Free MMA shows on HDnet + Showtime

Looks like some great venues are being created for the benefit of mma fans. I have liked the fact that these organizations having been charging PPV fees to watch their MMA shows. I am not sure how much pressure that puts on the UFC to put on some free stuff, but I believe it does influence their decisions.

From Sherdog:

The promotion, which needs to garner an impressive rating for its May 26 broadcast on primetime network television in Japan, announced it had signed former Major League Baseball slugger Jose Canseco. A reputed karate practitioner who has openly admitted to steroid use, Canseco is set to compete in what is being called the Super Hulk Tournament. The open-weight curiosity will begin on the Dream 9 card, which also includes the next round of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix, along with a lightweight showdown pairing Gesias Calvancante with Tatsuya Kawajiri and a middleweight championship match between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Canseco, 44, whose management stipulated to The Canadian Press that the Dream deal was not finalized, is set to be paired with Hong Man Choi, the avuncular kickboxer that Dream parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group has used for spectacle appeal since 2005. Other pairings in the Super Hulk bracket are Bob Sapp vs. Ikuhisa Minowa, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Jan Nortje and Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt. According to the Wrestling Observer, Sapp recently signed a one-year, three-fight deal with Dream.

Shortly after Dream made the Canseco announcement, HDNet announced it would air the card live in the wee hours of what will be a Tuesday morning in the United States. The past two Dream shows have aired on a several-day tape delay on the network. Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara predicted a 15 share rating for the broadcast on Japan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System; that number would be up considerably from the ratings of last year’s primetime offerings, which hovered between a nine and 10 share rating.

Yet another major upcoming card was bolstered by a fight announcement, as Strikeforce responded to the recent loss of its June 6 co-main event by matching the two fighters who came out of the promotion’s April 11 show with the most momentum. Nick Diaz will face Scott Smith at a 180-pound catch weight at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. A catchweight bout between Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields will headline the event on Showtime. Diaz and Smith made significant impressions during Strikeforce’s debut on Showtime in San Jose, Calif. Diaz out-boxed Frank Shamrock in a decisive two-round win, while Smith launched a remarkable come-from-behind attack against Benji Radach and scored a third-round knockout in the night’s best fight.