Herschel Walker and Strikeforce hit Paydirt

Strikeforce and Herschel Walker (1-0) make a good team  and that is evident by looking at the viewership numbers. Let’s just hope that Strikeforce does not go off the deep end with this.

According to MMA Junkie, Strikeforce: Miami drew 517,000 viewers which is just below the record set in August when “Conviction” Gina Carano (7-1) fought “Cyborg” Cris Santos (9-1). That event brought 576,000 viewers to Showtime.

The previous Strikeforce event, Strikeforce: Evolution, drew just 341,000 viewers which means they had a viewer increase of 51.6%. One would have to believe that the MMA debut of ex-NFL Pro Bowl running back Herschel Walker is the cause for such a spike in viewership.

As I reported before the event, Walker was making media rounds on different ESPN shows as well as on other media outlets. This obviously brought in curious viewers to see how the 47 year old man would fare in this new sport. While I was critical of his participation and the perceived view of the MMA clueless media on the event, I will say I am pleasantly surprised by the numbers. The only sad thing is, as I stated in my “Sunday Review” article, the production left much to be desired if they wanted to keep those viewers and turn them into loyal MMA fans.

My one concern with the numbers is what Strikeforce decides to do after seeing them. They could venture out into other sports, looking for another big name to bring into MMA. I would be OK with this if that person was serious and respected the sport. I just don’t want Strikeforce to end up going overboard and turning the organization into a freak show with fighters like Jose Canseco (0-1) stepping inside the ring.

Only time will tell which direction Scott Coker goes with Strikeforce after seeing the results. Let’s just hope that he is a man that knows restraint for the sake of the sport and his organization.