EliteXC's success in the ratings in their inaugural event may have sent a shockwave through the offices of many of the major networks. Sam Caplan posted some interesting hints at the possibility of NBC showing some live Strikeforce events in the future as well as becoming an pay-per-view partner with the MMA promotion. Interestingly enough, this was all structured into the contract before this weekend:

According to sources, NBC has explored the idea of moving Strikeforce to a weekend afternoon timeslot and is considering a quarterly live special. It’s also included in their contract with Strikeforce that they can become a pay-per-view partner with the promotion. All of this was before EliteXC pulled a 3.0. You do the math.

Of course, we shouldn't read into this too much. Every MMA promotion that will likely get a network deal will have these clauses built into their contracts. A network wouldn't want to let a good thing go and working those types of clauses into the contract allows a promotion like Strikeforce to have those connections down the road if they are successful.

With a late night timeslot, Strikeforce has put up some surprising ratings. It's 5/25 ratings hit a 0.5 (534,000 viewers). It may not seem impressive to some fans, but the time slot in my region is around 2:30-3:30 at night. That's a significant amount of fans watching the event so late.

If NBC can take those figures along with what CBS did this past weekend, it's possible we may see the beginnings of an explosion for MMA on network television. It'll bring in more fans, more sponsors, and more money for the fighters. It's a win-win for the network and Strikeforce, but is it a win-win for the fans?

Hardcores may find it horrible that we'll have to deal with the constant barrage of casual fans claiming Kimbo is the greatest or Frank Shamrock would kill any UFC fighter.  The fact of the matter is that the surge of MMA content on television will hopefully bring an era of a massive fanbase that is becoming more and more educated as it moves on.

Everyone and their brother is an expert on the Chicago Cubs here in Illinois, but that's because baseball fans happen to immerse themselves in the sport that they love. Hopefully we'll see that happen with MMA as we move on. With Affliction now throwing more money around and a great card, Adrenaline possibly making waves, and the possibility of the UFC and Strikeforce hitting network debuts, let's welcome to the new fans and educate them.

Over the weekend, the sport of mixed martial arts reached a milestone of finally being shown on a network television channel. NBC aired one of the new Strikeforce shows during its late, late night time slot which featured bouts from Cung Le and Duane Ludwig. While many fans thought the production and commentary was actually complimentary to the show, the time slot was a much bigger problem, and I had initially thought the show was going to be aired in the “I’m almost asleep, but not quite” hour. Instead, the show is aired during the “I’m dead asleep and never waking up” time of night.

What was Strikeforce thinking? The commentary and production are good enough to propel the show into a earlier time slot, and the fights are intriguing enough to get those people in the younger demographic to check out the show, but at 2-4 AM timeslots? The only reason I saw the show was due to the K-1 Yokohama event being aired in Japan around the same time. If I had not been awake, how would I have seen the show? I wouldn’t have unless I DVR’d it, but isn’t the entire aim here to bring fans into the sport? Hardcore fans were probably the only piece of the fanbase recording it, not new fans.

Steve Sievert also stated that the show is likely to be paid programming, which begs the question as to why Strikeforce would pay for a time slot that nobody is up to see. Next, it was revealed that the show wasn’t even being shown in all NBC affiliated markets, so the maximum exposure that the show could have received was much smaller than anticipated. Two more downfalls to the idea that Strikeforce could grab up some viewers from the network deal, and subsequently turn a bigger profit from it.

Unless the show moves to an earlier time slot, I really don’t see how this isn’t a complete waste of money. Even the IFL had to have had more exposure, and their numbers were pitiful during a timeslot that people could realistically stay awake. The only upside is that NBC may decide to move it up on their own, or use it to fill in for other shows. I guess we’ll see in the coming months if the show really has an impact. I’m going to stick with pessimism in this case.

For weeks coming into this event, the general consensus throughout the fanbase was that Frank Shamrock's iron chin, legendary status, and overall well-rounded skills would push him through to another big victory to defend the Strikeforce Middleweight title. Unfortunately for Frank, the weeks are speculation regarding his striking abilities as being weak compared to Cung Le's dynamic skillset on the feet were deemed to be true. Cung's standup was much more dynamic, and Frank was definitely outclassed on his feet. Nonetheless, Frank Shamrock made the main event of the evening one of the more memorable, exciting, and gutsy performances that we've seen in the last few years.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of Frank Shamrock leading up to this bout. His attitude got on my nerves, his skills didn't seem overly unbelievable, and his ego was just outright elitist. Frank has had criticism throughout his career from being accused of ducking fights to acting immaturely because of an old grudge. He even told the media that Ken Shamrock undoubtedly used steroids throughout his entire career. People loved to hate him, or just plain loved the antics. Either way, Frank draws a crowd from both pools of fans.

With all those fans in the crowd who either wanted Frank to win or wanted Cung Le to expose Shamrock's weaknesses and shut him up for good, the event had a certain aura of excitement as it entered the main event. The night was filled with some great finishes and some exciting battles, but it was apparent that the San Jose crowd had shown up to see two neighborhood boys battle it out.

During the fight, it was evident that Frank's standup lacked the dynamic kicks and punching that Cung Le had incorporated into his skillset. Front kicks, leg kicks, spinning kicks coupled with spinning back fists and the solid boxing skills were too much for Frank to withstand for the entire fight. Even with Cung's great striking, there was an anticipation of Frank's onslaught throughout the matchup. Frank took shot after shot, shook off any effects from the blow, and continued to battle. At one point when it seemed that Frank was outclassed, he caught Cung with a solid strike that stunned Le for a good minute. Frank continued to stalk Cung and land blows, but Cung's toughness weathered the storm to full recovery from the blow. Cung continued onto victory later in the fight due to an arm injury, but the first three rounds of this war of San Jose will go down as one of the best fights of 2008 by far.

Frank Shamrock may be a guy you love to hate, but he deserves recognition for his ability to continue fighting in the sport of mixed martial arts. His skills in and outside of the cage are a blueprint for fighters who are making their way up the ranks. Self promotion works, and we all saw it tonight when this fight started. Give a hand to Frank Shamrock, a pioneer of the sport that still continues to show us how to sell fights without having the UFC behind him. Great job, Frank.

Here we are at another betting weekend for MMA fans, and Strikeforce's odds are up for some analysis. Check out Zewkey.com for all the odds at their MMA Superpage, Here's the lines:

Cung Le                          +175
Frank Shamrock             -215

Gabe Lemley                  +500
Gilbert Melendez            -700

Jae Suk Lim                   +215
Drew Fickett                   -275

Tiki Ghosn                      +260
Luke Stewart                  -320

These are the odds according to BetonFighting.com, but there are other sites that have some variations in the lines. The odds here aren't very good for the betting fan, but I think the best bet if you are willing to lay down some money is Cung Le. You can put down at +180 at BetUS and Bodog, and he has a decent chance at potentially using his standup to defeat Shamrock.

The other lines aren't worth it in my opinion. Lay down $20 on Gilbert to make a cool $2.85. Gilbert will likely win his matchup with Lemley, who really doesn't present a challenge in any aspect of the fight against Melendez. Stay away from that line.

Fickett may be worth betting on if your ambitious and want to bet some solid dough, but it'd have to be a large sum of cash for it to really pay off. The risk really isn't worth it.  Ghosn may be worth a small bet, but he's on a 0-4 streak right now. Stewart also has some good power and skills to keep himself undefeated.

Personally, a parlay may be great if Cung Le can win, but I don't recommend it for this card. The only bet worth it is Cung Le, and even that may be a stretch.

This weekend's mixed martial arts action is shaping up to be much more exciting than last week's lackluster number of events. On our plates will be Strikeforce's co-promotional event with EliteXC that will take place in San Jose, California at the HP Pavillion. The main event will feature two well-known San Jose residents in Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock. The highly anticipated bout between the two combatants has been in the works since Cung Le's last battle against Sam Morgan in which he won by a highlight reel body kick late in the fight. Gilbert Melendez will take on Gabe Lemley while Drew Fickett will replace Nick Diaz and take on Jae Suk Lim. It should be a night of some interesting matchups and hopefully some great outcomes.

Main Event: Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le

This has become an interesting matchup over the last few weeks. The main point that many fans have tried to make for Le is that his striking skills will be much more well-rounded against Shamrock. In the past, both Le and Shamrock have had sparring sessions that have been described as “dominating” in Le's favor. The sessions have become a spotlight for picking Le in this fight in the striking game, but what makes people think that Shamrock may not simply use his submission wrestling to his advantage?

If you've followed Frank's career, you've probably seen him try to fight battles against superior fighters in which he used his own skills to outbattle his opponent's best skillset. We saw that in the Baroni matchup in which he outstruck Baroni's heavy hands for most of the bout. Some fans believe Shamrock may get stuck in a striking war with Cung Le to prove a point. I think it may be all head games.

Shamrock has an impressive amount of wins over his last 14 fights. He's currently 13-1 in those 14 fights, but has been inactive in the last five to seven years. He's recently made the jump back into MMA and has been carrying the Strikeforce promotion. His abilities to come into a fight with a smart gameplan coupled with the fact that he has average striking with some good submission wrestling makes him a dangerous fighter to take on for Cung Le. Cung hasn't shown a great ground game at all, and I think Frank can really take this one to the ground to beat Cung Le.

Leland's Prediction: Frank Shamrock via submission, Round 3

Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk “The Korean Icepick” Lim

Fickett's superior submission skills will cause some big problems for Jae Suk Lim. He's also one of the toughest fighters in the sport to submit or knockout. With only 3 losses ending by TKO or submission, he's definitely going to be one of the toughest challenges to date for “the Korean Icepick”.

Lim is obviously a Korean prospect, but he's made his fame in Spirit MC and EliteXC recently with some wins. He doesn't have an overly impressive submission game, but he does maintain some good power in his hands. Unfortunately, I can't pick Lim here. He has too many downsides to him, and Fickett is just plain tough to beat regardless of who he's taking on. It's only a matter of time in this battle before Fickett gets the submission victory.

Leland's Prediction: Drew Fickett via submission, Round 2

Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley

I won't comment too much on this matchup because Lemley's chances are slim in this one. He's been taking on subpar competition in Extreme Challenge as of late, and his only notable win in his career is against Clay Guida back in 2004 at XFO 4. He has some good power and submission ability, but Melendez is much better in all areas of mixed martial arts over Lemley. He'll have much better wrestling and striking, and he's relentless when it comes to pushing takedowns and pounding his opponents. Look for this one to end quickly.

Leland's Prediction: Gilbert Melendez via TKO, Round 2

Quick Picks

Luke Stewart vs. Tiki Ghosn: I thought Luke Stewart's last three performances had some rays of hope for his future in the sport, and Tiki Ghosn just hasn't been a good fighter at all in his last three or four performances. I have to believe Stewart will continue his move up in the division. He's due to use his jiu-jitsu skills against a susceptible Ghosn. Stewart via submission, Round 1

Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen:  Villasenor has been very tough to submit in the latter part of his career, and Jensen's win total is stacked with submission wins. Jensen has the potential to be a spoiler in this fight, but I think Joey's overall awareness in the cage and strikes can hold off Jensen. Villasenor via decision

Mike Kyle vs. Wayne Cole: Mike Kyle hasn't fought since his ridiculous disqualification against Brian Olsen at WEC 20. Kyle has some good wins earlier in his career against notable talent, and his power is formidable for anyone. Cole has some power as well, but he also has shown a weak chin in the past. I don't think he can handle Kyle's power that we've seen in the past. Kyle via KO, Round 1

Billy Evangelista vs. Marlon Sims: This is a bit of a toss up for the first round of the matchup. Sims either blasts his opponents early with an onslaught, or falls to the submission. Evangelista really has no knockout power and his submission game hasn't shown up yet in his short 5 fight career. I'll take Billy based on his last few fights, he's definitely a tough fighter, and Marlon's lies on The Ultimate Fighter flat out make me want to see him get crushed. Biased, I know. Evangelista via TKO, Round 2

Anthony Figueroa vs. Darren Uyenoyama: Pick'em fight. Uyenoyama has some submission wrestling skills, but he doesn't seem to have much power in his hands. Fortunately, neither does Figueroa. Figueroa has only had one successful win by TKO, the rest of his 4 wins by decision, two being against the same fighter in David Barrios. I'll take Uyenoyama. Uyenoyama via decision

Jesse Jones vs. Jesse Gillespie: 1-0 prospects, but Jones at least showed some big power in his first battle. Jones via KO, Round 1

The upcoming “Strikeforce at the Dome” event on February 23rd just got a little sweeter.  The latest fight to be added to the card is a welterweight bout between Chris Davis (10-2) of Tacoma, WA and Portland, Oregon’s Nathan Coy. 

The more seasoned Davis boasts a strong Jiu-jitsu game that has seen him rip off five consecutive submission wins, four of which he sealed by triangle choke.  At the other end of the grappling spectrum is Coy, a wrestler with an All-American pedigree.  At the 2003 NCAA Championships, Coy placed 4th in the 174 lb. division wrestling for the Oregon State Beavers.
Training jiu-jitsu at Marcleo Alonso and working kickboxing at the Academy of Brian Johnson, Davis feels he’s prepared for what Coy will bring. “I’m training with people who have the exact same style as him. I have eight years of Jiu-jitsu and six years of wrestling experience.  I believe this really is my fight to lose.”

One large difference between Strikeforce rules and those that most fighters are accustomed to is the illegality of elbow strikes on the ground.  Despite being primarily a grappler, “The Hot Seat” Davis doesn’t believe he’ll be hindered without them. “I think that no elbows sucks.  Rules are rules though, and if no elbows keeps me just as handsome leaving the cage as when I entered, that’s just fine with me.  I think that no elbows will likely take away more from his game than mine.”

The fight came as a surprise and is reportedly the final fight that will be added to the evening’s schedule.  “Will Davis called me up out of the blue and threw the fight in my lap,” Davis said.  “He even went out of his way to get the guy putting the card together to get an extra fight in there. That’s this fight”

Recently Davis has made his presence felt in the Alaska Fighting Championships posting a record of 4-0 and submitting everyone in his path, most notably current AFC Welterweight champ Kevin Barber (9-5) last April.  Despite his recent success Davis isn’t taking Coy lightly. “I have seen him wrestle, and I have rolled with people similar in skill.  I would be a fool to think I can just walk on and pick up that kind of muscle memory.”

Coy’s fledgling MMA career has taken place entirely in Sportfight with his last wins coming against Rickey Storey (1-2).  Coy pounded and outlasted Storey en route to a convincing unanimous decision win.

The addition of the fight to the card offers the audience the opportunity to see two accomplished grapplers who bring very different styles and little name recognition.  Despite their relative anonymity and the gap in experience between the two, Davis thinks the crowd will be treated to a nice surprise. “I believe it will be a tough fight that could go either way, but, I think I’ll catch him in something.”

The February 23rd event takes place in Tacoma, Washington and is headlined by Bob Sapp’s cage debut versus K-1 vet Jan Nortje.  The evening also features Maurice Smith vs. Rick Roufus and Duane Ludwig vs. Steve Berger.

Check out my preview of the Strikeforce At the Playboy Mansion MMA event @ MMAMadness.com. The event will be streamed live from Yahoo! Sports tonight at midnight EST. The card features the #2 ranked lightweight in the world, Gilbert Melendez, as well as Josh Thomson, Joe Riggs, and up-and-coming fighters Bobby Southworth and Jorge Masvidal. The event is sponsored by BodogFIGHT, which has lent Strikeforce some of their marquee fighters to matchup against some of the Strikeforce guys. It should be a great card. Check out the preview.

Strikeforce @ The Playboy Mansion Preview - here