EliteXC Renegade: Kimbo Slice victorious, Nick Diaz loses
1. Nick Diaz looked bad. I usually don’t say such a thing about fighters, but Diaz looked awful tonight. He was getting torn apart on the feet by KJ Noons and all of his takedown attempts were stuffed easily by Noons. Diaz’s takedowns looked lazy, telegraphed, and sloppy. Nothing explosive. Nick just looked sloppy tonight and paid for it. On top of looking out of his game, what Diaz did after the fight was stopped was a little classless. It was a good stoppage and I know that Diaz never wants to lose a fight like that, but the fact of the matter is that he got dominated and ended up looking like a sore loser.
2. KJ Noons was damn impressive. With all of the above being said about Diaz, take nothing away from KJ Noons. He fought a perfect fight. He kept it standing, stuffed all of Diaz’s takedown attempts and beat Diaz up for the entire round with hard punches and combinations. Diaz’s face looked like it had been through the meat grinder after the fight was over. Even when Diaz got KJ to the ground, KJ was easily able to get the fight back to their feet. He opened up two good cuts on Diaz and had Diaz’s left eye almost swollen shut. Dominating performance by Noons, your first ever EliteXC lightweight champion.
3. Kimbo Slice won the fight before even stepping into the cage. Kimbo Slice didn’t win this fight by TKO. He won this fight via intimidation. Bo Cantrell was literally scared to death of Kimbo. Kimbo came out calm and collected and Cantrell looked like he was shaking in his boots. I expected a bit more out of Cantrell just due to his experience, but Kimbo hit him with two good shots and Cantrell had had enough. Ray Mercer lasted longer than this guy. Cantrell had himself mentally defeated before he ever stepped foot into the cage. Intimidation will work for only so long against lower level fighters, but if Kimbo can mentally defeat his first few opponents before they step foot into the cage, then so be it. I’m surprised there wasn’t a puddle of piss in Cantrell’s corner before the fight started.
4. We still know next to nothing about Kimbo. Bo Cantrell didn’t really give us an opportunity to see how far Kimbo has come in his training. We know he hits like a Mack truck as he showed us by doubling over Cantrell with a body shot right off the bat. So, through one exhibition fight and one professional MMA fight, we’ve seen roughly two minutes, total, of Kimbo inside the cage. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too terribly long for Kimbo to get back in there and mix it up again.
5. Jake Shields belongs in the UFC. I know he just signed a long term deal with EliteXC, but this kid’s skills are off the charts and once he weathered the storm of Mike Pyle’s initial first knee to the body, he dominated the fight. Pyle is a good fighter, too. No joke. Shields made him look like clown shoes once he got him into the position he wanted him in and choked him out with a gorgeous, textbook rear naked choke. Shields is one of the top welterweight fighters in the world. He deserves to be fighting the best welterweight competition in the world and that competition, like it or not, is in the UFC. GSP/Shields and Fitch/Shields are two fights I would love to see.
6. Look out for Australia’s Kyle Noke. In what was easily the most competitive fight of the night, Kyle Noke looked very good off his back, on his feet, and with his takedowns and jiu jitsu. He looked very well rounded. Seth Kleinbeck looked good too, with some real smooth transitions and some decent ground and pound until Noke landed a fight ending elbow that opened up a sick cut over Kleinbeck’s eye, forcing the doctor to stop the fight. Even though the fight was ended early, Noke looked to be the more well rounded fighter and never stopped working and moving his hips while working from his open guard when on the ground. Noke is regarded as one of the best Australian fighters around, so he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on, especially if he’s been hooking up with Greg Jackson’s camp as well.
7. Antonio Silva dominated. He looked more in shape than we’ve ever seen him before and he obliterated Jonathan Wiezorek, eating him up with punches and knees from the clinch. Once the fight went to the ground, it was all but over for Wiezorek and Silva used his far superior jiu jitsu and ground and pound to force a ref stoppage. I’d like to see Silva get a step up in competition, but who is out there right now at super heavyweight? Mark Hunt? Rex Richards? Another shot at Eric Pele?
Overall, the show was a bit underwhelming with two doctor stoppages, the Kimbo fight only lasting nineteen seconds, and the other two fights not getting out of the first round. I give it a C.
Adam Morgan is
| All posts by Adam Morgan
Bigfoot showed us he can cut to 265 so that opens up some new opponents for him to fight. I bet he was fighting @ 280 last night b/c you could see his abs @ the weigh ins then he filled out for the fight. FYI, he won by RNC.
-Kimbo vs. James Thompson, next? I think it’ll happen.
-Also, Bo Cantrell put on the most pathetic performance I’ve ever seen. He should be ashamed of himself. I can’t believe I thought he was going to pull off the upset – worst pick of my life.
-Nick needs some time off to heal all that scar tissue… if that is even possible. It’s just getting worse and worse. I feel Nicks chin and cardio would have taken him to victory. I srsly think he could have worn Noons down, scored the TD, and subbed him in round 2 or 3. Rematch please.
Shields looked very good. I’m kinda shocked that he’s ended his last few fights early. He’s becoming a finisher. EliteXC was smart to get him signed.
Mike Pyle. LOL
This show didn’t really help out EliteXC much. They were set to base their organisation around Nick Diaz and then he got beaten down and then probably alienated a few fans with his disrespectful showing afterwards.
Also it was good that Jake Shields proved himself once again to being one of the best 170 pounders. But everyone knows theres no one left to fight him and thus dont think he should be there.
Kimbos showing was short and sweet and will have people wanting to see more and more of him. So that was probably the only plus in a fairly dissapointing show.
I enjoyed the show. I wasn’t disappointed at all. Well, maybe a little with Diaz’s antics, but that wasn’t the show’s fault.
sometimes…. i think you guys are crazy.
Nick Diaz is, as you would say in pro wrestling, a HEEL… that means most of the fans already love to hate him. He got cut… I would have been pissed too. You know the guy wanted to keep fighting, even if his face fell off.
Kimbo is a MONSTER so lets see him fight BIGFOOT… talk about clash of the Titans!
I dont want to see Kimbo or Bigfoot fight anymore fat guys with beer muscles.
Bo should be banned from fighting in any show on TV or PPV… he made the sport look BAD!
The show was good… I just think they should talk less and fight more.
The liver is on the other side of the body.
Are you sure Antonio Silva that he is a superheavyweight? The Guy weighed 265 for god’s sake!!! that’s the heavyweight limit is it not? So please get your fact’s straight. Kimbo Slice is dead meat if Antonio Silva fight’s him.
nick diaz has come back from worse beatdowns, and gettin scarred up is routine for diaz, bad stoppage imo, good fights tho beside that 1. the first stoppage was good cuz u could could see the guys skull, but diaz scarring was just routine for him,some guys just bleed real ez and diaz is one of em, he always gets busted up when fighting a good opponent and wasnt anything serious imo, i woulda been pissed too. after all it was a title fight. i know most wont agree with me but just how i saw it. Kimbo looked focused as hell, and i think he is officially ready for a pro opponent, james thompson would be a good call. lotta people picked bo for the upset so dont feel bad, people just dont wanna believe kimbo is the real deal, so hopefully no more of these weak opponents in future but he had to start somewhere.
and bigfoot, awesome that he could cut the weight, cuz i always loved the freak matches of pride and k-1, but the weight limit in usa always kept them out of our shows. maybe he can set the standard and more freaks can cut the weight :p
jake shields looked great, says he wants gsp, wonder if hes ready for that
LOL at Sam and Adam’s creative writing skills stretched to the limit by this event.
For people who didn’t see the fights -
1. Kimbo landed one “uppercut” to Cantrell’s armpit and missed with an elbow as Bo threw himself to the canvas tapping as he went down with Kimbo nowhere near him. After the stoppage, Bo jumped up smiling and jogged backed his dressing room – he did what he wanted to do & got his check – it’s quite possible EliteXC wasn;t aware that was going to happen – but that’s what happened.
2. Noke lost the first round on the judges scorecard, he would have probably won the second – not much was proven about him that night.
3. Silva bout was a horrible, embarrassing mismatch that basically made everyone cringe.
4. The Diaz cut obviously did not effect his vision (as he zig-zagged his way out of the ring and through the backstage area jogging) – again, perhaps not EliteXc’s fault unless they gave the doctor specific instructions regarding the cut.
Diaz had cuts over both eyes and on his nose, and he zig-zagged his way out after having his cutman spend the roundbreak getting him ready. If someone had waved at his face I’m willing to bet it would have spurted blood.
As far as welters, what about the bodog welterweights? Bodog seems to not be putting on shows, so we have Eddie Alvarez and Nick The Goat. Can Elite throw some money at them and get some decent competition? Seems like EXC has an acquire and expand strategy, they should spend a little more money, get some more B plus to Aminus fighters, and make a stable that the big names want to come fight. I can imagine that in the next 6-9 months as stuff like M-1 and some of the others stumble there will be even more talent available.
Decent show, I’d have rather seen more action in Diaz-Noons. Nick Diaz acted like an unprofessional CLOWN after his fight. I think he had some sand in his vagina and was running for the massengil. It’s fine to be upset, but to act like a whiny pissy schoolchild is just sad. I lost tons of respect for that guy after the fight.
Also, hahaha, nice fight Pyle. Have fun in the Kansas Podunk Xtreme Association.
Brent did you see Diaz’s left eye? It was completely swollen shut and bleeding. And his right eye was cut too. Kimbo landed an elbow flush to Bo’s head, and obviously Bo decided he didn’t want to get hit anymore. Noke showed a good ground game and a dangerous guard, constantly working for submissions off of his back. I was a little bitter about the Diaz stoppage, but after seeing his left eye I understood. It wasn’t an amazing card, but it also wasn’t as bad as you purport.
I have to respectfully disagree with the official bloggers. This was a really terrible event, top to bottom. I was extremely excited to see this card after the last elitexc event (Lawler/Ninja), which I thought was better than many of the recent UFC offerings. Some of what happened appears to have been out of elitexc’s hands, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt going forward.
Silva vs Whatshisface – a really dumb fight that was a total mismatch. Silva looks to be decent, so get him a decent opponent.
Dr vs Noke – had the makings of a real fight, too bad it was stopped by the nasty cut.
Shields vs Pyle – Shields looked great, Pyle not so much. Disappointing fight.
Kimbo vs Greg Louganis – Sorry, I’ve watched it over and over and don’t see how any of those punches warranted Bo taking that dive and tapping so quickly. Unless someone produces the angle that shows that elbow did something, I think Bo took the money and ran. I hope the athletic comission withholds his pay (if they can). Get Kimbo a real opponent please. Embarassing and shameful.
Diaz vs Noons. I think they should have let Nick continue. I’ve seen fighters in much worse shape continue. This isn’t necessarily elite’s fault (unless they picked this doc and he had no prior fight experience, questions I have no idea about). That being said, Noons was putting it on Nick and would likely have tore him up in the second. What happened to Nick? He fights so strangely now…like he just woke up from a nap.
F
Wait wait wait… you’re saying Nick Diaz, of all people, looked bad in the first round? I’m flabbergasted. Like we’ve never seen Diaz get the shit beat out of him in the beginning of a fight only to come back when his opponent fails to put him away.
How can a doctor call a stoppage for a cut that wasn’t bleeding? Diaz’s corner stopped the blood from both eye cuts and his nose cut. He could still see, he could still fight.
I have to say that Pyle’s performance was not as awful as others said. He could have stuffed the takedowns a little better, and had he not allowed Shields to reverse his takedown or defended the choke properly it might have been a much longer fight, and maybe even have gone Pyle’s way. Pyle definitely was controlling the standup, thus Shields’ eagerness to take him down.
Diaz looked sloppier than usual but still managed to take Noons down… twice. Had the fight continued, I believe Diaz would have won. He did look tired, perhaps overtrained… not the Diaz I’ve come to respect.
Notes:
1) Diaz stoppage was right on. Im down for the rematch, Diaz need to focus on not getting hit because he will always cut easy. Noons body shots were awesome.
Diaz will be back he is an awesome fighter with hart to spare .
2) You give noons some wrastlin and hell be real good.
3) Kimbo’s elbow lands right behind Cantrells ear and that will take you out. Bo should retire, he scares easy.
4) They need to focus on finding quality top 20 guys to fill out there roster. This is there biggest weekness Its very apparent at heavy and welter were there divs are 2 fighters thick. We want to watch pro athletes, not weekend warriors.
5) Fire goldberg and bring in a fighter to the booth.
6) I would really like if they interviewed there trainers, Bas, Cotour, Jackson, Vera, were all there put em on the Mic for a bit there fighters will be popular by association.
i totally agree with you rt on this 1. fire goldberg! the guys an idiot when it comes to mma, he should be commentating the wwe or tna if anything, that way i dont have to hear him. bringing in a fighter would be class. i even miss randy couture commentating ufc , fighters comments always right on. maybe frank trigg or for the comedy bas rutten.
Nick Diaz is clearly way too baked to put up a real right anymore. He barely squeaked out a nasty split-decision win last time over Mike Aina. He throws these weak-sauce punches with nothing on them and goes for noobish takedown attempts…he has looked like shit these past 2 fights. If he fought Robbie Lawler right now he’d get his skull caved in. Speaking of caves, Nick is starting to look like a Caveman from those commercials and TV shows. He seriously needs to put the pipe down for a little bit.
Brent, you’re my boy but LOL right back at you for claiming the elbow “missed.” Did you watch the fight on a TV made in bizzaro land? Since when does physical contact constitute as “missing?” You might want to watch that one again.
the fights were not boring…just early finishes.
The best fight of the night was noke vs Kleinbeck.
Noke would have lost the fight if Kleinbeck didn’t recieve the cut of the night award. Kleinbeck looked more relaxed in the cage.
Dizzle-
I have to disagree with the notion that Noke would have lost. The first round was very close and probably should have been a draw, but unfortunately in this day and age in MMA, being on top = winning the round. Round one goes to Kleinbeck, but Noke was coming on strong in the second round. I can’t say that there was a clear cut winner when the fight didn’t come to a proper conclusion. It was a very close fight in my eyes, one that I would have liked to have seen continue.
It was close Adam lets just say that.
I was just rooting for Kleinbeck to win…I’m guessing because I had no idea who Noke was. I think I’m just biased because of who I wanted to win and who actually won the fight.
It was close Adam lets just say that.
I was just rooting for Kleinbeck to win…I’m guessing because I had no idea who Noke was. I think I’m just biased because of who I wanted to win and who actually won the fight.
Re. Kimbo vs. Bo. I’ve watched dozens of MMA matches and there’s no doubt in my mind Bo was paid to take a dive. NO ONE gets knocked to the ground and starts taping that quickly. EliteXC wanted to give Kimbo a quick and easy win since they’ve invested so much money in him and that was the quickest way to do it. I don’t believe Kimbo was in on it. If Bo ever fights again it’ll be a travesty. Here’s hoping we’ll see Kimbo again soon in a REAL fight instead of one better suited for pro-wrestling.
nick diaz sucks he is a poorsport and a crybaby so you lost a fight suck it up and quit being a baby about it that is one thing him and that little ass kissing brother of his need to learn
i’m with fenton