An Open Letter to Strikeforce

Dear Strikeforce,

Hello. Did you happen to catch Frank Shamrock's conversation with Ariel Helwani on the MMA hour? You didn't? Oh, well, it went something like this.
[Regarding the upcoming Strikeforce Challengers card, which is tomorrow, October 22nd]
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Ariel: "Sometimes I don't feel like Strikeforce does anything to promote these fights. Not to put you on the spot but, for example, there is a Strikeforce Challengers show on Friday. Do you know who's fighting??"

Frank: "...Not a clue."

Ariel: "That's bad."

Frank: "I agree."
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brothas

Might I remind you... Frank is employed by Showtime/Strikeforce. [Off topic slighty but, Frank himself actually confirmed that Showtime pays him, and basically runs the entire show. Guess who was right about that one?]

....Anyway. You'd think he would know who was on the Challengers card. It's just bad business for people directly involved with this thing to not care or take the time to even consider who is fighting, even on smaller shows. Ask Joe Rogan or Mike Goldberg who's fighting at the next UFC fight night.. they'll know. Ask Michael Schiavello who's fighting on the next DREAM or Sengoku event... he will know.

Guys, everything needs to be promoted-- I didn't even KNOW there was a Challengers fight card this Friday until Ariel said it on the show. That's bad business. There is nothing on your Facebook page.. your twitter... C'mon guys. That's free marketing. Put out a viral video ... something! There's a compelling story here, it's "Big" Lavar Johnson's return.. a guy who was shot like a year or so ago. That shit sells. I understand you guys are running on a tight budget but that is just lazy. You don't have to compete with PR machines like the UFC. The UFC's been doing this thing for 17 years, of course Strikeforce isn't going to have the kind of reach or buzz that they do, but goddamnit you're not even trying.Some fans who come to your defense will say, "So what! It's just a challengers card..bleh bleh.." Are you serious? If I was you, Scott Coker, I'd be at least posting something on my Facebook page reminding the fans that there is FREE (not really) MMA on this Friday. This is only hurting your product.

I used to like you, Strikeforce....before you tried to make yourselves number two. After the Diaz/Shamrock fight it was all downhill. Don't get me wrong, I want MMA to thrive, I want there to be a solid number 2 promotion, but every time my friends come over to watch your product (I lure them in by saying, "Hey dudes, there's fights on tonight."), they wind up laughing at how terrible the overall product is and we wind up doing something else... and I'm the one that looks like a fool. At Diaz/Noons, Pat Miletich was circling fighter and Compustrike stats with that silly NFL yellow digital pen, as if we can't read or something. What is that about? Factor in Gus Johnson-- A guy who obviously knows anything about MMA, calling the action, and butchering post fight interviews, and you've got a real mess on your hands. Let's also consider the same generic rap music used for every fighter's entrance. And don't get me started on your booking decisions. You made a women's tournament and garunteed the winner a shot at the belt... Only to deny the winner, Miesha Tate a shot, and throw Marloes Coenen in there. Granted Coenen won the fight against Kaufman, but she was coming off a loss and fighting in a weight class she has never competed at! What sense does it make to give her a title shot, when you've already promised and built up a girl like Miesha Tate? How about booking Brett Rogers to fight Alistair Overeem after he lost to Fedor Emelianenko?... You followed this up by booking Emelianenko to fight Werdum instead of Overeem. This was completely unnecessary. It backfired violently on your organization. You spent so much time, effort, and capital to secure Emelianenko, the world's consensus number 1 heavyweight for quite sometime, and tried to "build him up" instead of throwing him in there with the Champ. In doing so, he suffered a loss and his stock has suffered considerably.

Crazy black guy BEFORE Fedor Lost.

Alistair Overeem held the belt for 3 years without defending it, and looks like he'll be taking another hiatus. You will co-promote with DREAM and give your guys favorable matchups, but when Bjorn Rebney's knocking on your door with Eddie Alvarez, you're no where to be found. You let Jake Shields go after he dominates Dan Henderson... another star you paid top dollar for. Absolutely baffling.

Scott Coker

Believe it or not though Strikeforce, It's okay....for us hardcore fans. We can sift through the bullshit and get to what we love, MMA on television. But new viewers cannot do that. Fair weather UFC fans will tune in and turn it off. I'd go so far as to say you are hurting how MMA outside of the UFC is perceived. This is on CBS man. It's reaching a lot of people. A lot of people are witnessing how BAD you are presenting this thing. You've got generic hot chicks (who know nothing about what they're talking about) interviewing people backstage, Gus Johnson spewing BS, Mauro being completely ridiculous most of the time, etc , etc. Showtime and CBS have got you by the balls. Like Paul Heyman said, you're letting the "golf guys" at CBS run an MMA show. Who is going to give Bellator, a great, well-organized and extremely well presented organization a chance after watching the supposed "number 2" spew out bush-league shit on CBS? Nobody outside of hardcore fans, that's who. Maybe I'm just being tedious, but I love this sport too much.