NICK DIAZ DOMINATES FRANK SHAMROCK,
 GILBERT MELENDEZ WINS INTERIM STRIKEFORCE BELT,
 SMITH, ROGERS, CYBORG ALSO VICTORIOUS

Mixed martial arts made a smashing return to premium network television Saturday with a scintillating fight card that featured heaps of strikes, kicks, drama, unbelievable comebacks and a brilliant, poised, victorious performance by Nick Diaz

Photo: Tom Casino/Strikeforce

In a dominant outing in which he was in control throughout, Diaz (19-7, 1 NC) of Stockton, Calif., made good on his vow, and impressively knocked out legendary MMA pioneer and local favorite Frank Shamrock before an enthusiastic crowd of 15,211 at HP Pavilion.

A Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Diaz took apart Shamrock with seeming ease. He whipped Shamrock on the ground and at the veteran’s game – on the feet. The fight was stopped at 3:57 of the second round with Diaz reigning punches with both hands on a fallen, helpless Shamrock.

At times, Diaz seemed to be toying, even mocking Shamrock. Twice, Diaz, who was moving up to compete at a catch-weight 179 pounds, took side-control, a dominant position, but Shamrock fought his way out on both occasions.

 Shamrock (24-9-2), however, could not get inside Diaz’ long reach and wound up getting pummeled. How bad a night was it for the hometown favorite? Shamrock may not have even won the battle of introductions in a fight in his hometown.

Shamrock will be back, though, he says, and so, of course, will Diaz.

In other televised fights, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez captured the interim Strikeforce lightweight championship with a second-round knockout over Rodrigo Damm, Scott Smith rallied from the brink of defeat to register a stunning third-round knockout over Benji Radach in a brutal battle of determined, heavy-handed middleweights, Cris “Cyborg” Santos knocked out Hitomi Akano in the third round of a women’s match and Brett Rogers scored a crowd-pleasing second-round TKO over  “Abongo” Humphrey in a hard-fought matchup of unbeaten heavyweights

SHOWTIME® AND STRIKEFORCE

PRESS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS;

ROBBIE LAWLER Vs. JAKE SHIELDS FIGHT

 ANNOUNCED FOR MAY

 

KEN HERSHMAN, SCOTT COKER, FRANK SHAMROCK, NICK DIAZ,

JOSH THOMSON, GILBERT MELENDEZ, BENJI RADACH, SCOTT SMITH,

SHIELDS, LAWLER AND CRIS CYBORG

 

Thursday, March 12, 2009,

Avalon Hollywood , Hollywood , California

 

“SHAMROCK Vs. DIAZ — April 11’’

 Live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT

 

LOS ANGELES (March 12, 2009) – Showtime Networks Inc . and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) Event producer Strikeforce hosted a kickoff press conference Thursday to discuss their new relationship and the eagerly awaited April 11 fight card on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT).

 

Highlights from the press conference at the Avalon Hollywood included verbal insults between legendary MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock and talented MMA bad boy Nick Diaz, who will collide in the main event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

 

Conversely, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez, who will square off in a rematch of their first all-action matchup, showed nothing but respect for each other’s ability and tenacity. Both are braced for a repeat performance, five-rounds of frantic and versatile MMA battle.

 

Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott Coker, in addition to putting a stamp on “a new era” for his respected MMA brand, also announced the main event of the next Strikeforce event to air on SHOWTIME—Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields—coming in May. The matchup of EliteXC champions – Lawler was welterweight titleholder, Shields owned the lightweight belt – will be contested at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

 

Other fights confirmed for April 11 on SHOWTIME: Benji Radach of Los Angeles faces Scott Smith of Sacramento at 185 pounds and Cris Cyborg of Brazil meets Japan ’s Hitomi Akano in a women’s fight at 140 pounds.

 

Among the speakers Thursday were Ken Hershman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks, Coker, Jim Goddard, the SVP of Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, and fighters Shamrock, Diaz, Thomson, Melendez, Smith, Radach, Cyborg, Lawler and Shields.

 

What they had to say:

 

KEN HERSHMAN

“This is going to be the new MMA 2.0. We’re starting over. We’ve been presenting boxing on SHOWTIME for 20 years and we think boxing and MMA complement each other. The younger audience the MMA brings us will only help us add more viewers and ultimately subscribers.

 

“We’ve assembled the best announce team in the business–Gus Johnson, Stephen Quadros, Frank Shamrock, Mauro Ranallo and Pat Miletich. We feel like we have some incredibly compelling matchups. When Scott (Coker) mentioned the matchup of Frank (Shamrock) and Nick (Diaz) I said, ‘Done. Next.’

 

“Let’s move on to the next one.”

 

SCOTT COKER

“Today is a great day for MMA, for Strikeforce and for SHOWTIME. We are going to be able to put on some of the best fight matchups out there. We’ve been doing this for 24 years and we know what works. We know how to put on a successful martial arts show.

 

“An era has begun where every fighter gets into the cage to prove they are the best and where every fan can afford to participate. We have entered an era that will begin with two incredible matchups on April 11.”

 

FRANK SHAMROCK

“Someone asked me the other day how my comeback was going so I guess I’ve come back. I love fighting. I love this art. I want to thank Nick Diaz for the opportunity and just warn him that when I punch his head and he lands in the second row he’ll need someone to catch him.

 

“I’m not going to show a lot of things I have in the past. This time I’m just showing up to smash some people and make a few dollars.”

 

NICK DIAZ

“Training has been going great and I am very happy with it. I am clear-headed and ready to fight.

 

“I feel I am the perfect candidate for this fight. Shamrock thinks he can beat guys with styles like me.  

 

“I don’t care about the weight. I feel more energetic. My strength is great. I hit harder. I like this fight because I will be able to control what goes on when we’re on the ground.

 

“Frank can talk all he wants, but I’m going to beat him up. Let’s see how much he fights back.’’

 

JOSH THOMSON

“There is much more pressure on me this fight. There was no pressure when I fought him the last time; I was just the challenger.

 

“But now that I am Strikeforce champion, I have to work ever harder and be more prepared for anything and everything.

 

“I don’t feel I got the respect I should have after beating Gilbert. But that doesn’t bother me. As long as I know I am giving the fans what they want – and the fans know what they will get when I fight – then I am fine.

 

“Our second fight will really showcase our new skills, things people haven’t seen in the past. It will be more action-packed and fast-paced.

 

“Gilbert is someone I admire and I’m actually dreading this fight. I know it’s going to go for five rounds and will be full of action. There will be a lot of blood, sweat and tears shed to get ready for this fight but it’s going to be fun come April 11.’’

 

GILBERT MELENDEZ

“It is definitely a great thing for me to have a chance to redeem myself for my only loss and to do it on SHOWTIME is a dream come true. This fight will give both of us a lot of exposure.

 

“All I will say about our first fight is that Josh trained harder and was the better man that night.

 

“Losing is never a good thing, but you live and learn from experiences and that fight has made me train even harder. I did the best I could in our first fight, but I feel I am a better fighter now and will do better on April 11.

 

“This time, I am going to take it to him, dictate the pace and make him fight me. This time, I am going to fight my fight.’’

 

SCOTT SMITH

“I am very excited about this show and excited to be able to ride this new wave. This is going to be a great fight, one of the best of the night.

 

“I totally respect Benji. This will not be easy. I’ve changed a few things in my fighting.

 

“I’m trying not to get hit too much. People like to see fun fights and our fight will definitely be a fun fight to watch.’’

 

BENJI RADACH

“He has been in a lot of wars but by no means do I think they have taken a toll on Scott. He is always is top shape and always comes to battle.

 

“My advantage is, I think I am faster and maybe a little better wrestler. My quickness is going to be key.

 

“But the bottom line is to be better and win the fight no matter where it goes.’’

 

CRIS “CYBORG” SANTOS

“It’s really exciting what SHOWTIME has done for women’s MMA and I am proud that they want me back on their next show. I am not looking past my opponent, but the fighter I want is Gina Carano.

 

“People have been talking about us fighting so I think it is only a matter of time. I think we both want the fight and I know it is a fight the fans would love to see.

 

“I can’t wait for April 11 and I can’t wait to fight Gina Carano.’’

 

ROBBIE LAWLER

“Everybody knows I am always ready and willing to fight anybody, anytime, any place so I am just looking forward to getting out there and fighting.

 

“I might be bigger, but it sure doesn’t look it when we stand side by side. This will be my first fight since July but I’m always in the gym and I stay in shape.  So I’ll be 100 percent.’’

 

JAKE SHIELDS

“I am super excited about this fight and this opportunity. I’ve always wanted to fight the top level guys. That’s not to say the guys I’ve fought recently weren’t good fighters because they were.

 

“But Lawler is a high-profile fighter, a top-five middleweight. So this is a real challenge for me and a fight that has me highly motivated.

 

“I am very happy to be fighting on SHOWTIME again. This is definitely going to be a great fight and I am super happy to be part of this. Strikeforce is going to be doing a lot of good things in the future.’’

Strikeforce invites fans to its press conference in Los Angeles this Thursday, March 12th.

The conference will promote “Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz,” takes place April 11  at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., and will be the first Strikeforce show to air on Showtime.

Details: 

Thursday March 12, 2009

Avalon Hollywood,

1735 Vine St. in Los Angeles.

12pm PST.

Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will take on Gilbert Melendez, in a five-round rematch at Strikeforce “Shamrock vs. Diaz” on April 11th.

KEN HERSHMAN, SCOTT COKER & FRANK SHAMROCK

 MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

ANNOUNCED: Legendary Shamrock Faces World-Class Nick Diaz
In Strikeforce Main Event When MMA Returns to SHOWTIME Saturday, April 11,
At 10 p.m. ET/PT, Live From The HP Pavilion in San Jose , California

 

 

Late last week, it was announced that Showtime Networks, Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) event producer Strikeforce have joined forces to create an all-new series of MMA events that will air live on SHOWTIME® as part of the SHOWTIME Sports franchise. 

 

The multi-year agreement calls for SHOWTIME to produce and televise up to 16 live events per year including Strikeforce world championship events as well as a series dedicated to showcasing up-and-coming fighters in the sport.

 

The initial Strikeforce event on SHOWTIME is Saturday, April 11 (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) at the HP Pavilion in San Jose , Calif. , and will feature legendary MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock against world-class Nick Diaz in the main event at a catchweight of 179 pounds.

 

Hershman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc., was responsible for pioneering the network’s entry into MMA in 2007, when SHOWTIME became the first premium network to televise the explosive sport.

 

Coker, the Strikeforce founder and CEO, has promoted MMA for more than 23 years. His 14-year-old Strikeforce organization has been a major player in MMA since a March 2006 event drew a capacity crowd of 18,265 at San Jose’s HP Pavilion. The live gate figure also broke the then-all-time record for attendance at an MMA event held in North America .

 

The executives and Shamrock spoke on a national media conference call Tuesday. The following are highlights from the call:

 

Comments from:

SCOTT COKER:

We had the opportunity to work with SHOWTIME on the Shamrock vs. Baroni fight in June of 2007 and it was a great success.  It was a great matchup.  We went on to promote another event with SHOWTIME, which was the he Shamrock vs. Cung Le fight.  It was very well attended, attendance was over 15,000.  It was an amazing battle.  At that point we said MMA is here to stay. 

 

This is a monumental event for our company.  We look forward to putting on the best MMA events in the history of Strikeforce.  With the two rosters combined, we have a roster that makes for a lot of compelling matchups.  We look forward to put on some amazing events and we look forward to moving forward. 

 

KEN HERSHMAN:

We’ve had MMA on the network since 2007.  That (EliteXC) programming was actually very successful despite ProElite’s financial struggles.  One thing that we’re very proud of is that we always put on compelling contests that are very well received by our subscribers.   

 

We’ve been in boxing the last 20-plus years.  We expected MMA to start off slowly until people caught up, and I’d have to say that that’s not the case.  It’s right up there with some of our highest rated sports programming. 

 

We’re thrilled to be getting back into this space and equally excited to get back into it with Strikeforce and Scott Coker. There’s no one better and classier in this business.  We’re really looking forward to launching this platform together.  We now have a great compliment on the network again to our NFL programming and our boxing programming.  And I can’t wait until April 11. 

 

FRANK SHAMROCK:

I want to thank SHOWTIME for once again not only taking the risk with MMA but also embracing it wholeheartedly.  My experience with Scott Coker is a very long one and a very successful one. 

 

Scott was that guy that got me out, got me back in the cage and got me going again. I put my trust in him and put my faith in him to promote me well and to present us with honor and respect that I think the athletes deserve.  In that way I think Scott is a tremendous friend and promoter. 

 

SHOWTIME, man, you guys are good guys.  You’re commitment to MMA is honorable.  I, as an artist, really, truly appreciate that.  It’s been 15 years since I’ve been a professional mixed martial artist and I can’t imagine having another job or wanting one. 

 

(For) April 11, they called me and I took my suit off and put my training clothes on.  One thing Strikeforce is really good at and SHOWTIME is really good at is making and booking exciting fights.  My opponent for April 11 is an exciting fighter.  He’s a guy who throws, talks trash and on April 11, I’m going to knock him out.  And his name is Nick Diaz. 

 

Many of you guys know him.  He’s sort of the other bad boy that I haven’t beat down yet.  But come April 11 we’ll take care of that.  

 

QUESTIONS:

Do you plan to continue to cross promote?

 

SCOTT COKER:

We haven’t had the sit down with Ken and the guys at SHOWTIME, but my thought is that the co-promotion fights that we did together with EliteXC and Gary Shaw were probably two of the best fights we’ve ever done.  When organizations get together and have compelling matchups that make sense and are relevant that work out in the end for both fighters and all parties, I feel why wouldn’t we?  I think if it’s good for business that I will support it.  But it’s something we still have to iron out. 

 

On fighting Ken Shamrock. 

FRANK SHAMROCK:

I do plan to fight more often. I had a program which was kind of fighting twice a year, but think I need to tie them a little closer so I don’t get out of shape. 

 

In reference to fighting Ken, it’s a fight I’d always want to do. I think it’s a very compelling story.  Ken’s going through some personal and emotional problems right now and we’re letting him do that.  But this fight is something that is very personal for me.  I think it’s very important that we tell the story of the sport and the Shamrock family and what type of influence the family has had on the sport.   I think it’s important that I kick his butt, but right now we’re putting it on the back burner.  

 

What went into Shamrock-Diaz?

KEN HERSHMAN:

Everything I’ve seen from Frank is there is never a dull moment. With Nick, you know what you’re getting from him.  He’s just going to come at you and not stop. 

 

When I program boxing I’m much more involved in the matchmaking.  I look for styles that will make compelling contests and will make compelling fights.  When we talked to Scott about this matchup this was one of those that was like three seconds.  Do it.  These guys are going to go at it. It’s going to be fun.  Who knows who wins?  Frank has to lose some weight and that’s a challenge for him and Nick has to fight a guy that is a legend.  So come April 11 all I can say is I won’t miss it. 

 

Has there been Kimbo Slice contact?

HERSHMAN:

Well there is a lot of reasons why (there hasn’t been contact with Kimbo Slice yet).  We had to work through the whole EliteXC thing and unwind that transaction.  It was a big  bit complicated and a bit cumbersome.  My hat goes off to Scott and his team for hanging in there.  It was a long road, but we got there.  And now we just closed this deal a few days back.  We’ve already put together an event.  Scott’s already matched up the main event and a couple of other cards.  Now we’re going to go to the next step, which is to secure those fighters that we want and Kimbo is one that we think we have a future with.  We’re going to make every effort to get him done.  But there are only so many hours in a day.  He’s an important part of where we’re going and we’re going to see if we can line that up with him in the coming weeks.

 

SCOTT COKER:

We have been in touch with I think half of the fighter roster. Yesterday, I did talk to Kimbo Slice’s lawyer, just to say hello and let him know we will be in touch shortly and that we are very excited to have Kimbo fighting with Strikeforce and getting him back into the cage as soon as possible. My goal is to get these guys back working and back fighting as soon as possible. 

 

We will have reached out to everybody by the end of day tomorrow.  And then we’ll start putting the matches together and move forward. 

 

KEN HERSHMAN:

I think that we are going to have at least five major events this year and hopefully at least five of our up-and-comer series which was so successful before.  As Scott said, we are going to sit down and go through the calendar and try and space these things out.  But you know SHOWTIME hasn’t had MMA on the air with live, new events since September of last year, so we’re chomping at the bit.  We can’t wait to get going and we’re looking forward to this April show to kick it off.  You’re going to see a number of events in pretty rapid succession thereafter. 

 

CHRIS DEBLASIO:

Just to clarify, there will be the championship level events and the up-and-comer series which is similar to our boxing series ShoBox, which showcases young fighters who are up and coming and trying to make their way to the big time championship fights. 

 

Plans for women’s MMA:

SCOTT COKER:

Being from a martial arts background, we’ve always looked forward to women’s fights. At the end of the day, this is a martial arts contest. I’ve always supported women’s martial arts competitions.  MMA is just taking it to the next level. We’ve had some compelling matchups.  When you look back at the history of the women’s fights in Strikeforce there are a couple fights that are right up there with the big boys as far as exciting matchups. They can bring it. There’s no difference. A kick is a kick. A punch is a punch. An arm-bar is an arm-bar.  If a girl is 125 pounds doing it, it’s still effective. 

 

We’re going to continue supporting women’s MMA and we’re going to be inviting Gina (Carano) to come fight on April 11.  And we’ve already got confirmation from (Cris) Cyborg that she is available if we can put that match together.  And if not maybe we’ll put Cris Santos-Cyborg on the April 11 card.  But those matchups are still to be determined and nothing is confirmed on that end.  But we will be supporting women’s MMA in Strikeforce. 

 

What’s the status of Cung Le?

SCOTT COKER:

Cung has been doing his movie star career.  He’s had some success with it, he’s doing very well and we’re all happy for him.  I talked to him about a week ago and he is itching to get back in the cage. He does have an injury on his elbow right now which is stopping him from fighting in this show.  Otherwise, he would be fighting on this show because his schedule is open. He’s just injured.  You will see Cung Le back in the cage on Strikeforce at least two times before the end of the year.  I haven’t say down and talked to Frank about it, but the fight between Cung and Frank number two is a fight that actually should happen before the end of 2009. We are planning on having Gilbert (Melendez) fight (on April 11). 

 

What is solidified for April 11?

SCOTT COKER:

Frank and Nick are going to be the main event.  The other fight that we have matched is Benji Radich, who is an amazing fighter and great striker. He will be fighting Scott Smith, who in the last Strikeforce event knocked out Terry Martin in the first round.  Those two guys will probably go right to the center of the cage and start throwing as hard as they can because that’s how they work. 

 

The fighter that we are looking to match is Gilbert Melendez. 

 

What’s the status of Josh Thompson?

SCOTT COKER:

I haven’t sat down with Josh yet, but we would like Josh to fight and the opponent we are going to invite to fight Josh, who is not confirmed, is KJ Noons. 

 

Question on EliteXC Titles:

We should give them the ability to come fight and unify the titles at some point in ’09.  We’re offering it to KJ because KJ was the EliteXC champion and Josh Thompson is our champion.  That would be an amazing fight and that’s why we’re trying to put that together so we can unify the belt.  But to get through all the weight classes that we have and they have, I think it is going to take the remainder of the year. 

 

Announcers and start times:

KEN HERSHMAN:

I think we are going to stick with it the same way we did with EliteXC, which is mostly a 10 p.m. start time, east coast.  The announce team we are putting in place as we speak.  We haven’t figured out a way to have Frank Shamrock fight and announce at the same time, but I’m sure he’ll figure that out.  I think we would like very much to bring Gus Johnson back, who did the CBS shows and is now our main commentator for boxing, and then we’ll round out the crew from there. 

 

Title ramification for catchweight fight between Shamrock and Diaz:

SCOTT COKER:

This fight works because Nick Diaz fights traditionally between as low as 150 and up to 180.  He goes back and forth depending on the matchup.  He was fighting at a lower rate and I talked to Cesar Gracie (Nick’s trainer) and he said ‘we can’t make that weight anymore so we want to fight at 170.’  That’s were he would like to go back and fight and make his match.  As you know, Frank is in the 185-pound weight class. 

 

Putting those two fights together, it just made a lot of sense to me because of the history behind Cesar, the Gracie’s and the Shamrocks.  I thought it was a compelling story. And it would be a fantastic matchup because of the styles.  That’s why we put that fight together. 

 

We’ve had a few fights at a catchweight, not that many.  But once in a while to put one on that’s very special together like we are able to do for the launch with SHOWTIME and do it here, at our home, with Frank and Nick it just made a lot of sense and we’re very excited to do it.

 

In terms of exclusive fights:

SCOTT COKER:

If we had a fighter under contract but we couldn’t keep them busy then we would let him fight here or there.  But based on the schedule, I think we are going to be very busy and we’re going to need the athletes to come participate because we are going to have so many fights.  For right now we’re going to need athletes to fill these slots.

 

Alistair Overeem (Strikeforce heavyweight champion) will be fighting for Strikeforce. The question is when?  I’m hoping to get him back before the end of the year.  He’s just had a very busy schedule in Japan and fighting in Europe. One of my top priorities is trying to work out his next fight with us. 

 

Kimbo against Bob Sapp?

SCOTT COKER:

That fight was just a conceptual fight. How great would it be if Kimbo and Bob could ever work out the weight and have that fight? I think it would be an entertaining fight to say the least. But by no means was that something that was contracted or talked about with both sides. It was just a “what if.”

 

Does Shamrock have the need or desire to avenge the loss to Cung Le?

FRANK SHAMROCK:

A need or desire, no. They’d probably pay well very well and it would probably be the fight of the year again.  Other than that, fighting is fighting to me.  It’s a transaction between two artists and somebody wins. 

 

Shamrock’s comments on Nick Diaz:

FRANK SHAMROCK:

I do know Nick personally.  It’s rare that I do know fighters on a social level.  Nick Diaz is very similar to me. He grew up in a broken home and had abusive parents and really had a tough childhood.  He and I have that in common and we’ve spoken about it a few times.  He’s also gone on his MMA quest and traveled around to all the gyms.  He ended up with my father for a minute training with him.  So we have common ties that tie us together.  I know for a fact hat he wasn’t too happy when I knocked out his coach Cesar and he said some words afterward that got him into this fight.  But we’re going to fight and I don’t care about Nick.  He’s a nice guy and I’m going to knock him out.  Then I’ll move onto the next one. 

 

Question about ProElite:

KEN HERSHMAN:

The reality of the situation is that ProElite ran into funding problems as many, many companies much bigger and far flung are in this world today.   We had to figure out a way to unwind the relationship in a way that worked for everybody and that allowed MMA to have a life and to continue on SHOWTIME.  That was very important to me and it was very important to SHOWTIME that we continue to showcase this programming for our subscribers. 

 

Absolutely we had a say in that (the ProElite deal with Strikeforce).  We were a stockholder number one and we had a programming agreement. We had to be very comfortable with the partner we were going to continue with. We absolutely had input there and we’re very happy with the way it worked out. 

 

Why Strikeforce?

KEN HERSHAMN:

There were a lot of factors that went into it.  First and foremost, we wanted stability that I think Strikeforce has demonstrated in their long tenure of operating successfully.  We like their roster of fighters and we like the combination of rosters between the EliteXC fighters that we’re picking up and their current fighters.  It presented a lot of compelling content in a very short time frame for us, so we didn’t have a building process.  

 

What did you learn from failures of EliteXC?

KEN HERSHMAN:

They learned a lot as we did throughout this process about expansion too quick, too much, too fast.  Things like that we’ll apply here. We just want to have a steady partner. We want to put on great shows. The benefit of our model and Strikeforce’s model is we’re not dependent on pay-per-view.  So we don’t have to go out there month in and month out and charge our fans $40 or $50 to see our content. You get SHOWTIME, you can watch them every month, month in and month out. We think we have a really good model that will allow us to grow in the future and we’re looking forward to it. 

 

Exclusive deal with Strikeforce?

KEN HERSHMAN:

We weren’t exclusive to EliteXC either and we’re not exclusive with Strikeforce.  But I will tell you that when we’re in with a partner, we’re in with a partner. We feel like we’re going to be doing a lot with Scott.  I’m not sure we have the capacity or the desire to do anything with anyone else.  If somebody came along with something compelling we would examine it and also talk with Scott about how he felt about it because that’s the type of partnership we’re going to have.

 

What synergy is there between boxing and MMA?

KEN HERSHMAN:

I think that when we looked at our sports platform and the ways to expand it we looked at boxing and that is, in essence, one of the original extreme sports.  Adding mixed martial arts, to me, is a very natural extension of that.  Obviously that sport has evolved and developed in a very quick fashion and has caught the attention of a young demographic, which we will see. And we have the NFL, which, on a lot of levels, is as extreme and challenging of a sport as a combat sport.  We love the triumvirate of those three together.  We think that they all cross-pollinate each other and we expect that fans of one will become fans of each of the other. 

A special 30 minute episode featuring a collection of the 10 greatest knockouts in Strikeforce mixed martial arts (MMA) history will premiere on NBC Saturday night.

The all-new “Strikeforce on NBC” episode will showcase the handiwork of some of Strikeforce’s most lethal competitors, including reigning world middleweight (185 lb. limit) champion, Cung Le; two-time world MMA champion, Frank Shamrock; and superstars Kazuo “The Grabaka Hitman” Misaki and Duane “Bang” Ludwig.

Le’s classic knockouts of old rivals Mike Altman and Brian “Mr. Unbreakable” Warren will be displayed as will Shamrock’s 21 second decimation of longtime, bitter adversary, Cesar Gracie.

The NBC program consists of the following bouts:

* Cung Le vs. Mike Altman
* Frank Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie
* Luke Stewart vs. Bryson Kamaka
* Joe “Diesel” Riggs vs. Eugene “The Wolf” Jackson
* Kazuo “The Grabaka Hitman” Misaki vs. Joe “Diesel” Riggs
* Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Tony “The Freak” Fryklund
* Terry Martin vs. Cory “The One” Devela
* Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello vs. David “Tank” Abbott
* Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello vs. Carter Williams
* Cung Le vs. Brian “Mr. Unbreakable” Warren

Fans have the opportunity to vote for their favorite knockout in a poll being hosted online at Strikeforce’s official website, www.strikeforce.com. Results of the survey will be displayed on the homepage next week.

“Strikeforce on NBC,” the first 52-week mixed martial arts series in network television history, airs every Saturday, immediately following NBC’s hit poker tournament series, “Poker After Dark” (check local listings). MMA legend Ken Shamrock and award-winning ESPN announcer, Lon McEachern, co-host each program and provide expert, play-by-play commentary.

About Strikeforce:
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then, it has co-produced the first SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event in history with its world championship “Shamrock vs. Baroni” card on June 22, 2007 followed by the first-ever mixed martial arts event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion on September 29, 2007. On April 12th of this year, Strikeforce launched the first-ever 52 week MMA series on one of the four major television networks in The U.S. – NBC.

Misaki Goes Head to Head with Riggs

LOS ANGELES, Sept 15, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Sherdog.com ( http://www.Sherdog.com), the world’s original online media platform for mixed martial arts (MMA) and a member of the CraveOnline ( http://www.CraveOnline.com) family of lifestyle sites for men, announced today that they will provide a live stream of Strikeforce’s ( http://www.Strikeforce.com) MMA extravaganza at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA. on Saturday, September 20.

The stream, available at Sherdog.com/live ( http://www.Sherdog.com/live) will be free of charge to viewers and begin at 7:30 PM PST (10:30 PM EST) with two preliminary bouts and will include the main fight card in its entirety.

“Strikeforce At The Mansion II” will be headlined by a showdown between 2006 Pride Bushido grand prix winner and world-ranked middleweight Kazuo “Grabaka Hitman” Misaki (20-8-2), and heavy-hitting UFC veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs (28-10). The event lineup comprises 10 bouts, which also includes the return of Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson (15-2) in a non-title bout with Lion’s Den protege Ashe Bowman (9-4) and the U.S. debut of Dream 155-pound sensation Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-4-1) against Justin Wilcox (5-2).

Sherdog recently launched their first live streaming broadcast of the Fury FC 6 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this past July, which included standout performances from Eduardo “Telles” Moreira, Eduardo Pachu, and Rafael dos Anjos, who is expected to make his Octagon debut at UFC 91 in November.

“Sherdog is excited to continue to provide its users with the best MMA content online,” stated Jeff Sherwood, Founder and Managing Editor of Sherdog.com. “It’s an opportunity for us to feature some of the best fights for our users and expand our MMA coverage and the types of content we provide to fans.”

The next streaming fight made available on Sherdog will feature the Fury FC 7 fight live from Brazil on Saturday, November 8.

For more information on the event and to access the stream live day of show, visit: Sherdog.com ( http://www.Sherdog.com/live)

Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le will guest with   ESPNEWS for their “Hot List” at 5:10pm ET.