What did you think of Strikeforce's latest event?It was good and bad at the same time. The overall production still seems second-rate to me. I have big problems with their entrances. Watching Matt Lindland enter on a ramp with fireworks going off just doesn't work. The generic "rock music" they play also doesn't help. It's just an awkward setup. If you want to know if an entrance works, watch the fans. At Strikeforce events, the fans don't even seem to notice when a fighter enters. I think in most instances, watching an MMA event on TV is better than attending. However, entrances can shake the equation. Strikeforce is totally missing this element. A lot of you are probably saying, "Who cares about the entrances? This isn't the WWE." I totally disagree. Any fan who attended UFC 68 and felt the eruption when Randy Couture entered would also disagree. Same goes for the fans at UFC 87 when the first notes of "Shout at the Devil" hit and Brock Lesnar stormed to the cage. Entrances matter.
My next problem with the production is the announcing team. Ranallo, Shamrock, and Quadros stink. They don't jell. Quadros isn't bad on his own, but he has a hard time finding openings. It's really just a mess listening to these guys. They need to scrap the three-man booth. Either go with Ranallo and Pat Miletich (he's the best MMA commentator in the sport and Showtime treats him like crap) or Ranallo and Quadros. Shamrock is not a TV announcer. As a former top fighter, his strength should be breaking down techniques and telling interesting stories about his glory days. Somehow, he screws up even the most basic technical breakdowns and hardly ever tells a funny story about the old days. He's useless. If anyone out there is into video editing, I implore you to make a mash-up of Shamrock and Miletich breaking down instant replays. You'll be shocked at how poorly Shamrock sounds and how outstanding Miletich hits all the best points. I don't know how Showtime could watch these broadcasts and not think, "Wow, is this really our announcing team?"
Were there any good points?The audio remained excellent. Whatever they're doing to mic the cage is working. I also enjoyed the Text Poll ("Which fighters should have a rematch?"). I almost always think that stuff blows, but they came up with a great question. It gets fans involved without trying too hard. An example of a bad question would be, "Who has the hardest punch in Strikeforce?" Stuff like that is pointless for fans and the promotion. Another thing I liked was seeing Dan Henderson and Bobby Lashley interviewed during the show. Get your big names involved, even when they're not fighting.
Best part of the event?Matt Lindland's circa
1990 Patrick Ewing knee pad.
Two words...Jenn Brown.I received a ton of email about her. Viewers were split on whether she's awful or bearable. I will say that she made me laugh out loud when she said Cung Le was at the "Pinnacle of the fighting world" after he defeated Frank Shamrock. I guess she isn't horrible when compared to other backstage interviewers like Scott Ferrall and Chuck Zito.
Worst line of the night?"MMA on wheels!" - Ranallo in reference to Nascar
How impressive was Gilbert Melendez?If he can continue to improve his striking, he's on his way to being a Top 3 Lightweight. His offense is good enough, but he's still too stiff on his feet. I'm not sure if that's something he can ever fully change, though. Strikeforce could make some major noise with Lightweights. The UFC has the best 155er by far, but other than him, they lack talent and more importantly fighters people care about. Strikeforce needs to lock up Shinya Aoki and some of the other DREAM guys. I'd rather watch a division of Melendez, Aoki, Thomson, Ribeiro, Noons, and Hansen/Kawajiri/Calvancante than Penn, Maynard, Florian, Sanchez, Guida, and Griffin.
Will BJ Penn ever lose again at 155 pounds? No, but I also think he's gonna leave the division within the next 12 months. He's a big money fighter and the UFC doesn't have the talent at Lightweight to keep him paid at the level he expects. I think he's on his way to making a permanent move to 170 lbs. It'll probably begin with a third fight against Matt Hughes and go from there.
Explain to me how Mir/Carwin for the Interim Heavyweight Title makes sense. I can't. This was more of a scheduling issue than anything else. Nogueira and Velasquez were already set to fight at UFC 110, which eliminated either of them being involved in the Interim Title bout. It should be Mir/Velasquez for the title. Carwin gets the nod because he's made himself interesting by calling out Brock Lesnar and positioning himself as the Hulk Hogan of the UFC. The fact they're having an Interim Title fight speaks volumes about Lesnar's health. If he was doing well enough to make a summer comeback, Mir/Carwin wouldn't be fighting for the title. I don't think we see Lesnar in the Octagon until Fall 2010, maybe even later.
Who's winning the battle between the UFC and Strikeforce so far? Strikeforce by a lot. This has nothing to do with the UFC's injury problems. It's all about free agent signings. The UFC is going to war with guys like Tito Ortiz, Frank Trigg, and Ben Rothwell. Meanwhile, Strikeforce rolls out Fedor, Dan Henderson, and Bobby Lashley. It's shocking because the UFC is usually great at closing the door on other promotions. Instead, they made some major blunders and now Strikeforce has a very real chance to solidify their standing as a viable challenger.
The thing to watch as we get into 2010 is how Strikeforce handles the transition to PPV. They've proven they can sell lots of tickets and intrigue TV viewers. Hooking PPV viewers is more difficult. First, the UFC will no doubt come at them with a Spike show that has some real meat to it. Strikeforce will need to throw most of their chips into the pot. I think they gotta go as big as possible with as many top fighters as possible in action. Something like this would work...
Fedor vs Overeem
Henderson vs Mousasi
Lashley vs Rogers
Shields vs Souza
Diaz vs Noons
They also gotta keep their options open in case any injuries happen. Once the PPV is scheduled, limit the other events. There should be 3-4 upper level fighters who serve as alternates. In the card above, I'd have Robbie Lawler, Muhammed Lawal, and Jason Miller sitting around strictly for injury purposes.
There is about a 75% chance Strikeforce screws this up. It's not because they're inept. My biggest worry is they have too many mouths to feed. CBS doesn't want second-rate cards. Strikeforce must keep them happy and at the same time book a PPV. It's difficult and I hope they don't mess it up. No matter what the PPV must succeed. Throw everything you have at it.
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