Strikeforce weigh-in event details and information for ‘Shamrock vs Diaz’

[Shogun Locc]

The official weigh-in event for Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Diaz” is set to take place from the HP Pavilion restaurant, “The Grill”, at 2 p.m. PT on Friday, April 10, in San Jose, California.

For those in Silicon Valley this weekend remember that the weigh-ins are FREE to attend and open to the public. However space is limited, so plan on arriving early for a good view of the action.

And with Shammy and Diaz on the same stage, there is bound to be some extracurricular activity.

As usual, MMAmania.com will provide the latest coverage of the Strikeforce weigh-ins, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude.

Here’s the complete line up:

Main event:
179 lbs.: Frank Shamrock (23-9-2) vs. Nick Diaz (18-7)

Main card (Televised):
155 lbs.: Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (14-2) vs. Rodrigo Damm (8-2)
140 lbs.: Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (6-1) vs. Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (14-5)
185 lbs.: Benji “Razor” Radach (19-4) vs. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (14-5)
265 lbs.: Brett “The Grim” Rogers (8-0) vs. Ron “Abongo” Humphrey (5-0)

Under card (May not be broadcast):
265 lbs.: Marcus “Beyond Normal” Royster (0-1) vs. Yohan Banks (2-1)
185 lbs.: Luke Rockhold (3-1) vs. Buck Meredith (3-2)
185 lbs.: Eric Lawson (8-2) vs. Richard Montoya (6-5)
185 lbs.: Raul Castillo (5-0) vs. Brandon Michaels (0-2)
170 lbs.: James Terry (5-1) vs. Zak Bucia (1-1)
135 lbs.: Jeremy Tavares (0-3) vs. Shingo Kohara (0-0)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Royce Gracie, Josh Thomson signing autographs at Strikeforce event

While the newly revamped Strikeforce - complete with a host of former ProElite fighters - has put together a solid main card for its April 11 event, "Shamrock vs. Diaz," the organization is enticing potential attendees to make it to the arena a little early with a new offer.

MMA legend and pioneer Royce Gracie (14-3-3), along with Strikeforce lightweight champ Josh Thomson (16-2) and others, will be signing autographs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT.

"Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" takes place Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Preliminary card action begins at 5 p.m. PT.

The diminutive Gracie was the unquestioned early king of the UFC. His family's role in the development of Brazilian jiu-jitsu has been well documented, and that same family was instrumental in the creation of the UFC.

Gracie last fought in a unanimous decision win over Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba (24-12-1) in a June 2007 K-1 HERO's event, "Dynamite!! USA."

Thomson was originally hoping to fight on Saturday's card, as "The Punk" was ready to defend his lightweight title against Gilbert Melendez. Thomson suffered a leg injury in training and was forced to pull out of the card.

Currently ranked in the top-10 lightweights in the world by most major polls, Thomson will instead be forced to wait two to three months before returning to action.

While Melendez's new opponent has not yet been officially announced, several reports point to a matchup with Rodrigo Damm.

Tickets are still available for the event at Ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $30 to $350.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Showtime Takes Strikeforce Coverage Interactive on the Web

PRESS RELEASE:

NEW YORK (April 8, 2009) -- SHOWTIME will offer Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans the opportunity to get immersed in the April 11, blockbuster premiere of Strikeforce on SHOWTIME with its new interactive online experience, Strikeforce: All Access, it was announced today by the network's Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sports and Event Programming, Ken Hershman. The digital initiative, an interactive live stream of Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz, on Saturday, April 11, further demonstrates the premium network's commitment to leading the television industry in online, mobile, and interactive content distribution.

Fans can purchase the live webcast simultaneously with the live SHOWTIME telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET*. Online participants can control their own viewing experience through multiple camera angles with corresponding audio tracks as well as interact with fellow users, view user-generated photos and download select music tracks from the event.

"By and large, the core fight fans watching MMA on SHOWTIME are among the most technologically savvy of all viewers," said Hershman. "We are proud to offer this enhanced experience to an audience that will embrace the opportunity to control the content and interact with one another during the live show. Strikeforce: All Access puts you in the driver seat."

Strikeforce: All Access will cost $24.95 per user and is available for review and pre-order by visiting http://strikeforce.sho.com.

With Strikeforce: All Access, fans can be the producer. Users can toggle between five live cameras surrounding the cage with full pause and rewind capabilities. Audio tracks will include the SHOWTIME telecast fight call by Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Pat Miletich, and the corresponding audio to the selected camera. SHOWTIME is working with BitGravity, Inc. and Episodic, Inc. to enable this unique multi-camera experience.

Fans will be able to make predictions, comment on live fights, discuss outcomes and even talk a little smack with All Access through a live Facebook® Connect application.

Other Strikeforce: All Access features will include professional photography from the action in the cage, as well as behind-the-scenes, backstage and fan photos. Images will be uploaded during the live event via Flickr, the popular image and video hosting website and online community.

If users want to own the ring-walk music of their favorite fighter, they can purchase select songs via iTunes directly from links on the site.

"SHOWTIME has led the industry in multi-platform initiatives for years," said Robert Hayes, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media for SHOWTIME. "We were the first premium network to offer content on iTunes. We were the first to offer Emmy® voters online screenings of SHOWTIME nominees. We partner with over 100 sites when sampling episodes of our original series and SHOWTIME Sports content. And we are the only premium network offering the explosive sport of mixed martial arts."

"Sports will be one of the big winners with the availability of high quality, scalable and affordable live streaming," said Chris Turner, VP of Worldwide Sales and Business Development at BitGravity. "SHOWTIME understands that sport fans demand a seamless viewing experience with a quality stream, quick start and no download. We are delighted to work with them to deliver Strikeforce: All Access."

The April 11 fight card features MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock taking on his newest rival, superstar Nick Diaz in the main event. Female MMA phenom Cris "Cyborg" of Brazil will take on Japan's Hitomi Akano, middleweight contender Scott Smith will face Benji Radach and heavyweights Brett Rogers and "Abongo" Humphrey will square off to round out the show. Plus, Gilbert Melendez will face an opponent to be announced in a lightweight match.