Strikeforce, in conjunction with Showtime, held a dual press conference this afternoon to discuss the purchase of EliteXC contracts, their return to Showtime and the future of the organization. Lots of great info inside if you're an MMA fan.
Showtime Senior VP and GM of Sports Events and Programming Ken Hershman, Strikeforce founder and CEO and Frank Shamrock were all on the call (seen above in the accompanying picture).
- The Apr. 11 date on Showtime was again confirmed, coming from the "home of Strikeforce" at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. The event will air live at 10 pm.
- No one from CBS was present for the call and no additional details from that deal were discussed.
- As we wrote earlier, Shamrock will take on Nick Diaz in the main event of the Apr. 11 show at a catchweight of 179 pounds.
- When asked if they would consider doing work with other promotions like they have in the past, Coker said that if the proposed fights make for compelling matchups that make sense for all parties, they'd be interested. If it was good for the business, he'd support it.
- They will not remain a West Coast-only promotion and hope to run in Connecticut for a casino show or in Atlantic City by the end of 2009.
- Shamrock said that at his age, he needs to fight more often and without large gaps as he's done in the past. On a fight with brother Ken:
"In reference to fighting Ken, it’s a fight I’d always want to do. I think it’s a very compelling story. Ken’s going through some personal and emotional problems right now and we’re letting him do that. But this fight is something that is very personal for me. I think it’s very important that we tell the story of the sport and the Shamrock family and what type of influence the family has had on the sport. I think it’s important that I kick his butt, but right now we’re putting it on the back burner."
He has no plans to watch Ken's fight this upcoming weekend as he's on baby duty (his words, not mine).
- There is no official deal with Kimbo Slice yet because of all of the legal issues with the contracts they purchased. They definitely want him and said their next step is to secure contracts with the fighters they want.
- Coker said they've been in touch with half of the fighter roster and is expecting to have contacted the other half by Wednesday.
- They plan on doing five "major" events in 2009 with another five or so cards featuring younger fighters, similar to what Showtime is doing with boxing.
- Women's MMA will be part of Strikeforce and they insinuated that Gina Carano vs. Cyborg Santos is hopefully in their plan, possibly as part of their Apr. 11 event. If that fight doesn't happen, they expect Santos to still compete.
- Coker was very complimentary of UFC when asked.
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