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In a monumental step for the fastest growing sport around the globe, world championship promotion, Strikeforce, has partnered with NBC to deliver the first-ever weekly mixed martial arts cage fight program on one of the four major national television networks in The United States.
The series, spanning 52 weeks, will air every Saturday from 2-2:30 am ET, beginning on April 12th. Each show will run 30 minutes and will be comprised of fighter profiles as well as Strikeforce mixed martial arts fights and highlights.
The announcement was made by Jerry Petry, Executive Vice President, NBC Universal Television.
"Mixed martial arts has exploded onto the sports scene. Its athletes are tremendous competitors and the sport is one of the fastest growing in the world," said Petry. "As a leader in this arena, Strikeforce will be able to deliver some of the finest and most intense action ever seen on broadcast TV."
"It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce mixed martial arts product to one of the longest-standing and most well-respected national television platforms," said Strikeforce Chief Executive Officer Scott Coker. "NBC has a history of popular late Saturday TV and in the 80’s NBC’s ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ show helped catapult the popularity of professional wrestling. Strikeforce is looking to follow in suit and establish a legacy of its own on the network."
"Strikeforce on NBC" will air immediately following NBC’s hit poker tournament series, "Poker After Dark" (1-2 a.m. ET/check local listings), the core audience of which -- 18-34 year old males -- matches that of mixed martial arts.
Each episode of the hard-hitting series will feature Strikeforce mixed martial arts fights and highlights as well as fighter profiles. Mixed martial arts pits fighters skilled in a wide array of combat disciplines against each other inside a caged-in ring. Popular disciplines include boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, among others. The premiere Strikeforce episode will feature superstar Cung Le vs. Brian Warren, Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs. Tony "The Freak" as well as a profile on Le, recognized as one of the most dynamic competitors in the sport.
The NBC partnership represents Strikeforce’s latest stride in its TV business. “Strikeforce At The Dome,” which took place at Tacoma, Washington’s Tacoma Dome on Saturday, February 23rd, was the first of four 2008 Strikeforce events that will air live on HDNet.
Saturday’s “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” mega-card will be broadcast live on SHOWTIME at 9 PM ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Who does Strikeforce have? Is this going to help or hurt the sport. I say hurt because people that have never seen MMA before may tune in (good thing) but may think it sucks if there are subpar fighters and fights. I'm not up on my Strikeforce so I may be off base.
