Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Photos: Esther Lin/Combatlifestyle.com

UPDATE: Tonight’s main event between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock has been scratched due to an injury suffered by Shamrock.  Official announcement: Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli is now the replacement fight. Petruzelli was scheduled to fight Aaron Rosa on the undercard.

EliteXC Heat Results:

Main Card

• Seth Petruzelli def. Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson via TKO (Strikes) Rd 1.
• EXC Welterweight Champ Jake Shields def. Paul Daley via Submission (Armbar) Rd 2.
• Andrei Arlovski def. Roy Nelson via Knockout Rd 2.
• Gina Carano def. Kelly Kobold via Unanimous Decision
• Benji Radach def. Murilo “Ninja” Rua via Knockout Rd 2.
• KIMBO SLICE vs. KEN SHAMROCK
  

Undercard

• Seth Petruzelli vs. Aaron Rosa
• Cris “Cyborg” Santos def. Yoko Takahashi via Unanimous Decision
• Conor Heun def. Edson Berto via TKO (Strikes) Rd 2.
• Mikey Gomez def. Lorenzo Borgomeo via Submission (Armbar) Rd 2.
• Bryan Hamade def. David Gomez via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Rd 1.
• Nicolae Cury def. Jorge Bouchat via Submission (Strikes) Rd 1.

I believe tonight’s edition of SNF will be different. I can’t give you a strong explanation as to why, but I just have a gut feeling that we will see a major upset or two tonight. All of tonight’s fights present an intriguing clash of styles and the underdog in each fight possesses an element of danger in regard to the favorite.

In my mind, I am convinced we will see at least one major upset tonight. This is after all MMA, where things don’t always go according to plan and to expect the favorites in all five fights to walk away victorious might not be the most realistic expectation in the world.

Even though I already submitted my predictions to CBSSports.com last week for their “Head-to-Head” feature, I still feel a need to revise my selections and call at least one upset. But which fight will provide the upset?

Let’s take a look fight-by-fight.

First, I will omit the opener between Benji Radach and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. While I am told that Radach is a slight favorite, it’s a fairly even matchup and to claim that if Rua wins it would be an upset is kind of a reach. I do think this fight will surprise in one aspect, in that I believe it will be the fight of the night. Both fighters match up so well together and I think we’re going to see some really exciting exchanges in the standup between the two. In the end, my pick is going to be Radach because I think he has too much power for Rua.

You can never count of Rua though, he comes from a family of fighters. Brother Mauricio will be fighting in January against Mark Coleman and 22-year Marcos “Baby” Rua has been training as well and is expected to make his debut in Brazil this December. Despite being the youngest, Baby Rua is the biggest of the three. I’ve never seen the kid fight, but you’ve got to assume he’s going to be good. If I was an upstart promotion, I’d sign him sight unseen.

Next, we have Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold. Once again, the chips are down for Gina. I knew right away when she emerged from the staging area that she hadn’t made weight. She had a hood on and sunglasses and looked like she had just found out that someone close to her had died. Despite an applause from the crowd, she did not smile and did not acknowledge the fans right away.

On the scale, she clearly looked distressed and it looked to me that she teared up after the first time she announced her weight. Seeing her leave the hotel Friday night with Kim Couture, I didn’t see any sign of relief on Carano’s face as she walked out. She did not look very happy and part of me wonders if at some point she’s going to get sick of the fight game and walk away. I believe Carano loves to fight but isn’t a big fan of everything else that comes attached to it.

So here I am, once again focusing on the negatives regarding Gina. I did that on May 31 after she missed weight for her fight vs. Kaitlin Young by four pounds and none of it mattered because she came out and fought her ass off. In the end yesterday, she still made weight on her third try.

In my writeup of the weigh-ins on Friday I expressed confusion as to why Carano was able to make weight on her third try even though she had already been disrobed when she weighed in at 142.5 on her second try. My boss at CBSSports.com, Denny Burkholder, e-mailed to tell me that according to Chris DeBlasio of SHOWTIME, there was a towel draped on top of Gina that was causing her to weigh-in heavy. She pointed that out and after re-adjusting the towel, she weighed in at 141.

After learning my lesson from the first edition of SNF, I am going to ignore all of the ancillary elements regarding Carano and focus on her fighting ability. When it comes to the standup game, there are only a few females in this sport that can hang with her.

It should also be noted that Carano’s opponent, Kobold, didn’t exactly have an easy cut either. Two weeks ago she informed reporters during a conference call that she weighed 160 pounds. She didn’t look to be anywhere near 160 when she arrived in Sunrise this week but she didn’t exactly look to be 140. I’d estimate that she looked to be a fit 148 lbs. Kobold was very cheery and pleasant up until Friday morning, when you could tell she was in the midst of her cut and really feeling it.

I can’t count out Carano but I can’t count out Kobold either. She packs a hell of a punch and is much more experienced than Carano. She’s going to be giving up some height and reach but she can compensate for the disadvantage should she decide to put Carano on her back and rely on her devastating ground and pound ability.

Kobold is also a very tough competitor and I just don’t see Carano being able to finish her. I am convinced that the fight is going to the judges, at which point you never know what could happen. Kobold is a very dangerous matchup for Carano but I don’t think this is where we’re going to see our upset. I think the reach advantage and Carano’s kicking ability will prove the distance.

The third fight of the night will pit Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson. Arlovski is the big favorite but Nelson is so dangerous. I am really surprised Arlovski’s camp was willing to take the fight on short notice. People have raised questions about Arlovski’s chin at times and Nelson has one-punch knockout ability. Arlovski also has a tendency to fight tentatively against fighters that pose a threat to take him down. Nelson is very underrated on the ground, as he not only comes from a wrestling background but is a brown belt in jiu-jitsu.

If Arlovski lacks aggression in order to try and take away the takedown, Nelson could earn points with the judges if he’s the one who is controlling the tempo of the fight. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Arlovski lose a decision here. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see him get taken down at some point and take damage on the ground. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Nelson put something on his chin and finish him.

As you can probably tell, I am close to calling this one an upset but it’s important not to overlook Arlovski’s attributes. He’s an exceptional athlete for a heavyweight and his boxing has really improved. He’s also coming off a big knockout victory over another former IFL standout heavyweight this past July in Ben Rothwell. Based on that performance, I am going with Arlovski in this one.

At the risk of foreshadowing, I am going to skip ahead to the main event. Earlier in the week I was really on the fence about Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock. After seeing Slice’s lack of comfort on the ground in Newark this past May vs. James Thompson, it was obvious to me that if Shamrock gets him on the ground, he’s going to lose via submission (I’m not going to say he’ll lose via tap because Kimbo would probably allow his arm or leg to be broken before he quits).

But after seeing Shamrock at the weigh-ins, there’s no doubt in my mind who wins this fight. I really do not understand why he weighed in at just 206.5 pounds. It’s my understanding that in order to fight in a heavyweight fight, you not only have to weigh 265 pounds or less, but you have to weigh more than 205 pounds. Has a fight ever been canceled because a fighter didn’t make the minimum weight requirement? I mean, what had happened if Ken had gotten sick and couldn’t keep food down this week? Or, what if he had gone to sleep the night before without the air on?

Shamrock has good submissions and good wrestling, but he’s not a jiu-jitsu guy. If Kimbo falls on top of him with a 30 pound weight advantage, Ken isn’t going to be able to sweep him. Maybe he’ll be able to triangle him or armlock him, but that’s about all I believe he’ll have off his back.

I also don’t think pushing Kimbo was a great idea. Frank Shamrock had told me earlier in the day that Ken fights out of anger and looks for reasons to make himself angry. Only a few hours after telling me that, w saw what we saw at the weigh-ins. It was a crazy scene and word is that an angry “Icey” Mike Ember was even going to EliteXC officials talking about filing assault charges. I guess cooler heads prevailed.

It seems Ken needs an edge to fight but Kimbo already has an edge and pushing him is only getting to get him even more hyped. I believe Kimbo’s anger gives him focus while Ken’s anger has a tendency to cause him to fight without strategy or technique.

I think Ken Shamrock has convinced himself that he is going to win this fight but he hasn’t convinced me. Yes, Shamrock could win if he gets Kimbo to the ground, but to me, that’s a very big if right now. I believe that Slice wins this first via first round knockout.

That only leaves us with Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley. A lot of people perceive Daley to be arrogant. And you know what, he probably is. But I like his approach. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? This is the fight game and a lack of confidence can get your hurt.

The bad blood between the two at the weigh-ins was interesting. I’ve never seen Shields get emotional but he was clearly angry. He’s not an emotional fighter and I am wondering if we will see him fight with emotion tonight? And if he does, how well will he perform? Shields is a technical fighter and technique sometimes goes out the window when you fight angry. There might be some method to Daley’s madness. He clearly wants to turn this into a brawl. It should also be noted that the exchange between Shields and Daley continued backstage with more insults and the throwing of water bottles at each other. The two were taken down separate corridors but could still be heard arguing. One EliteXC official, speaking to me on the condition of anonymity, indicated that there was some consideration of putting the two at separate hotels to avoid the risk of another altercation.

Daley is a dangerous striker and really could cause some matchup problems for Shields. Shields works hard on his standup but he cannot afford to exchange with Daley for an extended duration. He has to get Daley off his feet and onto the ground. But because Daley is a good inside fighter, it makes things interesting. If Shields attacks the legs but telegraphs his shot, Daley could catch him with a knee to the face. If Shields tries to take Daley down from a clinch, he could get caught with an elbow if he leaves some space between the two.

If the fight goes to the floor, Shields will win in a matter of seconds. Daley will begin the fight in the position he’s most comfortable in and the pressure is on Shields to change the terms of the fight. Because of that fact, I am now predicting Daley to win the EliteXC welterweight title in my upset special of the night via second round TKO.

Jake Shields is a former college all-american wrestler who made the jump to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has turned into a dominant grappler. A product of Cesar Gracie’s BJJ school, he is a world champion grappler who titles include first at the Pan Am Games and third at the ADCC open weight tournament. He is a very seasoned fighter for someone of his age, who has managed to fight the best competition available despite never having stepped into the octagon. Shields has high-profile wins over the likes of Hayato Sakurai, Mike Pyle, Yushin Okami, and Carlos Condit. After the 63 second drubbing he put on Nick Thompson in his last fight he is riding a 10 fight win streak that extends back to 2004. I think I can definitively say that Jake Shields is the best 170lb fighter in the world not in the UFC.

Shields’ strength is his grappling, as he can make a case for the best submission grappler in the world at 170lbs and not many would argue. Unlike many of his Gracie Jiu Jitsu brethren, he has adapted his BJJ quite well for the world of MMA with 4 of his last 5 victories by way of submission. To say that Cesar Gracie has made an impact on Shields’ life would be an understatement as he is 18-2-1 since joining the team. Shields’ standup is always a work in progress, while early in his career he used it strictly to get the fight down to the mat where he could dominate the fight he now can stand and trade with most fighters on the feet and still cause damage. As with all of the Cesar Gracie students, his conditioning is impeccable and can push a pace in a fight that few can tolerate. Shields has evolved into a complete fighter who can truly beat you anywhere in the fight.

Paul Daley is a kickboxer from Britain who sported a 10-3 kickboxing record with 10 KOs before making the jump to MMA. He is originally trained in Karate from an early age, but later in his career has fully embraced Muay Thai while training part time in Holland. While fighting almost solely in Britain, he has compiled an impressive KO ratio in his wins on his way to the current Cage Rage welterweight championship. He is a devastating striker with knockout power in his hands and feet as he has demonstrated time and time again. While flirting briefly with retirement, he has come back to take his first big fight on American soil and take his second welterweight belt home with him.

Daley is very well rounded striker with traditional Karate kicks and extensive Muay Thai at his disposal as well as very good boxing. His speed, athleticism, and sheer power often take opponents off guard even when they think they have prepared for it. As his striking has matured it has shown in his results, as none of the fights in his six fight win streak have gotten out of the second round. His ground game is still a work in progress as four of his six losses are via submission. His defensive ground game has shown some improvement but he is still very susceptible to taking damage in the guard as well as vulnerable to submissions. It’s a simple game for Daley. Keep it on the feet and he has a chance to win.

This is a striker vs. grappler matchup on steroids as you have maybe the best striker at 170lbs against one of the best grapplers in the world at 170lbs. The obvious applies here, whoever controls the flow of the fight wins the match. If Shields can stand and trade successfully long enough to set up a takedown and get Daley to the floor, this match is going to be over quickly. If Daley overwhelms Shields with his speed and athleticism and catches Shields thinking too much early, this will be a quick match the other way. I have to go in the direction of the favorite here, as Shields has shown a fantastic chin his whole career as he has never been knocked out. Shields should be able to handle Daley on the feet long enough to take him down and take an arm or choke him out. I think this is the best Elite could do and one more reason that Shields should be doing everything in his power to get into the UFC. I predict Shields via submission in round one.

This is one of the best middleweight fights you will ever see outside of the UFC. These two 185lbers are some of the most exciting stand up fighters in MMA. We have a fighter on the comeback trail to elite status versus another on a quest to reclaim his title belt. Both have slick striking with knockout power and cement chins. This has potential to be fight of the night and steal the show.

Benji Radach was a highly touted prospect early in his career who started off on a nine fight winning streak. He took the step up in competition to the UFC and did well, taking his first loss on a hard fought bout with Sean Sherk that ended with a cut. Not losing any luster off his promising status, Radach moved forward and continued to win at smaller shows. Then his life changed when he took a fight with Chris Leben in 2004. Leben shattered Radach’s jaw which managed to start a chain reaction of injuries that kept Radach out of MMA for almost 3 years. A broken jaw, a herniated disc that caused partial paralysis, a spider bite that created a large hole in his leg, a torn meniscus that required knee surgery, and a staph infection from hell that almost caused his arm to be amputated. They all helped to keep him sidelined until Bas Rutten and the IFL came a calling in 2007. He rattled off five straight wins in the IFL until his championship loss to Matt Horwich last December.

Radach is an excellent wrestler but an even better boxer. He has fantastic hands, but it was his devastating knockout power that put Radach on the map. He has since turn into a pretty good all-around kickboxer with decent ground skills. His wrestling enables Radach to stay out of trouble on the ground and he wins most scrambles for position. His guard is strictly defensive, he will not threaten to many submissions from his back. He also uses his wrestling in reverse to prevent the takedown and keep the fight standing.

Ninja Rua is a Pride veteran and an original member of the famed Chute Boxe academy in Brazil. Ninja started his career with much ballyhoo and delivered with exciting fights. He was an exciting Muay Thai fighter with amazing cardio and fantastic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His first loss was a split decision to Dan Henderson, but the fight that really put Ninja on the map was his win over Zen master Mario Sperry. Sperry represented the rival fight team in Brazil, Brazilian Top Team. The fight was not just between to spectacular fighters, but two fight teams and their way of lives. Ninja triumphed in a fantastic decision victory and announced that Rua was the man to beat. But as happened often in his career, every time Rua took a step forward he then took two steps backward. He had several disappointing losses that always seemed to keep him from elite status, but the biggest hit to his mystique was his 15 second knockout loss to Denis Kang. After that fight he ventured from Pride to find his own way. He seemed to finally find the validation he was seeking when he won the middleweight belt in EliteXC by beating Joey Villasenor. But in true ninja fashion he followed one big step forward with a big step backwards in the form of a loss to Robbie Lawler.

Ninja is an excellent kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is an fantastic improvisational fighter and is wonderful at winning the scrambles. He is a superb grappler and capable of submitting someone from any position in the fight. His biggest advantage might be his conditioning as he can put a pace on a fighter that they cannot hope to rival. His conditioning can also cause his biggest error, and that is over aggressiveness.  He sometimes rushes head first into trouble and can get caught with strikes. He seems to have settled down with age and maturity, but he still seems impatient at times.

This fight is seemingly for the number one contender spot in the middleweight division. Winner most likely will get a shot at Robbie Lawler. As much fun as Ninja is to watch fight, Radach has the power, the patience, and the wrestling to win the scrambles. I see Radach grinding out a decision victory over Rua. Ninja is extremely tough to finish, even with Radach’s power. Rua could catch Radach in a submission, maybe pick off an arm. But this matchup favors Radach and his controlling patient style of fighting. I think the smart move for Rua would be to take the fight to the floor and do the damage from within the guard, but ninja is too aggressive for that. I think he will want to stand and bang with Radach, and that will prove to be his undoing. I think Radach wins this via split decision.

Gina Carano, as most know, has a very strong muay thai background. She’s come up in combat sports through muay thai under Master Toddy, one of the best muay thai trainers in the world, and will absolutely look to keep the fight standing against Kobold. She has been training at Xtreme Couture trying to round out her game, working on grappling and jiu jitsu but that aspect of her game is still very raw. While she did submit Tonya Evinger with a rear naked choke, jiu jitsu and the ground game are not where she prefers to be. Even though Kobold is well rounded, Carano’s advantage will be in the standup. Her standup is much more refined that Kobold and if she’s able to keep the fight on her feet then it should be Carano’s fight to lose.

Carano is coming off a victory over Kaitlin Young at EliteXC “Primetime” in June via TKO at the end of the second round. Young was considered to be Carano’s toughest test to date and Carano handled her with ease, using her superior reach, striking and power to swell Young’s eye almost completely shut. And all this was done with very little training, as Carano trained sparingly leading up to the fight because of her rigorous American Gladiators schedule.

Kelly Kobold trains out of Team Bison MMA with Mike Reilly, who also manages and trains EliteXC heavyweight prospect Brett Rogers. Kobold is the more experienced MMA competitor in the fight, having fought in nineteen MMA bouts against the best women in the business, including bouts against Shayna Baszler, Tara LaRosa, and Julie Kedzie. She’s been training with Team Bison since she was 18 years old and has racked up a 17-2 record during the time she’s been in the game. A lot of people, including myself, thought that Kaitlin Young was Carano’s toughest test to date. Kobold is all of that and more. She brings a ton of experience and an all around MMA game to the table. She will be an absolute handful for Carano to handle.

Kobold has been absent from the cage for a year. She is coming off two losses in a row, first to Tara LaRosa and then to Julie Kedzie, both coming within a two month span in the summer of last year. This will be her first fight in over a year and from everything she’s said she sounds absolutely prepared to go to war with Carano. She’s no pushover. She took Tara LaRosa into the fourth round before succumbing to an armbar. She’s beaten Shayna Baszler. But can she take beat Gina Carano?

My gut tells me no. Although Kobold is a very game competitor and more than likely the biggest threat to Carano that we’ve seen her face yet, I don’t think Kobold has what it takes to beat Carano. Carano beat Kaitlin Young handily during their fight in June with very little time spent training. She trained for the fight but not as much as she’s been training for this fight. American Gladiators isn’t taping right now and she has upped her training regimen and has spent a ton of time preparing for this fight.

As long as making weight isn’t an issue and her conditioning is where it needs to be I don’t see Carano losing this fight. She should be the bigger, stronger competitor and she should be able to keep the fight standing, which is where she wants to keep it in order to come out on top. Kobold will give Carano a very tough fight, there’s no doubt about that, but I don’t see Kobold having enough firepower to contend with Carano, especially when Gina turns it on. I’ll take Carano via unanimous decision. Kobold will have enough to go all three rounds with Gina but Carano should be able to outlast her.

Notice Gina is branded in OTM and Kimbo in TapouT for this photo shoot.

Right now, the televised card is as follows:

• Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock @ Heavyweight
• Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley @ Welterweight (for EliteXC WW Title)
• Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald @ 140lbs
• Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach @ Middleweight

(Photos: Monty Brinton/CBS)

On Saturday, Oct. 4, UFC 86 will make its basic cable television premiere. The show, which originally aired on pay-per-view on July 5, was headlined by Forrest Griffin’s dramatic decision upset over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the UFC light heavyweight title.

The following week on Oct. 11, UFC 87 will also premiere on Spike. The show, which originally aired Aug. 9 on PPV, featured Georges St. Pierre successfully defending his UFC welterweight title in a five round unanimous decision against Jon Fitch. UFC 87 also saw heavyweight Brock Lesnar record a unanimous decision victory over Heath Herring.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 18, UFC 89 will air on a same day tape-delay basis from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The card will feature Michael Bisping taking on Chris Leben in the night’s main event and will also see light heavyweights Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera square off.

The airing of UFC 86 will go head-to-head with EliteXC and CBS’ third-ever telecast of “Saturday Night Fights.” This will be the second time in which the UFC and Spike have counter-programmed a live EliteXC event on CBS.

During “Saturday Night Fights II” on July 26, the UFC and Spike aired a replay May’s UFC 84 event that featured UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn recording a third round TKO against Sean Sherk.

While EliteXC’s show on CBS attracted more total viewers, the UFC 84 replay still beat SNF II in the coveted male 18-34 demographic. According to a press release issued by Spike TV, UFC 84 outdrew SNF in the male 18-34 demo by 27% with Spike totaling 433,00 men compared to CBS’ 341,000.

The Oct. 4 telecast of “Saturday Night Fights” is considered to be a key show for the future of EliteXC on CBS after the July 26 show only drew a 1.7 rating. While EliteXC officials have attempted to downplay the disappointing ratings claiming that the show was affected by the summer airing and a shorter turnaround time to promote the event, the show still attracted fewer viewers than what CBS normally drew in the Saturday primetime slot.

One major benefit that EliteXC and CBS will have this time around when they go head-to-head with the UFC and Spike TV is that they will be featuring their two biggest attractions in Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Gina Carano on the show. The July 26 show had been headlined by a EliteXC middleweight title rematch between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith.

However, while the returns of Slice and Carano will no doubt help, UFC 86 will not be the only programming competing with “Saturday Night Fights” for male viewers between the ages of 18 and 34. ABC will be televising a college football game between Ohio State and Wisconsin that same night with FOX also expected to air a Major League Baseball wildcard playoff game in the opposing timeslot.

The vast majority of the conference call was geared towards Slice and Shamrock, however, the fight promotion’s current relationship with CBS was inquired about by a couple of reporters.

EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen stated that the promotion spoke with CBS last week and that the network has significant plans in store to begin to market the fight card to its audience. Some of the possible promotional opportunities discussed include CBS’ telecast of professional and college football.

A question was also asked regarding EliteXC’s future on CBS. Lappen indicated that there is still a fourth contracted show between both parties even though a date for the fourth show has not been set. He added that after the final show on the current contract is held, CBS will retain the option to add more shows to its contract. Lappen expressed that the two parties have discussed extending the deal and indicated that CBS has expressed that it is happy working with the promotion.

We all know by now the situation ProElite is in. A quick read of their recent SEC filing makes it clear that they currently do not have enough funding to make it into 2009. Maybe they’ll get it and maybe they won’t. But it’s going to be very hard to make the case that investors should take a chance on a promotional company in a space where competitors are fading into oblivion if they don’t draw a strong rating on Oct. 4.

We also know that EliteXC has had to make significant cutbacks, most notably their marketing budget. I don’t know if the Kimbo Slice billboard near the UFC offices in Las Vegas is still being displayed, but I think odds are that it’s come down. So if we question their lack of marketing push thus far for Oct. 4, we have to be realistic; we aren’t going to see billboards in Times Square or a major ad blitz on the Howard Stern show. The money for that kind of viral promotion simply isn’t there.

But there is such a thing as guerrilla marketing. It’s relatively inexpensive to work the press and do interviews on television, radio, and on the Internet. A few days after announcing that Randy Couture would fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 the two were shuttled off to Bristol, Conn. to do PR work with ESPN. After EliteXC made it official that Ken Shamrock would be Slice’s opponent, there was so little fanfare that the company didn’t even so much as host a conference call with the two.

Yes, we can all be rest assured there will be conference calls when we get even closer to the event. But it’s interesting to see how the UFC is trying to strike while the iron is hot and promote a main event between Couture and Lesnar less than three months before it’s set to take place during the week of its UFC 88 PPV this Saturday, while EliteXC lays in the weeds in anticipation of making a late push. Wouldn’t it have made a lot of sense the day after the press release was sent to give members of the media access to both Kimbo and Ken in order to fuel content in newspapers and on websites? FiveOuncesOfPain.com was one of several outlets to speak with Shamrock last week, but we booked the interview though Shamrock’s PR people, not ProElite.

The blame shouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of EliteXC. I’m not a big CBS viewer, but I’ve yet to see any commercials for Oct. 4. I also listen to a lot of CBS-owned radio stations and have yet to hear a single promo. It behooves CBS to promote its own programming and they will have a golden opportunity this weekend when the NFL begins its 2008 regular season. It will be interesting to see whether the TV graphics with live reads during the games will be used to promote the return of Jennifer Love Hewitt in the “Ghost Whisperer” or the return of Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano during “Saturday Night Fights” on Oct. 4. How weird would it be to watch Gus Johnson call an entire game this weekend without one promo spot for SNF? If CBS isn’t willing to even commit in-house resources to promoting the event during its NFL telecasts, it will be time to sound the alarms.

Another question that has come to mind is where is Kimbo Slice? Leading up to the May 31 event, Kimbo did so much media that a case could be made that it might have had an adverse effect on his preparation for the James Thompson fight. It was obvious after the fight that he’d have to be handled differently in the future. However, it seems like there has been a polar shift in philosophy. Instead of too much media, he has done almost none to promote this fight. I’m sure Kimbo is going to get out there when his training starts to taper off, but there’s no better time than now.

Of course we’re going to hear more from EliteXC and CBS in the weeks to come. They haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with promotion. But today is Sept. 4 and we’re just 30 days out. What is everyone waiting for and where is the urgency? I’ve spoken to two sources in the industry that indicated the report that appeared in the New York Post last week is true; CBS has indeed had recent talks with the UFC. No one will admit it publicly (at this point) but CBS is looking at other options.

Perhaps CBS has realized that ownership doesn’t always have its privileges. If CBS wants MMA programming, ratings are going to have to be the number one priority as opposed to ownership because it doesn’t matter how inexpensively you can buy shares of your own programming if it isn’t able to outdraw re-runs of “The Unit.”

Talks between everyone take place all the time so whether EliteXC should be alarmed remains to be seen. But if the rating isn’t strong on Oct. 4, it could be the last we see of promotion on national television and the loss of CBS as a major media partner would most likely be the death knell for a company trying to recover from multiple shots to the liver. Based on everyone I’ve spoken to, Oct. 4 will be Custer’s last stand, but you wouldn’t know it by the lack of promotion for the card.

The lack of promotion could be attributed in large part to the fact that the main event for Oct. 4 wasn’t finalized until early last week. When you wait until six weeks before your show to announce the main event, it makes it very difficult to market it. Promotional materials such as television and radio commercials, billboards, magazine ads, and press tours take time to organize and produce. All those materials are items that can’t be produced overnight. However, being late to the party has been a repeated mistake that ProElite has yet to correct and to this day I’ve never understood why the UFC is usually able to finalize the vast majority of their cards 10-12 weeks before an event while it usually takes EliteXC 4-6 weeks.

To be honest, I was taken a back when Shamrock revealed to me in an interview last week that he had only found out about the fight a week before it was finalized. Maybe EliteXC had been talking to Ken Shamrock’s management weeks before and Shamrock’s management waited to tell him. Or maybe EliteXC actually did wait until seven weeks before the show to submit a formal proposal to Shamrock’s camp. And if that’s the case, again, I am confused. EliteXC announced on July 26 that Kimbo would be returning on Oct. 4, yet it took them until over a month later to secure an opponent?

We all know that on Oct. 4 that CBS and EliteXC will be throwing a party. The question is: how many people will show up?

Pope writes that CBS was “shocked” by how poorly its July 26 edition of “Saturday Night Fights” performed in the ratings following a strong debut on May 31.

Despite the poor results, the article indicates that CBS intends to remain committed to MMA in primetime. However, it’s uncertain whether that level of commitment will extend to its current content partner, EliteXC.

That’s because the Post is claiming that “rumors” have surfaced that CBS is once again involved in discussions with the UFC about signing a broadcast deal, one that would undoubtedly force EliteXC off the Tiffany network’s airwaves.

Pope does not indicate where these “rumors” are coming from and neither the UFC or CBS are quoted in the article. It should also be noted that the first set of talks between the UFC and CBS broke down last December in large part because CBS reportedly wanted an equity stake in the UFC and because the network was also unwilling to sacrifice control over the production of the proposed broadcasts. In order for a deal between the UFC and CBS to be agreed upon, one of the two parties would have to make major concessions in their demands.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news while speaking with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw on Monday.

Shaw indicated that as of now, the Cyborg vs. Takahashi matchup is not guaranteed to make the CBS telecast, which is only guaranteed to show bouts between Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock, Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald-Gavin, Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach.

As of now, the plan is to show the Cyborg vs. Takahashi matchup in its entirety on a tape-delay basis if time permits. If time does not permit, EliteXC is hopeful that CBS will be able to air highlights of the fight.

Regardless of what form the fight airs in, Shaw believes the Cyborg vs. Takahashi matchup is great incentive for fight fans planning to attend the show in Ft. Lauderdale at the BankAtlantic Arena to show up early in order to catch the preliminary portion of the card.

When asked to comment on the reports, Shaw stated that the reports were accurate and that the bout is indeed official.

Sherdog.com was the first to break the news citing unnamed sources as revealing that the UFC Hall of Famer, Shamrock, had been chosen as the latest opponent for the former Internet street fighting sensation, Slice, during CBS and EliteXC’s next installment of its “Saturday Night Fights” franchise to emanate from BankAmerica Arena in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Upon learning of reports over the weekend that EliteXC could announce Slice’s opponent as early as today, we contacted Rodney Donohoo, the agent and attorney for Shamrock. Donohoo respectfully indicated that he could neither confirm or deny the report.

Before reports began to surface, we had also contacted Mike Reilly, the trainer and manager for Brett Rogers, who was believed to have been under consideration to fight Slice as well. Reilly stated a the time that while they believed they were in the mix, they were still awaiting word and that they had yet to receive a formal contract offer.

In response to an MMARated.com report that indicates that the Shamrock vs. Slice winner will face Rogers, Reilly later responded to a text message we sent by saying, “It’s all rumor and wishful thinking until it ain’t.”

The completed televised card for “Saturday Night Fights” on October 4 is now expected to consist of Jake Shields defending his EliteXC welterweight title vs. Paul Daley; Slice vs. Shamrock in a heavyweight bout; Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald-Gavin; and a middleweight fight between Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Benji Radach.

Shaw also confirmed that a match between Cris Cyborg and Yoko Takahashi is scheduled for Oct. 4 as well. The match could be televised, time permitting. If there is not enough time, EliteXC and CBS will try and show highlights of the fight during the telecast.

As of now, there are no plans to do a one-hour pre-show on SHOWTIME similar to what took place before the July 26 CBS show.

The news comes courtesy of a report on Sherdog, which is quoting Radach as the primary sources for its story. EliteXC and Rua’s camp have yet to confirm the report.

EliteXC apparently spent a significant amount of time recruiting Radach, as sources revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com last month that the company was in talks with the former IFL star. He would be the first high-profile ex-IFL fighter to have signed with EliteXC with most of the new-defunct fight promotion’s top fighters having either signed with the UFC, the WEC, or Affliction’s MMA promotion.

Radach is 18-4, according to Sherdog’s fight finder and holds notable wins over Shannon Ritch, Nick Serra, Ryan McGivern, and Gustavo Machado. He holds a lifetime record in the UFC 1-1 with one no contest. His lone UFC win came against Serra at UFC 37.5 in June of 2002 with his only loss coming against Sean Sherk at UFC 39 in September of 2002.

He made his UFC debut in May of 2002 at UFC 37 against Steve Berger in a bout ruled a no contest after it was overturned by the Louisiana State Athletic Commission. Radach was originally ruled the winner via TKO at 0:27 of round 1.

After suffering a serious injury vs. Chris Leben and losing as a result during a Sportfight show in 2004, Radach took a three-year hiatus from competitive MMA before returning in February of 2007 after signing a contract with the IFL. He was one of the promotion’s true success stories, compiling a 5-1 under the IFL banner upon his return.

The next CBS-EliteXC telecast is set to take place in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. at the BankAtlantic Center. Featured bouts include Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson taking on an opponent-to-be-named (believed to be either Brett Rogers or Ken Shamrock), Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald-Gavin, and Jake Shields defending his EliteXC welterweight title vs. British-import Paul Daley.

EliteXC has already started selling tickets for “Saturday Night Fights III“:

• Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. ??? @ HW
• Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald-Gavin @ 140 lbs. (not finalized)

Card subject to change. All matchups are rumored unless stated otherwise.

Check out more CBS Saturday Night Fights content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

That airing back on May 31, 2008 scored 4.3 million viewers and a 1.9/6 among 18-49 year olds and since the Kimbo Slice bout for that airing aired past primetime (11p) the most viewed portion wasn’t included. But lacking any Kimbo anticipation, last night’s fights pulled a mere 2.62 million and a 1.0/3 from 9pm-11pm.

A 1.0 on a Saturday night is nothing short of terrible, make no mistake about it. Considering the first show drew a lot of interest and a great rating with Kimbo Slice, Gina Carano, and MMA’s first foray into network television, this show has to be considered a failure in terms of ratings. Like I said, the show was strong as far as the fights go but that doesn’t really matter if no one sees them. The ratings justify the criticism that CBS and EliteXC probably went for too much, too soon after they saw the ratings for the first show. Once they build more stars, they can start running more shows on CBS. But without one or both of those two, for better or worse, these network shows will continue to fail. How EliteXC and CBS didn’t see that is beyond me. Or maybe they did, but chose to turn a blind eye to the fact anyways.

Make no mistake, the first show was a ratings success because of Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice, not because of Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith. These guys are good fighters but they’re just not the fighters that make people want to go out of their way to see. I don’t know what kind of negative impact this kind of rating has on MMA on network television in the future, but it certainly doesn’t help matters any. For EliteXC, the show in October must draw big numbers or it could spell the end for them on national television. Another 1.0 rating will most likely not be acceptable.

HT: Bloody Elbow

UPDATE from MMA Payout:

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting the show got a 1.9 rating on the overnight. When all markets finish reporting in the numbers should bump up a tenth or two for either a 2.0 or a 2.1. This would fall into the low 2 range that MMAPayout.com felt would be a decent number for the show, per our show preview.

This is roughly a 40% drop in ratings from the first show, but not as dastardly as it first seemed when the number going around was 1.0. It still stands, however, that the October show absolutely must be a success for EliteXC to stick around on CBS.

Many mistakes were made during the first telecast but all indications are that CBS, SHOWTIME, and EliteXC have learned from them. ProElite chairman Doug DeLuca has promised a tighter production that will make for a better overall show and on paper that appears to be the case. The only thing left now is the execution.

While the production and pacing of the show are expected to be better, many consider the matchups themselves to be more intriguing than the first show. The May 31 card was designed with first round knockouts in mind but this time around the lineup will feature better all-around fighters such as Shayna Baszler, Jake Shields, Nick Thompson, and Nick Diaz. That’s right, the casual viewer might actually get to see some jiu-jitsu this time around!

The festivities will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on SHOWTIME, with a three bout appetizer that could be very entertaining. It’s hard not to be excited about a show that will feature Wilson Reis, Rafael Feijao, and Antonio Silva.

It’s the SHOWTIME portion of the show where we’ll kick off our seven fight preview, followed by our four fight preview of the CBS portion.

Wilson Reis vs. Bryan Caraway

Wilson Reis has four wins, all by submission. Bryan Caraway has nine wins, all by submission. So where is this fight going to be contested?

How about on the feet?

I fully expect both of these guys to try and stand with each other during the early portion of the fight in an attempt to see if a weakness can be exploited.

The problem is that Caraway is 5’8’’ and Reis is 5’6’’. Reis will simply be giving up too much reach. Eventually this fight will have to go to the ground where Reis’ superior athleticism will take over.

That’s not to suggest that Caraway is a bad athlete. In fact, he’s a good one, having wrestled in college. He is also determined and hungry, as both he and girlfriend Meisha Tate live in a R.V. parked in trainer Dennis “Superman” Hallman’s backyard.

However, Reis is just on a different level and is a very determined fighter as well. He mentioned during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference that his goal is to fight for a 140 lbs. title in EliteXC. He’s in the driver’s seat for that title shot, but in order to stay there, he has to keep winning.

I’m predicting Reis to win via submission in the middle of round three.

Rafael Feijao vs. Travais Galbraith

Since losing to Kazuhiro Nakamura, Travais (pronounced “Travis”) Galbraith has made tremendous strides in his jiu-jitsu game. However, is his ground game good enough to match up with the bigger and stronger Feijao?

To date, we haven’t really seen Feijao’s ground game, but it’s there and it’s top notch. Remember, this is a guy who was discovered by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira when Nogueira was in his hometown on business and asked locals who they recommended he roll with.

Feijao’s Muay Thai is why he’s 6-1, but he was a grappler before he was a striker.

Galbraith is tough and believes he has a gameplan to beat Feijao. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to try and give Feijao a taste of his own medicine by trying to apply strong pressure early on and put Feijao on the defensive for a change. But Feijao is bigger, stronger, and faster.

Galbraith, the King of the Cage Canadian light heavyweight champion took this fight on short notice, which is another problem for him. No matter how good your gameplan is, it’s hard to implement it against an opponent like Feijao if you haven’t had the benefit of a full training camp.

In the end, Galbraith will be no different than John Doyle and Wayne Cole: good fighters who got TKO’d in round one by Feijao.

Justin Eilers vs. Antonio Silva for the vacant EliteXC heavyweight title

Considering all the heat Justin Eilers takes from hardcore MMA fans, I’m beginning to feel sorry for the guy.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: his stint in the UFC several years ago was terrible. However, since that time he’s won 10 of 11 fights. And he’s been winning because he’s become a better fighter. The Justin Eilers we’ll see on Saturday is not the same guy we saw in the UFC. Eilers now fights tactically and has improved as an all-around fighter.

Antonio Silva is coming off a disappointing performance against Ricco Rodriguez from this past February’s “Street Certified.” But a lot of that can be blamed on two things: first, Rodriguez was a matchup stylistically for Silva. And second, Silva’s knee was in bad shape. He let everyone know about it after the fight but the injury was much more severe than he let own. In fact, Silva probably should have pulled out of the fight.

While I don’t believe Eilers is the tomato can so many people have labeled him as, he’s still a fighter that will be giving up 35-40 pounds on fight night and one that does not have the ground credentials to match up with Silva on the mat.

Silva is probably just as quick as Eilers and will have more power in his punches. I see Silva knocking down Eilers in the second round and then following him to the ground, where he’ll finish with a rear naked choke.

CBS Saturday Night Fights

Cristiane Cyborg vs. Shayna Baszler

This is the fight I am looking forward to the most. I have seen so much of Cristiane Cyborg on YouTube and in watching her, I see the female version of Wanderlei Silva. She is powerful, quick, and aggressive.

But unlike Silva, Cyborg is also untested. Her first win came against Vanessa Porto, who is a highly-respected fighter. However, Cyborg was clearly the bigger fighter yet was unable to finish her. After the Porto fight, she accumulated wins against inexperienced fighters.

In this fight, I’m not sure how much of a size advantage she’ll have. In her videos, she looks huge, like someone who fights at 150. However, seeing her in person at the pre-fight press conference, she looked like a fighter that didn’t need to cut to 140 pounds.

Cyborg’s striking is what has gotten so many hardcore fans exciting. But she’s also a purple belt under Cristiano Marcello at Chute Boxe. That said, I still believe Baszler will have the advantage on the ground. Cyborg relies heavily on her strength when the fight goes to the mat while Baszler is a technical wizard who is constantly mixing in unconventional submission attempts.

Baszler has a distinct advantage on the ground, but she needs to get the fight there quickly in order to have a chance to win. Her standup is solid, but she doesn’t want to get into a striking war with Cyborg.

I see Baszler taking a ton of punishment in this one but in the end, her technical superiority will prevail. I believe she’ll win via third round submission in yet another female fight that steals the show.

Jake Shields vs. Nick Thompson for the EliteXC welterweight title

Both fighters are similar in a lot of ways: two former college wrestlers who have good jiu-jitsu with striking skills that have made tremendous strides in the past few years.

But in every category, I see Shields as having the advantage. His wrestling is better. His jiu-jitsu is better. And his Muay Thai is better.

This will be a strong fight because Thompson is no joke and will hang. However, at a certain point, Shields will be able to pull away and take control.

The one thing to watch out for is the size difference. I’m not so sure that Shields couldn’t compete at 155 pounds if he wanted to. As for Thompson, after he re-hydrates, he could weigh as much as 195 lbs., which is insane.

Thompson could pull off the upset if he catches Shields in the right spot with a punch, but I don’t see that happening and I see Shields winning via third round TKO (ground and pound).

Nick Diaz vs. Thomas Denny

This is a huge opportunity for Thomas Denny, who has been fighting for close to ten years now and has never broken out on the national scene. He’s been in some big fights in Japan, but he’s never fought under such a big spotlight before.

Added attention is not something that will have an effect on the charismatic Denny. However, Diaz’s superior ground skills and boxing skills will be two factors that in the end will be too much for Denny to overcome.

Despite the fact that these two California-based fighters have been scheduled to fight each other two previous times, I didn’t get the sense that there is much of a grudge that exists between the two.

Denny has been extremely vocal about Diaz not being on weight for his June 14 fight against Muhsin Corbbrey, but those words likely motivated Diaz to make sure his weight was where it needed to be. In seeing Diaz as the pre-fight press conference on Thursday, he looked like a fighter who didn’t need to cut much, if at all, to make 160.

Anytime you have Diaz in California, you’re never certain he’s going to be able to fight. However, he looks healthy, focused, and on weight so I have little doubt that this fight is going to go off. And when it does, Diaz will prove to be too much for Denny and he will win via second round submission.

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith for the EliteXC middleweight title

While speaking at the press conference yesterday, Robbie Lawler addressed the media simply by saying “Weigh-ins are tomorrow at 2 p.m., I’m happy to be here.” And that was it. Lawler really does not like all of the pomp and circumstance that is attached to big fights. He just loves to fight.

Scott Smith is also someone who enjoys fighting and that is a big reason why the two had such a strong fight in their first encounter on May 31.

The initial bout between the two was ramping up to be a true classic until it had its legs chopped from underneath when Lawler hit Smith with an accidental eye poke.

The two now have a chance to vie for “Fight of the Year” honors by adding the conclusive finish that the action-packed first chapter lacked.

In that fight, Smith clearly won round two after losing round one. However, in round three, Lawler started to pull away and it looked as if Smith was on the verge of being finished. As good as Smith looked at times during the fight, it was still painfully obvious that Lawler was the better fighter.

It was just less than two months ago when these two last fought and I don’t see anything changing in that time that is going to make a huge difference. As such, I see a rematch on Saturday that will look eerily similar to the first fight with the major difference being that Lawler wins this time via third round TKO.

 If this bout agreement with Heath Herring is in fact a reality, Lesnar will have a much more relevant and somewhat more dangerous opponent on his hands at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy”.  The event is set to take place on August 9 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The show will mark the UFC’s first time in Minnesota.

Keep checking into Five Ounces of Pain for more UFC 87 content!

UFC.com has also announced that a main event title fight has been added between current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre taking on number one contender Jon Fitch in a five round title fight.

Also on the UFC 87 card is a lightweight clash between Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian, most likely to determine the number one contender for the lightweight crown.

Even with Coleman now off the card, this one is shaping up to be a good one.

In addition to the event announcement, the UFC also made it official that Brock Lesnar will be taking on former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman in a featured match. Lesnar is a Minnesota native.

Another Minnesota-based fighter will also be featured on the card, as Roger Huerta will be taking on Kenny Florian in a lightweight encounter. It is believed that the winner of the fight will become the number one contender for the UFC lightweight title.

UFC 87 will be the UFC’s first-ever event in Minnesota.

“I am excited to be heading to Minnesota and Target Center with the first ever UFC in the state,” UFC President Dana White is quoted as saying in an official release by the promotion. “UFC fans there are going to be blown away by this event – this fight between Brock Lesnar and Mark Coleman is going to be explosive, a battle between the original monster wrestler and the new breed of monster wrestler.”

Tickets for Seek and Destroy will go on sale to the general publlic on Sunday, May 25 at noon CT. The UFC Fight Club pre-sale will start on May 22 at 10 a.m. CT. There will be a second pre-sale for UFC newsletter subscribers on May 24 at 10 a.m. CT.