Strikeforce To Air On Showtime
by Robert Sargent
Following the demise of EliteXC last year, Showtime and its parent CBS network have signed a deal with the California-based Strikeforce promotion, with up to 16 live events airing each year and the first show tentatively scheduled for April 11th.
The deal, which has been in the works since December, is a monumental step forward for the currently regional Strikeforce, and a number of huge fights are already planned.
CBS officials were impressed with the content and strong ratings that the EliteXC events brought to their primetime schedule, as well as the ShoXC events that aired for over a year on Showtime. However, following the untimely demise of EliteXC, CBS was forced to look elsewhere to continue its MMA programming. Rather than revisiting negotiations with the powerhouse UFC, CBS has opted to work with Strikeforce, which has quietly grown from a small promotion into the #2 MMA organisation in North America.
While still weary following the fall from grace of EliteXC, CBS opted to remain in the mixed martial arts business. Scott Coker, the owner of Strikeforce and long-time promoter of kickboxing, won out over nearly half a dozen other bids for the Showtime contract, including one from the UFC. Various groups comprised of former EliteXC employees also attempted to secure the coveted spot, but it was Coker's Strikeforce - arguably the most underrated MMA promotion in North America - that emerged with the biggest opportunity of its short life.
On Thursday, it was announced that Strikeforce had acquired the rights to the video library of Pro Elite, the former parent company to EliteXC. It is unknown whether the ShoXC moniker will live on, but it appears as if the EliteXC name is finished. In addition, Strikeforce has also acquired some of the fighter contracts from former EliteXC competitors. Details on the names of the fighters involved are expected to be released in the coming days and weeks.
Former EliteXC mainstays, such as EliteXC Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler, Gina "Conviction" Carano and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, have all been approached regarding contract re-negotiations. Should deals be completed, all three could expect to compete in Strikeforce in 2009.
Both Carano and Lawler have spoken highly of Coker and the Strikeforce promotion, and it seems extremely likely that the two stars will next fight inside a Strikeforce cage.
While the crash and burn of EliteXC may have soured some to primetime MMA, the follies that plagued EliteXC are unlikely to ever resurface again, and Strikeforce could be the true key to bringing mixed martial arts into the mainstream.
