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Mixed martial arts (MMA) needs a superbowl. An annual fight card pitting Strikeforce and UFC champs against each other would do the trick.
Jan 8, 2012 - When Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) first bought Japan's Pride Fighting Championships, UFC president Dana White promised fans there would be an "annual MMA superbowl." Unfortunately Pride went down in flames without a Japanese TV deal and Zuffa instead shipped its best fighters to the UFC.
Now that Zuffa owns the UFC and Strikeforce -- the top two MMA promotions in North America, and thus the world -- it's time for them to give fans and fighters that MMA Super Bowl.
After flattening UFC veteran Keith Jardine in the first round, Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold called out...the UFC. He's likely to face Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy in his next fight, but he made no bones about his opinion that the challenges he really wants to face are all fighting in the Octagon.
"If that's the plan, then that's the plan and I'll make the most of what we've got here," Rockhold said. "Me and Tim Kennedy, the fight was supposed to happen quite a few times, but the fight just hasn't seemed to come [together]. I always look to bigger and better things, and so if the UFC wants to bring in some top contenders, I'm more than happy to welcome them to our hexagon, like Gilbert [Melendez] would say."
Strikeforce: Rockhold Vs. Jardine
Live Results | Post-Fight News
Rockhold is referencing Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, ranked the #2 lightweight in the world in the USA TODAY/MMA Nation Consensus Rankings, who also openly called for UFC fighters to come face him in Strikeforce after his last win.
The ugly reality is that after initially promising "business as usual" upon buying Strikeforce last year, Zuffa then set about stripping the promotion of its top fighters. Heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem, welterweight champ Nick Diaz, light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and the entire Strikeforce heavyweight division have all either made their UFC debuts or will be doing so soon.
However, something big changed late in 2011. Ken Hershman, the long-time head of Showtime Sports, and a vocal antagonist of Dana White and the UFC, resigned. That created an opportunity for Showtime and Zuffa to cut a long-term deal.
What that meant for fighters like Melendez, Rockhold and Muhammed Lawal who hadn't yet made the jump to the Octagon was that the drawbridge was pulled up and they were on the "wrong side of that line" as Bruce Springsteen would say.
I understand Zuffa's need to maintain the current quality level of Strikeforce and stop stripping it of its top fighters. That makes perfect sense. It's a decent deal for the fighters, too. Showtime is no joke and neither are the paychecks that Zuffa can pay.
But what those fighters aren't getting is a chance to compete against the best. It's also a thorn in the side of UFC fighters who also want to prove they're the best of the best but will have to deal with questions about how they would fare against Strikeforce's elite.
Zuffa needs to do what it needs to do to make this happen. My suggestion is that they run an annual UFC vs. Strikeforce pay-per-view and cut Showtime in on the revenue. This would allow both promotions to show off their best fighters, give the best guys in Strikeforce a chance to fight the best in the world and for UFC champs like Frankie Edgar who struggle to draw fan attention, it could be a chance to headline a well-hyped and much ordered PPV. It would also solve the problem of permanent roster changes. In other words, rather than removing someone like Joe Lauzon from the UFC lightweight ranks, Lauzon can stay in the UFC but compete against someone in Strikeforce at one special but annual event.
UFC champs Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are desperate for tough challenges. Lightweight Frankie Edgar is desperate to raise his profile. Even if, say King Mo and Luke Rockhold, aren't the most well-known names in MMA, just the fact that the fights could be hyped as "Champion vs. Champion" and the UFC and Showtime could put all of their considerable promotional muscle into hyping the card would make it a unique and compelling attraction.
Make it happen Zuffa. The fans and the fighters deserve it.
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Nate Wilcox:
UFC Vs. Strikeforce: MMA Needs A Super Bowl
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Jones has Henderson and Evans still (and guys coming up who will be soon like Gustaffson)
Silva has Sonnen (or Munoz should he beat Chael) and even Bisping who can get under his skin enough to make Anderson want the fight.
As long as those are possibilities they’re not going to feel compelled to force champions to face each other and have one of them lose.
Managing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 8, 2012 8:00 AM PST reply actions
by the end of the year
I expect Jones to have beaten Henderson and Evans. My bet is that Gustaffson will lose before he gets a shot. King Mo just might be the best potential rival Jones has at that point.
Anderson will either be retired or have beaten Chael and Bisping and be ready for someone new by Jan 2013.
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 8:19 AM PST up reply actions
big question though..
what happens if a strikeforce champ beats a ufc champ? Does the ufc champ stay.. the champ and than his stock has gone down a lot
by HerbDeansBraidofhair on Jan 8, 2012 11:01 AM PST up reply actions
yeah but it gives Strikeforce a shit ton of cred
AND sets up a lot of other possible fights.
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 6:23 PM PST up reply actions
If Zuffa didn’t own both promotions, this would make sense. Since they own both, regardless of which champs won their fights it would indicate that Zuffa is maintaining a second promotion for no real reason other than as a grab for additional revenue. Zuffa promotes UFC as being the home of the best in the world. No idea what they promote Strikeforce as; just some other fights they occasionally put on? the relics of a raided inventory? a place where a guy who’s 2-5-1 in his last eight fights gets to fight for a meaningless belt?
Perhaps in a couple years, if Bellator or another organization is thriving, a champ vs. champ annual competition would be compelling. It would drive interest in MMA as a whole, rather than being just another PPV on the Zuffa schedule.
by ( . Y . ) on Jan 8, 2012 8:22 AM PST reply actions
but Zuffa is maintaining a 2nd promotion
as a grab for more space on the cable TV dial if nothing else. At least this gives the fighters trapped on the wrong side of the Strikeforce line a chance to show what they can do and gives Showtime a nice bite of PPV revenue to keep them happy.
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 8:32 AM PST up reply actions
See its not fair calling anything SF related 'the best of the best' anymore
Other than El Nino, the rest are already the best in the UFC..
However, it would be nice to see these match ups..
El Nino vs Frankie Edgar
Cormier vs Mir
Rockhold vs Bisping
King Mo vs Rampage
Gegard vs Rashad
I am willing to test myself against the toughest fighters in the world, in front of hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans, over and over again. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I always come to fight. I've been doing this for the past fourteen years, and I have at least a few more strong years left in me. What have you done in the past fourteen years other than act like a moron on this forum and hang on Anderson's nuts? - Dan Henderson.
by elmojo on Jan 8, 2012 8:28 AM PST reply actions
I didnt include Barnett purposely
because I do believe that Dana will want to squash his career once the SF HW division disintegrates
I am willing to test myself against the toughest fighters in the world, in front of hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans, over and over again. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I always come to fight. I've been doing this for the past fourteen years, and I have at least a few more strong years left in me. What have you done in the past fourteen years other than act like a moron on this forum and hang on Anderson's nuts? - Dan Henderson.
by elmojo on Jan 8, 2012 8:31 AM PST up reply actions
What about a yearly draft?
It could be a big publicity event with Strikeforce and UFC ‘competing’ for fighters across rosters, with champions staying where they are as well as no#1 contenders that are already signed to fight for a belt.
In reality the whole thing would be a nonsense, but as I said, turn it into a publicity event and you’ll get a ton of coverage.
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by KJ Gould on Jan 8, 2012 8:29 AM PST reply actions
they can't do that
Showtime won’t air a “minor league”
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 8:31 AM PST up reply actions
Strikeforce is already a minor league
The only reason to keep them around is to develop talent, or to build them up to be an ‘equal’ show. Having talent go back and forth between the two in a ‘draft’ could help build a competitive rivalry, making the Superbowl Strikeforce vs UFC shows more interesting.
And casual fans love picking teams. Some will side on UFC others will side on Strikeforce. We tend to already do it in various walks of life (Mac vs PC, PLaystation vs Xbox, Republican vs Democrat). Why not exploit this for MMA?
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by KJ Gould on Jan 8, 2012 12:00 PM PST up reply actions
There are a handful of minor league teams that could probably beat a good amount of major league teams today.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
by memitim on Jan 8, 2012 12:25 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
?
What teams and sports are you referring to? Just curious.
Like my post? Well, follow me on Twitter anyways. @LenBarson
by LenBarson on Jan 10, 2012 7:54 AM PST up reply actions
Is the UFC Raw or Smackdown?
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by T.C. Engel on Jan 8, 2012 7:25 PM PST up reply actions
Logistically, the idea of a PPV that features more than two, let alone five, title fights is a non-starter. For this to work, it would need to be contested over multiple events, which would either disrupt the UFC’s promotional schedule, or hamper Strikeforce’s Showtime schedule.
But why not have Strikeforce host more World Grand Prix tournaments, except this time, include UFC-contracted fighters? If you set the prize money high enough, and guarantee that no matter what, fighters remain with their current organizations, you can simultaneously create higher-quality matchups for Showtime cards and whet fans appetites for the GP winners facing UFC champions somewhere down the one.
by madiq on Jan 8, 2012 9:08 AM PST reply actions
This would kill their image
If their champs lost to Strikeforce champs. It would be like the Bellator champs losing in non-title fights. Complete bullshit,
"Life isn't Fucking fair! Deal with it." Dad.
by Joben on Jan 8, 2012 9:37 AM PST reply actions
it would be better if
A SF champ faced a top contender in the UFC, if he wins he can advance to face the actual Champ and become part of the UFC roster instead
I am willing to test myself against the toughest fighters in the world, in front of hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans, over and over again. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I always come to fight. I've been doing this for the past fourteen years, and I have at least a few more strong years left in me. What have you done in the past fourteen years other than act like a moron on this forum and hang on Anderson's nuts? - Dan Henderson.
by elmojo on Jan 8, 2012 9:41 AM PST up reply actions
Showtime won't have it
if the UFC stops pretending that Strikeforce isn’t a B-league they’ll pull the plug.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 6:24 PM PST up reply actions
So Zuffa’s insistence that SF is not a “minor league” is whats keeping SF on Showtime? Anybody who knows anything about MMA knows SF is exactly that, a minor league. But as long as Zuffa continues to insist that SF is a legit, top-tier MMA promotion, Showtime will continue to go for it? Please explain, if you wouldn’t mind.
Like my post? Well, follow me on Twitter anyways. @LenBarson
by LenBarson on Jan 10, 2012 8:00 AM PST up reply actions
"Complete bullshit,"
I really love the tenor of sobriety and moderation you’ve put out here. Really calm and rational. Refreshing. Thanks.
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by Luke Thomas on Jan 8, 2012 10:19 AM PST up reply actions
From one soft spoken man to another.
by castleeb on Jan 8, 2012 1:43 PM PST up reply actions
We know our own.
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by Luke Thomas on Jan 8, 2012 2:34 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
It would be pure, unadulterated insanity if Zuffa did not have their stars/champs front their two MMA owned promotions face off once a year. It would make each Strikeforce event infinitely more meaningful. I think Dana and co. would see the value and hopefully something in announced by the end of the first quarter.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
by memitim on Jan 8, 2012 10:33 AM PST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
is a reader actually agreeing with me?
what is happening here?
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 6:24 PM PST up reply actions
This would be a great idea for dominant champs
I have always liked this idea, but in my opinion it should only be between dominant champs with at least multiple defenses like the lightweight division has right now. Melendez has 3 and Edgar has 3, that would prove who the real lw world champ really is. As the author mentions it will give Edgar and I believe Melendez a boost of fan interest. As for Rockhold I loved his performance last night but I feel he should at least defend once more as most people will not give him a chance on defeating the pound for pound king at this stage.
by Turaldo on Jan 8, 2012 11:08 AM PST reply actions
I think Anderson, since he only has a couple of fights left, should get a pass on this but I would love to see:
Winner of GP v JDS
Jones v King Mo
Mousasi v Rampage
Jacare or Rockhold v Chael
Daley v Koscheck
Gil v Bendo/Edgar
And a big WMMA fight like Ronda v Gina or Cyborg.
It's that the world is basically a forced labor camp from which the workers, perfectly innocent, are led forth by lottery, a few each day, to be executed.
I don't think that's just the way I see it. I think that's the way it is. Are there alternative views? Yes. Will any of them stand close scrutiny? No.
by memitim on Jan 8, 2012 11:31 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Mousasi vs. Rampage would be all kinds of awesome.
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by T.C. Engel on Jan 8, 2012 7:26 PM PST up reply actions
Those would be good matches
by Turaldo on Jan 9, 2012 12:58 PM PST up reply actions
Good fights.
Although I have no interest in Kos/Daley 2. Koscheck/Woodley would be great though. I’m curious to see how Tyron would fight when he can’t take his opponent down and hold them there.
Like my post? Well, follow me on Twitter anyways. @LenBarson
by LenBarson on Jan 10, 2012 8:03 AM PST up reply actions
MMA Superbowl
I love this idea of the MMA Superbowl. As Americans we love tournaments, we love the playoffs whether it’s MLB, NBA, especially the NFL, with 2 teams going at it for the championship. An MMA Superbowl could be the next best thing. However, I think it should be greater than just UFC vs Strikeforce, but a true MMA Superbowl with all major organizations. Or the alternative, could be an all Zuffa run MMA Superbowl between UFC and Strikeforce.
This idea of an MMA Superbowl originated not from Dana White and Zuffa, but from the mind of former DSE/PRIDE president Noboyuki Sakakibara, even before the purchase of PRIDE by Zuffa.
source: http://admin.mmaweekly.com/pride-boss-my-fighters-will-devour-ufc-fighters
In PRIDE’s vision of the MMA Superbowl, they wanted to host in the United States in a huge stadium, with both the PRIDE ring and the UFC’s Octagon in the center. Each round would alternate fight surfaces so neither fighter would have excuses.
One thing I miss about PRIDE and the Japanese sense of MMA, is their creativity. We all know that Zuffa wouldn’t be creative enough to come up with the idea of an MMA superbowl or they would have done it by now, and they do not play well with other MMA organizations. They would rather bleed out the fighters, then kill an organization before they do that.
I think a good model for an MMA Superbowl would be the 2009 DREAM vs Sengoku New Year’s Eve show took place. The hologram screen at Saitama Super Arena showed the tally score of the Versus series. It was a back and forth battle between both organizations but DREAM proved to be the dominant promotion. This was a historical event in the fact that it’s unheard of even to this day that two promotions cooperated in holding a VERSUS Event. I want to see more of this in MMA with the major promotions, whether it’s Bellator vs. DREAM, or DREAM vs. ONE FC.
The age old question is who is #1? Let them fight !!
by grandprxichamp on Jan 8, 2012 11:44 AM PST reply actions
Edit: **The hologram screen acted in the Saitama Super Arena acted as a score board for the Versus series.
by grandprxichamp on Jan 8, 2012 11:51 AM PST up reply actions
Woodley vs Fitch on Showtime Extreme!!!
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by Snatchl on Jan 8, 2012 12:01 PM PST reply actions
now you're talking
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 6:25 PM PST up reply actions
I don’t see the super bowl of mma happening.maybe when zuffa absorbs strikeforce entirely. But untill then I doubt it.
What I want to know is how much profit is the ufc getting from keeping strikeforce around. Because if the are breaking even receiving a loss then this makes no sense. Profit and market manuvering makes absolute sense.
If theirs profit to be mad then let’s see champion vs champion fights has contracts in strikeforce expire. I doubt fighters from the ufc with current contracts will move over.
Dan hardy would be in strikeforce if it were owned by zuffa at the time.
If m1 is good enough fo4r showtime I don’t think zuffa is going to work hard to raise the product quality in strikeforce
by XingYi on Jan 8, 2012 2:13 PM PST via mobile reply actions
they're not looking to make a big profit off Strikeforce
they’re locking a potential competitor off of Showtime/CBS
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 6:26 PM PST up reply actions
It would be great if it was a UFC Champ vs a Strikeforce Champ and whoever lost had to stay in Strikeforce, until the next year. Would give it a bit more meaning…….
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by StevenGiles on Jan 8, 2012 5:25 PM PST reply actions
I like that idea too
but remember the UFC HAS TO PRETEND STRIKEFORCE IS THE BIG LEAGUES TOO.
sorry for yelling.
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by Nate Wilcox on Jan 8, 2012 6:26 PM PST up reply actions
ouch
thats quite the damnation stipulation
I am willing to test myself against the toughest fighters in the world, in front of hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans, over and over again. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I always come to fight. I've been doing this for the past fourteen years, and I have at least a few more strong years left in me. What have you done in the past fourteen years other than act like a moron on this forum and hang on Anderson's nuts? - Dan Henderson.
by elmojo on Jan 8, 2012 10:54 PM PST up reply actions
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