Sports Media News

CBS AND STRIKEFORCE BRING MIXED MARTIAL ARTS BACK TO PRIMETIME ON APRIL 17 WITH AN EVENT FEATURING 3 TITLE FIGHTS

Two of the Top 5 Middleweights in the World Collide in the Main Event When Former UFC and PRIDE Champion Dan Henderson, Who Departed the UFC in December,

Makes His STRIKEFORCE Debut against Champion Jake Shields

for the Middleweight Title

Gegard Mousasi Defends His Light Heavyweight Title Against

Undefeated “King Mo” Lawal

STRIKEFORCE Champion Gilbert Melendez to Square Off Against DREAM Champion Shinya Aoki For Lightweight Title

CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS and STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) return to network primetime television with a world-class lineup featuring three title fights and five of the top MMA fighters in the world from their respective weight classes, on Saturday, April 17 (9:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.  The event will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Dan Henderson (25-7-0), one of the most decorated fighters in MMA history, makes his STRIKEFORCE debut in the evening’s main event against champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) as the two battle for the STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Title.  Both Shields and Henderson are ranked as two of the top five middleweights in the world.

This event also marks the first time Henderson, who left the UFC and signed a four-fight deal with STRIKEFORCE in December 2009, will fight in front of a network primetime audience.  A two-time United States Olympic wrestling team member (1992, 1996), Henderson is also the only fighter in the sport’s history to simultaneously hold two different titles in two different weight classes (welterweight and heavyweight) for a major fight promotion (PRIDE Fighting Championships).

“We are excited about returning to CBS Primetime with a card featuring some of the top mixed martial arts fighters in the world, including three title fights and the STRIKEFORCE debut of MMA legend, Dan Henderson,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE.  “CBS has shown a tremendous commitment to furthering the sport of MMA on network television and we appreciate the home they have given STRIKEFORCE to deliver world class cards for MMA fans everywhere.”

In addition to the main event championship bout, the night will also include two additional championship title fights.  Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1), arguably the sport’s top light heavyweight, will face undefeated King Mo (6-0) for the STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight title.  STRIKEFORCE champion Gilbert Melendez (17-2-0) puts his lightweight title on the line against DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (23-4-0) in the evening’s third title bout.

“When you have one event with three championship fights and this many top-ranked athletes, it’s more than just a great card, it’s a big night for MMA,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Primetime, CBS Television.  “Audiences are going to see a great range of mixed martial arts skills, styles and talent on one broadcast.”

Last November’s CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers, averaged 4.04m viewers, winning its time period among adults 18-34 and men 18-34, and delivering ratings significantly higher than the Network’s season-to-date averages in the time period among young adult and male demos.  The ratings include a 1.8/06 in adults 18-49, 1.8/07 in adults 18-34, 2.6/07 in men 25-54, 2.5/08 in men 18-49 and 2.3/09 in men 18-34.  The broadcast’s main event attracted 5.46 million viewers.

SHOWTIME Sports will produce the broadcast with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.

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October 9, 2009

PRIMETIME MMA FIGHT CARD ANNOUNCED FOR

“CBS/STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS”

SATURDAY, NOV. 7 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Fedor Emelianenko, the #1 Ranked MMA Heavyweight in the World, To Be Seen for the First Time by a Broadcast Television Audience, Squares Off Against Undefeated American Brett Rogers

Middleweights Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller Battle for the Recently Vacated Strikeforce Middleweight Title; Gegard Mousasi and Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum Will Also Appear on the Four-Fight Primetime Card

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9 — CBS, Strikeforce, M-1 Global today officially announced the fight card for mixed martial arts’ (MMA) return to primetime with CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

“We’re looking forward to delivering an explosive night of world class MMA action on CBS,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of Strikeforce.  “We have the world’s # 1 fighter, Fedor, making his network primetime debut against an undefeated powerhouse in Brett Rogers and, with the stars lined up for the remainder of the card, it is bound to be an exciting night of television.”

The following four primetime matchups are confirmed for CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/ M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on Nov. 7:

• Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko vs. Brett “The Grim” Rogers
• Jake Shields vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (Middleweight Title Fight)
• Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry “The African Assassin” Sokoudjo
• Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva

(All bouts are pending approval by the Illinois Athletic Commission.)

FEDOR “THE LAST EMPEROR” EMELIANENKO vs. BRETT “THE GRIM” ROGERS:

Simply referred to as “Fedor” by fans around the world, the 6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.  A master of the Russian military combat system, Sambo, he boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions.  His opponent, undefeated American, 28-year-old Brett Rogers (10-0) stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall, weighs 265 pounds and brings two of the heaviest hands in the sport to the cage.  Both Fedor and Rogers’ last victories came against former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

JAKE SHIELDS vs. JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER

In the night’s middleweight title fight (185 pounds), Jake Shields (23-4-1) squares off against Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-6).  Shields, widely considered one of the best fighters in the world, brings an impressive 12-fight win streak to the cage, six of his last seven coming by way of first round submission.  Most recently, he defeated world-ranked middleweight “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler in his Strikeforce debut on June 6.  His opponent, Miller, a fellow submission expert, is one of MMA’s most exciting fighters.  The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai specialist is the host of MTV’s reality series “Bully Beatdown” and trains with two of the sport’s most recognizable fighters, Randy “The Natural” Couture and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. He currently has 13 submission victories on his resume.

GEGARD “THE DREAMCATCHER” MOUSASI vs. RAMEAU THIERRY “THE AFRICAN ASSASSIN” SOKOUDJOU

Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will face one another in the night’s light heavyweight (205 pounds) bout.  Mousasi (26-2-1) of Leiden, Netherlands, recently scored his 13^th consecutive victory on August 15, 2009 by winning his US debut and the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in a first round victory over defending champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral on SHOWTIME®.  Sokoudjou (7-4), known to his fans as “The African Assassin,” has scored six of his seven wins by knockouts and brings an impressive striking game to the cage.

FABRICIO “VAI CAVALO” WERDUM vs. ANTONIO “JUNIOR” SILVA

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum will face Antonio “Junior” Silva in a matchup of two promising Brazilian heavyweights.  Werdum is a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a submission expert while Silva has nine KOs in his 13 victories.  Werdum, a former PRIDE and UFC standout, is coming off an impressive first round submission victory in his Strikeforce debut on Aug. 15 over veteran Mike Kyle.  Silva, a fellow 6-foot-4 Brazilian, will be making his Strikeforce debut after compiling a remarkable 13-1 record since he turned pro in 2005.

SHOWTIME Sports will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.  The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold out record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

About M-1 Global

M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995.  Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.

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