Much like the promotion’s February 16 “Street Certified” event and its March 21 ShoXC card, last night’s show featured a multitude of lopsided fights with fast finishes. If you dislike fights that go to a decision and love brutal one-sided beatdowns, chances are that you thoroughly enjoyed “Return of the King.”

But for those who enjoy a little parity in their combat sports, last night’s event came up way short in that regard. Only one bout, the catchweight clash involving Nick Diaz and Muhsin Corrbrey, resembled a competitive fight involving give and take between the two fighters. However, as the bout went on, Diaz pulled out far ahead, leaving little uncertainty about the ultimate outcome of the fight.

Me, personally, when I sit down to watch a night of fights, I like to see actual fighting taking place as opposed to full-on assaults. However, I can’t say that the show was boring, as it did offer plenty of exciting finishes.

Hindsight is 20/20 and in the cases of two of the fights, it was hard to envision them being so one-sided going into the event. Despite being undefeated, Dave Herman had yet to be truly tested. On paper, former UFC and PRIDE fighter Ron Waterman looked as though he could serve as a real obstacle in Herman’s quest to become 11-0. Despite having top position on Herman at one point, serving as a test proved not to be the case with the fighter known as “Pee Wee” finishing Waterman in the first round with a TKO.

The night’s main event had the makings of a potential match of the year and I don’t know of anyone who believed going into the fight that it had a chance to end so early. But if it was going to end early, most people would have thought that it would have been Yves Edwards getting the better of K.J. Noons, and not vice versa.

Part of the issue with the frequent lopsided outcomes has to do with bad luck, but another component has to do with the fact that EliteXC is not bringing in a lot of established fighters as they build up their depth in each respective weight class. They are relying greatly on lesser-established fighters with the goal of making new stars. The problem is that when it comes time to put some of these fighters in a major spot, there are many unanswered questions about them and some of them simply aren’t ready for the spotlight.

A major bright spot on the show was the notable absence of EliteXC’s dancers. For over a year now, this site has been critical of EliteXC’s gratuitous utilization of scantily-attired females masquerading as “dancers” on the rampway. They weren’t involved with last night’s production and I’m not sure anyone misses them. It remains to be seen exactly why the promotion chose not to use dancers. Was it simply done as a one-time cost cutting measure or, is it in response to some of the criticism the promotion received following its May 31 debut on CBS? Only time will tell.

Another thing that was absent was audible enthusiasm from the crowd. At times, the atmosphere resembled a ShoXC event. I’m not sure if it was a situation where the crowd wasn’t mic’d properly, or if the crowd was holding in their excitement for the five fights that were scheduled after the SHOWTIME telecast that featured many of their hometown heroes.

The biggest news to come out of the show was the announcement that EliteXC will be returning to primetime network television on July 26. The featured bout for the promotion’s second-ever show on CBS will feature a rematch stemming from last month’s controversial EliteXC middleweight title match between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith. No other matches were announced for the show and there was no mention of a venue. With just five weeks until the event, the promotion will have to cram in order to get the card filled out and a venue secured so that tickets may go on-sale. As it stands, every fighter on the card will be fighting on short notice. Coming back so soon and on such short notice seems very ill-advised, but what CBS wants, CBS gets.

The time schedule for the July 26 telecast is less than ideal, but it looks like the promotion might be able to put something together. With Lawler vs. Smith anchoring the card, they could also have Antonio Silva, Jake Shields, and Shayna Bazler round out the CBS portion of the show.

Possible opponents for Silva include Brett Rogers and Roy Nelson, and the fight could be contested for a heavyweight title. Drew Fickett is competing in Canada in July so he’s not an option for Shields, but Paul Daley just might be, as could IFL welterweight champion Jay Hieron. As for Baszler, they could always match her up with Tonya Evinger, but putting Evinger on national television is a huge risk.

If they want to do something out of left field for the July show, they could go out and try to sign Jason “Mayhem” Miller to appear on the card now that he’s out of the DREAM middleweight Grand Prix. Miller could be a mega-star with network television exposure.

The undercard could also probably be put together quickly. I believe Mauro Ranallo mentioned that there will be a SHOWTIME telecast on July 26. It wouldn’t surprise me if they used the ShoXC lineup they had planned for June 27. If that is the case, we could get to see the likes of Hector Lombard and Cyrille Diabate in high-profile undercard fights.

Here’s a complete rundown of the fights that took place on Return of the King…

Rafael Feijao def. Wayne Cole via TKO at 2:47 of round one

Cole got out to a quick start but Feijao not only weathered the storm, he became the storm. Feijao just looks like a total beast and I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he’s going to be a future top ten lightweight. If last night was any indication, his elevation could happen sooner rather than later.

If you enjoy beatdowns, the ending sequence of the opener likely had you jumping out of your seat. The end was just nasty. Going in, I thought this had a chance to be a competitive fight, but Feijao made Cole look like he didn’t even belong on the show.

Dave Herman def. Ron Waterman via TKO at 2:19 of round one

Another strong performance by Herman, who is without question a star on the rise. His aggression during his fights is surprising because he comes across so carefree when speaking. He’s also someone that really isn’t even affiliated with a major camp and based on his post-fight interview with Bill Goldberg, it doesn’t sound like he has any immediate plans to changes things. In the long run, he’s going to have to because being self-trained isn’t going to cut it against top competition.

Murilo Rua def. Tony Bonello via TKO at 3:16 of round one

I was really looking forward to this fight because I had heard so much talk about Bonello over the last year. The problem was, a lot of the talk was from Bonello himself. He entered the fight with a 16-0-1 record and some buzz. But despite having 17 fights on his record, he was still a virtual unknown. I really wanted to know whether this guy was for real and after last night’s effort, it’s plain for the eye to see that he clearly isn’t. The only thing Bonello proved last night was that he was tough and can take a beating. For a man who claims to be a black belt jiu-jitsu, we saw absolutely no kind of back game from him. Surprisingly, it was Bonello who decided to be in such a position in the first place, after he made the ill-advised choice of jumping guard.

This was one of Ninja’s better performances, who has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career. But I really do not know where he goes next in EliteXC if Lawler is able to beat Smith in their rematch. I really don’t see an obvious need for Lawler vs. Ninja II, unless they feel that since they have so many new viewers from CBS that the majority of their audience isn’t even aware of their first fight.

Nick Diaz def. Muhsin Corbbrey via TKO at 3:59 of round three

I haven’t checked out comments yet, but I liked this fight. I get the feeling though that most people probably did not. Seeing Corbbrey’s head movement was unique because you just don’t see that skill often used in MMA. I thought he preformed well, given the circumstances.

I’m still not sure why Diaz was nine pounds over for this fight. I’m looking forward this week to making some calls and trying to find out exactly what happened. Yes, we know that both sides agreed to the catchweight before the weigh-ins, but “before” could mean many different things. Are we talking five minutes or five days before? I can understand Diaz not being able to make weight having just fought several weeks ago in DREAM. He stopped and started the dehydration/re-hydration process before leaving for Japan, and that can wreck havoc on someone’s body.

To have to come back down just several weeks later is a lot of stress to put on one’s body. I couldn’t imagine doing it. But the word is that Corbbrey at one point weighed 158 pounds before the weigh-ins. Unless he had advanced warning, the weight difference was not fair to Corbbrey. Not by a long shot. A lot of this nonsense regarding fighters not making weight could be avoided if EliteXC would just do away with its special weight classes and recognize the unified rules of MMA. If you look at Gina Carano, they made 140 for her and she can’t make it. In regards Diaz, I think he could have legitimate reasons for not making 160 lbs., but he’s planning on doing more fights at 170 lbs. in Japan and as such, what happened this week might not be an isolated incident if he ends up being as active as he’s intending to be.

I just don’t see any point to having special weight classes when the two people they were created for aren’t making the weight anyway. Carano at 145 is just a better fit for her and the only reason why 170 isn’t a good fit for Diaz right now in EliteXC is because his friend and teammate Jake Shields is the promotion’s top welterweight. But if EliteXC improves its depth at 170, having the two of them in the same division isn’t as big of an issue. Look at the UFC, which has AKA training partners Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Mike Swick all in the same division. Obviously, EliteXC is building towards a rematch between Diaz and K.J. Noons, but if Noons wins it, Diaz should go back to welterweight and the lightweight division should be re-classified from 160 lbs. to 155 lbs. This weight class stuff is becoming silly.

While the weight advantage Diaz had was something that could have been avoided, the reach advantage he had is something that would have been there regardless. Corbbrey just couldn’t handle the range and really was unwilling to pay the price necessary by trying to close the gap. When he did, he actually landed some decent shots. The problem is, as mentioned by one of the announcers, is that Corbbrey is a good combination puncher but just doesn’t throw power shots. So when Corbbrey came in, he could score points, but he couldn’t hurt Diaz.

Diaz got the finish but I really don’t know what this win does for him. The same question applies to the Katsuya Inoue fight in DREAM. The fight vs. Inoue was a mis-match and the fight we saw last night was a welterweight beating up a lightweight. I respect Diaz a lot as a fighter, but sorry, his two most recent wins don’t impress too much.

K.J. Noons def. Yves Edwards via TKO at :48 of round one

I know this isn’t pro wrestling and you can’t script a fight, but this was a letdown. I’m not blaming anyone; I’m simply saying that I expected a great fight and not one that would end so quickly and decisively.

Adam Morgan said that K.J. Noons just “might” be for real. Sorry folks, Noons is most definitely for real. His ground game is untested but his standup is strong. His problem is that it’s going to take him 2-3 more impressive wins before everyone believes that the loss in February of ’07 to Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett was a fluke. Noons is one of the best strikers in the world at lightweight. His utilization of body shots is especially impressive, as is the overall power he possesses in his fists.

The melee we were subjected to was ugly and unfortunate. Leave that crap for boxing. We don’t need it in MMA. If you have to resort to that nonsense to sell a fight, maybe the matchup isn’t that marketable? After seeing ProElite chairman Doug DeLuca get involved in breaking the post-fight altercation between Noons and Diaz up, I don’t believe for a second that the brawl itself was staged. However, having Diaz come into the cage after the fight most certainly was. What did everyone expect to happen? Surely they didn’t expect Diaz to come out and say “Nice fight, I look forward to the rematch” and then shake Noons’ hand and walk out. It was interesting to see that K.J. was the one of went after Diaz. Noons is a pretty laid back guy and Diaz really must know how to push his buttons. You can say it was unprofessional of him, but what would anyone with a backbone do if someone came in after their win and gave them the finger and called them scared in front of their father? I don’t blame Noons; I blame the promotion for creating such a situation. Such a walk-in can be a good idea, so long as you trust the fighters not to cross the line. The heat between Noons and Diaz is real.

MMA is still fighting for respect from the mainstream and last night’s little YouTube moment might help market the fight in the short-term, but it does nothing to sell the sport in the long-term. What makes this sport so great is that so many of the fighters possess a tremendous amount of class and professionalism. When I was in Newark, I saw Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler in the same restaurant just hours before their fight. They didn’t go up to each other and shake hands, but there was no ill will between either camp. You wouldn’t see something like that in boxing. But in MMA, it happens all the time and the novice fan doesn’t yet realize that. However, it will be hard to educate them if last night’s melee gets replayed over and over.

Photo by Tom Casino of EliteXC.

Photos courtesy of EliteXC’s TOM CASINO; Copyright 2008 EliteXC

Noons vs. Edwards

Diaz vs. Corbbrey

Ninja Rua vs. Bonello

Feijao vs Cole

Herman vs Waterman

Check out more EliteXC content on Five Ounces of Pain.

I’m not 100% sold on Noons being the real deal just yet but he is certainly making a case for himself with some high-profile victories. This win over Edwards was really jaw dropping and Noons showed the ability to take a hard shot, recover with power, and go for the kill when he smelled blood. There are things that we haven’t yet seen from Noons, though, and that’s his ability to deal with adversity in a fight as well as his ground game. Those are two big question marks that are still out there but overall he is coming along quite nicely. It was quite an impressive showing from the EliteXC lightweight champion and it seems that a rematch with Nick Diaz is the next thing in store for him as champion and I think it may be likely that we’ll see that fight on the July 26 CBS card considering the heat these two drew tonight.

Poor Yves Edwards.

He just can’t get over the hump. Whenever Edwards is poised to make that leap in his career, the one that will put him exactly where he wants to be and in a great position, he always seems to get knocked down. I really do feel for the guy. He trained his ass off for this fight and just got a little too aggressive when he thought he had Noons hurt. He certainly paid the price for it. I know there were a lot of people out there that wanted to see the Yves Edwards that knocked Josh Thomson flat on his ass but that was not meant to be. By no means do I think we’ve seen the last of Yves, but you can’t help but feel for the guy. MMA is a tough business and Yves is living proof of that.

Nick Diaz, at this point in his career, is mediocre.

Nick Diaz has settled for mediocrity, ladies and gentlemen. It’s never been more evident. He’s been mailing it in ever since he won the fight against Gomi. He outweighed Corbbrey tonight by probably twenty pounds or so and should have been able to put him away rather easily but took almost three full rounds to do so. He almost lost a decision to Mike Aina in his EliteXC debut. He was getting pounded by K.J. Noons before the fight was stopped due to cuts. The Nick Diaz of old, the aggressive, fearless Nick Diaz, is nowhere to be found. He looked poor tonight against an opponent that he is much better than, standing up or on the ground. Sure, he got the victory but it was one that he had to grind out. The Nick Diaz of old would have stopped Corbbrey in round one or two. Such is not the case anymore. If the same Nick Diaz that showed up tonight shows up against Mach Sakurai or in the rematch with Noons then I don’t give him a chance. It’s time for Nick Diaz to re-evaluate his strategies, his technique, and his overall game if he wants to take it to a championship level.

The Diaz brothers need to give it a rest.

The stunt that these two pulled after the Noons fight in the cage was completely out of line and uncalled for. I try so hard to like the Diaz brothers, I really do. But they prove to me on a regular basis that they’re classless assholes. Noons was trying to keep it respectful and Nick had to call him scared while Nate was flipping the bird to Noons’ father of all people and talking trash to him. Why not just have some respect, especially considering what Noons just did to one of the best lightweights in the world? The mini riot inside the cage, the trash talking, the bird flipping on the way to the back, it’s all tired. Act like a professional, make weight, and fight to the best of your ability. A little trash talking here and there is fine, but these two go way overboard and the scuffle inside the cage afterward was proof of that.

Dave Herman is a beast.

We profiled Dave Herman in our feature in Extreme Fighter Magazine as one of the better heavyweight prospects in the sport today and we feature him in our Prospects section of the website. I think this fight showed why we think so highly of him. He put the work on Ron Waterman tonight and showed a good ability to get up off his back with a strong wrestler with great top control on top of him. Not only that, he’s not afraid to mix things up with his strikes. He’s knowns as a wrestler but is proving to be much more diverse than just wrestling with the surprising high kick and striking arsenal. Ron Waterman has never been dominated like that before, not that quickly. Herman is on a path for great success in EliteXC as long as he continues to develop.

Tony Bonello got what he deserved.

If you talk that much trash during the staredown, you deserve the beatdown that’s coming. Murilo Rua hopefully taught Bonello a lesson this evening. I don’t even know what to call what Ninja ended up doing to Bonello. It was more than domination. There’s not even a word for it. He so thoroughly ripped through Bonello that it was actually quite humorous. You don’t give a world class fighter extra incentive to put a hurting on you during the staredown. That being said, Ninja looked on his game tonight. He should be about one fight away from getting another crack at the EliteXC middleweight title.

Rafael Feijao is the future of EliteXC’s light heavyweight division.

I think this was sort of the notion coming into the fight but he sealed the deal with an extremely decisive victory over Wayne Cole tonight. He looked to be in better shape than his last time out in EliteXC and the tutelage of the Nogueiras and Anderson Silva have certainly helped mold him into the prospect that he is today. I’m ready to see Feijao step up the ladder a bit and take on some of the better light heavyweights in EliteXC at this point. I know that division isn’t their strong suit, but a fight against someone like Po’ai Suganuma would be a good barometer for how far Feijao has come.

Main Card:

• K.J. Noons def. Yves Edwards via TKO at :48 of round one
• Nick Diaz def. Muhsin Corbbrey via TKO at 3:59 of round three
• Murilo Rua def. Tony Bonello via TKO at 3:16 of round one
• Dave Herman def. Ron Waterman via TKO at 2:19 of round one
• Rafael Feijao def. Wayne Cole via TKO at 2:47 of round one

Undercard:

• P.J. Dean and Dean Lista fought to a majority draw
• Mike Aina def. Kaleo Kwan via unanimous decision
• Mark Oshiro def. Chris Willems via submission (triangle choke) at 2:12 of round one
• Lolohea Mahe was scheduled to fight Chris Bernard in a heavyweight matchup but apparently Bernard pulled out of the fight 30 minutes beforehand with a “sickness.” Lolohea looked extremely disappointed.
• Bubba McDaniel def. Kala Kolohe via submission (rear naked choke) at :41 of round one.

Since Kala Kolohe is the reigning ICON middleweight champion, Bubba McDaniel was offered to come back to Hawaii to headline an ICON card and fight Kolohe for the title seeing as how this was a non-title fight. McDaniel strangely said that he did not want the shot and wanted to see the title around a Hawaiian’s waist. I have a strong feeling that his management will think otherwise.

Update: Apparently, EliteXC is now saying that catch-weight was agreed upon before weigh-ins. Anyway it should be a great night of fights.

Here are the official results:

Main Card:

Rafael Feijao – (205) vs. Wayne Cole – (204)
Dave “Pee Wee” Herman – (243 ½) vs. Ron Waterman – (263)
Murilo “Ninja” Rua – (184) vs. Tony Bonello – (185)
Nick Diaz – (169)** vs. Muhsin Corbbrey – (163 ½)

EliteXC Lightweight World Title Match:

KJ Noons – (160) vs. Yves Edwards – (158 ½)

Undercard (shown on ProElite.com after the Showtime Card):

Kepa Madeiros – (171 ½) vs. Carl Barton – (183)
Russell Doane – (135) vs. Dwayne Haney – (133 ½)
PJ Dean – (160 ½) vs. Dean Lista – (160)
Lolohea Mahe – (260) vs. Chris Barnard – (232 ½)
Kaleo Kwan – (160) vs. Mike Aina – (160)
Mark Oshiro – (140 ½) vs. Chris “Red Bull” Willems – (141 ½)
Kala Kolohe – (186)*** vs. Bubba McDaniel – (184 ½)

**Fight changed to catch-weight of 168 lbs.

***Not a Title Fight.

• Will Fedor and Syvlia fight for a title?
• The value of titles in MMA
• KJ Noons vs. Yves Edwards preview
• Who should get a lightweight title shot next: Eddie Alvarez or Nick Diaz?
• A look at DREAM 4
• HDNet’s coverage of DREAM and other MMA events
• What to expect from Adrenaline MMA

Listen to the interview HERE

EliteXC’s “Return of the King,” set to emanate from the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, features two talented strikers headlining the event with K.J. Noons defending his EliteXC lightweight title against the resurgent Yves Edwards. However, the card is also populated by more complete Mixed Martial Artists in comparison to the promotion’s previous show.

Instead of a striker-heavy lineup, “Return of the King” will offer some diversity, as it will feature Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt Nick Diaz taking on former Lloyd Irvin student Muhsin Corbbrey. Additionally, we’ll also see a battle of two former standout collegiate wrestlers in veteran Ron Waterman taking on up and coming heavyweight Dave Herman.

The solid, but unspectacular lineup will also feature bouts between light heavyweight prospect Rafael Feijao taking on former Division II All-American wrestler Wayne Cole as well as the return of former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua going against the mysterious Tony Bonello.

Here’s a full preview of this weekend’s show with predictions.

K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards for the EliteXC lightweight title:

This could be a fight of the year candidate. Edwards is clearly the better ground fighter but Noons displayed an excellent sprawl during his title win last November at “Renegade.” Edwards, no stranger to the standup game, is likely to indulge Noons on the feet initially.

Noons, who has trained boxing and kickboxing since he was a youth, is an underrated fighter looking for respect. In spite of his champion status, he’s nowhere near the top ten lightweights of most pundits. An impressive showing here would prove that his strong effort vs. Nick Diaz to win the title was not a fluke and that he’s simply a younger fighter starting to come into his own.

After losing five of six fights at one point, Edwards is now on a three fight winning streak and looking to regain his former status as one of the world’s best in his weight class. While he’s defeated some decent fighters during his current streak, none of his opponents can be considered top fighters. Winning against Nick Gonzalez in a low-pressure situation during the “Renegade” undercard is one thing, but taking out a fighter whose standup is as sharp as Noons’ in a main event match is something entirely different.

As strong as Edwards’ standup is, I’m not so sure it’s good enough to beat Noons. The question that needs to be answered is if Edwards begins to lose the standup portion of the fight, will he be able to impose his will and test Noons’ unproven jiu-jitsu? Based on Noons’ takedown defense vs. Diaz, I am not so sure and as such, I am picking Noons to retain his title via fourth round TKO.

Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey:

Many pundits view this fight as nothing more than a layup for Diaz, but I see this fight differently. In mainstream sports there is something known as a “trap” game, which is when a team is coming off a big game and has another big game on the horizon but first must face a lesser team. Diaz has his eyes on a rematch with K.J. Noons but he better not overlook Corbbrey.

Corbbrey is an underrated fighter with tremendous technical ability. He’s also not on Diaz’s level. However, he’s still very dangerous and Diaz is notorious for fighting to the level of his competition. While he destroyed Katsuya Inoue several weeks ago at DREAM.3, Diaz is still the same fighter who narrowly escaped defeat when he fought in Hawaii last September against Mike Aina. He’s also the same fighter who was absolutely picked a part by Noons last November at “Renegade.”

Corrbrey is a well-rounded fighter with both a competitive grappling and a pure striking (pro boxing and Muay Thai) background. The problem is that he’s notorious for being a slow starter and there are still questions that need to be answered about his transition game. A striking and grappling background isn’t enough, a fighter in MMA must possess the ability to take a fighter from the feet to the ground and vice versa in order to utilize their well-rounded skills.

But the transition element is also something that at times has alluded Diaz as well. In spite of being a Cesar Gracie black belt, he has a penchant for engaging in wild brawls during his fights. There are times where he has either neglected to attempt to take a fight to the ground when he was losing a standup exchange or was unsuccessful in his attempt to change the nature of the fight. Diaz is able to take opponents down via a bodylock and a subsequent trip takedown, but his leg takedowns are nothing to write home about.

But will Diaz need to take the fight to the ground? As mentioned earlier, Corbbrey is a slow starter and is also more of a counter fighter. Diaz can be very aggressive at times and if he imposes his will from the outset and Corbbrey does not get off fast, then Corbbrey could potentially absorb a lot of damage.

Their styles are similar yet their mentalities are total opposites. Diaz vs. Corbbrey is a very interesting matchup that is either going to prove to be an exceptional fight or one that puts people to sleep. It’s also one that presents the potential for an upset because of Corbbrey’s strong technical ability in the standup and on the ground. That being said, I still believe the pick here is Diaz via unanimous decision.

Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman:

There will be a 19-year age difference when the 23-year old Herman and 42-year old Waterman square off on Saturday night. Waterman, a veteran of the UFC and PRIDE, is in this spot as the promotion looks to gauge exactly what they have in Herman.

Herman, a standout wrestler at the University of Indiana-Bloomington, has built up a perfect 10-0 record against unproven opponents. He turned a lot of heads during EliteXC’s “Street Certified” event in February against American Top Team heavyweight Mario Rinaldi, but there were those who weren’t all that impressed with Rinaldi’s effort.

Rinaldi, who also has a collegiate wrestling background, refused to engage with Herman in the standup and repeatedly attempted takedowns that went nowhere. During the fight, Herman rejected the takedowns and would often trap Rinaldi in a Thai clinch from which he delivered some very nasty knees. Rinaldi was spent by the time the fight was stopped in the third round, but Herman also looked pretty gassed as well.

In spite of his wrestling credentials, I would expect the rangy Herman to try and keep the fight standing again this weekend. The problem is that while Waterman is not a technical striker, he possesses heavy hands and has knocked out several opponents with his big right cross. Herman is clearly the favorite in this bout but he must avoid Waterman’s right, otherwise, his undefeated record will cease to be.

Assuming Herman doesn’t have to feel the power of Waterman’s right hand, I believe he will improve to 11-0 with a second round TKO.

Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Tony Bonello:

Bonello, 16-0-1, is an International man of mystery. Born in Malta, Bonello spent his formulate years in Australia, but according to him, he’s spent significant time training in Holland, Brazil, and Thailand as well as a host of other countries.

Bonello, who claims he earned his jiu-jitsu black belt in Brazil, is a virtual unknown to the mainstream American audience. He built up an impressive record competing primarily for King of the Cage’s Australian franchise, but various rumblings exist that many of his bouts were worked.

When speaking with industry insiders about Bonello, the reviews are mixed. There are those that swear by his fighting ability and there are those who have branded him a complete fraud. On the eve of his highest-profile bout against the strongest competitor he’s ever faced, we’re about to find out who the real Tony Bonello is.

Despite his ground skills, don’t be surprised if Bonello looks to engage Rua in the standup game. Now living in Las Vegas, Bonello is training out of legendary Muay Thai trainer Master Toddy’s gym. These two fighters could mesh very well together, as Rua, a former product of the famed Chute Boxe Academy in Curatiba, Brazil, has decent jiu-jitsu but is more known for his dynamic striking ability.

While Rua is the more proven commodity, he is not without his questions. Fighting infrequently due to multiple injuries, it’s hard to forget his title loss to Robbie Lawler the last time EliteXC held a show in Hawaii. During last September’s “Uprising” event, Rua gassed early and was broken by Lawler. He needs to be in shape for this fight because if nothing else, Bonello is tough.

I really do not know what to expect from this fight. We could see Rua TKO Bonello inside of a minute or we could see Bonello pull off a huge upset and become an overnight sensation. He’s just that kind of fighter. But as I normally do, I will play the percentages and pick Rua to win via unanimous decision.

Rafael Feijao vs. Wayne Cole:

This will be a battle of former IFL heavyweights now competing at light heavyweight in EliteXC. Both Feijao and Cole are the front-runners in what has to be viewed as EliteXC’s thinnest weight class. However, the promotion believes it has a potential light heavyweight cornerstone in Feijao, who was originally discovered in Brazil by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. To this day, Feijao continues to train jiu-jitsu with the current UFC interim heavyweight champion but he also now works on his striking with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. When it comes to pedigree, Feijao is best in breed.

While he has many strengths, one concern about Feijao is his tendency to come out overly-aggressive. In watching him, he reminds me a great deal of Wanderlei Silva. As tremendous as Silva is, his relentless nature is not always a virtue. Feijao is a powerful striker but does over-commit at times and does strike from a low arm slot that leaves his face open. That’s not good considering Cole, who despite having been a Division II All-American in wrestling at Central Oklahoma in 1992, loves to throw down.

This is one of those fights that could go either way and it could go the way of Cole if Feijao becomes over-zealous and does not protect his chin. I still see Feijao as the superior fighter and am picking him to win via second round TKO.

Here’s the latest on the EXC: Return of the King event:
Main Card

• KJ Noons vs. Yves Edwards (EXC Lightweight Title)
• Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey
• Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Tony Bonello
• Dave “Pee Wee” Herman vs. Ron “H2O” Waterman
• Rafael Feijao vs. Wayne Cole

Undercard (televised on ProElite.com after the SHOWTIME telecast)

• P.J. Dean vs. Dean Lista
• Mike Aina vs. Kaleo Kwan
• Mark Oshiro vs. Chris Willems
• Chris Bernhard vs. Lolohea Mahe
• Kala Kolohe Hose vs. Bubba McDaniel
  

Check out more EliteXC event content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

EliteXC: Return of the King is featuring some pretty bangin’ fights like Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey, heavyweight prospect Dave Herman taking on Ron Waterman, Rafael Feijao clashing with Wayne Cole, and of course the title fight between K.J. Noons and Yves Edwards. Oh, and don’t forget Kala Kolohe is fighting on the undercard as well so there should be some pretty damn good fights on this card. Here’s a little preview to whet your appetite.

“But I don’t dodge anybody. As a champion, you can’t duck anyone. You only have one option. You fight the best. Whoever that is, that’s who I fight. Unfortunately, Nick’s not the best now. I have to fight the top guy as the champion. Right now that guy is Yves Edwards.

“Of course, it would be great to fight Nick in the future. It would be a great payday for me. (But) Nick is such a big crybaby. Let him rebuild himself and then we’ll fight again. I’d love an easy payday.

“It’s ridiculous what Diaz’ camp was saying. Why would they think I’m dodging him? I gave him plastic surgery on his face. That’s a fact. As long as he can get a doctor’s note, (I’m all for) round two.’’

And of course, Nick Diaz fires back:

“Noons is a little (expletive) and it doesn’t even matter what I am thinking about him because we are not fighting. Noons won on a cut. He is only a paper champion. His days are numbered.’’

Diaz is correct. Noons did win on a cut. But let’s not forget that Noons was completely outclassing him during the course of the fight. He beat Diaz up on the feet, stuffed all of Diaz’s telegraphed and sloppy takedowns and didn’t allow him any room to breathe. For Diaz to call Noons a paper champion is stepping over the line because even though the fight was stopped on a cut it was a completely legitimate stoppage and it wasn’t like Diaz was ahead on anyone’s scorecard. He was on his way to losing the figh and losing badly.