UFC going head to head with SF in April

[Via Armbar]

From BloodyElbow

Dana White confirmed today that UFC is running a show on April 17th, head-to-head with the announced Strikeforce show on CBS. The event would air most likely on Spike TV. The Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama match is not the main event. The only thing confirmed is they are trying to finalize a Matt Serra vs. Mike Swick [co-main] semifinal fight today.

There had been talk of a possibility that if UFC scheduled a show on that date, CBS may move the Strikeforce show to April 24th, which would go head-to-head with the WEC PPV in Sacramento.

Even though the April 17th show was not announced yesterday, the issue of the Observer that came out yesterday has a lead story analyzing the whys of this head-to-head battle.

Looks like Dana is going to play hardball. As of right now I still think that the Strikeforce show is incredibly superior. You have great up and comers and fighters who are going to be the big stars in a couple year on the SF show. I do like the sounds of Swick/Serra as I've always been a big fan of both fighters. I'm going with Swick though, Serra just doesn't have all of the tools he needs to be somebody as well rounded as Swick.That's supposed to be the co-main event, which makes me wonder what the last fight will be. They could move Kimbo/Meathead but that doesn't have a main event feel. There's also talk of Kimbo/Toney but that would be a little soon seeing as Toney was barely signed.

What are your thoughts on the shows going head to head? What do you think will main event the UFC show?

 

[jmt225]

I really believe the UFC are going to get Kimbo/Toney to headline this show. Just an instinct, but that's how I feel right now, and if the UFC wants the show to draw, then they need to sign a big fight like Kimbo vs. Toney would be to headline the show.

I love both Matt Serra and Mike Swick, but those two could never draw, especially against a card like the one Strikeforce is putting on. So, the UFC has to do something HUGE here.

However, let me say, I don't know what the UFC could possibly put together to make me tune out of Shinya Aoki vs. Gilbert Melendez to switch to their show. I am so, so, sooooooooooo looking forward to that fight. Shields/Henderson should be good, but I would definitely watch Kimbo vs. Toney over that one. But I doubt the UFC will have an undercard fight that can make me tune out of Mousasi's murder of that moron King Mo either.

So, right now for me personally, Strikeforce has the edge in turns of quality, but of course nothing's been announced for the UFC's show; however, I just don't see how the UFC can put four big fights together on a free card to top Strikeforce's show. But man, I must admit, this is going to be really fucking fun.

 

[INDYjon22]

This is a fucking exciting time to be an MMA fan. It will be interesting to see which promotion comes out of this face off on top. I expect UFC to win the views but who knows. A sub par fight night card against an up and coming promotions 2 or 3 title fights should make for an interesting night of fighting.

As previously stated by JMT, UFC needs to sign a big fight to the card if they want to win. Toney/Kimbo makes the most sense since it has a lot of fight fans intrigued. I sure as hell would watch that fight but not over Melendez and Aoki. Those boys are two of the best lightweight fighters in all the world right now and I expect some fireworks. It very well could be an early fight of the year candidate.

I am also very interested in seeing how Shields will do against Hendo. This will probably be Shields biggest test to date and I really want to see how he does.

As much as I love Swick and want to see him knock out Serra I will not be watching that fight if it is on at the same time as Hendo/Shields or Aoki/Melendez. Strikeforce looks posed to make an impact and I for one want to see how it goes for them. The UFC needs to add 1 and maybe 2 big fights to help their card out if they truly want to g ohead to head against Strikeforce in April.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Scott Coker made some comments saying that he "could have gone head to head with WEC's PPV, but CBS decided to be 'nice guys'." He then went on to say that with the UFC counter-programming, they might go ahead and move Strikeforce to the 24th now. Of course, there are no "nice guys" in network television, but that's what Coker said.

This is why I feel it was a major mistake to begin with for the UFC deciding to run a WEC PPV. Not only is there just not enough of a fanbase with the WEC yet, but to charge $44.95 is ludicrous. This was already a PPV that would be lucky to crack 100,000 buys. With Strikeforce running a free card on CBS that night, with three title fights, and Dan Henderson fighting on the card, who is popular with casual fans, Strikeforce moving to the 24th, as far as I'm concerned, is a slam dunk. What worries me is that a poor showing on could really jeopardize the WEC's future.

Strikeforce should have went head to head to begin with on the 24th, against the WEC to begin with. It would have been win/win, because not many people are going to spend $45 ($55 in HD!) on a WEC PPV.

 

[Via Armbar]

You would rather watch Kimbo/Toney over Shields/Henderson jmt? That's mildly disappointing. One is clearly the bigger mainstream draw. Any fight Kimbo will be in will garner huge ratings. If Toney is going to be ready in time, this would be an incredibly smart option if they are just looking for ratings. As far as quality goes, Henderson and Shields take this easily. I'm not going to hate on Slice, but he's not exactly what the UFC should want to be represented with. If they pick this as the main event, they really need a strong showcase fight, more than Serra/Swick is even.

 

[jmt225]

You would rather watch Kimbo/Toney over Shields/Henderson jmt? That's mildly disappointing. One is clearly the bigger mainstream draw. Any fight Kimbo will be in will garner huge ratings. If Toney is going to be ready in time, this would be an incredibly smart option if they are just looking for ratings. As far as quality goes, Henderson and Shields take this easily. I'm not going to hate on Slice, but he's not exactly what the UFC should want to be represented with. If they pick this as the main event, they really need a strong showcase fight, more than Serra/Swick is even.

The thing is, I love freak shows, and that's definitely what Kimbo/Toney would be.

Plus, to be completely honest, I'm not too excited for Shields/Hendo anyway. I mean, I love Shields, but the guy's a fucking Welterweight, not a Middleweight. How in the World does he stand a chance against someone like Dan Henderson? He won't be able to take Hendo down, and on the feet he's going to get absolutely destroyed. I'd much rather see James Toney's destruction than Jake Shields.

 

[gd]

Casual fan chiming in here. If Kimbo is on the UFC card, then I'm watching him fight, regardless of who is fighting for Strikeforce at the time. Kimbo is just something special in the MMA world and every fight of his is a must see. It's so interesting to see his development and wheter or not he can become a legitimate MMA fighter.

However, other than that, I think the rest of the Strikeforce card sounds more appealing. Moussasi is definetly fun to watch, as is Dan Henderson. I don't think the company would matter to me at all. Whichever fight is better at the time is waht I'm going to be watching.

 

[jmt225]

Looks like Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione is back on and will headline this show. Also, Mike Swick is having surgery on his arm, so him vs. Matt Serra is not happening.

So, right now it's just Kimbo vs. Mitrione booked. Kimbo is a draw no matter who he's fighting, but I think the UFC still needs to put one more big fight on here. But what, exactly? Well, if it were me, I would call Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley, and offer them a big raise to move their fight against each other a month ahead of time. That's kind of me being biased because I want to see that fight BADLY, and sooner is much better than later, but I don't think I'm the only person who feels that way.

Anyway, what would you guys do if you were the UFC? This show is going down now for sure, so they need something. What would you put together on such short notice if you were in their place?

 

[INDYjon22]

Looks like Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione is back on and will headline this show. Also, Mike Swick is having surgery on his arm, so him vs. Matt Serra is not happening.

So, right now it's just Kimbo vs. Mitrione booked. Kimbo is a draw no matter who he's fighting, but I think the UFC still needs to put one more big fight on here. But what, exactly? Well, if it were me, I would call Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley, and offer them a big raise to move their fight against each other a month ahead of time. That's kind of me being biased because I want to see that fight BADLY, and sooner is much better than later, but I don't think I'm the only person who feels that way.

Anyway, what would you guys do if you were the UFC? This show is going down now for sure, so they need something. What would you put together on such short notice if you were in their place?

I think Daley versus Koscheck is a great idea. The hype surrounding that fight and the importance of it for the WW division would bring in viewers and would be a legitimate co-main event. I want to see this fight very bad and the sooner the better.

Maybe the UFC could get a hold of Roger Huerta and get him on the card in some capacity. He is usually an exciting fighter, minus his last fight, and can make any fight interesting. He also has stated that he has been re-inspired to fight, which would be proven if he would take a fight on this card.

Either way the UFC needs to get another big fight on this card.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

This card is officially not happening and the Strikeforce CBS card will go unopposed.

I'm glad the UFC isn't going through with hotshotting a card at the last minute, because not only is it hard to find a bunch of people who are available to fight with a month's notice, but there's also the issue of booking a venue and getting tickets sold. Also, not only would it be hard to find people available to fight, it would also be hard finding name fighters available to fight that are able to sell a card. Not to mention, the UFC would have probably lost the ratings war. CBS has a much bigger reach than Spike TV does. People would rather see three title fights than a hastily thrown together main event.

Dan Henderson is immensely popular and people who are casual fans know who he is. People will want to see his title fight against Jake Shields to begin with. A lot of people haven't seen Shinya Aoki fight. There's a lot of intrigue to see how he performs, especially when he's considered the #2 lightweight behind BJ Penn.

 

[jmt225]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I feel it was the right move to call the show off. I mean, unless Kimbo fought, they were going to get slaughtered in the ratings. Hell, even if Kimbo fought, there was no guarantee the UFC would have won the ratings war to be honest.

And as a fan, the more I think about it, the happier I am the show got called off as well. MMA isn't like pro wrestling, or even football and basketball for that matter, where it's fun to flip channels between two different shows/games. Nah, all your attention needs to be focused on the fight going on, because it could end at any given second. So, when you think about it, it'll be convenient not to have to worry about what's going on on Spike or CBS while you're trying to watch a fight.