Strikeforce Acquires EliteXC Contracts, Inks TV Deals with CBS, Showtime

This story was updated at 8:30 pm.

The next attempt at a strong second national MMA promotion finally took shape today as Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott Coker has signed a deal to buy several fighter contracts from EliteXC in addition to inking deals with CBS and Showtime that may see the promotion on TV as soon as April.

The bigger name fighters—Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Kimbo Slice, Gina Carano and Robbie Lawler—are all expected to be part of the contingent joining the promotion that will be known as Strikeforce.

Wrestling Observer/Yahoo reporter Dave Meltzer reported that the first event is expected to air on April 11th from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA, on Showtime and will feature Frank Shamrock in the main event. Also expected on that show is Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach.

A press release sent out Thursday night confirmed that Showtime will air 16 events per year with some 'world championship events' in addition to a series dedicated to up-and-coming fighters. Meltzer added the events will be a mix of major arena events and smaller venues - which is similar to how the UFC works with ppvs and Fight Night cards.

There has been no formal CBS announcement, but one show per quarter is expected. Those details and others including potential championship unification bouts between Strikeforce and EliteXC fighters are expected to be announced next week.

Strikeforce has been running regular hour-long taped shows on late-night NBC, which are expected to continue, in addition to live events on HDNet. The promotion features talent like Shamrock, Renato Sobral, Bobby Southworth, Cung Le, Josh Thomson, and more.

As the saga of the end of EliteXC has finally come to an end, MMA fans should be thrilled that these talented fighters will be able to ply their craft again on a national stage. While they are not an immediate threat to the mainstream supremacy of the UFC, MMA desperately needed another viable national promotion and it looks like they will finally have it.

More on Coker from the release: A martial arts promoter of over 23 years, Coker has gained widespread acclaim amongst industry colleagues and the media, including Rolling Stone magazine, Yahoo! Sports, and The San Jose Mercury News, for positioning his 14-year-old Strikeforce organization as a major player in the world’s fastest growing sport since its inaugural MMA event that hosted a capacity crowd of 18,265 at San Jose’s HP Pavilion on March 10, 2006. The live gate figure also broke the then-all-time record for attendance at an MMA event held in North America.

Josh Nason - josh [at] ropesringandcage [dot com] - has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. If you are using any content or recapping from this site, please include a link to www.ropesringandcage.com. Thank you for your support!