Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aktsu (talk | contribs) at 02:39, 28 June 2009 (→History: no source for ESPN, rm a bunch of duplicated info (3 or 4 mentions of the CBS deal etc :S) which also including a lot marketing-speak as it was a copyvio of press releases). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Strikeforce

Company type	Private
Industry	Mixed Martial Arts promotion
Founded	1985 (Kickboxing), 2006 (MMA)
Founder	Scott Coker
Headquarters	San Jose, California, United States
Parent	Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVSE)
Website	http://www.strikeforce.com/

Strikeforce is a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing organization. It is headed by Scott Coker and Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, operators of the HP Pavilion and the San Jose Sharks. Its events and fights are currently shown on NBC, HDNet as a part of HDNet Fights, and Showtime. Future events are also expected to air live on CBS in 2009.

History

Origins

Strikeforce was founded in 1985 as a kickboxing promotion. On March 10, 2006, it held its first mixed martial arts series with Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie, on March 10, 2006, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The event was California's first regulated MMA event, and broke the previous record for the largest audience at a North American MMA event, previously held by UFC 57, with its 18,265 in attendance. The record was since broken by UFC 68 and K-1 HERO'S Dynamite!! USA, although Shamrock vs. Gracie retained the paid attendance record of 17,465.

Strikeforce on NBC

In March 2008, Strikeforce announced it had partnered with NBC to broadcast a weekly highlight and fighter-profile series, Strikeforce on NBC, from Saturday April 12. The program was the first of its kind on a major broadcast network in the US. It's May 5 broadcast drew a .5 rating in the 18-34 year old male category, a rating topping that week's average ratings of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live in four out of five nights (while tieing in the fifth), beating CBS's The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson all five weeknights, and also tieing the Thursday and Friday night ratings of The Late Show With David Letterman in the same demographic group. Strikeforce also reported that the overall viewership of the program had increased by 197%, from 319,000 to 949,000, including a 58% spike from 602,000 to 949,000.

Purchase of ProElite assets and broadcast deal with Showtime and CBS

On February 5, 2009 Strikeforce announced its purchase of several assets, including the video library and the contracts of 42 fighters, from ProElite, owner of the defunct EliteXC. Strikeforce also obtains licensing of the ShoXC brand name. Days later it also announced it had agreed to a three-year broadcast deal with Showtime for up to 16 events per year, as well as a deal with CBS for an option to produce up to four events. In addition to big events on Showtime, Strikeforce would also produce ShoMMA, a concept similar to ShoXC with shows highlighting up-and-coming fighters.

First female MMA championship

In June 2009, Strikeforce announced that Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg, the consensus two best female fighters in the world, would be the first women in MMA history to headline a major US MMA fight card with their main-event about for Strikeforce's first 145-pound Female Championship on August 15, 2009.

Rules

Strikeforce employs the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts which is codified by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission.

Rounds

Every men's and women's round competition is five minutes in duration. Title matches have five such rounds, and non-title matches have three. All rounds have a one-minute break between them. Strikeforce does however deviate slightly from the formula layed out by the Unified rules (the rules state that organisations may opt for additional rules as long as they abide by the overall ruleset) by not allowing elbows on the ground.

Weight divisions

• Featherweight: 135.0 to 145.0 pounds (61.2 to 65.8 kg)
• Lightweight: 145.0 to 155.0 pounds (65.8 to 70.3 kg)
• Welterweight:155.0 to 170.0 pounds (70.3 to 77.1 kg)
• Middleweight: 170.0 to 185.0 pounds (77.1 to 83.9 kg)
• Light heavyweight: 185.0 to 205.0 pounds (83.9 to 93.0 kg)
• Heavyweight: 205.0 to 265.0 pounds (93.0 to 120.2 kg)

Match outcome

Matches usually end via:

• Submission: a fighter clearly taps on the mat or his opponent or verbally submits.
• Knockout: a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
• Technical Knockout (TKO): If a fighter cannot continue, the fight is ended as a technical knockout. Technical knockouts can be classified into three categories:
  • referee stoppage: (the referee determines a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself; if warnings to the fighter to improve his position or defense go unanswered—generally, two warnings are given, about 5 seconds apart)
  • doctor stoppage (a ringside doctor due to injury or impending injury, as when blood flows into the eyes and blinds a fighter)
  • corner stoppage (a fighter's own cornerman signals defeat for their own fighter)
• Judges' Decision: Depending on scoring, a match may end as:
  • unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for fighter A)
  • majority decision (two judges score a win for fighter A, one judge scores a draw)
  • split decision (two judges score a win for fighter A, one judge scores a win for fighter B)
  • unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw)
  • majority draw (two judges score a draw, one judge scoring a win)
  • split draw (one judge scores a win for fighter A, one judge scores a win for fighter B, and one judge scores a draw)
  • disqualification (outcome can be overturned due to testing positive for banned substances)

Note: In the event of a draw, it is not necessary that the fighters' total points be equal. However, in a unanimous or split draw, each fighter does score an equal number of win judgments from the three judges (0 or 1, respectively).

A fight can also end in a technical decision, disqualification, forfeit, technical draw, or no contest. The latter two outcomes have no winners.

Judging criteria

The ten-point must system is in effect for all fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or fewer. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. In New Jersey, the fewest points a fighter can receive is 7, and in other states by custom no fighter receives fewer than 8.

Fouls

The Nevada State Athletic Commission currently lists the following as fouls:

1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. (see Gouging)
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch)
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow. (see Elbow (strike))
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. (see piledriver)
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell (horn) has sounded the end of a round.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw.

Match conduct

• After a verbal warning the referee can stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant position or working towards one). This rule is codified in Nevada as the stand-up rule.
• If the referee pauses the match, it is resumed with the fighters in their prior positions.
• Grabbing the cage brings a verbal warning, followed by an attempt by the referee to release the grab by pulling on the grabbing hand. If that attempt fails or if the fighter continues to hold the cage, the referee may charge a foul.
• Under unified rules, antics are permitted before events to add to excitement and allow fighters to express themselves, but abusive language during combat is prohibited.

Strikeforce events

Current champions

Division	Upper weight limit	Champion	Since	Title Defenses
Heavyweight	265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st)	Alistair Overeem	November 16 2007	0
Light Heavyweight	205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)	Renato Sobral	November 21 2008	0
Middleweight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)	Cung Le	March 29 2008	0
Welterweight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Lightweight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)	Josh Thomson	June 27 2008	0
		Gilbert Melendez (Interim)	April 11 2009	0

Notable Strikeforce fighters

Men

• Brett Rogers
• Kazuo Misaki
• Alistair Overeem
• Cung Le
• Nick Diaz
• Robbie Lawler
• Jake Shields
• Josh Thompson
• Gilbert Melendez
• Mitsuhiro Ishida
• Frank Shamrock
• Roger Gracie
• Renato Sobral

Women

• Gina Carano
• Cris Cyborg

See also

• Mixed Martial Arts

References

1. http://sev.prnewswire.com/null/20090616/NY3369116062009-1.html
2. http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/02/13/deal-between-cbs-and-strikeforce-confirmed/
3. Sherdog.com. "Sherdog Fight Finder". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
4. Sherdog.com. "Strikeforce lands Showtime deal". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
5. Trembow, Ivan (2007-03-15). "UFC 68 BREAKS NORTH AMERICAN ATTENDANCE RECORD". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. 9:16 a.m. ET (2008-03-27). "'Strikeforce on NBC' to debut in April". nbcsports.msnbc.com. Retrieved 2009-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
7. ^ http://www.themmapost.com/a311999-strikeforce-on-nbc-slams-competition.cfm
8. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/mma/02/04/strikeforce.buying.proelite/index.html
9. "Strikeforce Wins The ProElite Sweepstakes". Mma Weekly. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
10. "Strikeforce CEO Outlines Rough Events Schedule for 2009". Mmaweekly. March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
11. http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/9678090/Carano,-'Cyborg'-to-top-Strikeforce's-Aug.-show
12. http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090609/LA3035609062009-1.html
13. Mixed Martial arts Unified Rules of Conduct, Additional Mixed Martial arts Rules, New Jersey Athletic Control Board. Retrieved April 3 2006
14. NSAC Regulations: Chapter 467 - Unarmed Combat. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved April 3 2006
15. MMA rules explained. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved June 30 2006.

External links

• Official Strikeforce site

• Kickboxing organizations
• Mixed martial arts organizations
• Strikeforce