Mixed martial arts is one of the more unique sports in the world when it comes to self-promotion and having the ability to gravitate toward a massive group of fans who wants to see exciting action. It’s one of the only sports in the world in which the individual is solely responsible for creating some sort of way to keep their name in the limelight, and it really doesn’t have anything to do with winning or losing, unlike some of the bigger sports in the world.
Performance isn’t always a key to greatness with fans or with the media. Newly-crowned baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson was the epitome of greatness when he retired from MLB with over 400 home runs and over 300 stolen bases. At the time of his retirement, he was inducted into a scarce group of players to have achieved what he had done over the course of his career, yet the steroid era’s monstrous numbers kept him out of the Hall of Fame for a very long time. He was beloved in Chicago for his professionalism and lengthy stay with the Chicago Cubs, but media writers and Hall of Fame voters shunned him for years due to the exponentially growing numbers of the players now playing the game. He was a forgotten relic… until this past weekend.
More modern-day examples are hard to find for myself as I’m more of a fan of the un-American sports like soccer and hockey, but there is a perfect example of a great star being hidden in the shadow of flashier players in the world of soccer. Diego Milito, forward for Inter Milan in the Italian Serie A league, was easily one of the best players this year in soccer. Not only did he lead his team to greatness in winning Italy’s top soccer league, but he scored two goals in the UEFA Champion’s League final, one of those goals absolutely juking a defenseman out of his boots, to win Europe’s Super Bowl of soccer.
Unfortunately, Milito isn’t the flashier Argentinian player in the world, and he found himself on the bench during the World Cup this summer due to some of the more creative players being promoted to the first team. It’s unfortunate that superb timing and utter brilliance on the field doesn’t translate to being given the nod in some of the biggest games of a professional soccer player’s life.
How exactly does this pertain to mixed martial arts? Other than the fact that I wanted to tout my favorite soccer team, it also parallels with the story of Sarah Kaufman‘s rise to being one of the absolute best women’s fighters in the world and being somewhat shunned to lower cards under Strikeforce due to the lesser interest in women’s mixed martial arts and her recent track record of not being able to finish opponents. While we’ve seen countless arguments from fans, writers, and analysts regarding the situation following Kaufman’s post-fight comments, nobody is going to win this argument or be proven right in any capacity. This is truly a dilemma that has no right answer.
Our own Jonathan Snowden laid down one side of the argument bluntly:
A woman who saw the crowd abandon the building like it was on fire in her last fight, in a sport that has seen a grand total of one woman able to draw a significant audience, was actually complaining about Strikeforce putting her in the co-main event of a nationally televised card. The ego on display there is staggering.
Numbers talk. And Kaufman’s main event at Challengers 6 against Hashi was watched by just 150,000 fans. The next two Challengers shows doubled that number. Kaufman is in the right place-with other prospective stars looking to attract a following. And the Challengers cards are actually an enormous opportunity for Kaufman and other main eventers in these under the radar cards.
If she was stuck as the opening act of a five fight card featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, or other Strikeforce fighters with mega wattage star power like Nick Diaz, no one would have talked about her for even a moment leading into the show. Instead, she was a major part of a slow news week. It’s the perfect role for her, an opportunity to be the focal point of one of the promotion’s nationally televised shows.
To be perfectly honest, I almost wrote a very similar piece that would have been without the “diva” moniker. I didn’t feel she was throwing anyone under the bus, nor being a diva by stating she wanted to be featured on a main Strikeforce card. I do, however, think she’s fighting a losing battle and the solution solely relies on how she performs in the cage.
BloodyElbow.com fanposter and WKR writer Black Lesnar rebutted Snowden’s point of view with what I believe is the second distinct point of view among fans in this debate:
As an organization, you show commitment to your champions otherwise your belts become worthless. This is not the first time Scott Coker has shown a lack of brainpower in dealing with championships. We all know his 185 lb champion Jake Shields was allowed to go unsigned, his Women’s 145 lb champ “Cyborg” Santos fought a journey-woman fighter with a .500 record, Brett Rogers was allowed to compete for the Heavyweight title after coming off a loss and a catch-weight bout was set up between Babalu Sobral and Robbie Lawler to determine the next contender for two different titles and the winner of the match declined to fight the champion.
In Snowden’s quest for page views, he over-analyzes a post-fight interview by a frustrated champion who feels she is being under-appreciated. She isn’t “throwing [anyone] under the bus”, she just wants to be featured in a way that a champion should. She also knows that her on a bigger card means a) more money in her pocket and b) more eyeballs on the burgeoning sport of Women’s MMA. Scott Coker has expressed the sentiment numerous times that he is fully committed to the sport of Women’s MMA, well he needs to start acting like it.
While I think Lesnar’s point about Snowden over-analyzing the post-fight interview is spot on, I don’t necessarily agree with his first points in regards to the value of the belts and showing commitment to your champions. This all leads me to my own point of view, which I’ll now force you to read:
- Sarah Kaufman isn’t a proven draw, nor proven entertainment… and women’s mixed martial arts as a whole hasn’t been able to provide that either. And don’t act like this is some sort of ploy to stomp all over women’s mixed martial arts. The fact of the matter is that a large piece of the pie (80-90%) of mixed martial arts fans are 18-34 year old men. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why Gina Carano was one of the highest drawing women’s fighters in mixed martial arts.
Kaufman doesn’t have the power that someone like Cris Cyborg possesses either, and even she has problems drawing numbers despite her absolute dominance of the division. As Brent Brookhouse noted, the Hashi fight was boring and basically over after the first round of action. That fight has gone a long way into securing Kaufman’s status as a co-main event fighter on a Challengers’ card, as sad as that is.
- Surprisingly, numbers actually do talk, ask Gregory House M.D. As the great House states in any bizarre medical situation, we look at the numbers because they’re right. Strikeforce has already proven that the women can’t hold their own on a Challengers’ card as Kaufman vs. Hashi drew 150,000 views as a main event, and Meisha Tate vs. Zoila Frausto along with Lavar Johnson vs. Lolohea Mahe couldn’t draw past 150,000 viewers either. They weren’t great cards, but Strikeforce Challengers 8 was able to draw close to 300,000 views with Matt Lindland taking on Spencer Pratt’s “Boy!” Kevin Casey and Tyron Woodley vs. Nathan Coy. Sure, they have more star power, but 150,000 extra eyes worthy power? Tough not to look at those numbers and cringe at the state of women’s MMA.
- I think the belts are already worthless, and Strikeforce isn’t here to show commitments — they are here to make money and remain viable. Strikeforce’s titles are really nothing more than a way to see some great five round battles. I’ve never bought into the idea that fans are swarming in droves to watch a Strikeforce card because there is a title on the line. In reality, most fans simply want to see the champion fight and if the title changes hands — okay. The looming shadow of the UFC always trumps any talk about how a Strikeforce champion might actually be better than a UFC champion, and it’s been that way for a very long time.
I hate to admit that, but it’s very true. This argument that Strikeforce should show commitment because the belts will be worthless otherwise sounds great in theory, and I would love to hear of an organization that isn’t raking in millions like the UFC actually doing this… but it’s not a viable option. Strikeforce needs to make money, and making money in this sport today relies of personalities, style match-ups, an ability to hype a fight, and entertaining fighters. Jake Shields wasn’t entertaining to a casual fanbase, and Brett Rogers was entertaining. That’s why we saw Shields remain unsigned and Rogers explode into main card match-ups.
Obviously, there will be debate on those points, and I don’t necessarily agree that my points are the way I feel about Strikeforce’s handling of the situation. But the fact of the matter is that there is no way they can make everyone happy and remain profitable. There is no reason to shove Sarah Kaufman on a Strikeforce main card. She has, however, given credence to the thought that she may be able to create a means to an opportunity on a main card with her slam knockout win over Modaferri. I’m sure if women’s MMA had more proven finishers, my view would differ a bit.
Much like Diego Milito is in the shadow of great Argentinian soccer players like Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuian, and Carlos Tevez, Kaufman is also in a shadow, but one much greater. She’s not only in a shadow of much more exciting fighters like Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Maxim magazine Hot-listers like Gina Carano, but Strikeforce also has relatively unknown up-and-comers who can draw just as much or a bit more than the 135 pound women’s champion.
All this talk about how her title matters when it comes to where she’s placed on a card is absurd. Ratings are what matters to Strikeforce, and putting together fights that will entertain viewers is their business. Unfortunately, Kaufman doesn’t fit into that mold just yet. It’s obvious fan interest dwindles when it comes to women’s mixed martial arts, so why should a promoter risk giving it a “commitment” when it’s a proven rotten egg with the exception of a few women fighters. It sucks for women’s MMA, but that’s where we’re at right now. Deal with it.