I've seen a few of the EliteXC/Strikeforce events, and the talent isn't a lot worse than that in the bottom or even middle of the UFC, their production values just seem very crude and amateur. I think if anything is going to hurt the image of MMA for the mainstream audience, it will be the marketing department of these organizations.
Say what you want about Dana and the Fertitas, but one thing they have successfully done is change the perception of MMA fighters from out of shape, bloodthirsty brawlers to elite level athletes who are intelligent and hardworking. If an org. like Strikeforce and CBS take the easy way out to get ratings and market this like a sideshow, or more realistically and almost as bad, a "shocking" extreme sport, that could do a lot of damage to MMA's credibility.
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