HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- “This is going to be the new MMA 2.0,” declared Showtime Vice President Ken Hershman at Thursday’s press conference announcing the network’s re-launch of mixed martial arts programming. “We’re starting over.”
When Showtime announced it would be triggering a clause in its contract with Pro Elite to auction off its assets, it seemed like a done deal. After some legal wrangling, however, Showtime backed off its attempts to dismantle Pro Elite in an effort to recover some of its capital investment in the doomed promotion, and a second chance for MMA on the network was realized.
As the press conference got under way, Scott Coker -- founder and CEO of Showtime’s new MMA partner, Strikeforce -- invited Hershman to the podium and thanked him for committing to the sport and welcomed his jump back into the MMA pool.
“Jumped in head-first,” said Hershman of his network’s initial foray into the sport. “I think the pool was empty the first time.”
It was the only jab anyone would take at the former partnership, but a lingering question remained to be answered. Why will Strikeforce succeed where Pro Elite miserably failed?
First off, according to Hershman, the Elite XC on-air events were a strong product for Showtime. It seems the behind-the-scenes management of Pro Elite was the glaring problem between the parties.
“The ratings were great,” Hershman said. “I expected there to be a ramp up period; we’ve had boxing on the network for 21-years, and it’s been one of our strongest franchises. I did expect mixed martial arts to take some time to ramp up, and I’ll tell you that with the first show it was almost there, and it continued to grow show-in and show-out.”
Poor management has never been a criticism thrown at Coker and his Strikeforce promotion. His sterling reputation in the fight game, along with the strong performance of Strikeforce, was a big drawing point for Hershman and his colleagues at Showtime.
“I think that the attraction to Scott Coker and Strikeforce has been their professionalism, their stability, their backing by Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment and their relationship with the HP Pavilion … that’s a very appealing set of attributes,” Hershman said. “And then you pair it up with a really good combination of rosters between the EliteXC fighters and the Strikeforce fighters and I think you had a pretty easy decision on our part where to go.”
It may have been easy for Hershman’s group, but according to sources close to the deal, it took some convincing for Coker to finally give his consent. In the end, he felt it was a good marriage for his company. Coker, always pragmatic in his outlook, eventually came to the conclusion that his company could succeed where Pro Elite failed due to the financial rigidity and clear singular focus of his company.
“We wake up every day and go, ‘When’s the next fight?’ That’s all we do. We wake up and eat, breathe, sleep the fight business, and that’s really been our core business for the last 25 years,” Coker said. “I think we are built differently, and if you look at the guys who have had problems -- not just Pro Elite, but IFL, Bodog -- they are companies that spend a lot of money, but at the end of the day, you need the fight promoter. That’s really what this business is -- you need a fight promoter, and being in the martial arts fight business, there are not that many around really. And so these companies go into business and they are great marketing guys, and I don’t think they know the fight business. That is something we do every day.”
Strikeforce has done it especially well since making the jump to MMA in 2005. The promotion has aligned itself as the clear-cut second option for MMA fans in North America, albeit a distant second to the UFC. In Coker’s eyes, that’s a key factor in why his promotion is a perfect fit for Showtime and eventually CBS.
“I feel like they are behind MMA and they want to get the best content provider for them, and that is why I think we struck a deal,” Coker said. “Because I really believe in my heart, I mean UFC has their thing and they don’t need any help, right, so we are truly the best company, I think in the world, to do this for Showtime and CBS.”
That seems to be the consensus at Showtime, as well. The network seems poised to continue to commit to mixed martial arts. The relationship with Strikeforce begins on April 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., in a show that will feature a catchweight main event between Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz.
“We’re really excited to get back into it, and there is a whole new energy and an enthusiasm. Our team back at Showtime is thrilled and they’re energetic and they’re looking forward to it,” Hershman said. “You never know what you’re going to get when the bell rings and the fighters fight, but we are looking forward to April 11.”