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December 4, 2009

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UFC to counter-program Strikeforce event

Strikeforce

Strikeforce chief Scott Coker, center, holds the 145-pound women’s title belt that was up for grabs between Gina Carano, left, and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. Santos won the fight.

Beyond the Sun

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will re-broadcast several bouts from its landmark UFC 100 show on Spike TV on Saturday night.

That just happens to be the same day as a big event for Strikeforce, the promotion that's emerging as UFC's most legitimate competitor. The Strikeforce show, featuring the first-ever female championship fight between Las Vegas' Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos, will take place Saturday night at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

The "Carano vs. Cyborg" event is set to air on Showtime at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Meanwhile the Spike TV re-broadcast — which will feature six bouts from July's historic UFC 100 show, including Brock Lesnar's heavyweight title defense against Frank Mir in the main event — is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

UFC 100, held July 11 in Las Vegas, was the biggest pay-per-view event in UFC history, with more than 1.5 million buys. UFC president Dana White joked with media members before the event that if his MMA organization sold that many pay-per-views, he would base jump off Mandalay Bay, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Last weekend at UFC 101 White said he plans on keeping that promise.

While White had always talked highly of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and his Bay Area-based fighting organization, last week in Philadelphia the UFC boss openly the promotion he dubbed "Strikefarce" after it signed heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who balked at a UFC contract offer.

This isn't the first time White and the UFC have countered Strikeforce over other rival promoters. During Strikeforce's debut event, "Shamrock vs. Diaz," on Showtime debut in April, the UFC re-aired "UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II." The UFC and Spike TV also countered both of the now-defunct Affliction fight cards including running a UFC Fight Night event with star Anderson Silva free on cable last July during Affliction's debut event.

Discussion: 4 comments so far...

  1. Grow up, Dana you little b*tch

  2. I'll be watching strike force....but Fedor is still dodging...real talent and we all know it

  3. don't get mad at the man for handling his business.

    I'll watch the Showtime production just to see how Carano does

  4. If Dana and the UFC was honestly not worried at all about Strikeforce, they wouldn't be doing things like this.

    Instead of doing everything they can to promote the sport, they are wanting to crush every organization they think might 'rival' them. The tactics and comments employed by Dana will ultimately come back to hurt him.

    It may take a while, since UFC is peaking right now, but the childish antics, barbaric interviews filled with foul language and acting like a bafoon when you can't sign a fighter may appeal to the younger bandwagon idiots, but the true fans sooner or later will grow tired of the act.

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