Weekend MMA- 5/31 EliteXC: Primetime, 6/1 WEC: Faber vs Pulver

[dallaskd]

EliteXC Primetime
May 31, 2008
Prudential Center
Newark, New Jersey
9:00 ET

Main Card

Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor
Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy

Under card

Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski
Zach Makovsky vs. Andre Soares
Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins
Mike Groves vs. Joe Sampieri
Carlton Haselrig vs. Joe McCall
Jim Bova vs. Chris Liguori



----------

Date: Jun-1-2008 9:00 PM ET
Event Type: Versus - Live Event
Location: ARCO Arena, CA
WEC™: Faber vs. Pulver – Sunday, June 1st, live on VERSUS from the Arco
Arena in Sacramento, CA.


Main Card

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
Champion Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda
Mark Munoz vs. Chuck Grisby
Rob McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander

Under card (may not be broadcast)

Donald Cerrone vs. Richard Crunkilton
Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribiero
Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
Alexandre Noguiera vs. Jose Aldo
Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz

[Evan]

I'm so sick of hearing about Kimbo I want James to destroy him.

But I am sure he will do the same thing he always does...stomp, pump his arms and run straight forward with his chin in perfect position to be struck.

[Evan]

Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor
Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy

Under Card
Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski (yeah this is Matt Serra's brother)
Zach Makovsky vs. Andre Soares
Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins
Mike Groves vs. Joe Sampieri
Carlton Haselrig vs. Joe McCall
Jim Bova vs. Chris Liguori

Main Card

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver (going to be sad to see Jens lose again)
Champion Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda (the mighty mullet!)
Mark Munoz vs. Chuck Grisby
Rob McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander

Under card (may not be broadcast)

Donald Cerrone vs. Richard Crunkilton
Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribiero
Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
Alexandre Noguiera vs. Jose Aldo
Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz

[LEONARD]

Crunkilton is out...

[Evan]

well eff

[djohn14]

Main Card

Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson-i hope he lives up to it
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith-This will be a good fight
Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor-THE NEW YORK BAD ASS
Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young-Shes a tough women...I want to see her and Starnes fight so he can run from her.
Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy-Dude is a beast

Under card-I dont know any of these guys.

Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski
Zach Makovsky vs. Andre Soares
Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins
Mike Groves vs. Joe Sampieri
Carlton Haselrig vs. Joe McCall
Jim Bova vs. Chris Liguori



Main Card

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver-Jens is gonna get hurt.
Champion Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda-He will retain
Mark Munoz vs. Chuck Grisby-
Rob McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander-Robert all the way

Under card (may not be broadcast)

Donald Cerrone vs. Richard Crunkilton
Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribiero
Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
Alexandre Noguiera vs. Jose Aldo
Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz-Hes a tough little fella

[dallaskd]

Crunkilton is out...

who replaced him?

[dallaskd]

Im pumped. CBS better not screw this up but i think they will do a good job. i hope kimbo gets taken down early and gets smashed.

[LEONARD]

who replaced him?

Danny Castillo

[Evan]

Im pumped. CBS better not screw this up but i think they will do a good job. i hope kimbo gets taken down early and gets smashed.

Josh will f-ck it up...

I think this CAN work on CBS but it needs time and I am not sure there is enough of it.

[djohn14]

Man...I gues Im the only one that wants Kimbo to win haha.

[LEONARD]

Kaitlin Young will beat Gina...

Thompson will beat Kimbo...

EliteXC will be ruined...

[djohn14]

EliteXC would be ruined if that happened.

[Evan]

Kaitlin Young will beat Gina...

Thompson will beat Kimbo...

EliteXC will be ruined...

whoa whoa whoa...serious?

I 100% agree that would ruin them...just haven't heard you say that.

[Evan]

Just watched the WEC preview...Urijah is going to kill Jens...damn...

[dallaskd]

Kaitlin Young will beat Gina...

Thompson will beat Kimbo...

EliteXC will be ruined...

If kimbo loses on national tv badly it will be a major shot in the balls to eiliteXC. i figure Nick Diaz will be gone soon. Villasenor is good but he cant be the face of the organization. Baroni and Lawler are punks and hopefull they both bet smashed. Cung Le is about their only hope or maybe a Tito Ortiz-Frank Shamrock II would be marketable. I could see that happening but i think tito will sign with hdnet or a jap league before eliteXC.

I dont know anything about young but im hoping gina loses so eliteXC will die and the UFC can have Cung and co. Its near impossible to compete with the UFC/WEC unless your a jap league and you cater to 155 japanese guys.

[dallaskd]

Just watched the WEC preview...Urijah is going to kill Jens...damn...

yeah i thought it was pretty well done. go jens!

[Evan]

yeah i thought it was pretty well done. go jens!

Zuffa hired a marketing firm last year to spruce things up and I think its paying off big time. That was by far the best pre-fight special Zuffa has ever done be it the UFC or WEC. The camera on the tire while Urijah was hammering it was a very cool visual. They did a great job of showing Urijah as the clean cut California guy and Jens as this old school throwback who jogs on broken down train tracks.

And the job they did with Miguel Torres was incredible. I didn't know very much about him and I am now a huge fan of his. When you can take a skinny guy with a mullet and horrible mustache and make him look cool you're getting the job done. lol

[LEONARD]

whoa whoa whoa...serious?

I 100% agree that would ruin them...just haven't heard you say that.

I wouldn't be shocked...people are completely over-looking Young and Thompson...

[Evan]

I wouldn't be shocked...people are completely over-looking Young and Thompson...

Whenever I see him bull rush the other corner I don't think he is taking fighting seriously.

As far as Young…Gina has amazing talent but who knows.

[djohn14]

Everyone please pay attention to Brett Rogers. He is a beast.

[LEONARD]

Whenever I see him bull rush the other corner I don't think he is taking fighting seriously.

As far as Young…Gina has amazing talent but who knows.

If Thompson rushes and throws bombs he'll get KO'd again...I'm ASSuming he'll work for a takedown ASAP.

I don't think Gina has been training too hard...and will she make weight?

[Evan]

If Thompson rushes and throws bombs he'll get KO'd again...I'm ASSuming he'll work for a takedown ASAP.

I don't think Gina has been training too hard...and will she make weight?

The problem with Kimbo losing is EliteXC went from an awesome up and coming MMA org that was in HD (the first) on showtime to "Kimbo." Everything is ridin on this.

They should have stacked this card…in fact…I don't know why they didn't push Le and Shamrock to this one. Only 2 month delay. Headline that…put Kimbo v Josh at 2..Frank and Le are awesome on camera. Excellent marketing.

[dallaskd]

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

gina is beautiful

[LEONARD]

Damn, Gina...4.5 lbs over...

MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)

* Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (235.5) vs. James Thompson (257)
* EliteXC champ Robbie Lawler (184.5) vs. Scott Smith (184.5)
* Gina Carano (144.5) * vs. Kaitlin Young (140.5)
* Jon Murphy (260.5) vs. Brett Rogers (263.5)
* Phil Baroni (185) vs. Joey Villasenor (184.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (INTERNET)

* Carlton Haselrig (263) vs. Carlos Moreno (261)
* Jim Bova (160.5) vs. Chris Liguori (161)
* Matt Makowski (171) vs. Nick Serra (167)
* Wilson Reis (140.5) vs. Justin Robbins (140.5)
* James "Binky" Jones (154.5) vs. Calvin Kattar (155.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (UN-AIRED)

* Zach Makovsky (135) vs. Andre Soares (134)
* Mike Groves (154) vs. Joe Sampieri (155)

* - New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Nick Lembo told MMAjunkie.com the Gina Carano-Kaitlin Young bout was scheduled to be contested at 140 pounds. Both fighters were aware that Carano would be over weight before the weigh-ins, and a percentage of Carano's purse was awarded to Young. Lembo was unsure of the amount but believed it to be 12 to 12.5 percent.

[Evan]

What's amusing is EliteXC is basing their entire female division on her and they created a weight class she can't make.

[LEONARD]

Promotional pictures...
http://flickr.com/photos/allelbows/sets/72157605323704420/

[LEONARD]

Weigh-in Pics
http://www.sherdog.com/news/pictures.asp?n_id=12967

http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/61/61180.jpg

[LEONARD]

Tracy Lee's pics
http://www.combatlifestyle.com/pics/view_album.php?id=882&page=1

[Evan]

Weigh-in Pics
http://www.sherdog.com/news/pictures.asp?n_id=12967

http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/61/61180.jpg

extremely dehydrated.

How the f-ck do you come in so overweight?

[oligarchy]

By not training? She doesn't really care. She HAD to fight on this card in order for her to be on season 2 of AG.

[Evan]

By not training? She doesn't really care. She HAD to fight on this card in order for her to be on season 2 of AG.

No, she almost got sued by elitexc for being on ag.

She's dehydrated because she probably doesn't know how to train or cut weight.

[oligarchy]

No, she almost got sued by elitexc for being on ag.

She's dehydrated because she probably doesn't know how to train or cut weight.

No? FF to ~5mins
EL0Q8QSfcBo

[Evan]

lol...I have no idea what I read into your other post, not sure why I said "no"

[dallaskd]

im pumped!

[djohn14]

Im pretty excited as well.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I'm really wondering how this is going to play on CBS. Hope it works well.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

But I will say this, it's probably going to be a tough broadcast to listen for you diehard fans. I expect this is going to be a primer on MMA.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Hell, I'm still a rookie watcher myself.

[Evan]

But I will say this, it's probably going to be a tough broadcast to listen for you diehard fans. I expect this is going to be a primer on MMA.

That intro by Frank Shamrock was awesome.

But maruro is an audio abortion. So cheesy.

Their pacing is already way off...they need to speed things up.

omg...who are those rappers?

[Evan]

Holy Shit...almost 30 minutes in and no fights yet...pacing is horribly horribly off. They better pray for a quick KO at some point.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Ask and ye shall receive.

[Evan]

Holy Shit...almost 30 minutes in and no fights yet...pacing is horribly horribly off. They better pray for a quick KO at some point.

well they got it. lol

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Like I was thinking, this ain't gonna be for you diehard MMA fans.

This is going to be introducing people to the sport, plus they're going to have their big sponsors up early to make sure they have their money before the most eyes.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

The other thing... they're really going to want to be out of this show at 10 p.m.

[Evan]

Yeah I get the commercials but they should have cut the dancers and rappers.

I think their doing ok overall.

[Evan]

The other thing... they're really going to want to be out of this show at 10 p.m.

So far thats almost impossible.

[Evan]

Like I was thinking, this ain't gonna be for you diehard MMA fans.

I can watch anything :toast

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I can watch anything :toast

Yeah, but you're likely hooked....

They want the casual viewer...

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

So far thats almost impossible.

Gonna have a lot of pissed off affiliates if they don't.

[Evan]

Gonna have a lot of pissed off affiliates if they don't.

Kimbo fight is going to be quick but I think they another fast one.

I love they way they are introing the guys with a prerecorded segment. Very nice for the new fans.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Interesting... Elite XC is livestreaming the broadcast.

EDIT: Scratch that, it was the undercard and postgame.

[Evan]

45 minutes and only one fight. And that one fight was a fast KO. damn

[Evan]

Audio is awesome. They have every perfectly mic'd. Love the crowd noise.

[Evan]

lol..saved again.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Audio is awesome. They have every perfectly mic'd. Love the crowd noise.

Is that usually a problem on PPVs or normal broadcasts?

[Evan]

Is that usually a problem on PPVs or normal broadcasts?

Its hard to get a good balance between announcers, fighting and fans.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

lol..saved again.

They might be spacing this out just enough to fit the two hours.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Its hard to get a good balance between announcers, fighting and fans.

CBS probably spent a decent penny hoping this takes off.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Sucks that I'm not a Nielsen home... :lol ... and I've got this going on my PC.

[Evan]

CBS probably spent a decent penny hoping this takes off.

I really hope it does well.

[Evan]

Sucks that I'm not a Nielsen home... :lol ... and I've got this going on my PC.

pc?

you know of that special website?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

pc?

you know of that special website?

I know of it, but I'm actually just using Windows Media Center.

[Evan]

I hope the new fan stuck around at the end because the last 2 fights have been great.

[Evan]

cup runnith over

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I think they've probably won a lot of viewers tonight.

[Pistons < Spurs]

eh'....I've seen maybe 3 or 4 fights all together before tonight, and to be honest, tonights fights just confirmed what I already felt about the sport. I don't get the attraction. It doesn't make any sense to me. I find it boring and uninteresting. But what's worse about tonights spectacle, is the whole WWE feel to it. I'm ready for Vince McMahon to pop out from around the corner at any moment. The dancing girls, the flexing on the podium before the walk to the ring. It's just cheesy.

[Evan]

I think they've probably won a lot of viewers tonight.

I doubt it

[Evan]

This...was...awful

[Evan]

Any given small regional MMA event on HDnet Fights is better than that.

[resistanze]

WTF was up with that motherfucker's ear?

[robino2001]

Gus Johnson yelling "he popped his ear" was awesome though...

[Evan]

WTF was up with that motherfucker's ear?

Should have been drained...so weird.

[djohn14]

I think they did for the younger crowd. The dancing girls, the fast KO's, well that goes for me too, but the girls are more mad out to be strippers. They didnt look like the UFC ring girls, or cheerleaders if you know what I mean. Pretty good show in my book. Although it was cheesy, the fights were good. Some nice KO's, and Kimbo did impress me. I didnt think he would be that good on the ground. He wasnt great, but for a "brawler" in his 3rd MMA fight he was good. I dont have a "big" problem with the stoppage, because he was almost dead on his feat, and that ear was about to get torn off. Robbie and Smith had a very nice 2 and 1/2 rounds, and I would have loved to see more of that.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Any given small regional MMA event on HDnet Fights is better than that.

But again, this fight wasn't for a guy like you (die-hard fan)... this was for the person who knows very little, if anything, about MMA.

Plus, the timing was a little good since you got a mass of new viewers likely tuning in for the late news right before the final fight, so that's more people who wouldn't have viewed who likely got exposure.

Hell, just found out my parents watched the whole thing (stepdad all of it, mom saw last two fights).

[Evan]

Well I will be curious to see the ratings.

I wish the IFL had made it onto CBS instead of EliteXC. Their show is so tight and they have so many talented young fighters.

[dallaskd]

I think they did for the younger crowd. The dancing girls, the fast KO's, well that goes for me too, but the girls are more mad out to be strippers. They didnt look like the UFC ring girls, or cheerleaders if you know what I mean. Pretty good show in my book. Although it was cheesy, the fights were good. Some nice KO's, and Kimbo did impress me. I didnt think he would be that good on the ground. He wasnt great, but for a "brawler" in his 3rd MMA fight he was good. I dont have a "big" problem with the stoppage, because he was almost dead on his feat, and that ear was about to get torn off. Robbie and Smith had a very nice 2 and 1/2 rounds, and I would have loved to see more of that.

Lawler and Smith was a great fight. Brett Rogers has a bright future. Kimbo looked like crap imo. did you see how gased he was? Antonio Silva would destroy Kimbo. If Thompson knew a lick of jits he could have finished him.

[dallaskd]

but this wasnt a good first primetime card for elitexc. strippers, rappers? whaaa...? they will be dead in a year. they should followed Hdnets way. maybe watch the wec card tommorow and learn a thing or too. i cant believe i watched this. i shouldve watched Ultimate Iceman on Spike tonight.

[dallaskd]

oh and Baroni lost! i love joey. although i loved baroni's interview that i think evan posted a while back.

[dallaskd]

eh'....I've seen maybe 3 or 4 fights all together before tonight, and to be honest, tonights fights just confirmed what I already felt about the sport. I don't get the attraction. It doesn't make any sense to me. I find it boring and uninteresting. But what's worse about tonights spectacle, is the whole WWE feel to it. I'm ready for Vince McMahon to pop out from around the corner at any moment. The dancing girls, the flexing on the podium before the walk to the ring. It's just cheesy.

Not a good example of mixed martial arts tonight. and i agree on the WWE point. I was at a friends watching it and i couldnt help but laugh at half of the stuff. Check out the WEC fight card on VS channel tommorow or a UFC card. or just tune into hdnet.

[tsb2000]

Kimbo sucked. Gina couldn't make weight. There were two very controversial stopagges. Dana White had to be laughing his ass off at this whole spectacle, especially Kimbo's opponent with the elephant ear (who should be renamed "Dumbo" because it rhymes with "Kimbo.") :lol


Who noticed Matt Hughes in Lawler's corner in the ring after his fight was stopped? I think someone just got fired...

[dallaskd]

wow just watched the prelims online. Justin Robbins vs. Wilson Reis was awesome.

[dallaskd]

wow James Jones vs. Calvin Kattar was great too!

[cornbread]

They couldn't throw just one jits guy in there? The MMA 101 lesson was useless because the whole thing was destined to look like a bunch of sloppy kickboxing matches.

[Evan]

but this wasnt a good first primetime card for elitexc. strippers, rappers? whaaa...? they will be dead in a year. they should followed Hdnets way. maybe watch the wec card tommorow and learn a thing or too. i cant believe i watched this. i shouldve watched Ultimate Iceman on Spike tonight.

I wish I had watched that...

Having two fights in the first hour that only lasted about 2 minutes is abysmal. There is no reason why that card should have gone 45 minutes over.

This was better than Yamma...but not much.

[Evan]

They couldn't throw just one jits guy in there? The MMA 101 lesson was useless because the whole thing was destined to look like a bunch of sloppy kickboxing matches.

Agree.

[Evan]

eh'....I've seen maybe 3 or 4 fights all together before tonight, and to be honest, tonights fights just confirmed what I already felt about the sport. I don't get the attraction. It doesn't make any sense to me. I find it boring and uninteresting. But what's worse about tonights spectacle, is the whole WWE feel to it. I'm ready for Vince McMahon to pop out from around the corner at any moment. The dancing girls, the flexing on the podium before the walk to the ring. It's just cheesy.

Tonight was garbage MMA. I have seen and defended EliteXC from show one when they had that godforsaken smoking dragon but tonight was a sporting abortion. Its horrible that EliteXC will probably outlive the IFL which is an awesome show.

But I can't blame you for feeling like this and I am sure this turned off countless other people.

If you want to give MMA a second chance tune into Versus tomorrow night for the WEC.

[cornbread]

If you want to give MMA a second chance tune into Versus tomorrow night for the WEC.

If only tomorrow's event would be the one on broadcast tv.

This event reminded of how high the level of talent currently is in the UFC. These guys aren't even close.

[ballhog]

My wife wanted to watch it, which really cracked me up. She turned away when that guys ear was squirting all over. Funny shit. That Kimbo looked pretty tired after that fight, though,

[djohn14]

Well, maybe Kimbo saved his best for later. Check this out. Brett Rogers versus Kimbo would be a good slugfest IMO.





NEWARK, N.J. – The closest Kimbo Slice came to providing the type of street beatdown that marked his rise to YouTube infamy came during Saturday nights’s Elite XC post-fight press conference.

The hyped heavyweight street king from Miami struggled with James “Colossus” Thompson before putting him away in the third round of the main event of the first prime-time network mixed martial arts card.

And fellow fighter Brett Rogers wasn’t impressed. “I gotta be real,” said the unbeaten heavyweight. “I thought you tapped.”

Kimbo shot up out of his seat and said “that sounds like a challenge,” giving Rogers his trademark glare. A couple dozen people got in between the two fighters before the two could brawl backyard style.

ADVERTISEMENT

Slice’s posse spent the next several minutes staring at Rogers, but Rogers wasn’t the only person raising questions after Slice took some time to beat his British opponent, who came into the night a loser in five of his seven previous fights.

In the end, Kimbo gave the announced crowd of 8,033 at the Prudential Center what it came to see, delivering an early third-round TKO that would have been a knockout had it gone on another 20 seconds.

“It was a tough-ass fight,” said Slice. “I never underesimtated James. He used his weight well, had a good little minute it on the ground. He had a good little ground and pound.”

But how did it look to the viewers at home? Kimbo’s buzz had largely been fueled by the clips of his YouTube fights, where he had mainly crushed unsuspecting rubes in a matter of seconds. Saturday night’s promotion heavily leaned on Slice, leading viewers to believe another quick KO was on the way.

“We’ve put a tremendous burden on Kimbo Slice,” said Elite XC promoter Gary Shaw. “We’ve set the bar so high that anything other than a tremendous performance is going to seem like a letdown.”

The hardcore mixed martial arts fan might be able to appreciate some noticeable improvements in Slice’s game. He demonstrated the basics of ground defense, such as the time he kicked Thompson off in order to scramble to his feet in the first round. And he also took the feet to the ground and went for a guillotine submission.

Near the end of the second round, Thompson got Slice in trouble on the ground. The Manchester, England native pinned Slice on the ground, isolated his arms, and began raining down elbows, with Kimbo getting saved by the end of the round. But Rogers, and several readers chiming in on our MMA experts blog, felt Kimbo tapped, something he vigorously denied after the fact.

“Not one time did I tap,” said Slice. “I didn’t make any gesture of tapping. If he got me into a submission, he would have had to break something, because tapping isn’t in my repertoire.”

The judges weren’t sure how to take the fight, as one scored the second round 10-8 Thompson while another scored it 10-9 Slice.

If experts can’t figure out what to make of what they’re seeing, then the casual fan at home must have been wondering what the fuss was about.

“It’s not about me,” said Slice. “I can take a little ground and pounding, I won’t be tapping out from that. I’m still a baby at the game, I’ve got a lot of room to grow. I won’t be smoking as much, because I’ve got a lot of training to do.”

The Kimbo show was the main event of a mixed bag of action in the network prime-time debut, which included Gina Carano’s fantastic win over Kaitlin Young in the fight of the night.

But the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, which oversaw the event, had a lightning-quick trigger finger on fight stoppages, apparently not wanting to let unpalatable scenes play out on network TV.

Both Rogers’ win over Jon Murphy and Joe Villasenor’s TKO of Phil Baroni were stopped as soon as the fight hit the ground. Robbie Lawler’s no contest against Scott Smith in the middleweight title fight was stopped right at the moment a methodical match was beginning to turn into a dramatic struggle.

“For TV, we had a bit of everything, we had blood, we had intrigue, we had some controversy,” said Shaw. “We had a little bit of everything. … I never wanted this fight to end.”

The pacing of the show suggest the promotion needs to work out the kinks before their second broadcast. CBS viewers got less than nine minutes of action over the first hour and a half of the broadcast. The show also ran more than 45 minutes over its allotted time, no doubt sending network station affiliate general managers into apoplectic fits as they waited to cut to their local news. Such an overage would be unheard of on an Ultimate Fighting Championship telecast.

The broadcast was well into overtime when Kimbo kicked his game up another gear. He clobbered Thompson with a big right hand in his first strike of the final round, opening a gusher on the Brit’s right ear. Kimbo went in for the kill and rocked Thompson with his big fists. The referee stopped it before things got out of hand.

“I’m disappointed,” said the affable Thompson (14-9). “I thought I had a great chance. I thought I deserved it. I don’t blame people for asking why I was in here getting this fight. I just want to entertain, I’m an MMA fighter.”

Was it entertaining enough for the casual viewer to turn in a second time? “That is up to the fans to answer,” Slice said. “I think I did alright. They saw me go for a few things and succeed. They saw a good fight, that’s what its about.”

His promoter, however, didn’t wait for the fans to answer. “Kimbo pulled it out,” said Shaw. “He did what he had to do, I still believe he’s a superstar, I haven’t changed my opinion one bit.”


Yahoo Sports

[cornbread]

That commercial for Street Fighter 4 kicked some serious ass!

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

That commercial for Street Fighter 4 kicked some serious ass!

Agreed.

[djohn14]

A bit off topic, but it dosent deserve its own thread. Has anyone seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqGsZzwPD94

[j-6]

eh'....I've seen maybe 3 or 4 fights all together before tonight, and to be honest, tonights fights just confirmed what I already felt about the sport. I don't get the attraction. It doesn't make any sense to me. I find it boring and uninteresting. But what's worse about tonights spectacle, is the whole WWE feel to it. I'm ready for Vince McMahon to pop out from around the corner at any moment. The dancing girls, the flexing on the podium before the walk to the ring. It's just cheesy.

I really tried to give it a chance and my MMA experience level is about yours or so. Too much color and pageantry - to the point where it overtook the actual fighting - and not enough action. Oh, and for the amount of bouts this thing went way too long. I was going to blog about it but I didn't make it past 10 PM.

The WWE analogy is great. I felt like it was an old XFL game on NBC - trying to focus on secondary bullshit because the product was subpar in the first place. My wife had a good point - if a mainstream network is going to air MMA, it should have been Fox (with their edgy rep and savvy marketing machine) and not CBS.

One thing I did get out of this - I think the casual fans of MMA are dwarfed by the hardcore types. I probably won't watch this stuff on Showtime or HDNet but I'm not going to hate on those of you that do. I didn't know until I read this thread that there are different organizations (and the CBS one is actually inferior) and the fighters can't cross over, another thing that smacks of pro wrestling. Somebody better figure out how to fix this or it will remain a niche sport.

[j-6]

One more thing - this is the perfect Youtube sport. Savage, brutal, and short. Watching a two-plus hour production consisting of 4 or 5 fights reminds me why I don't watch boxing much anymore.

[IX_Equilibrium]

Thank God I tivoed the event instead of watching it real time.

This event was fucking pathetic. It set back MMA 10 years. And to think there are still morons out there who still buy into to the Kimbo hype. Great job Elite XC!

[TheTruth]

That was terrible. I'm more of a casual MMA fan, and watching that reminds me why. Terrible fights, terrible show, terrible product. Thank god for Wreckage tonight.

[dallaskd]

A bit off topic, but it dosent deserve its own thread. Has anyone seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqGsZzwPD94

yeah there was also one recently in king of the cage that was probably better.

[IX_Equilibrium]

MMA’s network debut mocks true sport

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=Ahz78b9irb4o5yJjYhWtsng5nYcB?slug=ki-elitexctv060108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

It sounded like such a good idea when the news broke a few months ago that CBS would broadcast a series of mixed martial arts cards in prime time.

But after watching its effort on Saturday’s Elite XC show from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., the good news might be if CBS opts not to do another show.

These were supposed to be the professionals who would show the amateurs at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, who do their own production, how it’s supposed to be done.

And while neophyte play-by-play man Gus Johnson acquitted himself well and analysts Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock didn’t embarrass themselves, the broadcast dragged on interminably.

There was more chatting than “The Tonight Show.” Fighters were introduced as they made long, slow walks to the cage, then were introduced again once they hit the cage. Given that the show went 45 minutes over its allotted time, what do you want to bet the ring walks will be eliminated if there is another show on CBS?

For some reason, particularly early in the broadcast, CBS chose to use its overhead camera to repeatedly show Elite XC’s skanky-looking cheerleaders doing nothing more than shaking their butts.

This wouldn’t have been so bad had there actually been a fight on the air every now and then. But after the show had been on the air for 32 minutes, there had been 61 seconds of actual fighting. When it was 70 minutes into the show, there had been just 2:12 of fighting.

The whole show was built around Kimbo Slice, the Internet-generated star whose street fights made him into something of a mythical figure in the sport before he’d ever faced a serious opponent.

Slice’s name and face was everywhere in the days and weeks leading up to the bout. Considering the way this dragged on, though, you have to wonder how many folks were still awake when the bell rang to begin Slice’s bout with James Thompson at 11:27 p.m. ET, nearly a full half-hour after the show was supposed to have been over.

While it was mostly C-level talent on display, the fighters by and large held up their end of the bargain. Brett Rogers delivered a one-punch knockout of one-time Syracuse linebacker Jon Murphy in just 1:01 in the first fight of the night.

After glorifying loutish middleweight Phil Baroni as some sort of star – ignoring the fact he’d lost three of his last four and was just a decidedly mediocre 10-9 coming in – CBS looked bad when he was knocked out in 1:11 by Joe Villasenor.

The next two bouts were sensational. Gina Carano outslugged Kaitlin Young after two rounds and middleweights Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith went at it fiercely until Smith was inadvertently poked in the eye in the third, forcing a premature end to their middleweight title bout.

The main event showcased two mediocre fighters in mediocre condition, though after listening to Johnson, Ranallo and Shamrock, you’d have thought we were watching the MMA equivalent of Ali-Frazier.

Have no doubt about this: Slice would be destroyed by any legitimate mixed martial artist. Had Slice faced ex-WWE champion Brock Lesnar, the current UFC rookie hopeful, he’d have been beaten in less than two minutes.

As it was, Slice struggled his way to a sloppy third-round knockout of a complete tomato can.

You can’t blame Slice, because he had no business being in a main event of a mixed martial arts bout at this stage of his progression. It takes years of training and sacrifice to reach the main event in MMA and Slice was only there because of the notoriety he’d gained in his YouTube street brawls.

It was kind of ironic that at the show’s opening, Shamrock said with a straight face, “You won’t find them fighting in a bar and you won’t find them fighting in the street.”

Really?

Well, this card featured a guy (Baroni) who fights in bars and another who made his name by fighting in the streets.

CBS should have known better.

The fans deserved better.

The sport deserved better.

The CBS folks ought to take a look at the WEC card on the cable network Versus on Sunday to see how an MMA show is supposed to be put together. They’ll learn from watching that show how to introduce the viewers to the fighters but not drag the show on like a book that goes on 200 pages too long.

They’ll see quality fights between trained and competitive MMA fighters.

Hopefully, CBS didn’t manage to turn off a large segment to the country to what is a classic and compelling sport.

There’s no question, though, that CBS didn’t do MMA any favors Saturday.

[IX_Equilibrium]

Well, maybe Kimbo saved his best for later. Check this out. Brett Rogers versus Kimbo would be a good slugfest IMO.


You mean you actually want to watch Kimbo fight again?

[Evan]

Everything you casual fans have said is correct.

There will be true legit and well done MMA on tonight, WEC on versus.

[traitoravery]

No fireworks no cheesy dancing girls....You were right evan this is much better... Lets get it on....:ihit

[djohn14]

Epic Fail!

[Evan]

No fireworks no cheesy dancing girls....You were right evan this is much better... Lets get it on....:ihit

What until you see the main events!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oligarchy]

Thank you CBS for turning off many "would-be" fans.

Horrible.

For all of those who are "hardcore" MMA fans; now you understand why UFC wants to keep control of the production. They have done this for so long, they know how to deliver a product. And all of those "writers" who gave UFC so much shit for wanting to keep control of the production -- Fuck you, your "experienced sports broadcast station" product sucks.

[djohn14]

yep thats why UFC dosent cross promote

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Damn, those moves by Munoz were pretty nice.

[dallaskd]

Torres fight is great so far.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Torres fight is great so far.

Agreed.

[djohn14]

Miguel Torres is my dad. Not really my dads name Tom and hes neither Mexican or a WEC fighter. But if I had to pick a Mexican MMA fighter to be my dad Miguel Torres would be it. However Roger Huerta would be my Uncle. I'd go with a Brazilian grandpa though like Anderson Silva because he's wise and grandparents are usually wise.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

What the hell did you just say?

[dallaskd]

gay ending

[dallaskd]

Miguel Torres is my dad. Not really my dads name Tom and hes neither Mexican or a WEC fighter. But if I had to pick a Mexican MMA fighter to be my dad Miguel Torres would be it. However Roger Huerta would be my Uncle. I'd go with a Brazilian grandpa though like Anderson Silva because he's wise and grandparents are usually wise.

what the hell are you talking about>

[djohn14]

what the hell are you talking about>
Haha bro, Im not really sure. I was watching the TV and let my fingers do the work. Man Im pumped. Lets go Faber!

[oligarchy]

Who can beat Faber?

[Evan]

Who can beat Faber?

Jens or Kid.

And weird for Jens to mention the miscarriage...

[Evan]

Thank you CBS for turning off many "would-be" fans.

Horrible.

For all of those who are "hardcore" MMA fans; now you understand why UFC wants to keep control of the production. They have done this for so long, they know how to deliver a product. And all of those "writers" who gave UFC so much shit for wanting to keep control of the production -- Fuck you, your "experienced sports broadcast station" product sucks.

Pretty much sums it up.

I had no idea how much giving up control would affect a broadcast. That was stale vomit.

[Evan]

Miguel Torres is my dad. Not really my dads name Tom and hes neither Mexican or a WEC fighter. But if I had to pick a Mexican MMA fighter to be my dad Miguel Torres would be it. However Roger Huerta would be my Uncle. I'd go with a Brazilian grandpa though like Anderson Silva because he's wise and grandparents are usually wise.

My head is spinning but I think I follow.

:rollin:rollin:rollin:rollin

[Evan]

WEC

Awesome broadcast, clean and crisp. Quality MMA. Torres is amazing, Jens showed me so much and WAR MUNOZ!!!!!!!

[Evan]

Jens or Kid.

And weird for Jens to mention the miscarriage...

And to clarify...

They have a chance but I don't think they can. Jens had Faber wobbly a few times.

[Evan]

lol....I just keep spewing random thoughts on this thread.

.....But I think Jens could give Kid Yamamoto a good run and Urijah would take him in 4.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

You guys were right. Those last two fights were leaps and bounds better than the Saturday card.

[Evan]

You guys were right. Those last two fights were leaps and bounds better than the Saturday card.

WEC is a quality product!!!!

And so was EliteXC until it turned into KimboXC

[TheTruth]

Yeah, great show last night. The mulleted Mexican was a bad ass. Faber was hurt a time or 2 but showed why he's considered one of the pound for pound best. Jens used to be killer with that left hook.

[Evan]

Yeah, great show last night. The mulleted Mexican was a bad ass. Faber was hurt a time or 2 but showed why he's considered one of the pound for pound best. Jens used to be killer with that left hook.


:lol:lol:lol:lol

[oligarchy]

It's called a meximullet or mullatino.

[desflood]

My husband fell asleep Saturday night before the fights. Sunday morning he asked me what he missed and I told him, "Except for Lawler/Smith, you missed a big steaming pile of crap. They dragged it out way too long and the Kimbo/Thompson fight was exactly what mma fans want it to not be perceived as by 'mainstream' America." Thanks, CBS, for killing what might have been such a great thing.

I will give them one big credit, though, for having the guts to put a women's match on. That was a huge risk.

[djohn14]

I didnt think Jens could keep up with Faber like he did, so hats off to him. I als really hadn seen much Fabers standup, and that really inpressed me. Very good fight.

[LEONARD]

EliteXC....*sigh*

WEC...badass

[oligarchy]

EliteXC....*sigh*

WEC...badass

That about sums it up.

[Evan]

I will give them one big credit, though, for having the guts to put a women's match on. That was a huge risk.


I think they were praying for a huge contraversial "OMG WOMEN ARE FIGHTING IN MMA" campaign from the media…which they didn't get.

[IX_Equilibrium]

By the way Leonard, if Bas raves about Kimbo, then he must think Justin McCully is the second coming of Fedor.

[Evan]

Thank you CBS for turning off many "would-be" fans.

Horrible.

For all of those who are "hardcore" MMA fans; now you understand why UFC wants to keep control of the production. They have done this for so long, they know how to deliver a product. And all of those "writers" who gave UFC so much shit for wanting to keep control of the production -- Fuck you, your "experienced sports broadcast station" product sucks.

Every non mma forum I go to has people who tuned in to check it out are trashing it. I think 80% of the posts have WWF references.

EliteXC had something before Kimbo...

[Evan]

By the way Leonard, if Bas raves about Kimbo, then he must think Justin McCully is the second coming of Fedor.

:lmao

oh man...too true...hahahaha

[desflood]

Evan - I've never said anything about your sig, but now I have to. Both my boys just crowded around and watched the whole thing, making sound effects the whole time. Now I need a shower to wash off all the spit and sweat, and there won't be any chance to take one until late tonight.

You owe me.

[Evan]

Evan - I've never said anything about your sig, but now I have to. Both my boys just crowded around and watched the whole thing, making sound effects the whole time. Now I need a shower to wash off all the spit and sweat, and there won't be any chance to take one until late tonight.

You owe me.

Haha…sorry about that. I'm 31 and pretty much did the same thing when I first saw it.

[Evan]

Many long-time mixed martial arts fans think Saturday’s Kimbo Slice fight on CBS was fixed because, well, it looked exactly like what they think a fixed fight would look like.

Personally, I don’t think it was rigged, if only because it worked. Kimbo, the obvious beneficiary since the entire promotion hinges on his success, won. For Elite XC to purposely deliver this desirable result would display a level of competency not seen in any other part of its amateur hour production.

But that’s just me. In the days after the first ever network televised card, everyone seems to have an opinion.

It generally splits into two groups.

Moderate to hardcore fans saw it as an abomination of their sport; CBS and Elite XC combining to produce a circus act headlined by an overhyped Kimbo that set the perception of MMA back a decade.

New and casual fans saw it as great entertainment, especially considering it was on late Saturday night where the expectations of programming aren’t real high, although some viewers undoubtedly were.

Both sides are correct; it’s simply a matter of perspective.

If you’re a fan of MMA, then what Elite XC trotted out as a main event was mostly an absurd exhibition. It’s like tuning in for the NBA Finals and finding the And 1 Mixtape Tour – only with announcers pretending Hot Sauce is a better player than Kobe Bryant.

This was entirely predictable. Any promotion that was going to use Kimbo Slice as its main event clearly cared nothing about the quality or growth of the sport. It was just grabbing cheap viewers. If that meant sending a mostly unskilled street fighting sensation against a guy who was such a tomato can he should have dressed in red, then so be it.

Of course, the tomato can, James “Colossus” Thompson, almost won. At least, until the fight got stopped, Kimbo was declared the winner and MMA message boards almost collapsed in fury.

But if you didn’t know, or care, then you didn’t know or care. This was better than reruns of “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

What the main event lacked in quality it made up for in entertainment, unintentional or not. Here are my four favorite absurdly hysterical moments of the Kimbo-Colossus fight.

4. When the fight was called, Colossus, the loser, tried to fight the ref for unfairly ending it. Kimbo, the winner, collapsed in exhaustion as many in the once pro-Kimbo crowd in Newark, N.J., turned on their guy. Not exactly a victory lap.

3. The CBS announcing crew’s endless hyperbole reaching its pinnacle when one of them compared Kimbo to Tiger Woods.

This would be applicable if Tiger had gained fame hitting trick shots in putt putt and then was invited to a second rate club championship which CBS was conned into televising. He then shot a final round 124, after which he was declared the winner anyway.

2. The judges. Kimbo spent most of the second round getting his skull hit and thanking the heavens that Colossus could only manage weak punches and elbows. Anyone else and this ends ugly. Even with Colossus, the fight could have been called (ha) in this undeniably terrible round for Kimbo.

Naturally, one of the “impartial judges” scored the round in his favor anyway. If this had gone to decision, is there any doubt at least one of the judges would have scored the three-round fight for Kimbo, five rounds to zero?

1. The Ear. What, you’ve seen an ear like that before? When everyone predicted this would be a freak show, no one thought the Colossus would take it to heart. His cauliflower ear was massive, this huge ball of blood and puss hanging off his head.

Ah, didn’t anyone think to mention he might want to drain that thing before Kimbo whacks him upside the head and makes it explode? Which, of course, happened.

Pre-fight, as the cameras zoomed in on that monstrosity everyone watching was horrified, fascinated or laughing uncontrollably. It was something out of a summer comedy; I kept expecting Verne Troyer to appear in the scene. CBS’s Gus Johnson declared it an “alien life form.”

This was the stuff that pained longtime fans. For the average person just looking for something to watch, though, this train wreck was wildly entertaining. At the very least, it was memorable. Not everyone is concerned about the integrity of cage fighting.

It’s worth repeating that Kimbo Slice isn’t the problem. He may have a long way to go to be even a good MMA fighter, but he is an easy-to-root-for American original. He shouldn’t apologize for suddenly having a chance to make a bunch of money.

If out of the blue the New York Yankees called and said you could have Alex Rodriguez’s third base position (and contract), you’d take it. Then you’d spend every waking minute at the batting cage and taking grounders, all while walking around scared senseless that this was going to end badly (except for your bank account) when they realized you aren’t a major league ball player.

That’s what Kimbo looked like in the run up to this one. He’s training as hard as he can, but he has to know the truth. Fedor Emelianenko, the best heavyweight in the world, would toy with him. Every heavyweight and light heavyweight in the UFC would beat him handily. Even some middleweights, such as Anderson Silva, despite giving up 50-plus pounds, would take him. It’s just a matter of MMA being a lot more than a street brawl. He’s on their turf now.

Colossus has now lost seven of his last nine fights and he wasn’t enough of a stiff to assure Kimbo victory. Kimbo is fun, but reality is reality.

Still, it wasn’t Kimbo saying he was Tiger Woods. It wasn’t Kimbo who showed up with a racquetball in his ear, or hired the dancing girls or choreographed the WWE introductions.

As frustrating as this was for many who love the sport, I don’t buy the argument that the card was a big negative for MMA. Yes its credibility was hurt with old media and some skeptics, but many potential fans were exposed to it for the first time.

Some of them will stick around and discover the upper reaches of the sport. If Sunday’s WEC card highlighted by the Jens Pulver-Urijah Faber epic had been on CBS, then the sport would have shot into the stratosphere overnight. The same is true for any UFC production or, most likely, next month’s promising Affliction event.

If new fans watch those, soon they too will realize what first introduced them to the sport was mostly just an entertaining joke.

Now, if only CBS could realize it. Not since someone decided to make a television show about the Geico Cavemen has a network been sold such a bill of goods.

CBS tried to claim it was wary of MMA because of its old perception as “human cockfighting.” That hasn’t been a reality in over a decade, though. Naturally, they contracted an organization that played on that very stereotype and, in turn, furthered it.

If CBS would dump Elite XC but stick with MMA – finding a more suitable promotion to televise – they’d find the good overnight ratings it produced could build into a juggernaut over time.

Not by providing minor league fights long on unintentional comedy that insult hardcore fans, but by trusting the sport on its own merits.

If we could get that fixed, there’d be no complaints.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dw-kimbo060108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[dbreiden83080]

Kimbo sucked in that fight. His cardio is in the toilet and his takedown defense is almost non-existant. If you have seen his street fights on youtube and what not they are all standing and rules were you could not hit the man on the ground, they would just stand it back up. He is now training in these areas but he has a long long way to go. His punching power also looked overated to me in this fight. Looked great against Tank but bad here. This guy was supposed to be tailor made for him to KO in RD 1. HE gassed out and barely survived him in RD 3. At 34 i doubt he will ever see the UFC.

[IX_Equilibrium]

At 34 i doubt he will ever see the UFC.

Thats a huge understatement.

[Evan]

If Kimbo is legit, which we don't know yet but looks unlikely, he could have another 3 to 6 years in him barring injury.

How Kimbo didn't KO the wealest chin in MMA is beyond me….The only reason JT was there was to create a highlight KO.

[IX_Equilibrium]

If Kimbo is legit, which we don't know


I know.

He's not.

[Evan]

I know.

He's not.

Most likely.

[dbreiden83080]

If Kimbo is legit, which we don't know yet but looks unlikely, he could have another 3 to 6 years in him barring injury.

How Kimbo didn't KO the wealest chin in MMA is beyond me….The only reason JT was there was to create a highlight KO.

From what i could tell, as soon as they went in the clinch Kimbo gassed out. Like he was built for 90 seconds of power and then he had no explosion in his shots after that. He hit the guy flush a lot and he didn't go anywhere. However Tank Abbott was always a pretty good stand up fighter and he KO'd him with ease. Personally i think Kimbo right now just has no gas tank.

[Evan]

From what i could tell, as soon as they went in the clinch Kimbo gassed out. Like he was built for 90 seconds of power and then he had no explosion in his shots after that. He hit the guy flush a lot and he didn't go anywhere. However Tank Abbott was always a pretty good stand up fighter and he KO'd him with ease. Personally i think Kimbo right now just has no gas tank.

You guys are making good points.

Just drives me insane that this was passed off as MMA.

[IX_Equilibrium]

The cop chick from last night's WEC was smokin!

http://ihasawebsite.com/fotos/files/1/temp/IMG_0894%20copy.jpg

[Evan]

The cop chick from last night's WEC was smokin!

http://ihasawebsite.com/fotos/files/1/temp/IMG_0894%20copy.jpg

She was at the last one as well. Very pleasing on the eyes.

Really made me want to reproduce

[2centsworth]

every sports talk show is talking MMA today because of Kimbo and CBS. Tell me when another MMA fighter generated the same type of fan fare.

[Evan]

every sports talk show is talking MMA today because of Kimbo and CBS. Tell me when another MMA fighter generated the same type of fan fare.

Any publicity is not always good publicity. This simply reinforced old stereotypes and came off as a sloppy half @ss sport.

This was a freak show novelty. Just about everything that was is still wrong with MMA was shown on this card in all its glory.

[LEONARD]

By the way Leonard, if Bas raves about Kimbo, then he must think Justin McCully is the second coming of Fedor.

He raves about his work ethic and has publicly stated that he has a lot to learn and that he has to be built up slowly...

[2centsworth]

Any publicity is not always good publicity. This simply reinforced old stereotypes and came off as a sloppy half @ss sport.

This was a freak show novelty. Just about everything that was is still wrong with MMA was shown on this card in all its glory.

this publicity is terrific for the sport, because unlike the past, when viewers tune in for more they will see how much the sport has progressed.

The exploitation of Kimbo is best for both Kimbo and the sport. Casual Fans will look for more and will find pros like GSP and BJ Penn, not Tank Abbott.

[IX_Equilibrium]

he has to be built up slowly...

i.e. coddled pathetically

and there are probably hundreds of unknown fighters who have a great work ethic. It takes more than that to be a B level fighter, which Kimbo isn't even close to being.

Bas is no dummy. If he wants to be in the center of this Kimbo frenzy for exposure, of course he will say something positive.

[dallaskd]

Who can beat Faber?

the kid!

[dallaskd]

The cop chick from last night's WEC was smokin!

http://ihasawebsite.com/fotos/files/1/temp/IMG_0894%20copy.jpg

damn!!!!

[desflood]

Something I failed to touch on earlier...

I knew Jens Pulver was tough, but he put up more of a fight against Faber than I thought even he could squeeze out. Some fighters actually fake injuries to get a breather (Matt Hughes, I'm looking at you), but for Pulver to go several more rounds after an eye poke and a groin kick... ouch.

[desflood]

Sorry, fellas. Didn't mean to hijack your "hot medical personnel" thread :lol

[dallaskd]

Jens-Faber was an amazing fight. Jens has a killa chin and even faber took some heavy blows from Pulver's left hand. Its sad more people watched elitexc and more people are talking about it on monday morning at the water cooler.

[Evan]

Something I failed to touch on earlier...

I knew Jens Pulver was tough, but he put up more of a fight against Faber than I thought even he could squeeze out. Some fighters actually fake injuries to get a breather (Matt Hughes, I'm looking at you), but for Pulver to go several more rounds after an eye poke and a groin kick... ouch.

We may have seen Jens at his best. The dude has a LOT of game left.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

For me, one of the best things of the Faber-Pulver fight was to see those two guys respect each other so much throughout the fight.

Beat the shit out of each other for 30 minutes and give props to each other the second the bell rings.

Nothing wrong with rivalries, shit-talking, etc., but to see that exist, too, is very cool.

BTW, in San Antonio, the CBS telecast finished second of the major networks, scoring a 3.6 (IIRC) while ABC's showing of "The Rookie" got a 4-point-something.

Thing I'm hearing, though, is that (obviously), most of the viewers of the CBS show nationwide were young, so that's huge for advertisers.

Anyway, want to agree with whomever wrote above that if people are truly interested or had their interest piqued by Saturday's show, they're going to find the better fighters/leagues.

I'm in no way a knowledgeable fan, but I became a big fan of Penn, Faber, Silva and some others after catching their recent fights.

[dallaskd]

For me, one of the best things of the Faber-Pulver fight was to see those two guys respect each other so much throughout the fight.

Beat the shit out of each other for 30 minutes and give props to each other the second the bell rings.

Nothing wrong with rivalries, shit-talking, etc., but to see that exist, too, is very cool.

BTW, in San Antonio, the CBS telecast finished second of the major networks, scoring a 3.6 (IIRC) while ABC's showing of "The Rookie" got a 4-point-something.

Thing I'm hearing, though, is that (obviously), most of the viewers of the CBS show nationwide were young, so that's huge for advertisers.

Anyway, want to agree with whomever wrote above that if people are truly interested or had their interest piqued by Saturday's show, they're going to find the better fighters/leagues.

I'm in no way a knowledgeable fan, but I became a big fan of Penn, Faber, Silva and some others after catching their recent fights.


Silva? jean silva? assuerio silva? any other big name silvas im missing?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Silva? jean silva? assuerio silva? any other big name silvas im missing?

Both Anderson and Wanderlei... saw them fight and liked both their styles...

[LEONARD]

One judge actually had Kimbo winning the 2nd round
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/02/eye-of-the-beholder-10-9-for-kimbo-in-second-round/

Jim Rome is right on the money
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/02/jim-rome-had-cbs-shown-urijah-faber-vs-jens-pulver-they-wouldnt-have-alienated-hardcore-fans-espn-video/

Audio from the referee
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/02/dan-miragliotta-referee-on-elite-xc-controversial-stoppages-and-kimbo-slice-audio/

[dallaskd]

One judge actually had Kimbo winning the 2nd round
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/02/eye-of-the-beholder-10-9-for-kimbo-in-second-round/

which is funny b/c another had it 10-8 Thompson.

[dallaskd]

Everyone is saying including myself why would you ever want to see Kimbo fight again but you know you will watch him every time he fights.

[LEONARD]

Final TV ratings = success
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/6/3/545066/story-title

Bas discusses the fight...feels it should've/could've been stopped in the 2nd
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/6/3/544895/kimbo-s-trainer-fight-shou

[2centsworth]

It was a ratings bonanza. Unfortunately Blood and Guts sells in the country. Statistically we are the most violent country on the planet. I know hardcore MMA fans cringe at that bit of information, but look at the bright side and think about how MMA first got started. The sheer brutality was the attraction and then we began to appreciate the art. I think that the new fans will come to appreciate the sport down the line, but for now they are being attracted by sensationalizing the sport.

I expect future shows to be more professional, though I expect a lot more Kimbo, and eventually the hardcore fan will get more of what they want on a national stage.

The only concern should be John McCain or some other zealot trying to outlaw the sport again. People saying that MMA is a sign of the end of civilization should be a concern.

Otherwise, the Kimbo experiment was successful.

[LEONARD]

I read somewhere that McCain backs MMA now. He really saved the sport by forcing regulation...

I don't care if Kimbo is on the next card, just NOT the main event...

[2centsworth]

I read somewhere that McCain backs MMA now. He really saved the sport by forcing regulation...

I don't care if Kimbo is on the next card, just NOT the main event...

I agree 100%, he should be like what butterbean was to boxing. I would be shocked if he was ever the main event again. I would love to see Penn vs GSP on CBS!

[LEONARD]

There are so many quality fighters out there that people would fall in love with IF given the chance to see them fight and get to know them a little...

Rampage
GSP
Penn
Forrest
Anderson Silva (just because he's a badass, not speaking English would hurt)
Urijah Faber

[Evan]

I

The only concern should be John McCain or some other zealot trying to outlaw the sport again. People saying that MMA is a sign of the end of civilization should be a concern.
.

McCain saved MMA. Him getting is banned brought it out of the dark ages and he is fine with it now.

[dallaskd]

Jim Rome is right on the money
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/02/jim-rome-had-cbs-shown-urijah-faber-vs-jens-pulver-they-wouldnt-have-alienated-hardcore-fans-espn-video/

wow ive never like Jim Rome at all but that was awesome. respect +1 for Rome.

[Evan]

CBS on Tuesday released the full ratings results for the debut of CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, which took place on Saturday night in Newark, N.J. and aired live on the CBS Television Network.



The event averaged 4.85 million viewers over the entirety of the telecast. It peaked at 6.51 million viewers during the main event between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and James Thompson.



A statement from CBS indicated that the network seemed pleased with the numbers, especially since it represented a significant increase over the network’s regularly scheduled programming in the same time lot during the 2007-08 season.



The numbers were especially well received by the network in key advertising demographics. The adults 18-34 demographic was up 156 percent and 18-34 men 357 percent.



Spike TV officials also released numbers for their counter-programming on Saturday night, which leaned heavily on the popularity of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. UFC Unleashed: Liddell vs. Silva, which presented the Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva Dec. 29 bout for the first time on basic cable, drew an average of 1.6 million viewers. The Ultimate Iceman: Chuck Liddell saw 1.2 million viewers tune in.



Although the Spike TV numbers don’t compare to the 4.85 million viewers on CBS, Spike TV officials indicated that the viewership represented a significant increase over its season average in the same time period.



The 1.6 million viewers for Unleashed placed it as the No. 2 watched show on basic cable programming in its time slot, second only to Pirates of the Carribbean.



A more significant comparison can be made between the audiences. CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, as previously mentioned, drew 4.85 million viewers on average and peaked at 6.51 million during the main event. A more similar event on Spike TV, a tape-delayed telecast of UFC 75 featuring a title bout between Quinton Jackson and Dan Hendersen, drew 4.7 million viewers on average and peaked at 5.928 million viewers during the main event.



To put these numbers into a better perspective, and to convey the growing popularity of mixed martial arts in general, consider that on the three networks that the NBA basketball playoffs have aired this season they have averaged 5.4 million viewers on ABC, 4.1 million viewers on ESPN, and 3.8 million viewers on TNT.



World Extreme Cagefighting on Tuesday also released the numbers for its Sunday night event, WEC 34, featuring Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver. The overall event averaged 1.536 million viewers and was the most watched event in its timeslot among the key advertising demographics of Men 18-34 and Men 18-49.





UFC vs. EliteXC Ratings Comparisons:

Average Number of Viewers for the Entire Broadcast

(Top 4 UFC broadcasts of all time and EliteXC's one broadcast on CBS)



1. EliteXC in May 2008--- Average of 4.85 million viewers for the whole broadcast

2. UFC 75 in September 2007--- Average of 4.7 million viewers for the whole broadcast

3. UFC: The Final Chapter in October 2006--- Average of 4.2 million viewers for the whole broadcast

4. UFC 70 in April 2007--- Average of 2.8 million viewers for the whole broadcast

5. UFC's TUF 3 Finale in June 2006--- Average of 2.8 million viewers for the whole broadcast





UFC vs. EliteXC Ratings Comparisons:

Average Number of Viewers for the Most-Watched Individual Fights

(Top 4 UFC fights of all time and all 5 of the fights that aired on EliteXC on Saturday night)



1. EliteXC: Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson--- 6.5 million viewers

2. UFC: Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson from UFC 75--- 5.9 million viewers

3. UFC: Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock III from "Final Chapter" show--- 5.9 million viewers

4. EliteXC: Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith--- 5.5 million viewers

5. EliteXC: Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young--- 4.7 million viewers

6. EliteXC: Joey Villasenor vs. Phil Baroni--- 3.7 million viewers

7. UFC: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga from UFC 70--- 3.6 million viewers

8. UFC: Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman from TUF 3 Finale--- 3.5 million viewers

9. EliteXC: Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy--- 3.4 million viewers





UFC and EliteXC Ratings vs. NBA Playoff Averages

1. 2008 NBA Playoff Games on ABC--- 5.4 million viewers

2. EliteXC on CBS--- 4.85 million viewers

3. UFC 75 in September 2007--- 4.7 million viewers

4. UFC: The Final Chapter in October 2006--- 4.2 million viewers

5. 2008 NBA Playoff Games on ESPN--- 4.1 million viewers

6. 2008 NBA Playoff Games on TNT--- 3.8 million viewers

[LEONARD]

Rogers vs Kimbo in Oct or so…I think the Kimbo hype train screeches to a halt then…
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/05/kimbo-slice-to-fight-brett-rogers-in-october/

[Evan]

Rogers vs Kimbo in Oct or so…I think the Kimbo hype train screeches to a halt then…
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/05/kimbo-slice-to-fight-brett-rogers-in-october/


Rogers will murder Kimbo and then EliteXC can get back to being a real MMA org again like it used to be.

[Evan]

Oh by the way...I posted on another site that I want Rogers to win and someone accused me of being racist...

:lmao

Here is Rogers

http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/56/56355.jpg

[LEONARD]

:lol

Almost as funny as Bill O'Reilly and his douche crew talking about EliteXC...
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/06/bill-oreilly-and-fox-fogies-talk-elite-xc-on-cbs-video/

Talk about clueless...

[desflood]

Oh by the way...I posted on another site that I want Rogers to win and someone accused me of being racist...

:lmao

Here is Rogers

http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/pictures/56/56355.jpg
:rollin

Dumbasses.

[Evan]

:rollin

Dumbasses.

so true...hah

Rogers is a stud and a awesome legit hw prospect. I am very excited about him putting this Kimbo mess behind EliteXC so they canmove on and get back on track. :whine

[Evan]

Awesome video...everyone watch this. Real short.

Dana White on EliteXC, etc---language warning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqg6R9JaIEE

[dallaskd]

wow dana white is a jackass!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ4nUioG9Nc&feature=related

[dallaskd]

EDIT: i dont know why i posted it in this thread

[LEONARD]

Mr Sunshine owns Bill O’Reilly…too funny…
http://mrsunshinevegas.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/mma-too-vicious-for-oreilly-but-hit-run-paralyzed-videothats-must-play/

[dallaskd]

:lol

Almost as funny as Bill O'Reilly and his douche crew talking about EliteXC...
http://mmamania.com/2008/06/06/bill-oreilly-and-fox-fogies-talk-elite-xc-on-cbs-video/

Talk about clueless...

:lmao