Showtime Sports Boss Wants to See UFC Champ vs. Strikeforce Champ Superfights

http://www.mmafighting.com/strikeforce/2012/7/17/3164656/showtime-sports-boss-wants-to-see-ufc-champ-vs-strikeforce-champ

By Mike Chiappetta

Jul 17, 2012 - Immediately after Luke Rockhold retained his Strikeforce
middleweight title last Saturday night, the debate began about where
exactly he ranked in the worldwide divisional pecking order. Was he just
below UFC champion Anderson Silva, who is nearly unanimously considered the best in the world? Is he on the outskirts of the top five, tucked below names like Chris Weidman and Chael Sonnen? Or is he even top 10 worthy at all?

Unfortunately,
we might never know just how good Rockhold is. Given his Strikeforce
contract, he's not likely to move over to the UFC anytime soon or have
the opportunity to challenge UFC kingpin Silva.

Or is he?

On Monday's edition of The MMA Hour,
Showtime sports president Stephen Espinoza surprisingly put forth a
hope of matching Strikeforce champions against UFC champions.



"I hope that we're getting the story out there clearly enough that
these are two high-level organizations, he said. "You can make the
analogy -- the one I like to use is the AFL and the NFL. Before the NFL
as we currently know it existed, there were two leagues and they’d play
once a year in the Super Bowl. And that’s how the Super Bowl came about,
was a championship between two different leagues. I think a best
case-scenario for the fans that I talk to and I'm sure the fans that you
talk to, [they] would like to see some structure like that and sort of
answer those questions about who is the best middleweight, who is the
best welterweight, all those kinds of things going forward."

Espinoza
didn't say how likely such a scenario is, and chances are probably
against it in the immediate future given the demanding schedules of the
UFC and Strikeforce, along with all of the contractual obligations and
fine-print details that might get in the way. Yet it's certainly
intriguing to hear that a high-powered executive with some sway in the
possibility has an interest in answering the questions that are until
now, just hypothetical.

Of course, you may remember that UFC
president Dana White, who holds considerable power in the future of
Strikeforce as well as any UFC vs. Strikeforce matchups, has had his
issues with Showtime management, and has essentially adopted a hands-off
policy, electing to allow Zuffa chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta to
handle the business relationship.

Espinoza says that after some
preliminary growing pains and adjustments, the cable network's
relationship with the Zuffa team is now "very good" and that they are
both looking for ways to better collaborate on the product.

Hopefully, he said, in the future, that will mean addressing the most pressing competition question in the sport.

"Maybe
at some point with all the creative minds thinking about this issue, we
can come up with a solution and something which satisfies the fans who
want sort of 'unified' champions, or essentially to answer the question,
'Who is the No. 1 best in the cage at a particular weight class?' he
said. "I would love to see that happen at some point as well. I’m no
different than any other fan. I’d love to answer that question, too."

lol as if Dana is going to listen to someone who's in Golden Boy's pocket.

Dream on dude

Anderson would wreck the Rockhold that showed up on saturday night. Not to say he didn't win the fight fairly easily, but Kennedy was still in the fight a bit more than he should have been at times.

Ludo wrote:

Anderson would wreck the Rockhold that showed up on saturday night. Not to say he didn't win the fight fairly easily, but Kennedy was still in the fight a bit more than he should have been at times.

I think most of the top MW in the UFC would smack Rockhold. Not imprezzed with his pairformance.

I don't think Rockhold's style is one that will dominate a lot of people. He is still top 10 and would be a tough fight for anybody in the division besides Anderson though. I think he's a better version of Michael Bisping.

Obviously Rochhold vs Silva would end badly. But Silva vs anyone typically ends that way. So I don't hold that against Luke.


Nate vs GSP is prob not ever going to happen.

Is there even a lhw sf champ?

but there is Gil. And that is a fight that would peak interests.

But one lone potential superfight is not really worth the discussion imo.

I dunno, I guess just mentioning the proposed superfights is good for SF. but it just seems so onesided right now.

captain organic wrote:

Obviously Rochhold vs Silva would end badly. But Silva vs anyone typically ends that way. So I don't hold that against Luke.


Nate vs GSP is prob not ever going to happen.

Is there even a lhw sf champ?

but there is Gil. And that is a fight that would peak interests.

But one lone potential superfight is not really worth the discussion imo.

I dunno, I guess just mentioning the proposed superfights is good for SF. but it just seems so onesided right now.

Technically we are getting SF LHW Champion(Hendo) vs UFC LHW Champion(Bones). We were 1 injury or 1 bad decision(Diaz-Condit) away from getting SF WW Champion(Nick) vs UFC WW Champion(GSP). But we did get the SF MW Champion(Shields) vs UFC WW Champion(GSP). Another failed test cost us SF HW Champion(Reem) vs UFC HW Champion(JDS). But all these fights have been scheduled at some point: Reem vs JDS, Nick vs GSP, Sheilds vs GSP and Hendo vs Jones. Who knows how things would have played out if Jacare never would have lost the SF title.

I wouldn't call that "technically".

When Hendo fights Bones, it will not be billed as SF champ vs UFC champ. Hendo will not walk in with a belt. Nor will he walk back to SF after the fight, and that is a big key in the proposed superfights.

I know what u mean. Obviously there is a lineage which says these guys hold a mythical SF title. But the reality, and the hype that accompanies it, of UFC champ vs SF champ has never happened.

I'd rather see Strikeforce vs Bellator.

captain organic wrote:

I wouldn't call that "technically".

When Hendo fights Bones, it will not be billed as SF champ vs UFC champ. Hendo will not walk in with a belt. Nor will he walk back to SF after the fight, and that is a big key in the proposed superfights.

I know what u mean. Obviously there is a lineage which says these guys hold a mythical SF title. But the reality, and the hype that accompanies it, of UFC champ vs SF champ has never happened.

Well Hendo is the last man to hold the SF LHW Championship. He hasn't lost since he won it and SF has had a LHW title fight since he left. He may have gave up the belt to go to the UFC, but he is the SF LHW Champion.

Nick Diaz vs GSP was billed as Champion vs Champion.

OU wrote:

Nick Diaz vs GSP was billed as Champion vs Champion.

Oh what could have been.


Still without the SF guy walking back to SF after the fight, I don't see it as full fledged SF vs UFC.

freakzilla wrote:

I'd rather see Strikeforce vs Bellator.

As if the possibility of SF vs UFC wasn't low enough.