27 Mar 2008 01:19:43 AM
MMA on Stage: Strikeforce/NBC Official & Redbelt’s Debut Date
(Cung Le to appear on The Peacock soon.)
MMA continues to penetrate the media, what with “Iron Ring” on BET, Spike TV’s UFC broadcasts, CBS agreeing to air EliteXC shows, Frankie on Kimmel tomorrow, and now the official announcement of the NBC/Strikeforce marriage. We dropped details for it a while back, but now the official announcement has been made.
From the press release:
In a major step for the fastest-growing sport around the globe, NBC has partnered with world championship promotion company Strikeforce to be the first to premiere a weekly mixed martial arts cage fight series on broadcast television. “Strikeforce on NBC” will premiere the night of April 12 from 2-2:30 a.m. ET on NBC.
“Strikeforce on NBC” will air immediately following NBC’s hit poker tournament series, “Poker After Dark” (1-2 a.m. ET/check local listings), the core audience of which — 18-34 year old males — matches that of mixed martial arts.
Each episode of the hard-hitting series will feature Strikeforce mixed martial arts fights and highlights as well as fighter profiles. Mixed martial arts pits fighters skilled in a wide array of combat disciplines against each other inside a caged-in ring. Popular disciplines include boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, among others. The premiere Strikeforce episode will feature superstar Cung Le vs. Brian Warren, Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Tony “The Freak” as well as a profile on Le, recognized as one of the most dynamic competitors in the sport.
While it’s annoying that they kept typing out “mixed martial arts” as opposed to just going with “MMA”, this is still a forward motion for the sport and we’ll applaud that. However, here’s something NBC-related from an IFL press release that makes the applause stop cold:
…twins Jim and Bill Germanakos, the most recent winners of NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser,” will host the IFL weigh-in next Thursday, April 3, at 3 p.m. at L.A. Boxing in Secaucus, N.J., and give tips to the athletes trying to make weight for the IFL “New Blood, New Battles” show at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The fights will take place on Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.
“These athletes are in unbelievable shape, but if there are any quick tips that we can help them with to shed a few ounces as they hit their desired weight, it will be our pleasure,” Bill Germanakos said. “The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is a great base for training and weight loss since it involves so many aspects of conditioning, including strength and flexibility and self discipline, so this will be fun for us as we continue to spread our message of healthy lifestyle to a larger audience.” All information for Jim and Bill can be found at WeightLossTwins.com.
Dear God. Speechless…
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