Report: Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix to Invade Japan This April
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 4, 2011 2:21 AM EST
in Strikeforce News
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For the past few weeks, there have been on going rumors and rumblings that Scott Coker has been trying to set up a show in Japan. Now, it's closer to reality, as Real Entertainment will be helping them send the second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix to Japan this April. MMA-Japan has it:
Strikeforce will make their Japanese debut April 10th, 2011 during the afternoon hours in order to be shown live in the United States.
The fight card will consist of a lightweight portion, and the heavyweight grand prix second round.
Strikeforce will be working with Real Entertainment and possibly M-1 to co-promote the planned event.
Strikeforce's original plans for the second round of the heavyweight tournament is to feature Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers, and with M-1 being mentioned in the report, it looks like they're also trying to put a Fedor Emelianenko bout in as well. This could provide a few benefits as most of these guys are already mainstays in the Japanese MMA circuit, and more conveniently, it also solves Barnett's licensing issues.
The report also brings validation to the rumors about a possible Real Entertainment + Strikeforce Lightweight Grand Prix that's in the works. While a lightweight tournament certainly wouldn't be as stacked and as meaningful as their Heavyweight counterparts, Strikeforce can still make it very interesting. They can send a few of their top guys like Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson, and KJ Noons, along with the other Japanese names being linked to the tourney, like Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki, and Katsunori Kikuno.
All in all, if Coker pulls this off, he deserves a ton of praise, but since we are talking about Japanese MMA (and possibly M-1 Global), I'll wait for more details before celebrating.
UPDATE: Satoshi Ishii has been rumored to join Strikeforce, and while this card seemed to be a perfect fit for his debut, Nightmare of Battle says the Olympic Gold Medalist is unlikely to participate. They say Ishii may just compete on the March 5 card headlined by Dan Henderson and Rafael Feijao:
Strikeforce are planning to hold an event in Japan on April 10th but since Ishii will participate in a triathlon at Ishigaki Island on April 17th he most likely won’t be able to participate at the Strikeforce Japan event.
Sponichi report that Satoshi Ishii might participate on the Strikeforce March 5th event in Colombus.
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I doubt Fedor would be on the bout, maybe he’d there to make an appearance but I doubt he’d fight. Hopefully in the interim they can get the Barnett situation figured out in the event of him winning.
Overeems signing with Yoshimoto Creative should hopefully bring in more buzz towards the event,
Food goes in here
Fedor vs. Ishii exhibition match?
Hell yes that would be fun to watch!
if its in the afternoon in the states
then its in the early hours of the morning in japan,
i really wonder if they can pull a large live audience.
it's in the afternoon in Japan
which means the evening in the US.
ohhh
my bad, getting sleep deprived.
i understand that sentence now
by stiffUpperLip on Feb 4, 2011 2:30 AM EST up reply actions
This is how I see it working for them: Real Entertainment has no functioning Japanese promoter to work with nor the ability to put together a big enough show to sell in Japan so they partner with Strikeforce to put together one for them. Since Strikeforce will be double dipping – being paid from Showtime and RE from what they get Japanese side – they’ll make more than they would in the US and also be able to afford to put together a bigger show than a Japanese promotion could. Even if Strikeforce doesn’t make a killing it gives them a chance to promote their brand and hopefully get a percentage of the hardcore audience to buy their other, non-Japanese broadcasts.
Still a lot of risks but if it pays off it pays off big for them.
by John Nash on Feb 4, 2011 2:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
What I want to know is
Do we get to see him kick little girls?
Its safe to say that without Playboy we wouldn't have MMA as we know it today. - Jonathan Snowden
UFC has talked about expanding into Japan for years now and White has said they are working on bringing a show their in the coming months. With the collapse of Dream this the perfect opportunity for SF to go over there and establish a foothold. Smart move for Strikeforce.
How are they going to establish a foothold?
For fuck sake if the Japanese can’t get it going in their own country what makes you think some Americans will?
Because SF isn’t cutting deals with the Yakuza. And Dream had cash flow problems from the beginning and brought nothing comparable to what SF is bringing over there in the HW tourney. Fedor, Overeem, Barnett are all huge draws.
Because SF isn’t cutting deals with the Yakuza
LOL
They’re cutting deals with the guys who got busted for cutting deals with the Yakuza. They might not be working with them directly, but you can be damn sure the Yakuza is getting their pound of flesh from the guys at Real Entertainment. There is a reason that FujiTV wants no part of Real, and that PUJI wanted Real cut out as a condition of them finding investors. Real is bad news. Strikeforce WILL get burned by them.
Coker worked for FEG for 8 years. He probably has a better understanding of how things work over there that every one in this forum put together.
Coker ran North American K-1 shows for FEG. He didn’t have shit to do with the Japanese side of things. The American offices of these Japanese promoters are not included on what happens in Japan. DREAM wouldn’t even return Kogan’s calls, and Millen was always in the dark about what DSE was doing in their home market.
This is one of the most irrelevant things you can read on SB Nation. I see it every now and then on BE, football blogs, basketball blogs, etc. It’s a blog where the users are supposed to give their opinion, we would have zero discussion if we took the route of recognizing that the people making the decisions are probably qualified to do so.
Coker said in the Helwani back stage interview that he wasn’t the person to save Japanese MMA. I don’t think that is necessarily his goal. Rolling a big show into the country with a lot of advertising and big stars will give the SF brand a boost which will help their TV deal in Japan over the long run. Think of the HW tournament like the rock concerts before the internet. You rolled into town and barley broke even on the concert. But all the promotion and hoopla that went with it boosted album sales and merchandising greatly.
It is also unlikely that Japan is the end goal. K1 (read Real Entertainment ) has had pretty good success in South Korea and Coker grew up there. SF has a premium channel deal on KIX which covers most of Asia including India, Indonesia, Thailand etc. While I doubt we will see the HW tournament go to any of those countries I think SF definitely has their eyes on them.
I do
no testing for Barnett, who is unlicensed and who knows if he won’t fail a 4th time and the widely suspected/accused/etc Overeem.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 4, 2011 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
There is no way
that Strikeforce does this without including valid testing on their own dime…unless they are fools of the highest order…
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 1:52 PM EST up reply actions
until SF suspends someone the way the UFC suspended Leben
I will have zero faith in their testing. Corporate entities policing themselves are 99.99999999999999% going to eddie guerrero the results.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 4, 2011 8:12 PM EST up reply actions
man if this goes down i pray Rogers lamps Barnett big time
i mean it makes sense for them to try and run japan they have a lot of big draws there but still you look weak if your going to japan there is still TX i know we all hate it but still
Twitter @MaZZM
http://mazznettt.blogspot.com/
But Anton:
This is still the first round of the GP FYI.
they report is calling it the second round, as in second HWGP event.
I just ran with it to be uniform and to avoid confusion.
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 4, 2011 2:33 AM EST up reply actions
Barnett yes, Reem no
One of Strikeforce’s major stars passed one of Strikeforce’s unofficial, unsupervised drug tests? How surprising.
This is about as lame as Sonnen’s doctor during the hearing.
Anyway you have to wonder why Strikeforce decided that Overeem’s US return be in a state that doesn’t do mandatory testing, or even publish its drug policy.
Disclaimer: I like Overeem and I support PEDs in sport.
by M.Sphinx on Feb 4, 2011 3:15 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Your aware that Coker didn’t do the test in his kitchen right? They have independent certified labs to the work.
Do they?
There is no transparency to their testing. We have no idea what they are doing. For all we know, they have one of the Machida’s backstage taste-testing the urine samples. Without a third party and publicly reported results, that shit is suspect as hell. The same holds true for the UFC’s in-house testing too BTW.
by Steve4192 on Feb 4, 2011 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Ya gee. The MMA press just completely forgot to ask who did it right? Slipped right by them? They mentioned who did the tests when they released the Overeem results. YOU can go Google it if your really interested. If your just here to talk shit then don’t bother.
by fitefan on Feb 4, 2011 12:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
An independent on-site technician from a local laboratory conducted the urinalysis screening in the event’s host hotel following the official weigh-ins last Friday.
I just googled it since I’m not just here to talk shit. I’m going to go with Steve’s “in-house testing is suspect as hell” case.
Hardcore MMA fan since UFC 99
Well since you aren’t the kind of person that just talks crap then expects every one else to do the leg work for them which I tire of. Gross has the info here. Note that WADA is not the standard with most ACs but I do agree that it should be.
At the recommendation of the California State Athletic Commission, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, keenly aware of the perception problem he has with Overeem (32-11), hired Drug Testing Network, an independent lab with 9,000 affiliates across the U.S., to collect urine samples from 7 to 9 p.m. following Friday’s weigh-in for participants on the Showtime-televised card (10 p.m. ET/PT). DTN standards fall short of World Anti-Doping Agency requirements, which gained a more prominent role in combat sports because of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s insistence that stringent testing be in place for his fights.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/josh_gross/05/14/strikeforce.overeem/index.html
here we go again.
Alistair hasn’t failed a drug test yet, and he passed those tests in both of his SF fights… Just because the guy stopped dieting and cutting weight all those years ago, doesn’t mean we can call him a steroid user without proof.
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 4, 2011 2:35 AM EST up reply actions 5 recs
But, he just looks so massive and huge! There’s no way a human being can attain that without using steroids!
"Referees, be sure to step in and stop the fight on time tomorrow, because I might get carried away in the moment and my many punches may end up destroying my opponent." - Tatsuya "CRUSHER" Kawajiri
You have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Barnett not so much.
The one thing I always notice though?
Allistairs Traps man. Those things double in size when he is in Japan, and his overall proportions do increase in certain areas as well.
I would never accuse anyone of anything, the guy could very well be just incredibly blessed. I could see Jon Jones going through a similar gain in mass as he gets older and becomes a man, and I could also see him dealing with the same sort of accusations.
Jon Jones at 32 years old and 250lbs. Jesus Christ.
"It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere."
There absolutely is
The only guys you can look at and know definitively that their physique is not possible without PEDs are the Olympia-level (and similar) bodybuilders.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
So is Barry Bonds
yet we all “know” he took them. Should we? Probably not. Will it stop us? Nope.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 4, 2011 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
There was at least very strong circumstantial evidence for Bonds,
even more so than for Carwin, and arguably physical evidence as well.
Moreover the MLB tests for Bonds are in the Fed’s hands, but because they aren’t supposed to have non-anonymous results they aren’t released.
The issue with Bonds that prevents the perjury conviction is that he could plausibly deny taking “steroids” because the compounds he was alleged to have used were one-off proprietary products not in the US Pharmacopia (i.e. the usp) that were said to have steroid like benefits.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
and there's (not as strong)
circumstantial evidence for ‘Reem, too. Shit, I’m gonna see the dude live in person in a few days. I’m not gonna berate a guy who could rip my face off, but I’ll still think it in my head.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Feb 4, 2011 8:14 PM EST up reply actions
I knew these dumb ass comments would pour in...
Fighting in Japan doesn’t mean dodging a drug test. It means building a fan base bigger than any fighter can build on US soil alone, and in a lot of cases, making more money. I think SF getting into Japan before the UFC is brilliant. Dana can act like he doesn’t care about this GP or SF going to Japan, but I promise you he’s still not sure how he wants to approach it. For once, Strikeforce is doing things right and one up’ing the UFC. (at least in the HW division)
by DisposableHeroX on Feb 4, 2011 2:54 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I find it fishy that they’ve decided to “build their fan base” by putting a card in Japan with the 2 guys that everyone looks to when wondering about steroids.
This is simple to me. It’s taking measures to not go down the way Affliction did.
by doubleleg1 on Feb 4, 2011 9:42 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Reem has never failed a test
Barnett and Bigfoot have (along with Leben, Marquardt, Sonnen, Vitor and many more).
Having said that, I would estimate that at least 60% of the highest level guys in MMA, Boxing and the NFL use or have used at some point in their career something considered a PED.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 1:54 PM EST up reply actions
Quick, everybody get to the bomb shelter!
Subo’s gonna blow!
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Feb 4, 2011 2:59 AM EST reply actions 8 recs
Barnett's reaction to Subo's inevitable love letter.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
But I won’t pick against Jon Jones again until I see him lose. - Kwisatz Haderach
From Twitter:
JoshLBarnett Josh Barnett
by MMASupremacy
Hey MMA press…since you don’t bother to fact check and haven’t for years, here’s one for you: I was NEVER SUSPENDED by the CSAC.
Only because you failed the test required to get licensed.
Leave it to a habitual cheater to argue over technicalities.
by Steve4192 on Feb 4, 2011 12:20 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Duh
I’ve already written about the shitty, shitty game Strikeforce is playing here. I’ve never been kicked out of a White House function, either.
Luke: What was our best moment?
Nate: When I banned Subo?
Luke: That was a good one.
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
Contributor for CagesideSeats.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 4, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions
Rogers - the success of this tournament is on your hands now!!
Dont fail us!!
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
But I won’t pick against Jon Jones again until I see him lose. - Kwisatz Haderach
by vivero on Feb 4, 2011 3:06 AM EST reply actions 11 recs
This is actually one of my favorite
fights. Just an awesome back and forth.
True
If Rogers beats Barnett, this becomes a non-issue.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 2:07 PM EST up reply actions
I think assuming Fedor will be there, just because M1 is beig mentioned, is quite a stretch. If anything I’d rather suggest it means M1 is becoming more and more involved with Strikeforce / SHO.
To save me some time on 25% of all threads, here's the universal answer to the Fedor-debate: Fedor is the most accomplished MMA fighter ever. That is a fact. If he still is the best fighter at this point in time is up for debate.
I doubt he'll be fighting
But I would bet he will do one of his exhibition matches ala Mousasi and Aoki.
M1 fighters on the undercard.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
But I won’t pick against Jon Jones again until I see him lose. - Kwisatz Haderach
That would be my guess, too. Or maybe M1 has made a deal for Co-Promoting the entire HW-GP. That means they will be part of any event, Fedor or not.
To save me some time on 25% of all threads, here's the universal answer to the Fedor-debate: Fedor is the most accomplished MMA fighter ever. That is a fact. If he still is the best fighter at this point in time is up for debate.
Barnett, Overeem, M1/Fedor, Japan, Showtime.
Coker have the right to give us the middle finger if he pulls this tourney together. Man, Coker is either a genius or just plain stupid. Im hoping for the former.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
But I won’t pick against Jon Jones again until I see him lose. - Kwisatz Haderach
Well I do like the angle of taking the GP around the world, I just hope Scott wasn’t lying or exageratting about other commissions fine to host Barnett and that he gets that knuckled out before the semis.
Food goes in here
Yep, me too. I like the idea of the tournament being done at cage and ring settings – and have a different country as a part of it. Rogers might be the most important HW right now.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
But I won’t pick against Jon Jones again until I see him lose. - Kwisatz Haderach
I don’t think they’ll go as far putting it in a ring, I think the cage will remain. I’m curious whether it’ll follow the unified rules though….Overeem using knees on the head of a grounded Werdum could be kind of fun.
Food goes in here
Oh yeah – rings , rules etc. I hope they use the White Cage.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
But I won’t pick against Jon Jones again until I see him lose. - Kwisatz Haderach
lol
is that supposed to be Sagat’s Tiger Knee???
by SentientAndroid on Feb 4, 2011 12:14 PM EST up reply actions
Yep.
Nick Diaz hated it because there were exposed metal edges at the bottom of it, Overeem damn near flew out of it because it was way too short and pliable to contain larger fighters, and everyone came away with a road rash because that netting was like a cheese grater.
The white cage might look pretty, but it is fucking awful from a fighter safety standpoint.
The tournament must use consistent rules for all fights. That’s why they could not make just a few fights 5 rounders. There will be the Strikeforce ruleset throughout. Bet on it.
To save me some time on 25% of all threads, here's the universal answer to the Fedor-debate: Fedor is the most accomplished MMA fighter ever. That is a fact. If he still is the best fighter at this point in time is up for debate.
Right
There is a very fine line between true genius and stupidity…
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe their going to put Alexander Sarnavskiy in the LW tournament?
by John Nash on Feb 4, 2011 3:31 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Their = they’re. I’m tired and tipsy.
by John Nash on Feb 4, 2011 3:32 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I like an Arlovksi - Fedor rematch for the final
But I think Overeem vs. Barnett is most likely.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
I am not counting on an Arlovski win, but I would love to see it.
He is still one of my all time favorite fighters. That coupled with the disgust I have for Barnett would make an Arlovski win awesome!!
Good thing they scrapped the 5 round thing so they could find a commission to license barnett…
by Phildo on Feb 4, 2011 9:05 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
LOL @ the Reem Defenders
If Lance Armstrong can win over and over in a sport that is LITERALLY full of cheaters, and pass tests, then Reem can find ways to pass tests too. Some times results are just too glaring to ignore, proof or not.
Still, I think SF taking this to Japan is a way to hedge their bets and/or allow Reem and Barnett time to cycle off, or something who knows. This is just weird to me at this point trying to figure out what SF is trying to do/build.
by KidThunder on Feb 4, 2011 9:19 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
"If", "But"
etc, these are all terms of conjecture. We have no legtimate reason to suspect Overeem of any wrongdoing. Yes, it’s most certainly plausible, but so are dozens of other possibilities. Maybe Ubereem is Overeem’s evil twin brother, a clone with the ability to wholly inhibit myostatin production.
Until he fails a drug test, it’s presumptious to assume he’s on roids.
'No matter what your ideology may be, once you believe you are in the possession of some infallible truth, you become a combatant in a religious war."
Well you’re arguing in spite of negative results though. First it’s oh he’s ducking the US (despite having already tested there before), then the Missouri says it’s going to do random testing so it’s "Oh Overeem will conveniently not get tested, we need independent testing, then he gets independently tested and possibly did get tested by Missouri too and now it’s “Oh he’s cycling.” Meanwhile we have these heavyweight specimens who have pissed hot.
Food goes in here
Haha
They both have the same disgusting body, huge shoulders but even bigger tits
GORILLA SUFFOCATE, GORILLA MAIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by ShogunIsGod on Feb 4, 2011 9:49 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I think SF taking this to Japan is a way to hedge their bets and/or allow Reem and Barnett time to cycle off ,
by KidThunder
you’re entitled to your opinion but thats one of the dumbest things i’ve seen for a while, kudos!
by four20 on Feb 4, 2011 10:22 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Signature
…
It disappoints me when some vocal people in cyberspace hide behind a pseudonym and make malicious and baseless attacks against athletes that have never failed a screen for banned substances. These keyboard toxicologists think that they can merely look at an athlete and "know" that so-and-so is a "juicer." There is a term for that. It's called "delusions of grandeur," and medication may help. (Dr. Johnny Benjamin)
by Sanderman on Feb 4, 2011 11:04 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
For all the hyperbole about Reem's "sudden" weight gains,
it has actually been a steady progression over several years.
Various weigh-in weights over the last almost 5 years:
5/05/06 (vs. Werdum) – 228 pounds.
6/15/08 (vs. Tae Hyun Lee) – 239.4 pounds.
9/23/08 (vs. Cro Cop) – 241.8 pounds.
10/25/09 (vs. Thompson) – 253 pounds.
5/15/10 (vs. Rogers) – 253 pounds.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 2:16 PM EST up reply actions
It really is ridiculous. We’re talking about maybe 7 pounds per year. A 230lb guy could do double that naturally if he wanted to. It’s not like Overeem was training for elite competition and couldn’t afford any time for strength training.
I agree
Although obviously no one aside from Overeem himself knows the truth, in my experience anyone doing the sort of strongman + Olympic lifting he does would have added on weight far more rapidly than he did if he were using any sort of AAS (steroids).
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 4:10 PM EST up reply actions
Great idea
I’m sure having a card overseas is great for their brand recognition here in the US. The American press won’t mind flying guys over to Japan, they probably have enough room in their budgets.
Hardcore MMA fan since UFC 99
by ChiCubs23 on Feb 4, 2011 9:46 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I'm detecting a hint of sarcasm...
Matt Janecek
MBA Candidate 2011
An MBA on MMA:
mba-mma.blogspot.com
Are you really comparing the UFC’s situation with Strikeforce’s? I’m not sure if I want to even debate this.
I’ll bite. Strikeforce isn’t a household name. Its nowhere close to being a household name. They aren’t popular. The UFC is. The UFC has already built an incredible following in the US. They can start expanding globally. They’re able to regularly leave the country with ease. When do you think the next time Strikeforce has an event outside of the US after the Japan event? In 2011? Doubt it. Strikeforce needs to worry about domestic growth before worrying about expanding globally by tapping a dying market with one event, when they likely won’t return to that country soon. They are sacrificing popularity and coverage of their tournament in the US, when they finally are doing something right. They need to grow some brand recognition. Going to Japan is hindering that.
So no, I’m not saying the UFC should stop doing shows outside of the US. You’re trying to put words in my mouth. If you think the UFC and Strikeforce are in similar positions and should have the same business model, I don’t know what to tell you. If Strikeforce should copy everything the UFC is doing, why not go onto PPV right now?
Some may say that they are being forced to leave the country because of Barnett’s licensing issues. If that’s the case, I say Strikeforce bit off more than they can chew. They should have slowed everything down and made sure everything would work out before they announce something as big and awesome as a HW tournament. They should slow it down a bit so they aren’t forced to leave the country for an event and sacrifice coverage of something as big as the tournament.
Hardcore MMA fan since UFC 99
Strikeforce is going for broke with this grand prix.
Pretty ballsy.
Maybe bringing Mauro back to Japan will make him a good commentator again.
Fire Gus "What's a screen?" Bradley.
SF isnt going broke anytime soon.
Before they turned to MMA in 2006 or so, they were a kickboxing promotion who have been around since 1985. They may be new to the sport of MMA but I’m positive they know how to run a combat sport business. They know better than to put all their eggs in 1 basket. They didn’t get this far by not knowing how to budget themselves.
by Cestus84 on Feb 4, 2011 11:39 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
It’s a totally different world between a regional company and a national/attempting to be international company.
Strikeforce has run into contracts & costs Coker has never dealt with before with a limited revenue stream. To say they won’t go out of business when Coker has no legitimate experience at this scale or with these consequences before now is a stretch.
I don't see anything positive in this.
They are going to a market that is failing. People can hope and pray all they want that Strikeforce is going to come in and revitalize the MMA scene there. Not going to happen.
Strikeforce has a huge chance at becoming a mainstay as the #2 MMA promotion in the world. The American audience is what got you there. I think they are spreading themselves thin on this. If the PPV model is one of their goals this does not help them.
I can’t help but think if Barnett was licensed we wouldn’t be talking about this.
How is Japan a failing market? Are they going through the Great Depression or Civil Unrest over there that I don’t know about? Pride was corrupt and Dream had cash flow problems, barely put on any events and didn’t have the star power Strikeforce does. They didn’t fail because Japan is a failing market. They failed because they didn’t know what the hell they were doing.
Are they going through the Great Depression or Civil Unrest over there that I don’t know about?
Well actually their economy has been stuck in the mud for a very long time. But that didn’t hurt Pride.
Their stagnant economy, basically holding for 15+ years
is what there is much fear of the US becoming now…
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
by The American Ronin on Feb 4, 2011 2:20 PM EST up reply actions
SF will air live in the US
+ They will probably get more than 20000 people in Japan, which is a lot more than they can get in the US
Overeem, Barnett, Mousasi, Kawajiri are all way bigger draws in Japan
Werdum and Melendez are also well known over there
Don't know about those 20000 people..
They couldn’t even get 20000 people in for the K1 WGP.
by Chris P. Bacon on Feb 4, 2011 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
Could have something to do with the fact they changed the arena from Tokyo Dome to a much much smaller arena in the Ariake Coliseum because FEF was in the tank. They were still over capacity by 1,000.
If SF did 20,000 legitimately I’d eat my nonexistent hat.
This isn’t 2004. No one is doing those kinds of numbers without heavy embellishments. Never believe a single thing a Japanese promotion says about attendance. They lie by anywhere from 10% to 70% every show..
I don't see how this hurts the American audience either.
Aside from not having 12-14Kpeople watching it in person, what’s the difference? It will still air here at the same time, and it will still be on the same channel. If I was Scott Coker, I’d be trying like hell to gain that Asian market share right now with FEG in the toilet and the UFC not being over there yet. This is actually SF’s best shot at gaining HUGE market share in the global MMA community.
by DisposableHeroX on Feb 4, 2011 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
My question is – what if Josh keeps winning? Do they keep running Japan? I doubt they can run Canada without figuring out the licensing issue. It seems to be a short-term solution for what could work out to be a long-term problem.
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Stay tuned, folks. Getting my truck fixed for now.
Luke: What was our best moment?
Nate: When I banned Subo?
Luke: That was a good one.
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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If Derek Jeter clubbed a baby seal on earth day while wearing a mink coat and crocodile skin boots while burning tires on an iceberg, the reaction would be "Its OK Derek, you’re a Yankee." -First mammal to wear pants
This is smart from SF. Apart from the conspiracy theories surrounding PEDs (none of which seem far-fetched), it’s just an opportunity to basically commandeer control of a vibrant Japanese MMA market from promotions who are floundering. They cannot compete in the US with the UFC and this has been demonstrably proven — they’ll always be second fiddle there, perhaps worse. But they clearly have fighters in their stable now that are massive names in Japan, bigger than anything the UFC can claim. I see SF attempting to promote more and more shows over there and eventually (if lucky) becoming the de facto number one Japanese MMA promotion. They can write their own rules at that point (conserving gallons of ink), and begin to legitimately make the claim that their surreal way of doing things is unique, and not just a bleak knock-off of UFC’s brand.
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