Props: MMA Fighting
Quoteworthy:
"We continue to have dialogue with his dad, who's his manager, and Rich [Chou], who's our matchmaker. He has a good relationship with Jake and his father, and they've done the numbers dance and they'll continue to do that until Jake makes a decision. But where he is going to end up, who really knows? At the end of the day, Jake has something he feels his value is and we feel the value is in a certain area, and there's a discrepancy there... It has nothing to do with a bidding war, it has to do with, what is the value of the fighter? And the value of the fighter, to me, is based on: does he get great TV ratings? Is he a great fighter? Does he put butts in seats? And every fighter is different. Does he have that X factor to become a superstar. So every athlete we evaluate differently, and most of the time, the fighter feels that their value is slightly higher than the promoter is willing to pay."
Scott Coker makes it clear that what Jake Shields believes he is worth to a MMA promotion, isn't quite on par with what Strikeforce values him at. Coker mentions that aspects involved in evaluating a fighter's worth for his company include how big of a draw they are, something that Shields has never been known for. These sentiments sound eerily similar to how UFC President Dana White described Dan Henderson's before he split for Coker's show. Anybody see this situation playing out differently? Or, is the coffin already nailed shut?
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