THE UFC COUNTER STRIKE? [editorial]

Counter Strike? The word strike has very different meanings in the world of sports. In some cases, it has completely opposite connotations. In baseball, if you're trying to score, a strike is a bad thing. But in bowling (and no I did not get to vote on this even being considered a sport), a strike is a very positive result. In a recent post on MMAPayout.com, Yahoo News is referenced as having posted that Dana White has plans to put counterprogramming up against the next EliteXC on CBS card again.The very same counterstrike plan that sure seemed to fall flat last time, when they ran Liddell-a-palooza. Plus is it me or is this tactic a 20th century technique being applies in the 21st? A lot of people have a DVR (TiVO) and can record the Spike TV UFC card, while prioritizing the Affliction card...same plan works for the next CBS/EliteXC show. So why do it? One plan, in the case of the Affliction show, is to damage their PPV buys. This may have a moderate impact, but in all honesty, the Affliction card is hard to outshine. And the fact that MMA is coming into homes for free on network TV is also hard to dent the numbers on. Even people who hated the first CBS card and said, "I'll never watch EliteXC again" will watch again. Even haters need to be informed so they can know what to sound off about. You know, what sucked and why. So what does it really mean and prove when the UFC, MMA's premier promotion, jockey's into position to try and take away from shows such as EliteXC: Primetime, Affliction: Banned and now, EliteXC: Primtetime II?? Two undeniable things are clear: The UFC, despite being the number one promotion, is seriously threatened by the comptetion being posed by both EliteXC and Affliction. Good thing the IFL didn't rattle their cage like that, they'd be putting events on more often than the WWE and TNA combined. I know they say they're not concerned about EliteXC or Affliction—that those are farm leagues, but their actions belie that big time. You'd think a Las Vegas based company would have a better poker face. The UFC is a proponent for Ultimate Fighting—not MMA. Their brand, not the sport overall, otherwise they would be glad to see a sport they helped nurture, growing out of the small potter they started out with. So in the case of the UFC countering the competition, the term strike is a lot more like baseball than bowling. It has thus far proven to amount to little more than a swing and a miss. We shall see what unfolds next, with the UFC holding July 19th's Affliction: Banned Show in its sights, the counter-programming   either be their second strike or their first hit.