“Strikeforce: Evolution” takes place this Saturday from San Jose, California with a headline fight between former middleweight champion Cung Le and veteran Scott Smith. While serious MMA fans may question why the event won’t be headlined by its lone title fight between Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez, Tapology’s buzz data shows that the promotion is making the right decision. Thomson and Melendez both compete at a high level but remain unknown to the average viewers that Strikeforce and its partner Showtime will look to bring in. Melendez and Thomson are currently ranked 254th and 529th in the buzz rankings, respectively, while headliners Cung Le and Scott Smith are faring much better at 24th and 97th. Cung Le ultimately will be the primary draw for the event, and should he emerge with an impressive victory could be poised to headline even bigger cards down the road.
The buzz rankings take into account the level of activity for people searching and reading about each MMA fighter online. The more online buzz, the greater the ranking.
Despite inactivity in MMA since March of 2008, Cung Le continues to generate significant fan interest, rarely falling out of the top 100 fighters and most recently almost cracking into the top 20 for November. This impressive standing for an inactive fighter is reason alone for Strikeforce to choose Le to headline their event.
While the card lacks the ammunition of Strikeforce’s two most recent major outings (Fedor vs Rogers, Carano vs Cyborg), the combination of casual fan interest in Le plus a wealth of high-level talent for hardcore fans should result in healthy viewership.
| Fighter | Latest Buzz Rank | Peak Buzz Rank | Peak Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cung Le | 24 | 24 | Nov 2009 |
| Gilbert Melendez | 254 | 102 | Apr 2009 |
| Scott Smith | 97 | 37 | Apr 2009 |
| Josh Thomson | 529 | 166 | Mar 2009 |
| Average | 226 | 82 |
