NBC TO PREMIERE NEW ADRENALINE-FILLED
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS CAGE FIGHT SERIES 'STRIKEFORCE
ON NBC' APRIL 12
For
Immediate Release
BURBANK -- March 27, 2008
-- 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.
The announcement was made
by Jerry Petry, Executive Vice President, NBC
Universal Television.
"Mixed martial arts
has exploded onto the sports scene. Its athletes
are tremendous competitors and the sport is
one of the fastest growing in the world,"
said Petry. "As a leader in this arena,
Strikeforce will be able to deliver some of
the finest and most intense action ever seen
on broadcast TV."
"It’s truly an
honor to have the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce
mixed martial arts product to one of the longest-standing
and most well-respected national television
platforms," said Strikeforce Chief Executive
Officer Scott Coker. "NBC has a history
of popular late Saturday TV and in the 80’s
NBC’s ‘Saturday Night’s Main
Event’ show helped catapult the popularity
of professional wrestling. Strikeforce is looking
to follow in suit and establish a legacy of
its own on the network."
"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.
Strikeforce launched its
mixed martial arts fight series on March 10,
2006 with "Shamrock vs. Gracie," the
first sanctioned mixed martial arts event in
California state history. The fight card attracted
a sellout crowd of 18,265 to San Jose’s
HP Pavilion and broke the all-time record for
attendance at a mixed martial arts event in
North America.
The series is being
produced by Kevin Cusick of KC Productions in
conjunction with Carr-Hughes Productions