Miesha Tate wants fights with Carano and Coenen

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/16/2054215/miesha-tate-wants-strikeforce-fights-with-gina-carano-marloes-coenen
When Miesha Tate heard Gina Carano was coming back to Strikeforce, she wanted a piece of her for her comeback fight. While not officially announced, Carano is expected to make her return to MMA in June at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.

"I asked for that fight," Tate said Tuesday on Bloody Elbow Radio. "I just threw it out there, I was like, 'Hey, how about me fighting Gina for her comeback fight, wouldn't that be awesome?' And I didn't really get any response, so I have no idea. But if it does happen, it'll probably be down the road a little bit. I have a belt to win."
"She just looked a little off," Tate said of Coenen. "Maybe 135 is starting to take a toll on her. It looked like she kind of gassed out a little bit and that could be a result of cutting too much weight. Liz, pound-for-pound, is a very strong girl, you can tell that. She's just a little green. Marloes was able to prevail and she's obviously got a big heart, there's no question about that. She got the submission in the fourth round, but had it been a regular fight, she would've lost."

Ater the fight with Coenen, though, Tate wouldn't mind a fight with Carano, which she'd prefer to happen at 140 pounds. Tate said "given the right circumstances," she'd fight Carano at 145 pounds.

yeah she better get them in why she can cause dana wont have anything to do with it once showtime runs its course.

sokolkevin wrote:

yeah she better get them in why she can cause dana wont have anything to do with it once showtime runs its course.

I hope you are wrong. Would be a shame.

Ultimately Dana's point is true though. Until more women get involved its kind of pointless. I mean SF does what, like 2 chick fights a year on the main card? They have no one for Cyborg to fight...it would just get repetitive. You've got to get some depth before that has any real potential

bobbitt15 wrote:

Ultimately Dana's point is true though. Until more women get involved its kind of pointless. I mean SF does what, like 2 chick fights a year on the main card? They have no one for Cyborg to fight...it would just get repetitive. You've got to get some depth before that has any real potential

If you count SF events they have already had 2 on the main card this year.

bobbitt15 wrote:

Ultimately Dana's point is true though. Until more women get involved its kind of pointless. I mean SF does what, like 2 chick fights a year on the main card? They have no one for Cyborg to fight...it would just get repetitive. You've got to get some depth before that has any real potential

I'm all for WMMA, but honestly do they make any money off it? seems like something that wouldn't generate much money ultmately. If it's going to survive, they need to keep it in SF and run SF like a better version of the WEC with womens divisions mixed in.

I think the girls will still have Bellator to fall back on. They would be happy to jump on the 145 and 135 girls that they currently lack.

LA wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Ultimately Dana's point is true though. Until more women get involved its kind of pointless. I mean SF does what, like 2 chick fights a year on the main card? They have no one for Cyborg to fight...it would just get repetitive. You've got to get some depth before that has any real potential

I'm all for WMMA, but honestly do they make any money off it? seems like something that wouldn't generate much money ultmately. If it's going to survive, they need to keep it in SF and run SF like a better version of the WEC with womens divisions mixed in.

I think Zuffa owning SF is a good oppurtunity to start introducing a Flyweight division to the mainstream through SF as well. Start seeking the best 125 pound fighters out there...i'm sure these guys are exciting.

As for womens MMA, i think it does make money, or atleast it draws pretty good interest for the stage it's at right now... because if you look at some of the ratings. Sarah Kaufman-Roxxanne Modaferri main event did strong ratings on showtime and so did the the womens 135 tournament. Not to mention Carano-Cyborg..and the fact that ratings never took a dip with Coenen-Kaufman on the main cards, Coenen-Carmouche on the main card, Cyborg-Coenen, and Cyborg-Finney...and already Carano has proven that women can draw big in the sport. If Carano was simply just hot, nobody would really care..but she can kick ass as well. Plus, the fights are always pretty good MMA as well.

Dana's criticism of there not being enough high level competition is true...but that simply won't be the case for long..and at 135, the division is deep enough for a legitimate top 10 right now. Unfortunatly, the two biggest NAME female MMA fighters, Cyborg and Carano are pretty much the only legit 145'ers and it's when Cyborg has no other options then to maul Jan Finney is when guys like Dana White don't see a place for womens MMA...but in a couple years, i think Dana's criticism of their not being enough competition won't be valid any longer and that it would come down to whether Zuffa supports Womens MMA or don't think they have a place in MMA.

Fly at SF was one of the first things I thought of as well. I know they wouldn't do it but it would be awesome to see lil Joe vs Mighty Mouse for the 1st belt.

OU wrote:

sokolkevin wrote:

yeah she better get them in why she can cause dana wont have anything to do with it once showtime runs its course.

I hope you are wrong. Would be a shame.

hope I am too cause there are a few bad ass females that deserve to be on t.v

The relationship with Showtime will likely endure. Lorenzo said that at the completion of the deal, if Showtime is still interested in another deal, the UFC is interested in another deal. Reality is, Dana White isn't the UFC's dictator. He is the figurehead. His beef with Showtime doesn't preclude any future deals, case in point, the purchase of a company in bed with Strikeforce in the first place. The UFC wanted on to a premium network, and now for all intensive purposes, they are. This may even be the key to Zuffa on network TV. I really doubt the UFC is going to try and destroy those relationships.

You don't need a major stable of fighters to sell women's fights. Especially if Gina is involved. The UFC isn't going to stop promoting women's fights now thay they have the top fighters in the sport I don't think. No reason to. Again, Dana isn't a major fan, but he doesn't run all of Zuffa, and furthermore the potential profitability for the UFC creating a nonexistent division while all the relevant names fought elsewhere, and the potential profitability of a ready made division with the best fighters being added to the Zuffa machine are very different. In fact they're already using Gina to promote their new UFC fitness video game.

Which brings me to my third point. Tate is nuts if she thinks Gina is going to fight at a buck forty;



145 may be an issue for Gina again. 140 is not happening. Anyway, Gina looks better with the extra meat. daddy likes.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

LA wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Ultimately Dana's point is true though. Until more women get involved its kind of pointless. I mean SF does what, like 2 chick fights a year on the main card? They have no one for Cyborg to fight...it would just get repetitive. You've got to get some depth before that has any real potential

I'm all for WMMA, but honestly do they make any money off it? seems like something that wouldn't generate much money ultmately. If it's going to survive, they need to keep it in SF and run SF like a better version of the WEC with womens divisions mixed in.

I think Zuffa owning SF is a good oppurtunity to start introducing a Flyweight division to the mainstream through SF as well. Start seeking the best 125 pound fighters out there...i'm sure these guys are exciting.

As for womens MMA, i think it does make money, or atleast it draws pretty good interest for the stage it's at right now... because if you look at some of the ratings. Sarah Kaufman-Roxxanne Modaferri main event did strong ratings on showtime and so did the the womens 135 tournament. Not to mention Carano-Cyborg..and the fact that ratings never took a dip with Coenen-Kaufman on the main cards, Coenen-Carmouche on the main card, Cyborg-Coenen, and Cyborg-Finney...and already Carano has proven that women can draw big in the sport. If Carano was simply just hot, nobody would really care..but she can kick ass as well. Plus, the fights are always pretty good MMA as well.

Dana's criticism of there not being enough high level competition is true...but that simply won't be the case for long..and at 135, the division is deep enough for a legitimate top 10 right now. Unfortunatly, the two biggest NAME female MMA fighters, Cyborg and Carano are pretty much the only legit 145'ers and it's when Cyborg has no other options then to maul Jan Finney is when guys like Dana White don't see a place for womens MMA...but in a couple years, i think Dana's criticism of their not being enough competition won't be valid any longer and that it would come down to whether Zuffa supports Womens MMA or don't think they have a place in MMA.

I agree with all of this. And I bet the UFC does too. Like I said earlier, there is a big difference in promotability jumping in from scratch to a market with a very very limited number of fighters while a competitor has the market cornered or just buying that competitor and their market share entirely. When Dana said he didn't support adding a women's division, that was in the context of the UFC not owning Strikeforce, when they would have had a very difficult time breaking in with no names or stars. Those comments mean nothing now.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Which brings me to my third point. Tate is nuts if she thinks Gina is going to fight at a buck forty;



145 may be an issue for Gina again. 140 is not happening. Anyway, Gina looks better with the extra meat. daddy likes.

OT: maybe on it, I'd like it to be on me..

ANyone ever seen the prelims to the SF: Shamrock vs Baroni ppv that streamed on ProElite.com? Carano and some tool did the commentary for those fights. About an hour into it they cut to some gym footage of Gina and some other proelite tool. Her basically just mounting riding him a few times, "uh show me that move again". It's hot, it made me spit my Gatorade all over my HP when I saw it. But Gina in 2007 looked about the same size as Gina now, she could still cut if she trains right.

I doubt the Showtime relationship endures past current contracts personally. Though the UFC is in a nice little situation right now where they can get Comcast and the CBS corporation bidding for their services. Ultamately I don't care really where they end up, as long as we see all fights, but if Showtime isn't willing to hand over production to the UFC, then see ya later boys.


Alo Gina needs to shead that weight, WTH? Isn't American Gladiators over?

Quote :

Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta stated that his company has yet to meet with Showtime, Strikeforce’s current home on premium cable. According to Fertitta, Strikeforce events will continue to air on Showtime, as the promotion is under contract for 16 more events, a deal which reportedly extends to 2014.

“If Showtime is interested in something beyond that, we’re interested,” said Fertitta.

By the end of this deal, Showtime would have had a working relationship for years with the worlds leading and at this stage essentially only major league player in the MMA game. I really doubt either side would want to let that go. Some 2007 nasty phone calls and sour-taste meetings will be long forgotten.

And this one.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Quote :

Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta stated that his company has yet to meet with Showtime, Strikeforce’s current home on premium cable. According to Fertitta, Strikeforce events will continue to air on Showtime, as the promotion is under contract for 16 more events, a deal which reportedly extends to 2014.

“If Showtime is interested in something beyond that, we’re interested,” said Fertitta.

By the end of this deal, Showtime would have had a working relationship for years with the worlds leading and at this stage essentially only major league player in the MMA game. I really doubt either side would want to let that go. Some 2007 nasty phone calls and sour-taste meetings will be long forgotten.

And if they are the chosen Network, that's fine, but give the UFC production rights. And that deal "extends" to 2014, meaning can be extended. The UFC/Zuffa is in a great situation here with two competing companies potentially bidding for their services.

WTF, did the director ask Carano to beef up for the role ?

I do like though

I don't think a profitable two year relationship will entirely hinge on the production aspect of future Zuffa shows on Showtime. All parties involved will likely resolve that issue by then. I can't imagine a situation where that particular issue is what would kill a future deal when they have two - three years to come up with a production style/team for Showtime events that makes everyone happy. The UFC's crew has already been run ragged by their current schedule anyway. People keep trying to cram old pieces that no longer fit into their projections of this deal. If there is one thing that is NOT the case anymore, it is business as usual. To fight fans, things may seem like it for a while, but most of the roadblocks to everything that was in the way of the UFC getting on network TV, premium TV, unifying the HW division and crowning a true champion, adding women's MMA, and gaining all the worlds best ranked fighters have been eliminated in one 40 million dollar fell swoop.

Strikeforce has done a great job growing the sport stateside in a lot of ways and the UFC will together with Strikeforce now reap the benefits. So will fans. Strikeforce is a major reason Japanese MMA hasn't been able to regrow the head where Pride was chopped off. They were able to out-bid for the services of non-UFC fighters and as a result absorbed most of the relevant talent. They created the first stable major division for women. They bottled up all the best HW talent outside the UFC. They got on Network TV and premium TV. If I were Coker I'd be tremendously proud of everything I'd accomplished. Just like with Reed Harris's excellent job with the WEC, the purchase in a lot of ways signifies and recognizes the success of Coker and Strikeforce.

Anyway, I read that the Silicon Valley partners original investment was something like 3 million dollars three years ago. Cashing out for 40 million is a tremendous return on that investment isn't it?

Strikeforce = success.

Giving production rights is more of a neccessity because Showtime's production is awfal, and fans aren't going to want to watch it for years to come. The UFC will ultimately need more crews for their eventual increase in events, but throwout the whole SF crew, but Pat. If it came down to a situation in the end where the UFC had their choice of network to go with, NBC would to the one to go with. And if their's anything out of this that people should have taken with a grain of salt, it was "business as usual". They are just treading carefully until they have a good idea of the directions they want to go. Haven't found anything about their original investment, but they did fine, might have gotten more down the line, and you have to factor in debts, but they did pretty well.

Strikeforce events are ran a lot smoother than they used to be. Camera issues haven't been nearly as visible to me as they were even a year ago, etc. A production team is dozens of people, and the commentators themselves are a relatively small piece LA. But to that point, sometimes the personalities on the teams they have don't vibe well. Frank, Pat and Mauro need to be split up. Especially Frank and Mauro. Their personalities are too strong and they disagree too much on air. It's like three color guys and no real play by play guy. I'd love it if they got Steven Quadros to do every event with Mauro and Pat. Or maybe just Mauro and the Prof. That would be a solid, vintage team.

Anyway, I hope the UFC doesn't steer Strikeforce down a more UFC-feeling path. Sure, Stick UFC initials somewhere on the cage and stuff, but no gladiator, no RIPPING ME INTO PIECES!!!! ect. I like MMA to have different flavors. There is a reason every network's broadcasts for the NFL don't look and feel the same.

I do want more commentators in the future, or different crews, we'll see.

I kind of love the UFC event feel, never vibed with SF feel myself, anything in Japan from Pride to K-1 to Dream has a much better feel for me, but that would never happen anyways.

I'm gonna have to pass on anymore Mauro

I'm trying desperately not to write Mauro off forever. He's been awful in recent times though. Two people is enough to call a fight. We don't need a round table of guys all speaking over eachother with different narratives of the fight.

Strikeforce's production has been better and I am starting to get more used to it, but there have been times where I strongly disliked their presentation. Still, a different look is nice regardless. Even if she has the worlds perfect tits, you're still gonna want to look at another set.

Agree, 2 guys is enough, but in terms of Mauro, eh not sure I can take anymore. Iwas saying the other day, if they ever got into Japan or returned to Australia, think those would be good events to bring the Voice in. Some don't like his style like I don't like Mauro's though.

Yo, in the booth, at SF in April, surprise guest UFC fighter commentator...

What about Todd Harris from the WEC? And the guy who did the interviews for the WEC? They were recently fired. Maybe they could get their jobs back.

EDIT - Harris and Hummer call all kinds of major sports and aint exactly hurting for work. Still, it be nice to have em back in place of fucking Frank Shamrock.