Strikeforce 'Shamrock vs Diaz' to go head-to-head with UFC 94 replay on Spike TV April 11
by Jesse Holland on Mar 11, 2009 11:54 AM EDT
66 comments
Grease is the word.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has once again scheduled big-time Spike TV programming to counter an event from a competing promotion.
"Shamrock vs. Diaz" on April 11 is the first effort from Strikeforce since it acquired select Pro Elite assets, including a vast tape library and dozens of fighter contracts left over from EliteXC.
And just like it did with Elite XC, Dana White and Co. are going to do their best to retain as many MMA fans as possible by simultaneously airing one of its biggest pay-per-view events.
On the same night and at the same time, Spike TV will debut UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2," which of course is now known simply as "Greasegate," thanks to some questionable tactics by the corner of GSP.
St. Pierre defeated Penn via technical knockout to retain the welterweight crown in the UFC 94 main event. Also on the card, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida knocked out fellow light heavyweight contender Thiago Silva to move one step closer to a bout with "Sugar" Rashad Evans.
It originally took place on January 31, 2009.
This latest news, of course, should come as no surprise since Zuffa has made a habit of counter programming in the past. The UFC went up against the Elite XC debut show on CBS last May with a tribute to perhaps the most popular mixed martial artist on the planet, Chuck LIddell, called "Ultimate Iceman."
They also hastily put together UFC Fight Night 14 to draw interest away from the debut of Affliction: "Banned" on PPV last July with a main event between Anderson "The Spider" Silva and James "The Sandman" Irvin.
For Affliction's second effort, "Day of Reckoning" on January 24, the UFC answered with a replay of UFC 91 "Lesnar vs. Couture."
Strikeforce can be now be considered a major player in mixed martial arts with their current and future line up of combat athletes, coupled with their pending cable and network television deals.
While UFC President Dana White has long since supported the efforts of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, he is by no means going to let his success in the big market come without its share of roadblocks.
Competition 101. Let the games begin.
For more on the April 11 Strikeforce event click here.
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thats the worst possible one to replay, if they want people not to watch try a good event.
by roy on Mar 11, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Serioulsy, is anyone at all surprised by the UFC anymore?
by The5thBeatle on Mar 11, 2009 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
its called a business move… I thinks its smart of the UFC. sucks for competition that can’t keep up with old events replaying.
If they can’t beat that… they don’t need to be around.
by Reldeed on Mar 11, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
they will beat that stinker no problem, i don’t see this taking away many viewers
by roy on Mar 11, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also… what better way to get more money out of a high ppv event than to show it again for free and get $ from the network?!?
by Reldeed on Mar 11, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i think the only ppl that will watch the UFC replay are:
UFC nuthuggers.
Ppl. who just got on the UFC bandwagon and have no clue who Shamrock or Diaz are.
Ppl. who cant afford it :) ( i fall in this category)
by The5thBeatle on Mar 11, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i don’t know why they would go head to head. Shammy-Diaz is more of a curiosity fight with no ranking implications or major significance in MMA unlike Affliction. Only hardcore and possible regional fans might get that card. But maybe it’s better to nip competition in the bud before it becomes massive.
by NameNotRequired on Mar 11, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
All you have to say or advertise to the public is GSP. That will prolly get a million viewers just because of that. I am a marketing and business major and the UFC is just doing what any smart business would to. Dana may not ahve anything bad to say about Strikeforce but that doesnt mean that he isnt going to compete or make it hard for Strikeforce to compete.
Would any of you let your competitors have a free shot to gain more of a fanbase? I think not.
by ehoglund on Mar 12, 2009 3:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A lot of people will tune in to see it even though the event was a snoozer. Most people don’t know that. Unfortunately for the UFC they will mostly be dissapointed. I think there is a good chance people will get a bad taste for the UFC from this event. But that is the risk they are running.
I am stoked for the Strikeforce event especially now that i got a free year of Showtime.
by DDT on Mar 11, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ll be watching the Strikeforce show.
by El Mexicutioner, formerly The Mexicutioner on Mar 11, 2009 11:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
me too. but i might switch the channel to see lyoto ko Silva.
by matthew on Mar 11, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yea, especially if it’s on showtime and not PPV. I’m very curious to see how Diaz looks. He’s looked big later, but he should still be at a large size disadvantage in this fight.
by Crowls on Mar 11, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
obviously most of us are going to watch the strikeforce show. the whole point of this is not for the hardcore mma fans.. ie the ppl who post on an mma website. its to make sure the casual fight watchers see a ufc event instead of another brand.
by josh on Mar 11, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
that would give them a bad impression showing that card, show the casual fan a good card and you might win them over, plus if they have showtime its free anyway so why wouldn’t they watch the live event(even the casual fan has a brain)
by roy on Mar 11, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
roy-
Most casual fans do not have a brain. That’s why they buy everything from $50.00 Affliction t-shirts to $200.00 Nike gym shoes.
by OJR on Mar 11, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i see your point but free is free, putting on ufc 94 won’t hurt strikeforce at all i think.
by roy on Mar 11, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
this isn’t even a tough choice. Even if it was a really good event (which it wasn’t, 95 was way better), it is a replay vs. live mma.
by Bill Maher on Mar 11, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is Shamrock vs Diaz going to be on Showtime??
As a fan.. it’s kool to get a double shot of mma in one night.. but the reason behind the double shot.. is shady.. Me personally if I was on the other side of the water.. I would do the same thing to the UFC.. When they have a mega PPV card.. booked.. like 3 weeks out or so.. put the word out that a tight fight card on cable.. or on free tv will air considently at the same time.. You F with my $$.. I’ll F with yours.
by PhilQNY on Mar 11, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
great idea phil, its hard to beat free especially since i think strikeforce will be putting on some good cards
by roy on Mar 11, 2009 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“Grease is the word”
Nice!!!
by El Mexicutioner, formerly The Mexicutioner on Mar 11, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It would be hilarious if GSP was introduced with the song “Grease” during his next fight. BJ would have a fit.
by CaptainAmerica on Mar 11, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
why would anyone bother with 94? I would rather watch a night of new fights where I didn’t know the outcome than something that has already happened. Besides I wonder if Zuffa or Dana have ever heard of TiVo…
by Chief on Mar 11, 2009 12:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The real MMA fans know the deal but it’s the casual fan the UFC is still going after.
by Robert(1) on Mar 11, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Given the choice, i’d watch the Strikeforce event. I understand why the UFC counter-programme, but seems a little petty. Everyone knows the UFC are the biggest promotion in the US if not the world, and they put on some great shows, but sometimes it’s difficult to appreciate that fully until you’ve seen some of the smaller shows. I thought Dana liked Strikeforce anyway, or does the EliteXC connection have something to do with it!
by UKMMA on Mar 11, 2009 12:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
liking them and thinking they are going about things the right way has nothing to do with counter programming. This is business and it will work. Casual fans are likely to see the UFC event airing on Spike and are no doubt more likely to tune into that because the UFC is more recognizable than this Strikeforce thing on Showtime. It’s smart business and it works. Wait till Mania reports the ratings for the rebroadcast of 94 that night.
by Crowls on Mar 11, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i am surprised the UFC is doing this. didnt Dana say he has nothing against Strikeforce and hopes they succeed. I guess he now feels threatened that they got all of the Elite XC assets. Strikeforce is free if you have showtime and i do, so there is no way i would consider watching the rerun of ufc 94.
by horny for gina on Mar 11, 2009 12:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
obvious that you dont know anything about business. so what if dana said he has nothing against it doesnt mean you’re not gonna sit there and take it up the ass.
by yourm om ma on Mar 11, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love the UFC but does anyone actually watch UFC re-runs over live events regardless of who is putting it on???? I dont, I cant watch a sporting event more than once like I can with a movie or TV show. Will definitly be watching Diaz/Shamrock!!!!!
by the spyder on Mar 11, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
There is no contest even if the replay would be the greatest mma event ever, a new event is always more exciting to watch.
by Lester the Pimp on Mar 11, 2009 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Jesse please visit yardbarker.com/mma there is a video there you might want to see showing GOBS of grease on Rich Franklin in a title fight and ‘the best cut man’ there is GREASING Matt Hughes
by bDavid on Mar 11, 2009 12:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
OMG!!! Great find bDavid!!!!! I’ve seen vids of BJ getting his shoulders rubbed too….;)
by McArthur on Mar 11, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
…and Hughes still lost…it would be difficult for me to dislike a fighter more
by McArthur on Mar 11, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WOW! Hopefully Mania makes a thread about this.
by JV on Mar 11, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
there’s a lot more than that JV….I have many events PVRed and watch them occasionally. You’d be surprised what you don’t see when your not looking for it
by McArthur on Mar 11, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Im drinking that night, I’ll always rewatch the events. And yea theres always things I missed. And I agree 100% on what you dont see if your not looking for it
by JV on Mar 11, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What is the name of the video?
by CaptainAmerica on Mar 11, 2009 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dude it’s under the article named “before you pass judgement look at this” or something similar to it.
by Dragon on Mar 11, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks dude. Wow that is alot of vaseline being rubbed on. I don’t know what the fuss is all about anyway. It is legal to apply it to the face. It gets transferred to the gloves from there. Also their faces rub against the oponents body-guess that gives the other guy the advantage!
by CaptainAmerica on Mar 11, 2009 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the heads up, that was a great find!!
by Dragon on Mar 11, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The replays draw from the more casual fans. My boss is a perfect example. He might watch 1 PPV event live all year (he watches the spike events though), but he’s always interested in what happened. Now, if he has the opportunity to see a fight he’s only read about for free, he’s going to take this opportunity. My boss however wouldn’t watch the show on Showtime unless he came across it and already had subscribed to Showtime.
Dana can get a little weird with the counter programming though. I mean, for the first hour of the last WEC show, he was counter programming with UFC Unleashed on Spike.
by YouveGotGold on Mar 11, 2009 12:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
YGG, I thought you understood this issue with the first part of your post, but the second shows you are still a little confused like a lot of these guys. First of all, alot of cable subscribers may not get VS. and even if they did, would not know where to find it even if they had the inclination to find it. On top of that, most casual fans are not familiar with WEC. The casual fan is the most important thing here. This is really only counter-programming to ppl like us who follow the sport closely. So in fact, it’s not counter-programming at all seeing as most mma fans will choose to watch the live event if they are at all able.
It’s like how Nintendo marketed the Wii as compared to the 360 and PS3. They didn’t expect it to compete with those systems head to head and thus didn’t make it as technologically advanced and priced it significantly lower than those machines. Their intent was not to be an alternative to those products, but to be something that almost every owner of 1 of those two would own in addition to a 360 or PS3. They made a unique product that would appeal to a wide audience and priced it lower. No one is really choosing between a live event and a replay. They are just providing more MMA on tv and doing it free. It will attract casual fans and there’s really no need to get in an uproar when they do this.
by Crowls on Mar 11, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As far as Versus goes, almost no one on Dish Network gets it. You have to have their top teir of programming to watch Versus. So there is a huge audience that does not get it. Most Directv subscribers get Versus though and I’m not sure about cable. So Spike is available to way more people than Versus.
by DDT on Mar 11, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me explain my position on this particular counter programming issue:
On the day in question, there were hours of UFC programs on consecutively. I was watching for a while and almost forgot about the WEC show. I had it set up on my DVR, so it notified me, otherwise I’d have continued to watch UFC Unleashed. I have cable, so I can watch VS without a problem, which pays off as a hockey fan (or does it? VS might have the worst hockey announcers in the history of the sport). The counter programming issue didn’t arise due to knowledge of the programs, but the continuation of programming running counter to the live event.
by YouveGotGold on Mar 11, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i can see how that could happen. my point however is that Dana isn’t attempting to draw viewership away from WEC. He’s just providing more avenues for casual fans to see the sport. And all in all, if a few fans with the wherewithal to watch the WEC event tune into the re-air instead, it doesn’t hurt his bottom line.
by Crowls on Mar 11, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Strikeforce for me! UFC 94 was wayyy over hyped and did not live up to it’s hype :(
by TheEder on Mar 11, 2009 12:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
ya we expected so much from it that sucks I dont want relive it again
by The Philicutioner on Mar 11, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn’t miss Diaz/Shamrock for anything. This fight has (possibly) “Fight of the Year” written all over it.
The only people who watch these counter-programming UFC shows are people who never watch any other MMA events anyway. I really don’t see how it takes viewers from other promotions. No MMA fan is going to watch a replay on Spike if they have a top notch live card on another channel.
I have a few friends who don’t really watch anything other than UFC. Unless they happen to be at my place the night of the Strikeforce fight, they’ll be watching the UFC replay (if they happen to be in front of a television). Hell, it’s not like they are going to plan their evening around watching a replay of a fight that they just saw.
I don’t really see how the UFC events take other promotions viewers, based on these observations…
1) The casual fan (usually people who only watch UFC) weren’t going to watch Strikeforce anyway.
2) Hardcore MMA fans usually plan their evenings (a portion of it anyway) around an MMA event that they want to see. A re-run isn’t worth planning around for hardcore fans.
I think the UFC is actually screwing themselves by counter-programming. Just think…would the replay get more viewers being aired the same night as Strikforce, or a different night? I’m guessing they would still get the same amount of “casual” fans no matter which night they aired it, but they would gain more “hardcore” fans if it were not aired the same night as Strikeforce.
The UFC’s thinking is that they will take viewers away from Strikeforce, bu considering the “casual” fan wasn’t going to watch Strikeforce anyway, and the “hardcore” fan isn’t going to miss a solid, live, fight card…the UFC is really just lowering their own ratings.
JMHO
by introvert on Mar 11, 2009 12:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i like your point but also the casual fan that has showtime already is going to watch the live even and not a replay its free there not all that stupid, plus if the ufc wanted to try to get people away from watching strikeforce at least repaly a good event not that snooze fest.
by roy on Mar 11, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey u guys check out this video its fucking halarious
http://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/Some_MMA_Humor_for_everyone/512389
by The Philicutioner on Mar 11, 2009 12:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Great article. Only problem is just a typo of sorts. The “pitbull” is Thiago Alves not Thiago Silva. I have a DVR so I am just looking forward to a night of fights.
by mikey61488 on Mar 11, 2009 1:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sports Illustrated is confirming Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 98
by matt on Mar 11, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
smart move by Rampage imo…why fight both when your guarenteed the winner?
by McArthur on Mar 11, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
get this i read somewhere online but i forget where according to rashad, rampage is making excuses and ducking him. Rashad is such a punk he was the one ducking rampage by turning down the fight at this past event saying he would not have enough time to prepare but when rampage does it he is ducking a fight. this would have been rampages 3rd fight in 5 months, and rashad on the other hand needs atleast 5 months between fights now that he is a premadonna. I hope Rashad beats lyoto so i can see rampage ko him. Rashad is just to cocky for my liking.
by matt on Mar 11, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
matt you make a point, but most people on here bashed Rashad for that, lets see if page gets the same, I doubt it. and his fight with Silve was how long? and he didn’t get hurt at all.
by BOW on Mar 11, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
theres no reason to bash rampage, this would have been his third fight in five months which is alot especially when your fighting top notch guys. I didnt even mind rashad not taking the fight in march but dont come out and say rampage is ducking you because he needs a break after fighting two times in 3 months when you were to scared to step up and fight in march when it was originally offered to you.
by matt on Mar 11, 2009 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It doesnt matter to Rampage who he fights next, Lyoto or Rashad will both beat him like a dog. Its a lose lose situation for Page!!!!!
by the spyder on Mar 11, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
truer words have never been spoken.
by Bill Maher on Mar 11, 2009 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
this is why i hate that fucker dana white
by danny on Mar 11, 2009 11:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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