Cloud of Mystery Descends Over Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament
by Nate Wilcox on Feb 24, 2011 3:31 PM EST
in Strikeforce Analysis
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Strikeforce has gotten off to a great start in 2011. They've run two events: Diaz vs Cyborg and Fedor vs Silva. Both of those events did excellent ratings on Showtime. More importantly the Heavyweight Grand Prix got off to a banner start and has compelled the imaginations of fans.
Then Sherdog reported that the April 9th event would NOT include Alistair Overeem vs Fabricio Werdum or Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers -- the second installment of the tournament's opening round.
Since then nothing has been clear. Strikeforce has not commented on the news and Strikeforce boss Scott Coker has been too ill to field questions from the press.
Dave Meltzer speculates on what it might mean (subscription required):
Greg Savage at Sherdog.com reported that the Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers and Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum show has been moved back. The report stated there would be a 4/9 show on Showtime that would take place in California. With Barnett not licensed in California, that would move the Grand Prix back. Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri for the lightweight title and Nick Diaz defending the welterweight title (presumably against Paul Daley as long as he beats Yuya Shirai on 2/26 in Manchester, England, if not maybe Tyron Woodley) are under consideration. All of these are moving pieces since Daley would only have six weeks between fights so there's no guarantee he's taking the fight under those circumstances. Scott Coker has yet to say anything regarding this change. Currently, Strikeforce has not informed the California State Athletic Commission of a tentative date or place for 4/9, and the HP Pavilion has a Sharks game that night so it would be impossible to hold it there.
It also may be that CBS is back interested in a show after the ratings Showtime pulled, and at that point you have to take a date CBS wants. Keep in mind that is pure speculation and not even speculation based on anything anyone has hinted to me. Right now there are just unanswered questions.
If it is delayed past April and they don't get on CBS, it is unlikely the next round would take place until June. Showtime has a boxing PPV on 5/7 with Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley and I doubt they or CBS would put anything against that given how high a priority getting Pacquiao was. They also have Andre Ward fighting on 5/14 and Carl Froch on 5/21, while 5/28 is a fairly big UFC show.
Zach Arnold takes Strikeforce to the woodshed:
When the promotion decided to book a year-long ‘tournament' as the main theme for 2011, they had to realize that everything needed to set up for the year. That means the arena bookings, the matches, and everything logistical. Even PRIDE, of all organizations, had a slate of dates booked for Saitama Super Arena or buildings like Yokohama Arena. (They had to, since most buildings in Japan require a 4-6 month advance booking date, if not longer.) The fact that Strikeforce still doesn't reportedly have a venue booked for April 9th for the rest of the first round is absurd. The idea that Sherdog's report on this has not been disputed yet by the promotion is curious. All of this chaos is also completely unfair to fighters who have training camps and are trying to peak at the right time. How would you like to be Alistair Overeem right now? You thought you were going to become the ‘ace' of K-1, you won all your fights last December at Ariake Colosseum, and then you end up claiming that they didn't pay you? He had big plans for Japan, so much so that he signed with talent agency Yoshimoto. Now, he fully commits to Strikeforce, and what happens? He's like the rest of us in not knowing what is going on - and he's supposed to fight a major opponent in Fabricio Werdum!
All of this chaos started with the dumb notion of wanting to run events in Japan. Yes, I predicted that the promotion would try to run there, but I never thought it made any financial sense. With all the chaos going on there now, why make things harder for yourself? Seemingly, that seems to be the theme of this operation right now. Once the landscape in Japan fell apart, the promotion should have already had everything ready to go to promote an event on April 9th. After all, that's the date the promotion pushed on Showtime for the next event. You have all those eyeballs watching Fedor's fight and you tell fans that a certain date will be used for the rest of the first round and now you are hedging on that. Why? None of this uncertainly should have happened in the first place.
Showtime has a Strikeforce event scheduled for April 9th and it will happen. Strikeforce could rent a barge tow it into international waters and as long as Showtime's production crew can set up, the event will happen.
It's also important to remember that this event is more than forty sixty days out. It's not unheard of to not have a venue announced that far out.
What is problematic is Strikeforce's poor media response. When there is fear, uncertainty and doubt about your product in the media, it's critical to get out there and tell your story. Strikeforce's silence in the face of these reports is the worst possible response.
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I agree their silence on this is one of the biggest issues, but 44 days out without a venue, while still not unheard of, isn’t a positive thing by any stretch.
by Jamie Penick on Feb 24, 2011 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
And yet, Strikeforce doesn’t even have an opponent yet for their top star and welterweight champion Nick Diaz. What if Daley wins, but comes out injured? Do they just assume everything’s going to work out?
Say what you want about Zuffa, but Dana and Lorenzo one tight f*cking ship.
Strikeforce’s silence in the face of these reports is the worst possible response.
Literally the bottom line.
Bushleage
This fight for the fish is a fight to the death!
by doonerthesooner on Feb 24, 2011 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
I have to say yes and no to that. This one has gotten out of control to the point where yes some one should be out in front saying some thing. But no I don’t agree that every time some one hallucinates up a rumour that Coker should drop every thing he is doing and give an immediate interview. That goes double if he has a problem that he needs to be working. Lets face it there is BS info coming out of half baked bloggers all the time.
I think part of the problem is Coker needs to delegate more.
i hope this reminds
all the excitable people on the internet what a huge world of difference there is between the ufc and everything else these days. sometimes we can forget that.
i’ve got nothing against strikeforce, it has some great fighters and it puts on some great fights, but it is what it is. if you wonder why supposed “noobs” don’t pay attention to what SF is doing, well, stuff like this is why.
by Clifford J on Feb 24, 2011 2:48 PM EST reply actions 8 recs
When the HW tournament was announced, most of us thought “Well, at least we’ll get one good round of fights” before it fell apart. We got halfway there!
Getting bent out of shape over a fight promoter lying is like getting upset that a hooker won't kiss you. It betrays a deep lack of understanding of the nature of the profession.
by Stanlee on Feb 24, 2011 2:52 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
My initial comments were, hope its completed by 2014
by Spider_Vemon on Feb 24, 2011 3:19 PM EST up reply actions
not if the world ends in 2012
which could totally happen by Overeem delivering a Falcon Punch to the ground.
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:44 PM EST up reply actions
Well seeing how there are scheduled releases for millions of products and films and other thingies for 2013 I think the only people that buy that 2012 bullshit is Montel Williams and other weak minded fools.
by Spider_Vemon on Feb 25, 2011 8:52 AM EST up reply actions
It really says something when I’m able to start planning on making a drive to Wisconsin in August for a rumored UFC on Versus card and Strikeforce is pulling this shit. Most people thought SF was going to start acting like a top promotion should, and they failed.
Hardcore MMA fan since UFC 99
by ChiCubs23 on Feb 24, 2011 2:56 PM EST reply actions 7 recs
UFC has shit planned for its next 127 128 129 130 131 Fight Nights, Versus cards, TUF finales, Rio and Philly, another Versus event in the summer and SF cant plan past the March 5th event.
If it's CBS calling...
then it’s all good and they are doing the right thing.
If it’s just bad planning and issues with Barnett, then they are retarded. Signing Barnett was a stupid risk to begin with, considering he’s not even a big sell in the USA and his history of roids is not something SF should want. (Lots of guys have tested positive once, but 3 times is just silly, especially when he still doesn’t accept any guilt.)
by Bob Loblaw TX on Feb 24, 2011 2:56 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
The way I’ve understood it is that CBS is out of the MMA game after what happened with EliteXC followed up by the Assault on Jason Miller
by Spider_Vemon on Feb 24, 2011 3:21 PM EST up reply actions
but if the CBS thing is legit
do they have any say in the venue? i know it’s a stupid question of sorts, but the murky way of StrikeForce dealings lately have everyone in the dark, and it may be a factor.
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:45 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t think CBS is necessarily done, done with MMA. But at this point there really doesn’t seem any point in them doing it when their scripted programming is destroying every thing in it’s path. They might get in for the semi final rounds but I just can’t see any scenario where CBS gets on board for this round of the tournament.
Not sure Le would take that fight. But it would be fun.
by Scribonius Curio on Feb 24, 2011 2:57 PM EST up reply actions
isn't Cung Le
still doing a movie for now? if so, he might not make it in time. it would be a great match though.
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:46 PM EST up reply actions
I would have been shocked if this thing went on without a hitch. Not surprised it’s already hitting pot holes before the first round is complete.
It’s not surprising that the tournament has speed bumps. It is surprising that it seems to be a result of Strikeforce’s general incompetence and not a matter of injuries, drug tests, Fedor’s management, etc.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
by Mike Fagan on Feb 24, 2011 2:59 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
The “general incompetence” seems to me to be the least surprising aspect of this matter. SF has been winging it for awhile now, really since they signed Russian Elvis. I do think that if they could get a few bounces, Coker wouldn’t need to have an ice-pack on his head. But they kind of seem like a quixotic bunch that, due to a difficult landscape and routine misfortune, is simply being overwhelmed by the implications of their high ambition. It says something about the evolution of the sport when fans have begun to expect a little sure-handedness from their MMA promotions at least with regard to their PR efforts. The grandiose vision (even if it’s just mirrors) is great. But its failure can lead to grand and crippling disappointment.
by Charlie Custer on Feb 24, 2011 3:37 PM EST up reply actions
Ehhh . . . I'm not worried.
yet.
I tend to be biased towards strikers . . . exciting strikers.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
I find it hard to believe
there’s a CBS card in the works. Considering CBS would either have to counter-program Showtime’s boxing shows or go up against a major UFC one. You think CBS would go up against a PPV Nate?
Just seems fishy, since April-June are booked. Doesn’t work out.
but CBS owns Showtime
so what incentive do they have in counter-programming?
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:47 PM EST up reply actions
get rid of barnett and bring in the alternate so the tournament can continue.
by jks9202 on Feb 24, 2011 3:03 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
It's funny how
Josh Barnett could fuck everything up for Strikeforce so bad.
It's not just Barnett
Strikeforce is amateur when it comes to these things, they should have booked the whole first round before announcing the tournament. In fact all 4 opening round fights should have been on the same night. They have non-exclusive contracts with all of their top fighters so any one of them can go somewhere else and get smashed, leaving them worthless to the promotion. Strikeforce bit off more than they can chew with this event. The coming months will be filled with mismatches and freak show fights. Strikeforce has some solid fighters on their roster but they aren’t even in the same ballpark as the UFC and it’s becoming clearer every day.
by mrpinc on Feb 24, 2011 3:08 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Strikeforce has some solid fighters on their roster but they aren’t even in the same ballpark as the UFC and it’s becoming clearer every day.
If it looks like a shill, smells like a shill, and posts like a shill…
I hope you at least get paid to write this drivel.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Feb 24, 2011 3:28 PM EST up reply actions
The problem?
What do you not agree with? Do you not think Strikeforce has solid fighters? Or do you think they are in the same league as UFC?
Its not that I don’t agree with the premise of your statement.
Little phrases like “strikeforce is amatuer” or “isn’t in the same ballpark as the UFC” betray your prejudice. I clicked on your username, lo and behold, you have 3 days on this site and all of your comments shit on Strikeforce. That shit is tired, its obvious they aren’t the UFC.
To me that says your either a paid shill (as virtually your entire contribution to the site at this point has been making sarcastic remarks about SF or their fighters), or, as RDS so eloquently put, you suck at life and take vicarious pleasure in the success of the UFC relative to other promotions.
So, again, I hope you get paid for this shit.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Feb 24, 2011 3:48 PM EST up reply actions
Strikeforce is ameteur and not in the same ballpark as the UFC.
Good fighters, and they do put on fun fights. But they simply aren’t on the same level as the UFC or even close to it.
I’m not insulting them, not every organization can be the premier org.
Yeah. Read the rest of his posts.
And i don’t think you know what amateur means.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Feb 24, 2011 3:55 PM EST up reply actions
You are familiar with the concept of metaphor, right?
Also, the 3rd definition of amateur off M-W.com “one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science”
I’m saying that Strikeforce plainly lacks competence in the “art or science” of promoting MMA. I’m calling them second-rate. I don’t get why this is controversial. To me it is obvious.
I like a lot of the fights they put on, but every damn event seems to have unecessary distractions and problems.
Or....
I just speak the truth. Strikeforce is amateur compared to the UFC. This is certainly debatable but it is my position.
I’m glad you found my username button you should applaud yourself.
In regards to me being on the site 3 days, well yes, I was compelled to post when the news that the tournament was not happening.
I like Strikeforce, and as I indicated in other posts – (so not all my posts “shit” on them like you say). I am simply frustrated with their plan of slowly building their organization and instead trying to outduel the UFC by planning the HWGP with several unreliable fighters.
As for me “sucking at life”. I made no personal insults to any of the posters on these threads yet you have now called me a “schill” twice and accused me of “suck(ing) at life and take vicarious pleasure in the success of the UFC relative to other promotions.” Perhaps you should evaluate your own messaging practices. If you would like my personal biography to see my life accomplishments then I can send you a resume, pay stub, family portrait, jiu jitsu belts, professional awards, academic awards and so on and we can compare those life accomplishments to yours, which so far seem to be limited to insulting people on an MMA forum.
by mrpinc on Feb 24, 2011 3:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Sorry typo...
…I am simply frustrated with their abandoning of their plan of slowly building their organization…."
so not all my posts "shit" on them like you say
as virtually your entire contribution to the site at this point has been making sarcastic remarks about SF or their fighters
And you don’t know what the word “virtuallly” means either. Good stuff.
Like I said before, I hope you don’t suck at life. And you sound like a shill. It is what it is.
As for your CV, I could give a shit.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Feb 24, 2011 4:02 PM EST up reply actions
It is what it is
No sentence better indicates genius
by mrpinc on Feb 24, 2011 4:04 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Danke
And along with someone who seemingly doesn’t know the definitions of everyday words, I am apparantly in good company.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Feb 24, 2011 4:12 PM EST up reply actions
i don't
Which is why the constant comparison followed by “OMG STRIKEFARCE IS AN ABOMINATION THE UFC IS THE AWSOMES” is fucking tired.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Feb 24, 2011 10:06 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
It would have been terrible business to put the whole opening round on one event.
They can deliver strong ratings over two shows now instead of one, which was already huge for them. Showtime doesn’t want the occasional big event and that’s it, they want subscribers who know there will consistently be a good product on the network and keep forking money over each month.
It’s a very different model than the UFC, where it’s not really a difference to their bottom line between getting 500k PPV’s twice or 700k and 300k back to back. Strikeforce wants to be consistent with minimal peaks and troughs.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Eh,
Maybe the get better ratings doing 2 shows. But that assumes they pull off doing 2 events. Granted, I thought (hell, I still think) that they should be able to book at least the first round, but the recent antics show that maybe there was more risk (for SF) in doing this than was thought.
They definitely should do two shows, just because Reem-Werdum is a good main event. But the day that they announced the Fedor-Silva show they should have put out all of the details about boths shows. This should have all been settled a month ago. I love Strikeforce but this is frustrating.
Before the tourney started I said
The odds of this whole thing going off without
- Barnett getting busted for steroids
- Overeem taking a fight oversees
- M-1 holding out and forcing a renegotiation
were slim to none…
Since then,
Fedor lost so he and M-1 are no longer an issue.
Overeem has stated how he hasn’t been paid for his K1 win, so I doubt he will fight oversees.
Two major threats are gone.
The Barnett licensing issue appears to be huge though. I don’t know why they would have set a date for him to fight without sorting that out first.
Not to mention the tourney just lost its two biggest draws.
it still an interesting tournament
but has it been confirmed that it’s in California? i would be very disappointed to find that Strikeforce is that incompetent/stupid to schedule a fight with a non-sanctioned fighter in the same state that he has problems in with the athletic commission. i would at least expect another state that Barnett is licensed to fight in. but they’ve been quiet so we have no idea where or when this will take place.
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:52 PM EST up reply actions
I thought they would atleast get round 1 done
Grrr
" he didn't want to fight the best of the best on the biggest stage, he knew better. He refused to take any chances; he milked it for all its worth and he got paid and then exposed and now it's over."
Also.. Is Coker the only guy allowed to comment on Strikeforce related things with the media? Seems kind of amateur that he is sick, so the whole promotion goes quiet.
by DirtyML on Feb 24, 2011 3:03 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Yes, we need to clear our calendars 45 days prior to any event! I know I do.
by Jonathan Snowden on Feb 24, 2011 3:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Um
Fighters like to have that much time to, like, have a camp and cut weight and shit, right?
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by Derek Suboticki on Feb 24, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
But don’t you think the fighters are training for an April 9th date? They would be foolish not to till otherwise has been told and maybe they are in the loop that we are not.
Because surely fighters and Derek Suboticki find out things at the same time!
by Jonathan Snowden on Feb 24, 2011 6:12 PM EST up reply actions
Isn't it helpful to be able to do so? Or are you being serious?
I know I can’t book last minute travel given my job/family life, and for me, anything with less than at least a full months notice is basically last minute.
Coker's Health?
Too sick to answer questions?
I hope the guy’s okay. Anyone know if he has a serious condition?
"I'd love to be a Cheick Kongo looking brother that could actually move and do a lot of funky stuff - Jiu Jitsu, takedowns, kicks and stuff." - Jon Jones.
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Yeah It's called...
Ducking-the-media-itis
by mrpinc on Feb 24, 2011 3:09 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
It just kills the momentum
when you have all that hype and then they cancel the fight with no update. Of course we are one announcement away from getting hyped again, but I still have faith that they pull off the first round though……..
by Scribonius Curio on Feb 24, 2011 3:07 PM EST reply actions
SF is a second rate org the way it is run, Im’ sorry it is. They have good and great fighters, and entertaining shows but hte production, commentators, and the front office make it a second rate org.
Wonder what they will do, and yeah the only date in May they could go against is UFC 130 which they dont want to do that, that card is stacked with Edgar, Maynard, Page, Mir, Nelson, Stann, Jorge, Torres,
by Aldo27 on Feb 24, 2011 3:14 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Exactly. Just so many things SF does that I don’t agree with. Terrible marketing at times, they got CBS on board and did very little with it. Sometimes they wouldn’t start advertising a CBS card until the week of and during bad time slots.
They’ve completely de-valued their own belt by repeatedly giving title shots to guys coming off of losses, trying to get Fedor a rematch with Werdum instead giving Werdum a very deserved shot at Overeem’s title. Taking the the title essentially out of this tourney altogether. Not to mention they allowed their HW division to be held hostage for years while their Champ Overeem never defended the title.
I could go on and on about why Strikeforce needs better management. They have some really solid fighters, just dont handle it all that well at all. They had a great, great idea with this tourney, but they clearly havent done a good job planning it out, and I’m just not surprised.
going against UFC is a no-no
if UFC is on PPV. they did it with the TUF finale last time, but i think they know better than to try to compete on that level.
i like Strikeforce. i think they’re different. they put on some good cards and have some good up and coming fighters. but they need to acknowledge that they’re not ready to go toe to toe with UFC.
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:55 PM EST up reply actions
That card was lightyears better than the TUF finale, too.
They need to understand that at this point quality isn’t the issue.
The Rogers Arena is available on the 9th. I think that would be an inspired choice if this is not CBS trying to schedule the event to broadcast.
Strikeforce won’t be able to afford the insurance
http://unintelligentdefense.blogspot.com
by MattParker117 on Feb 24, 2011 4:02 PM EST up reply actions
Good luck with that
Vancouver isn’t the most affordable place to run an MMA show.
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perhaps not
but i hear there’s some excellent food and some top shelf pussy up that way.
goddamn, i gotta go to Canada…
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
Canada's a big place
With a lot of great cities and regions.
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Easy fix: Drop Barnett off the card
It won’t be a popular decision but it would save a headache in the long run. If Barnett isn’t willing to do anything to get licensed in California, why even bother? Del Rosario or Valejntin Overeem could easily take his place. Hell it’lll save Strikeforce some money too.
Agreed.
But I actually think it would be a fairly popular decision. They’re overestimating the respect for Barnett that exists out there. And whatever does exist is quickly vanishing. If that’s the issue, then it’s an easy fix. Cormier or Del Rosario each has enough to be competitive, put them in there, let the fights go on.
by Charlie Custer on Feb 24, 2011 3:43 PM EST up reply actions
what if the event is in California
can they just have Barnett vs Rogers postponed and continue the rest of the card?
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
If they bail on 4/9 the next set of Saturdays:
4/16 Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido on Showtime
4/23 Bantamweight Tourney on Showtime
4/30 UFC 129
5/7 Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley on Showtime PPV
5/14 Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham on Showtime
5/21 Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson on Showtime
5/28 UFC 130
6/4 UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale
6/11 UFC 131
They may have to go ahead and put this show on a Friday or something because it ain’t happening on a Saturday unless they want to go head to head with a UFC event.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 24, 2011 3:27 PM EST reply actions
Or they could be going to CBS on a Saturday night that has a less popular boxing match scheduled. I think the 4/9 date is going to go off as planned. I think they did everything they could to make Japan work and it failed, now they are trying to locate a venue that makes sense. I don’t think that will be hard to do.
Two problems with that.
1. A lot of the production crew for boxing and MMA are the same
2. No way in hell are the people in the sports department going to run boxing and MMA against each other.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 24, 2011 3:37 PM EST up reply actions
The production crew doesn’t concern me. CBS along with SHO has vast resources and having two crews would be relatively easy. Whether or not they would go up against one another is separate issue. If timed properly you could have the MMA CBS card ending as the main event of the boxing card is about to start. It would actually be a great hand off and best of all maybe Gus Johnson goes with the boxing crew.
of course the production crew doesn't concern you...
you’re not paying for it. Why would they double their operating costs by having 2 events on the same night that tare going to bite into each other’s ratings? Makes no sense.
by John Danaher's Hair on Feb 24, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
You are not doubling your operating cost. They need a crew for both events no matter when they are planned. Most crew is freelance. Also, like I said, if handled right you can hand off one event to the other so there is a gain in ratings for a weaker boxing card.
How do you know how they hire their crew?
Are you privy to the way SHO and CBS operate? Being in the business of television production and post production myself I can tell you that most of the crew for these things are union workers and there are very strict rules regarding who you can hire, when and where.
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Yes, I am. Freelance doesn’t mean non-union. Of course they are union and they are hired as needed where needed. The event at the Meadowlands requires a different crew than the event in Austin. The keys will travel to Austin but the rest of the crew is hired locally.
Hiring local production assistants and cable runners
Isn’t the same as camera ops, floor directors and ops room personel. And please enlighten me as to how you’re privy to the way SHO runs their productions.
"So, while you're taking a break from the UFC, hanging out at some lame party that your girlfriend dragged you to, I'll man up and watch some goddamn fights like a goddamn adult."
- Mike Fagan
Support independent artists
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If you are going to a major city then you likely have a list of camera ops you have worked with in the past that you will bring. The production team that travels is very small.
I have been doing deals with SHO for years in other departments but the relationship started with friends in the sports division that my partner went to school with.
One of the first companies out there with HD production trucks was HDNet and they were doing HD production for almost every network and cable chanel around. More of Cubans forward thinking. If another production truck and crew was needed HDNet would be at the top of the call list, especially since they have MMA experience.
Froch vs Johnson may be held in Europe and there is also a possibility Showtime will merge those Super Six fights into one double header. Strikeforce would have a free Saturday in May then.
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The head of SF operations gets ready for another long day at workl:
Keep Firing, Assholes!
Time to put some meat in your pain sandwich.
by Ubernoober on Feb 24, 2011 3:32 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
She left me for an Albatross!!!!
WITH GREAT BIG LOOOOOOOOOOOONNG WINGS!!!
Conducting an experiment on knocking people out in particular ways would be unethical.
When there is fear, uncertainty and doubt about your product in the media, it’s critical to get out there and tell your story.
That certainly hasn’t been one of SF’s strong suits. They put on fun fights, but they’re constantly putting out flames and letting someone else control the public narrative. With the SF GP, I thought for once they had it right. They dominated the chatter for weeks, and they pulled off a great show, that was not only fun, but meant something. But then they go and do this.
I’m not writing off the GP just yet, but when you have Fedor and M-1’s unpredictability, a history of being unable to control fighters and a black hole like Barnett that seems to suck the life out of promotions, I guess the chips were against them from the beginning.
some state has to
i understand some commissions take their cue from CSAC, but he’s not barred from fighting in the country.
yet.
by Victor Rodriguez on Feb 24, 2011 5:00 PM EST up reply actions
Coker said Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia and Missouri all would take Barnett. He also said there were about five or six others that likely would.
He also said
That he had talked to multiple ACs that would be okay with 5 round fights throughout the tournament.
Dana White isn’t the only one prone to promoter speak.
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You really don’t think one of those four wouldn’t take Barnett? Texas let Margorita fight, you think they care. I’m sure in addition to the four listed Detroit would jump all over it as well.
I genuinely hope
That none will. I also think:
A) People who think it’s a slam dunk that Barnett would be sanctioned to fight in these states are extremely naive.
and
B) People who encourage this kind of fight shopping are shitty fans.
"So, while you're taking a break from the UFC, hanging out at some lame party that your girlfriend dragged you to, I'll man up and watch some goddamn fights like a goddamn adult."
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by Worldisart on Feb 24, 2011 8:18 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Most states respect the other’s rulings. Especially in such a clear cut case.
Maybe Texas though…. damn it.
Comissions tend to back each other’s rulings up. If you are suspended in California, you can expect that New Jersey won’t let you fight.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
Time to put some meat in your pain sandwich.
He's not suspended.
He didn’t have a license. He was suspended from applying for a license for a year, which has passed. Now the CSAC is saying “Well… now jump through more hoops. Because damn, three times dude? Fucking three? No, we’re gonna make this as difficult as possible.” I don’t recall Sherk having issues like this when he was getting licensed for whatever fight he had to pull out of due to injury after his steroid debacle in California… where he actually was suspended. That may also have to do with the departure of Armando Garcia though.
To Team America this up: the CSAC are being dicks to Barnett. And Barnett is being an asshole about it. But dicks fuck assholes, and get shit all over the place.
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by Derek Suboticki on Feb 24, 2011 3:44 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Don't know what to do
A) face palm and then rip them a new one for turning back into Strikefarce and screwing up all the momentum they gained from the Grand Prix?
B) Praise them having confidence that when they do announce something the odds are that they got a deal for a show in Japan or were able to move heaven and earth to get the card on CBS?
C) wait for more info and then react accordingly so I don’t say anything stupid?
I’m going with C. For now.
The answer is A
Coker said this thing would be wrapped up by the end of the year. That’s all but impossible now.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
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by Derek Suboticki on Feb 24, 2011 3:57 PM EST up reply actions
Are you saying that if Coker got a call from CBS saying they really want to put the next tournament event on the network in May he should have said “oh, sorry I promised it would be done by the end of the year. You know, I got a schedule to keep”. Do you honestly think that would be the smartest response?
If that is what is happening here, I will eat my foot.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
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by Derek Suboticki on Feb 24, 2011 4:04 PM EST up reply actions
Look at Brent’s post above- no way Showtime allows Strikeforce to counter-program on CBS against Showtime boxing events.
by John Danaher's Hair on Feb 24, 2011 4:11 PM EST up reply actions
Precisely. The thing is we are going off a Sherdog rumor. Kid Nate’s comment about the silence being deafening is true but the silence is not defining. Let’s hear officially from Strikeforce that the fight is not happening on the 9th. That hasn’t happened yet. Till it does the even is happening on the 9th with venue TBA.
by memitim on Feb 24, 2011 4:07 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
why let these rumors fester?
If it’s blantantly wrong, how can you benefit from not saying ANYTHING about it (especially when you have a fucking conference call in the interim)?
by John Danaher's Hair on Feb 24, 2011 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
Someone at Fightopinion had a strange theory that Strikeforce’s orchestrates their media blackouts to get the mma media talking about them. It’s the only way to get any exposure against the UFC. I would think it would be detrimental to the brand to actually do that with bad news such as this but maybe it’s worth it to keep the spotlight on them and off the 800 lb gorilla? I don’t really buy it but it is an interesting theory.
I think they signed Heisman trophy winners from the early 80’s to get the mma media talking about them.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
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by Derek Suboticki on Feb 24, 2011 4:17 PM EST up reply actions
Remember when the tournament was first announced… and anyone who didn’t publicly declare that it sexually aroused them was declared a ufc shill ?
This is why i reserve my excitement for things.
Its easier to be skeptical of a product and be wrong when it over develops than it is to be foolishly optimistic and let down by said product.
by hewsdaddy on Feb 24, 2011 3:59 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
I thought it was slightly stupid
Great tourney but there roster is so shallow why would you blow your HW division and risk the champion losing credibility for the sake of a nostalgia trip?
http://unintelligentdefense.blogspot.com
by MattParker117 on Feb 24, 2011 4:07 PM EST up reply actions
This wouldn’t be a big deal if they didn’t have the town crier shout “TOURNAMENT” from the village square. No one would care who they matched Fedor up with off his second loss, or where and when the second round (aka “divisionally relevant HW fights” if not under the premise of a tournament) happened, but they painted themselves into a corner by associating these fights with a rigid structure. If they wanted the credit for running the “best HW toiurnament in MMA history”, then they did so assuming the inherent risk of undesirable outcomes and an accelerated timeline. I like SF a lot, and
I’ll always watch their cards, but it could be SO MUCH BETTER.
Also, Coker just isn’t a head-of-a-promotion type of guy. He’d make a great matchmaker, but as a frontman he simply isn’t strong or gutsy enough. He too often allows SF to get bent over a barrel and doesn’t grab the reins with enough authority to stop anyone from doing so. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot of unfulfilled potential in this promotion.
by John Danaher's Hair on Feb 24, 2011 4:08 PM EST reply actions
It must be frustrating
for Strikeforce fighters not knowing when they are fighting. No wonder so many of them fight in other organizations……so they can…..make a living.
by Scribonius Curio on Feb 24, 2011 4:19 PM EST reply actions
SF has PR problems.
The mistake SF did was to announce that Reem and Barnett would be fighting on April 9. SF should never announce anything until it is 100% official, just like any other corporation.
I'll reserve judgement until we hear what's really happening
but it certainly is not encouraging to hear these kind of rumblings. If it weren’t for the tournament factor, none of this would be such a big deal, just business as usual for the SF HW division. But they got huge props for making it a tournament, so only fair that they face the heightened scrutiny and expectation that they created with the tournament format.
I consider myself a softcore fan.
"I"
use Del Rosario…right?
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by F'n Clownshoes on Feb 24, 2011 5:11 PM EST up reply actions
Here’s what happened:
-Date in Japan didn’t work out
-Emergency venue for 4/9 is the Shark Tank
-Barnett can’t fight in CA
-SF is in talks with either Sho or CBS for holding the rest of the first round later in April or May
Shark tank is booked as are most other large venues in CA. That makes the Sherdog story awfully suspect as does the fact that the AC hasn’t been contacted yet. How many people will take Sherdog to task if their story turns out to be complete bullshit again? The same number that took them to task for announcing the tournament in January before the contract with Fedor was signed. No one.
Even IF the QFs are moved
That doesn’t necessarily take away from the awesomeness of the tournament. Yeah its a scheduling foul up, prolly because of Barnett, but once the fights get rescheduled and go down, everyone will be happy again.
I don't understand this subscription
to Dave Meltzer- It seems like he was way off base with the whole Brock thing. Maybe Coker is keeping quiet to create more buzz about the tourney. But I’d only see that working for the hardcore and not the casual. Weird.
Not sure if this has been said
But there is almost a 0% chance that those two Super Six matches happen on those April dates.
@RealNolenBailey
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