While I like to watch non-UFC MMA promotions, Strikeforce is going to have a hard time keeping fans because it can't seem to keep champions very long... and it can't seem to build "name" fighters too well either.
I can't really blame them for the last part... everyone knew Lashley needs more experience before he can become a top MMA fighter but he got paired against a rumored easy win and lost... bad. He looked so tired at the end of the 1st round... I was suprised he made it to the second.
But Strikeforce needs to find a way to market their promotion with recognizable faces. They had Fedor but we know how his last fight went. King Mo has the charisma... but no longer has the belt. Gina Carino was one of their biggest draws and although Cyborg has defended her belt successfully... let's face it... she's not as marketable as the former American Gladiator.
KJ Noons looks like he can be that "face" for Strikeforce, especially with his feud against the bad boy Diaz... but he seemed to be a bit bad himself last night. They have Dan Henderson, but he's getting old and by losing to Jake Shields who is now in the UFC... can he carry Strikeforce? I like Robbie Lawler... and while Scott Smith seems to be a nice guy... he loses quite a bit yet still seems to be on every other PPV.
That's where the UFC succeeded, they were able to build recognizable brands out of their fighters (Chuck AKA Iceman, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, GSP and now their new breed with the Spider Silva and Brock). Until they can develop some consistent champions/name fighters... they are always going to be the WNBA to UFC's NBA.
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