Is Strikeforce Helping Or Hurting The Sport Of MMA?

The MMA world has become so huge over the last 10 years, but with all the promotions out there are they all doing there share. Nearly all people have heard of the UFC, and if you haven’t then most likely you are a person is not a fan of the mixed martial arts.

The UFC has done a lot to help move the sport into the mainstream and make it enjoyable for fans across the board, but with some other promotions it looks like they are moving things in the wrong direction.

 It is taken so many years to try and get past the brutal blood sport stigma that many believed it to be. In a sense that was what it was in the days of the tournament style fighting. A night filled with combatants entering the cage until there was only one left. Now Strikeforce is going backwards with their female one night fight tournaments. They have the opportunity to do well since they are the only ones to feature women’s bouts, they just need to treat it the same as any other.

There is a reason that the UFC has progressed and left the toughman style of fighting in the past. In the early days when fighters were one dimensional and it was a novelty to see what type of fighting style was the most dominant. Now that there is no dominant style and everyone is well versed in more than one area it is no longer a novelty competition.

They conducted a poll during the broadcast on whether people enjoyed the one night tournament and it was an 86% yes so I must be in the minority, or these were just people who were not fans of MMA in the beginning and it seems new and exciting.

The other issue many people have with cage fighting comes in the entertainment aspect. Many assume they will tune in and get a WWE type of entertainment, which is completely off course unless they are tuning in to a Strikeforce show. With all their flashing lights and fire shooting into the sky, a little music and an entourage walking to the cage is all that’s needed.

There is no need for costumes and props, as was seen in Saturday’s Strikeforce Houston. I don’t know if there is an issue with being a colorful character, but I think “King Mo” was over the top.

His entrance was along the lines of former boxer Prince Naseem Hamed, the only difference is Naseem won his fights. Many people who do not know what the sport is all about are going to see that and possibly be turned away, because they can get that on a regular basis from one of the many wrestling broadcasts each week.  

Strikeforce also is not doing much in the ways to promote its fighters they just get a few names and try to shove them out there as the next great thing, then the fighter will either lose or move on to something bigger or better. It looks as if they know that they are not the top promotion out there and they have no clue on what to do next.

There only idea seems to try and be as over the top as possible and hope they can bring some more fans in that way. I am all for an entertaining fighter, but do it in the cage; and after you have finished the job.