vs Noons II achieved an attendance of 7,559 which places it near the bottom of their “Arena Series” events (a disappointing number) and a gate of $528,446.50 (which is on par with other similar Strikeforce events). The attendance number stands as the 5th most attended event for Strikeforce this year.
- 11,757 spectators, “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum” (June)
- 8,635 spectators, “Strikeforce: Houston” (August)
- 8,196 spectators, “Strikeforce: Nashville (April)
- 8,136 spectators, “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” (May)
- 7,559 spectators, “Strikeforce: Diaz vs Noons II (October)
- 7,010 spectators, “Strikeforce: Miami” (January)
- 5,259 spectators, “Strikeforce: Los Angeles” (June)
Ratings
MMAJunkie reports that Strikeforce: Diaz vs Noons II averaged 350,000 viewers for a 1.16 rating on Showtime this past Saturday night, but peaked at half a million viewers (509,000) for a 1.64 rating for the main event between Nick Diaz and KJ Noons. The average number is the third lowest rating for a major show this year but the peak number is very good for an event that didn’t feature any big names like Fedor, Gina Carano or Herschel Walker. A key number to observe here is the peak number, which means more for Showtime because of the correlation between how many current and new subscribers are watching Strikeforce, which differs from the UFC, WEC, Bellator, and other promotions with TV deals (non-subscription channels) which are ad and rating dependent.
The average viewer numbers stands as the 4th most watched event for Strikeforce this year but the peak number is a good indicator that fans tuned in to see the main event between Nick Diaz and KJ Noons.
- 517,000 viewers (peak not available), “Strikeforce: Miami” (January)
- 412,000 viewers (700,000 peak), “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum” (June)
- 367,000 viewers (470,000 peak), “Strikeforce: Houston” (August)
- 350,000 viewers (509,000 peak), “Strikeorce: Diaz vs Noons II (October)
- 308,000 viewers (448,000 peak), “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” (May)
- 164,000 viewers (197,000 peak), “Strikeforce: Los Angeles” (June) [Special Wednesday Show]
Storylines Coming Out of Event
There were 6 major story lines coming out of the event this past weekend.
1) Heyman Hustle Signs with EA Sports to Promote Strikeforce Fighters for MMA Video Game Release
Note: Scott Coker recently told Fight Magazine in an interview that he is looking forward to working with Paul Heyman in the future. MMAPayout has learned that due to some existing projects that Heyman is working on, he has to wait until those are completed before he could sign with Strikeforce. He is currently working with EA Sports and is very possible he may join Strikeforce in 2011.
2) Strikeforce Officially Unveils New Logo, Product Line, and Online Store
World championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE will pre-launch its forthcoming online apparel store, StrikeforceStore.com, tomorrow/Saturday, Oct. 9, the day of its the world championship doubleheader STRIKEFORCE: Diaz vs. Noons II event live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from HP Pavilion in San Jose.
The pre-launch will provide fans with the opportunity to purchase apparel sporting STRIKEFORCE’s new, revamped logo. The complete, new online store is expected to officially launch at the beginning of December, just in time for the holidays.
3) Strikeforce Unveils Lineup for First DVD Release
A hard-hitting collection of brutal battles and thrilling knockouts featuring some of the greatest fighters of the world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) league, STRIKEFORCE MMA slams its way onto DVD October 12 from Showtime Networks, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. This two-disc set is a must-have for MMA fans and includes the hottest fights of 2010—previously seen only on SHOWTIME®—along with rare bonus features including never-before-broadcast fights and exclusive interviews. (Strikeforce Press Release)
4) Strikeforce, Sherdog, and EA Announce “MMA Fighter Exchange” Project
Watch worlds collide as Strikeforce MMA giants Gegard Mousasi, Jacare Souza, Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Luke Rockhold take four up and coming fighters under their wing. See these fighters grow as they fly across the globe to train in new fighting arts in foreign countries. Follow each fighter’s page as they post daily blogs, photos, video and live twitter feeds about what it’s like to push their bodies and minds, learning from top fighters and famous trainers in unfamiliar lands, striving towards their dream shot at fighting in an upcoming Strikeforce Event!! (Sherdog)
5) Backstage Altercation Between Nick Diaz and Jason “Mayhem” Miller
- There was a backstage altercation between Nick Diaz and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who were the main participants in the Nashville CBS brawl back in March. There was a war of words between the two and Nick Diaz threw a water bottle at Miller, who was with his manager Ryan Parsons. Allegedly, security had to step in and pull the two apart, escorting Miller out of the arena. MiddleEasy.com was said to have video of the altercation but nothing has surfaced yet.
6) A New Beginning for Strikeforce
- The Strikeforce regional promotion era, which began in 2006 and continued on even after signing their deal with Showtime and CBS is now gone. The regional promotion that once set the North American record for the most attended event and first sanctioned event in California is all but gone. For the past 18 months, it has been struggling to make the transition from regional promotion to worldwide brand, and it did so by finally changing their logo and appearance, which it debuted in this event. There are a number of ventures which Strikeforce is currently working on to grow and expand its brand, but the great regional support Strikeforce once had from its San Jose fanbase appears to be diminishing, partly due to local heroes such as Cung Le, Frank Shamrock (retired), and Cesar Gracie (retired) exiting the fight game. Look for Strikeforce to move on to markets such as St. Louis, Texas, Southern States, and eventually the East Coast (New Jersey) by the end of next year.
Sponsor, Promotion and Marketing Watch
- As the norm, we always want more marketing and promotion from most every Strikeforce event, and its a topic that they juggle everyday regarding their budget, resources, and strategic planning for each event, but this time they hired AllElbows to produce the “Diaz vs Noons II -Collision Course” three-part documentary series. This is something that fans were very receptive of, and hopefully something that Strikeforce, Showtime, and AllElbows will continue to support.
- All the usual sponsors where there for this event: FullTilt Poker, Rockstar, GoDaddy, ClinchGear, etc. As we like to point out here on MMAPayout, we always like to see more synergy between big sponsors and the promotions. GoDaddy.com once again hosted their Strikeforce ticket contest, as they held a giveaway for lucky fans to win 2 tickets to the Strikeforce Diaz vs Noons II event. The HP Pavilion, EA Sports MMA, and Showtime, twitter feeds also did a commendable job at promoting the event. Scott Coker himself (@cokersf) even started to tweet more around the event and looks like will continue to do so to promote his company from here on out. We definitely want to see more of this from all of Strikeforce’s partners and sponsors.
Twitter Trends
Good news for Strikeforce here, as the key words “Marloes #Coenen“, “Tyron #Woodley“, KJ “#Noons“, and “Nick Diaz” were all top trends during the evening of the Strikeforce: Diaz vs Noons II event. In fact, “Nick Diaz” was one of the top trends that night, trailing just “Denzel Washington” ‘s Saturday Night Live appearance. This event now holds the record for most Strikeforce fighters trending in one event.
That would make it 4 out of the last 5 events that have trended on Twitter for Strikeforce, with the latest having “#Strikeforce” and “#Jacare” trending from the Strikeforce Houston event, where Jacare won the vacant MW title when he defeated Tim Kennedy in the evenings co-main event.
The Las Vegas Sun (H/t Bloody Elbow) reports that Zuffa filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court of Nevada on Friday against a British man, Daniel Wallace, for illegally streaming UFC PPVs over the internet. The UFC has filed a temporary restraining order prohibiting Wallace’s website, livevss.tv (associated with livevss.net), from streaming this Saturday’s UFC 120.
The Complaint alleges that Wallace operates a web site that illegally streams UFC PPVs for free. Wallace’s site makes a profit through the use of “pop up” ads shown throughout the streaming. Zuffa’s lawsuit (obtained via Pacer) claims that Wallace’s web site illegally streamed UFC 119. As evidence, it attached a screen grab as an exhibit to its Complaint.
Although UFC 120 is free in the United States, it will be available on PPV in Australia.
In conjunction with the lawsuit, Zuffa filed an Emergency Temporary Restraining Order and a Motion for Preliminary Injunction to stop the site from illegally streaming this Saturday’s fight card. It is requesting that the domain name registrar shut down the web site prior to Saturday’s UFC 120.
Payout Perspective:
The complaint and request for injunctive is an example of the crackdown vowed by the UFC against internet piracy of its PPVs. The following may seem familiar, it text is shown prior to UFC PPVs:
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Although no criminal violations have been filed as suggested from the warning, the legal action reflects Zuffa’s aggressive legal strategy in enforcing its product. This lawsuit suggests that Zuffa is monitoring web sites that illegally show its content and will exercise its right to sue. In this case, Zuffa is requesting statutory damages up to $150,000 as well as legal costs, attorney fees and further monetary damages.
It is understandable that Zuffa is flexing its legal muscle in order to protect its brand as well as making sure that potential internet streamers (and those that may patronize pirate web sites) know that the UFC is monitoring the web. As a result, Zuffa hopes to deter pirated PPVs.
