It was only five months ago that the Brazilian slugger Thiago Silva took a dominant unanimous decision victory over fellow light heavyweight Brandon Vera at UFC 125. Many felt Silva’s performance was an assertion of his standing among the very best in the 205-pound division. Weeks later, Silva’s performance would be shrouded in controversy following urinalysis test results indicating that he had submitted fake urine to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

“Well this kind of thing goes all the way back to Kevin Randleman where he basically used a fake penis, put on a pair of bike shorts, had a cup and came in to take pre-fight urine,” says Keith Kizer, NSAC executive director. “He lifted up the leg of shorts, took out the fake penis and did the test. We checked on temperature, sent it to a lab, and we found it was fake urine. We said ‘look, now you guys have to pull down your shorts so that whoever is administering the test can see everything.’

“When Thiago Silva came in he pulled down his shorts and showed his actual penis, but as he turned towards the toilet he palmed a bottle, grabbing his penis in the other hand, pretended like he was urinating but was really putting the contents of bottle into the sample. We know now that Thiago’s sample was fake urine. It took him until the B sample to fess up to that.”

The decision win over Brandon Vera was changed to a no contest and Kizer claims the incident prompted a change in the commission’s testing policy:

“So the changes that we’re making are -- and it’s unfortunate we have to go to this level because guys like Thiago Silva and Kevin Randleman ruined it for the bunch -- that you need to see the urine coming out of the penis and into the cup. All fighters will be shirtless, and they shouldn’t have a problem with that since they fight shirtless in front of thousands of people anyway, and they will pull their pants down to the knees and then urinate right in front of the inspector. They have to see the urine actually going into the vial.”

Kizer and the NSAC have recently come under fire from Travis Tygart, chief of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), for what Tygart claims are lax standards regarding drug testing in mixed martial arts. Tygart would go on to state that the commission’s rules are ‘horrific’ in comparison to his own USADA rules and that they have fought ‘tooth and nail’ to oppose standardized blood testing in the sport. Kizer said while there is no urine test for human growth hormone (HGH), there are some serious concerns with the blood test for HGH. Kizer states that the method is too disruptive and points to recent hypocrisy on the part of USADA:

“We disagree on that point – the blood testing for HGH. He [Tyler Tygart] does this in a way that isn’t the most professional way of debating the issue and makes us all look bad – that is par the course for him and that is fine -- but first off, it is too invasive. Sticking a needle into the arm is more invasive than having a guy pee in a cup and we know that. We made a big deal at a previous NSAC hearing about taking blood too close to the fight and the risks involved, which include developing a hematoma, nicking the vain and so on.

“What’s telling is that USADA took no blood from Shane [Mosley] or Floyd [Mayweather] a week from the fight. They make a big deal about it and when they had their chance, they didn’t do it. That speaks volumes to who has the right attitude about blood testing.”

Additionally, Kizer says that the accuracy of the blood testing method pales in comparison to urine testing for steroids, masking agents and diuretics.

“There’s also the issue of whether it’s accurate or not. Urine testing is the best test for those substances as steroids are out of the blood very quickly. Travis Tygart has even testified before us about this. As for the HGH blood test, they’ve done thousands of tests and they’ve only caught one guy. Either he is the only guy doing HGH or there are a lot of false negatives.  In fact, the guy they caught had just used it so it was circulating in his system and he admitted it immediately."

According to Kizer, the use of blood testing would be superfluous for steroids, if not altogether unnecessary, given the literature on the method.

“The testing results from the HGH blood testing has not been peer-reviewed. So if an athlete got caught and they went to court, they would not get convicted because the test hasn’t been validated by the scientific community. If you do catch somebody but the results are going to get thrown out of court, then why would you test? For those reasons, I don’t know anyone, unless they have an agenda or are trying to get funding, who would say this is the thing to do right now.”

Not only will Gray Maynard answer any question that’s thrown his way, but he’ll answer it in a refreshingly real way. Gray addresses whether or not he’s a ‘boring’ fighter, if Anthony Pettis deserves a crack at the title and if Frankie Edgar possesses comparable wrestling to his own. Some fans may take objection to Gray’s candor, but he even has an opinion on that, too. Gray took time out of his busy schedule to talk with MMAFA.tv about his upcoming rubber match bout against the UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. 

Jon Luther: Thanks for the time, Gray. You’re coming off of the first exciting fight of your career. How does it feel?

Gray Maynard: [Laughs] It feels good. But that’s what people say, right? Ever since I fought Edgar almost 3 years ago, I’ve only fought lefties. It’s a different style, a slower pace, and if you watch boxing a lot you know that. And nobody wanted to fight these guys because they were bad style match-ups.  I took those fights.

For a lot of guys a lefty like Nate Diaz is a bad match-up, Florian and Miller are both bad match-ups, and I also fought [Rich] Clementi at a time where he was on point. For me, I didn’t have an agent at that time to talk for me and decide what’s a good fight for me and what isn’t. I fought who they wanted me to and I asked for the top guys. If you look at it now, in the top ten, I’ve fought about four of them: Miller, Edgar, Nate, Siver. I’ve never had an easy fight. I don’t like to explain that because either you know it or you don’t.

JL: You were pretty emotional at the press conference after your last fight. Some people were wondering if you were crying. Not because it brings your masculinity into question, or because grown men aren’t supposed to cry, but did you actually cry?

GM: I probably didn’t at the time just because I don’t want to show emotion. It all hit me hard and I think afterwards I cried a little bit. But at the press conference, I don’t want to show any emotion. I want to keep it under control -- that’s the business. But I did cry afterwards.

JL: What was the main talking point you read on the internet following your last fight that drove you nuts?

GM: I don’t read the internet. I’m being dead serious about that. One, I don’t read anything on forums because those are all just opinions. When you’re a positive person and you do what you love and you’re trying to accomplish your goals… you can’t look at that negative s***. No disrespect, but those are from people who don’t do s***. They aren’t doing anything with their lives anyway. So why would you try to deal with that? You have to live a happy life and know what you’re doing.

JL: So you don’t even bother with it.

GM:  I listen to the people who count: the people in my camp and the people who are truthful. I will listen to bad criticism and good criticism if I know that the person cares about me and counts. I’m my own rock. I am the hardest guy on myself. Out of all the wins, I change my camp every f***ing time. I break down my tapes. It’s easy to win and say, “That’s a win so I’m going to keep on doing what I’ve been doing.” But go ahead and ask anyone at my gym who switches it up and they’ll say me. I want to know what’s wrong, so I can change it up. I feel that every time I fight I bring new stuff. I’ve evolved.

JL: How much sleep do you lose at night knowing that Anthony Pettis has to fight Clay Guida because of you?

GM: I sleep better. I mean, who has he fought? I’ve been in the trenches this whole time fighting the toughest guys. He throws one kick and then he’s the greatest in the world?

Let’s look at who he’s fought. Ben Henderson is the best name. And I don’t mind fighting him; I don’t care if I win the belt and then I have to take him on. But for me, guys like Miller, Melendez and all of these guys who have been on the f***ing grind, fighting the best competition for the past few years… that’s what I look at. Who have you fought? I don’t care about how good you looked when you fought a scrub. That doesn’t matter. If a guy isn’t good then you’re supposed to look good. And for me, [Pettis] has fought one good guy in Ben, and he isn’t proven yet. He’s tough as hell, but we’ll see.

JL: Who has better wrestling, you or Frankie Edgar? Pretend we’re back in college and we’re looking at your guys’ resumes. In a straight-up wrestling match, who wins?

 GM: I have the better wrestling, guaranteed. He was a 141 pounder and I was two weight classes above him. I think he went to NCAAs, I was a three-time All-American.

JL: If you have better wrestling than Frankie Edgar then why was he the one taking you down in the rematch?

GM: It’s not that I was tired, but I had an adrenaline dump in the rematch. The first round really was an adrenaline dump. All of your goals and dreams are right there in front of you, you think you’re done, and then you’re drained. My cardio was great, but my arms were f***ing zapped. So I fought the last four rounds and that was probably half of what I was capable of. But I did screw the whole thing up. It was my fault.

The way the sport is going now, a guy gets groomed through small shows. It’s like boxing, where guys get blown up to where they are 18-0, 12 knockouts and some TKOs, then they start to get some big name guys. But for me, I fought two guys who are professionals in my first amateur fights. I fought Evan Dunham in my first amateur [fight], I fought professional in my second fight, and then Brent Weidman for my third, then the TV show. I’m still kind of new to all of this. What happened when I caught Frankie [Edgar] in the first round, that’s never happened to me before so I didn’t know what to do. Next time I will. It’s a learning process and I’m still learning.

JL: So you were roommates with Rashad [Evans] when you were in college. Was he the crazy one?

GM: What do you mean?

JL: I mean did he come into the dorm in the middle of the night on a weekday, surrounded by all of these girls, just getting back from some wild party?

GM: S*** man, a lot of people have Rashad wrong. He’s the most down-to-earth guy, unbelievably nice. Here’s an example: My mom loves horses. She will talk your friggin’ ear off about horses if you let her. Most people try to get out of it when she starts talking about them. [Rashad] has talked to my mom, and she brought up horses. He sat there and talked to her for two hours about horses, asking her questions and stuff. He’s one of the coolest guys I know. In college he was really cool, one of my best friends.

The ‘problem,’ though, is that Rashad likes to tell the truth in the media. Everyone likes to go the politician-route, the mother f***er who lies. People need to realize that if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. People who are real, they don’t like that. They like Hollywood these days. They like s*** that isn’t real. They get mad at him because he talks from the heart.

JL: Some people have noticed that Jon Jones has really taken after Rashad Evans. He’s been accused of taking Rashad’s title shot, his training camp, and apparently his style. Some people think he’s taking over Rashad’s life.

GM: Well, like I said, if it’s too good to be true then it usually isn’t. I mean, I’m not going to say nothing about nobody, but Rashad is my boy and he’s a real person. I like real people. I hate fake people. Absolutely hate them.

JL: Thanks for your time Gray.

GM: Anytime.

Bellator Fighting Championship enjoyed considerable coverage when they announced the move to MTV2 from their previous home of Fox Sports Network. The announcement was received with questions ranging from differences in average viewership between the networks to which day the events would be broadcast. Left out of the conversation was the change in sponsorship opportunities for Bellator’s fighters.

MMAFA.tv has learned from sources close to Bellator Fighting Championship that the promotion is no longer allowing its fighters to receive sponsorship from poker sites and Condom Depot. Sources indicated that the move was requested, if not necessitated, by the MTV2 network in an effort to keep their station more suitable for teenagers and young adults.

Some agents and managers find the move to be hypocritical given the age demographic and other offerings on the MTV network. One agent said:

"[Bellator] says that it’s because MTV2 isn’t an acceptable audience for either sponsor. But look at the demographic they pull: males 19 - 35. So I don’t believe a word of it, because the majority of the people in that demographic are legally capable of gambling. What about Condom Depot? I mean, have you seen some of the stuff that’s on MTV2? Have they ever seen Skin, that show they have where underage kids are having sex with each other?"

For fighters under the Bellator promotion, the loss of a sponsor like Full Tilt Poker could be considerable. Fighters receive anywhere from $2500 - 8000 per event from the poker site, also known for its consistency as a sponsor. One agent noted:

"With [Full Tilt] off the table as a sponsor, there are things that our fighters are going to struggle with. There are bills to pay, some of which are medical bills for fights for Bellator. They won’t take care of it, and this sponsorship deal could have. A lot of other sponsors tell you that it’s not a good time, ‘we’re in a recession,’ and all of that. Full Tilt would have given us more security and also consistency."

One manager respected the decision but discussed the lack of notice on the part of Bellator in announcing the policy change.

"There are times where they give you such short notice that a sponsor won’t work. One time they told me the morning of the fight that they weren’t going to allow our fighter to have a certain sponsor on his shorts. We worked it out, but sometimes you just don’t know what’s going on. You might get a piece of paper notifying you, but often times you won’t. "

With the Bellator season four premiere airing tonight from Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, some are interested to see if any mention is made of the venue being a gambling site. One agent took a humorous outlook on Bellator’s sudden policy change.

“I just think the whole thing is funny. They’ve done plenty of shows at casinos. Are they going to have to hide that too? What’s so bad about condoms anyway? Condom Depot could act to counterbalance all of the sexualized programming on MTV2. Does Bellator have a problem with the practice of safe sex?”

On Wednesday afternoon, NSAC officials informed members of the MMA media via email that all the drug/steroid screening tests had been processed and were negative for participants at UFC 125, save for one. The email included a list of the fighters who had passed, with Thiago Silva’s name missing in a conspicuous manner. Keith Kizer, commissioner of the NSAC, confirmed to MMAFA.tv that Thiago Silva’s samples are still undergoing tests.

“We want to make sure before we go forward with anything,” said Kizer. “We have to protect the rights of the fighter, and that means we have to be certain about everything.”

Though the prolonged testing could be due to a mix up or false positive, this failed to deter MMA fans and media-types from speculating on the matter. Recent reports suggest that Rashad Evans is targeted to replace Thiago Silva for a rematch against UFC star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. This was due to a reported injury sustained by Silva, but Silva went on to refute the seriousness of the injury and insisted that the match with Jackson was a lock.

Silva, speaking to TATAME.com today, claims that the first sample submitted to the NSAC tested positive for banned substances but his second sample came back negative, clearing the fighter of any wrongdoing.

Keith Kizer informed MMAFA.tv that this is false, and that the results of the second sample might not be known for a while:

“That’s not accurate. We have gotten only the first sample back. It could be weeks before we find out the results for the second test.”

Two-time STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion (155 pounds), Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (18-2), has signed a new, multi-year agreement with the San Jose, Calif. based world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion.

“STRIKEFORCE is my home, they’ve always been like family to me and I’m looking forward to continuing my career with them,” said the talented, exciting, 5-foot-9, 28-year-old protégé of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Cesar Gracie and Muay Thai legend Jongsanan Fairtex.  “There are a lot of great fights out there for me – lots of challenges. I can’t wait to get back into the cage, do my thing and show the world that I’m still at the top of my game.’’

Melendez is seen in most MMA circles as a Top 5 Lightweight, with most placing the Cesar Gracie product only behind the UFC tandem of Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard. Melendez debuted in Oct. 18, 2002, and roared out to a 13-0 record while competing in the WEC, Shooto and Pride Fighting Championhips Organizations. Notable victories for Melendez include Shinya  Aoki, Josh Thomson, Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez captured the STRIKEFORCE interim lightweight belt with a second-round knockout (punches) over Rodrigo Damm on April 11, 2009, in San Jose.


“I’m healthy again and excited about fighting again real soon,’’ Melendez said. “It doesn’t matter who I fight. I just want to get back in there and rip.’’

As he enters the twilight of his tenure in the mixed martial arts game, Sean Sherk has ascertained what the goal is before hanging up the little four ounce baby gloves and calling it a career.  The goal: a second bite of the championship apple, another reign with the UFC lightweight title. Sherk recently spoke about the intoxicating nature of holding the belt and the legacy that a double reign as champ leaves:

"For me to fulfill my career, to really, really be happy with it, I'd like to win the belt one more time," Sherk said, speaking to the Timmins Daily Press. "The feeling when I had when I won that belt was great. I loved being a UFC champion. It's a whole different class of athlete when you look at who has won the belt twice. There are only five or six guys in history."

The road back to the lightweight title will be a perilous one.  While his one time conqueror BJ Penn has seemingly taken permanent leave of the lightweight ranks, there are still a slew  of elite fighters that will greatly complicate Sherk's plans at lightweight domination.  The twin capos of the current lightweight scene - Champion Frank Edgar and the undefeated Gray Maynard - both possess a better stand up game as well superior wrestling to Sherk.  A second battalion of hungry young challengers - from Dunham, Sotiropoulous, Pettis, among a host of others- will be a particularly hard-to-navigate minefield to be negotiated if Sherk is attain championship redemption.

Sherk will look to start his last round up sometime over the summer, as that is the target for his return to the Octagon.  As of now the former lightweight champ is biding his time and allowing old injuries to heal so that he can totally commit to his last shot:

"It's a double-edged sword," Sherk told the paper. "I want to jump in there and train. I want to get in there and win another belt, but I look at the other side and if I'm training hurt, I'm not 100%, that goal is going to be farther and farther away.  I want to go into a fight 100% healthy. Then I know there's nobody who can beat me on my best day."

One of the problems that Sherk is running into as he gets older is the effect on his body of the almost maniacal workouts that he is known for. As you get older and the body is faced with increasing physical limitations, there is a need to shift the emphasis from training harder to training smarter, a philosophy that may be dawning on Sherk, as he spoke to the topic: "It all comes back to how hard I train and how much I put into this. It's the reason I've been so successful and also the reason why I've been injured as well. You can't have the best of both worlds."  Sherk seems to have the self-awareness to know what problem is but the inability to successfully tread the middle ground needed.  The inability to throttle down his efforts is going to be a detriment, and likely the undoing of Sherk if he is  indeed looking to close his career on a high note with championship gold. 

Aussie brawler James Te Huna comes into UFC 127 looking to shake off  ring rust and re-establish himself in the UFC 205 division.  A broken arm incurred in his UFC debut against  Igor Pokrajac has proven to be a vexing problem for the Aussie 205'er.  The severity of the break and resulting complications during his convalescence have sidelined Te Huna since the UFC last appeared in Australia in February of 2010.

"I had snapped the ulna, it was a bad break. The ends were badly splintered so when they brought it back together and ran the plate alongside of it, there was a bit of a gap in there and it took a while for it to fuse together,” Te Huna  said in speaking to the  Penrith Press.   “When it did fuse together it took about four or five months to heal.  I started training again but I got an infection and it went inside the bone and it caused big dramas.  I went back in hospital for a week, came back out, started training again, and then went back in hospital for another week.  After the second operation I had time off, tried to get it fixed and now I’ve been training the last couple of months.”

The lingering effects of the injury caused Te Huna to turn down a bout at UFC 120 in London. With his body now fully healed, Te Huna will look to get back on track and move up the light heavyweight ranks.  His opponent at UFC 127 will be bruising Swede Alexander Gustafsson. With wins over Jared Hamman and Cyrille Diabate as well as a spirited but losing effort to Phil Davis, Gustafsson is a rising prospect in the 205 ranks.  Te Huna  is looking to steal a bit of the Swede's mojo and use the momentum to propel himself to bigger and better things in the 205 picture.  A win by either fighter could possibly lead to a break out from the UFC Aussie/International card ghetto into a Stateside appearance.  With much on the line and both fighters given to a wide open offensive philosophy, the Te Huna vs Gustaffson looks to be the hidden gem the UFC 127 card and a possible darkhorse candidate for Fight of the Night in my estimation.

Many fans would identify Vladimir Matyushenko as a staple in the sport of mixed martial arts. The forty-year-old Belarusian has been in the sport for over a decade and fought some of the most notable fighters it can offer. But make no mistake, Matyushenko claims he is far from done and is eyeing his next bout. Speaking with MMAFA.tv from his ‘VMAT’ gym in El Segundo, Matyushenko shared his plans.

“Nothing is official and I would like to fight before Summer, but I want to fight the winner of Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. It is a common sense fight for me. Both of those losses still bug me. It would be a way to redeem myself and it would be a great fight for Tito or Noguiera.”

It would appear that redemption is big motivator for Matyushenko, who lost at the hands of up-and-comer Jon Jones 6 months ago and went on score a stoppage win over Alexandre Ferreira only three months later. The stoppage win would be the first for Matyushenko in five years.

“I didn’t get hurt in the Jones fight. Well, my ego got hurt I guess [laughs]. But that was good for me, and I was healthy enough that when the UFC called me up shortly after I immediately took the fight against Ferreira. I never like walking around with a loss on my shoulders.”

Being a veteran of the sport, Matyushenko has seen his fair share of paradigm shifts. Yet Matyushenko claims the rise of younger fighters throughout the years wouldn’t have been possible without the groundwork laid down by him and his contemporaries.

“There are plenty of new guys coming up like Bader and Jones and they deserve a chance at the spotlight. But older guys like Randy Couture and I have proven that we’ve still got it. The new guys, like Jon Jones, have learned from us. I think Jones saw so much of my tape and what I do to people and he did it to me.”

With UFC 126 taking place tomorrow, Matyushenko offered his prediction for the main event:

“Anderson against Vitor is a very interesting fight. It depends on what state of mind the fighters are in. Lately, Vitor Belfort has been very good and has had some exciting wins. Anderson Silva is looking kind of lazy. Maybe he has burned out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Belfort takes it.”

Matyushenko also offered a prediction for a light heavyweight tilt between Jon Jones and Ryan Bader.

“I think Jon Jones will take him. I think he’s going to play the same game he always has. He’s going to be explosive, unpredictable… He is unpredictable for the guys he faces but he knows what he’s doing. I’d like to learn his game a little bit. I know he’s watching a lot of tape on other fighters and studies them. I’ll put my money on Jon Jones.”

When it came to the co-main event between Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, Matyushenko insisted it was in his best interest to keep mum.

“No comment there. For you media guys it is easy to make predictions whenever you want because you don’t have to fight them after! I don’t want to look like I’m saying bad things about them, ‘You’re this and you’re that,’ then have them trying to beat me up!”

Fedor Emelianenko, considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight -- and perhaps mixed martial artist -- of all time, is a man of few words. Rather than fruitlessly guessing at the unknowable, he will admit he doesn’t know. Instead of pondering the future, he will focus on the present.

 Emelianenko will bring that same practical mindset into battle on February 12 when he takes on top 10 ranked Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in the opening round of the highly anticipated Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. Speaking with MMAFA.tv, Emelianenko reflects on his training and opponent.

 "I can’t wait to compete again. Silva is a great athlete who is skilled in many areas. He has proven to be a very worthy and dangerous opponent. My training camp has been very strong. I feel proud to be representing my country in the tournament. I’m training to win the tournament.”

 Eight of the top heavyweights in the world will participate in the tournament, leading many to believe that the eventual tournament champion should be in the running for the title of best heavyweight alive. To Emelianenko, his opinion on the matter is irrelevant.

 “The tournament participants are all highly skilled athletes. As for whether the winner should be considered number one in the world, it is not for me to say. That is something left to the media and to the fans.”

 In Fedor’s last outing he suffered the first blemish on his record in a decade when he lost via submission to Fabricio Werdum, one of the best heavyweight grapplers in the world. Werdum will fight Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in a separate tournament bout and the winner is scheduled to face Emelianenko should he defeat Silva. Emelianenko claims he remains as motivated as ever after the loss and welcomes a challenge from either competitor.

 “I enjoy the competition of sport very much and that is what motivates me. I will continue to compete for as long as my health and God allow me to. I look forward to getting back in the cage and performing to my highest level. For me, it does not matter which I compete against. I will prepare my best and everything else is God’s will.”

 Explaining his loss against Werdum, Emelianenko states it was due to a basic error.

 “I wanted to finish the fight with Werdum early and I made a mistake. I have moved past this and have been training hard. If we were to face each other again, I will approach this in the same way I do for every contest.”

 Emelianenko recently started his own Twitter account, showing the kind of tech-savvy most fans wouldn’t have expected from a fighter they associate with an ascetic lifestyle. Although many fake accounts claiming to be the real Fedor Emelianenko have sprouted up in the past, Fedor’s account was followed by over 2,500 people the first day it was activated. Emelianenko explains the move to Twitter in his usual, laconic fashion.

 “I was advised it was a nice way to communicate with my fans around the world. I have no message for those people [who have pretended to be me]. I only look to be myself.”

With the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix (SFHWGP) just around the corner, there as been a drumbeat of questions from the British contingent of mixed martial arts fans. With a field that includes nearly half of the Top 15 heavyweights in the world, British MMA fans have been anxious to find out what viewing options may be available for them to view the SFHWGP.  MMAFA.tv was able to get in contact with Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz, who confirmed that the San Jose based promotion would be going the Pay Per View route for broadcasts of Strikeforce content in the UK.

The move to PPV was somewhat necessitated by the recent shuttering of the Bravo UK television channel. Bravo had played host to stateside MMA broadcasts such as the UFC as well as domestic shows like Cage Rage. Additionally, it served as the most recent home for Strikeforce broadcasts in Great Britain. The Bravo channels closed on January 1, 2011, and many of the programs offered by Bravo were transferred over to Sky/BSKYB, which had previously bought and subsequently shuttered Bravo. Sky Sports has been home to the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter reality show the past few seasons, which would preclude Strikeforce from airing there. The only other Sky channels that have shown MMA are "The Active Channel" free to air on Sky and Extreme TV on Channel 419,  but both channels are considered of low quality and not really viable options by most UK MMA observers.  Other networks that have been friendly to MMA in the past have bitten the dust recently, with NUTS-TV (formerly the home of the Cage Rage promotion) going under in the past few years. The British promotion BAMMA has very recently signed a deal to air their cards the UK SyFy channel, so this may be a possibility for Strikeforce in the future, but nothing is in the offing at this time.

The most likely home for the Strikeforce PPV's would be Primetime Tv on Sky channel 480. Sky is the dominant satellite provider in the UK and Primetime 480 has been host to recent American MMA PPV offerings such as Moosin as well as a few other small US MMA shows. Pricing for the Strikeforce PPV's has not yet been announced, but looking at some comparables in the combat sports field will give us some points of comparison. Recent It's Showtime kickboxing events have been available for £5.95 (about $9.50), while boxing PPV's such as the Super Six tournament fights have sold in the range of £12.95 to £14.95 ($20.50 to $23.75). Somewhere in the mid- to upper-range between those two figures would give us an idea of what kind of price point at which the PPV's may be offered. 

One possible problem faced by Strikeforce in going the PPV route in the UK is a television culture in Britain that generally doesn't fully embrace the PPV concept. While there are some outliers, like the like the 1.2 million PPV buys that Hatton vs. Mayweather is reported to have done, on the whole the PPV format hasn't proven quite as successful on a regular basis as has been the case in the US. This scenario very much resembles their setup in Japan, a country also notoriously reticent in availing themselves of the PPV market. Other impediments that Strikeforce may run into are 3AM start times for live viewing in the UK as well as the generally unpredictable run times of Strikeforce events. Strikeforce can mitigate the start time problem by having  their shows repeated throughout the week on Sky Box Office, a tactic that has been used effectively by the WWE.  Such a repeat policy may be putting the cart before the horse so to speak, as another problem could be Strikeforce's lack of advertising budget leading simply to people not knowing the PPV is on. Run times like the abbreviated hour and a half run time for this past weekend's Diaz vs Cyborg card could also be a problem. If Strikeforce holds to their policy of non-inclusion of undercard fights on the main card, a lower price point may be the best option to take. While the PPV option may not be the optimal route, the simple concept of access for its' British fans may be the driving force in moving to the PPV option for Strikeforce.