Last night at the “Wargods: Valentine’s Eve Massacre“ card two of MMA’s biggest names from the 90’s ended their losing streaks.

The event which was held at the Selland Arena in Fresno California was marred by last minute changes to the card and some questionable judging.

Ken Shamrock and David “Tank” Abbott two fighters who are well past their prime both won their bouts in convincing fashion.

Shamrock who was riding a five fight losing streak that dates back to 2004 took on the massive Ross Clifton in the night’s main event. Clifton who was sporting an unimpressive 6-9 record weighed in at over 350 lbs.

Shamrock put any questions on who the better man was to rest right away. He dropped Clifton with a right hand early on in the first round. Shamrock took advantage of Clifton’s less than stellar ground work and unleashed some punches and elbows before securing an armbar which caused Clifton to tap out.

Immediately following the victory Shamrock laid out a challenge to Abbott who earlier in the night ended his own four fight losing streak against Mike “The Rhino” Bourke (8-12-1). The pair winded almost immediately and wound in the clinch. Abbott landed two punches to what appeared to catch Bourke on the back of the head. Bourke fell to the canvas and no fouls were called ending the fight essentially before it started.

Abbott is now 10-14 has won only 2 of his past 10 fights while Bourke is an equally unimpressive 1-8 in his past nine fights.

It looks like we will be subject to a Abbott-Shamrock bout sometime in April which Shamrock said would be his last.

Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, Tonya Evinger, and Kyacey Uscola were among the fighters who had their bouts scratched at the last minute. By the time it was all said and done only 8 of the 12 bouts originally announced had taken place.

Official Results:

• Ken Shamrock def. Ross Clifton via submission (arm bar) — Round 1
• Mike Moreno def. Gary Padilla via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• David “Tank” Abbott def. Mike Bourke via knockout (punches) — Round 1
• Rick Reeves def. Nathan James via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 3
• Isaac De Jesus def. Ashe Bowman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Josh Haynes def. Refael Del Real via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
• Zolia Frausto def. Karina Hallinan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ron Kessler def. Darren Freeman via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)
  

While EliteXC did not have a roster as deep in talent as its primary competitor, the UFC, the promotion was not without its share fair of good fighters. Some might say that EliteXC suffered from a lack of stars, but one could also counter that the company failed in being able to generate more interest in many of its talented fighters.

With the promotion set to formally file for bankruptcy later this week, it means that a great deal of fighters contracted to EliteXC are about to become unemployed. However, a lot of those fighters will not remain unemployed for long, as they will draw a great deal of interest from other fight promotions.

With that in mind, I decided to formulate a list of the promotion’s top fighters and break down who I think will end up where and why.

Kimbo Slice - This is a real tricky one. First, you can completely rule out the UFC. Let’s say UFC President Dana White was merely posturing with all of his recent anti-Kimbo statements, it still means he’s boxed himself into a corner. If he were to sign Slice now, he would take a ton of flack for it. But I believe he was sincere in his remarks and that there is no way we’d see Slice in the UFC. Maybe White actually would consider extending an invite for Slice to compete on The Ultimate Fighter, but season nine will not involve heavyweights and Slice may not want to sit on the sidelines until season ten. Oh yeah, there’s also the fact that there’s ZERO CHANCE he will compete for free on a reality television show. He’d probably do a YouTube street fighting reunion tour before he’d fight for free.

The options left for him really aren’t all that appealing. Slice could be an even bigger star in Japan than he is in the U.S. DREAM wants to do something big for its “Dynamite!!” show with K-1 on New Year’s Eve and Slice could be the next Bob Sapp. Sengoku is also apparently looking to make a splash for its live network show in Japan on Jan. 4 and they might have interest as well. But how viable of an MMA market is Japan right now?

Before competing for EliteXC, Slice fought an exhibition fight against former boxing champion Ray Mercer in Atlantic City for the now-defunct Cage Fury Fighting Championships. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Slice takes a step backward so he can take a step forward. If an up and coming promotion wants to make a splash, they could do so with Slice — so long as they are willing to show the money.

Also, don’t rule out Shane McMahon going to father Vince and trying to convince him that a Slice crossover to pro wrestling could be huge. Even if Slice has no interest in doing pro wrestling long-term, he’d have to think twice about a $1.5 million-to-$2 million payday for being involved in a short-term, high-profile feud that would culminate at Wrestlemania.

Affliction can’t be ruled out but matching him up would be very tough in a heavyweight division that includes Fedor, Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell, Roy Nelson, Pedro Rizzo, and Pau Buentello. Slice vs. any of those fighters would do well at the box office, but he’d be nothing more than a short-term fix. I don’t think his management will want to enter into a situation where Slice is viewed as disposable.

One thing that I would throw out of left field is for M-1 and whatever channel picks up Fighting Fedor to pay Slice to be one of the cast members of the forthcoming reality show. Paying a fighter to appear on a reality show probably has never been done, but attaching Slice’s name to the project might make it an easier sell to bigger television platforms. As of now, the star of the vehicle, Fedor, is largely unknown to the American mainstream. In Slice, they’d have a pretty recognizable co-star. They could hold Slice out until episode eight and match him with a total tomato can to ensure he remains on the show for an optimum amount of time.

Gina Carano - I read an article where a writer said “Poor Gina Carano.” Poor Gina? I don’t think so. The reality is that Carano was grossly underpaid and by becoming an unrestricted free agent, she’ll have much more leverage when negotiating a new contract. Affliction has said it has no immediate plans to promote a female fight. However, Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio is a big fan of Carano’s and Affliction has a female-clothing brand “Sinful” that it would like to grow. What better way than to do it with Carano?

Before competing for EliteXC, Carano fought for Strikeforce, which still promotes female fights. I know that Strikeforce officials were none too happy with Carano when she left for EliteXC but the promotion needs more nationally-recognizable drawing cards. Carano’s quarter-hour ratings during her two CBS appearances clearly demonstrate she’s a national star. Strikeforce owner/promoter Scott Coker is a smart businessman and he’s not going to cut off his nose to spite his face. I don’t know for a fact, but I’d be willing to wager a lot of money that they’ll look at signing Carano.

And if CBS and SHOWTIME start their own promotion, Carano could be at the top of their list.

Frank Shamrock - What if ProElite and EliteXC had taken Frank Shamrock up on his offer to fight Kimbo as a replacement for his brother Ken? Granted, Kimbo’s camp ruled it out, but they also initially said they weren’t going to fight anyone other than Ken Shamrock the night of Oct. 4 until it became a financial no-brainer. What if they had offered an additional $250,000-300,000 to make Slice vs. Frank Shamrock happen? Sure, that’s a lot of additional money, but Shamrock beating Kimbo wouldn’t have looked as bad as Seth Petruzelli beating Kimbo and you know Shamrock wouldn’t have made the mistake of letting everyone it was in his financial best interest not to take the fight to the ground (which is not something we support, but loose lips sunk EliteXC’s ship). If Frank Shamrock had fought Kimbo, EliteXC would still be in business. Shamrock owed two more fights to EliteXC and now is only contracted for one more fight with Strikeforce. You’ll never see Shamrock in the UFC again but I don’t think he’s done competing. Shamrock is unique in that he doesn’t need a promotion behind him in order to survive. He’ll likely freelance and take fights next year vs. Ken Shamrock, Cung Le, and Tito Ortiz and make anywhere from $6-10 million doing so. Much like Carano, Shamrock will do just fine following EliteXC’s collapse.

Jake Shields - I’d be surprised if he wasn’t signed by the UFC by week’s end. I am dead serious. This is as about as big of a no-brainer as there is on this list. Shields will likely have to take a cut in pay, but his only other options are Strikeforce and Affliction. But long-term, it makes sense Shields to try and create leverage for himself towards a second UFC contract. His second deal will be far more lucrative than his first once he gets wins over some of the best in the world at 170 pounds. Now is the time to go after Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Thiago Alves while he’s still in his athletic prime. The only other option is to keep feasting on b-level competition in second-tier promotions due to the UFC’s monopoly at welterweight. Shields is a true athlete and I think he’ll take the cut in pay just for the opportunity to compete in the Octagon.

Robbie Lawler – Lawler is not the lock to go to the UFC that some people think he is. He is managed by Monte Cox and Cox is pretty creative when it comes to finding multiple opportunities for his fighters. He’s not going to allow his client to be put in a situation where the only company he can negotiate with is the UFC. Let’s remember, Lawler was not with EliteXC from day one and despite showing significant improvement competing for ICON Sport, the UFC still didn’t make a strong attempt to bring him back. Anderson Silva vs. Lawler in an unofficial UFC middleweight champion vs. EliteXC middleweight champion bout is intriguing, but far from likely. It would not surprise me to see Lawler competing for Affliction.

Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante - Feijao is managed by Ed Soares, the same manager for Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. Feijao not only trains under Silva, but also interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He’s completely destroyed his competition since moving to light heavyweight. The UFC is without question the odds-on favorite to be Feijao’s new home. It’s just a question of both sides agreeing on the money. If Feijao is unwilling to take a slight cut in pay, things could get tricky. But I see Feijao taking a step back for a three-fight deal so that he can improve his negotiation leverage following a couple of wins over name opponents.

Antonio Silva - Normally he’d be a no-brainer to go to the UFC but normal circumstances no longer apply to Silva. UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva has already been quoted in the past as having an interest in Silva. However, he remains under suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commision. He will get his day in front of the commission by month’s end and in the unlikely event that the suspension is completely overturned, Silva will be able to advance directly to the UFC and collect much more than $200. If the suspension is upheld and he’s out for the year, he might have to fight a few times outside of the UFC before he receives an offer. However, if it’s reduced to six months, he’ll still likely receive an offer as he’ll only have three months left on the suspension to serve.

Eddie Alvarez - If B.J. Penn defeats George St. Pierre on Jan. 31 for the UFC welterweight title, chances are you won’t see him back in the UFC lightweight division. Without Penn at 155 pounds, the division will lack a big-time draw. While Alvarez is not yet a drawing card in the States, he has all the tools needed to be one of the cornerstones of the UFC’s lightweight division. However, Alvarez is managed by Monte Cox so Zuffa will not be able to get him on the cheap. Even if DREAM folds, parent company FEG is still expected to promote MMA matches on its K-1 shows. Alvarez created a lot of momentum for himself during DREAM’s lightweight Grand Prix and apparently loves competing in Japan. K-1 will reduce the number of MMA fighters it has under contract, but Alvarez is definitely worth keeping around. He also has a contract with Adrenaline MMA and Cox could certainly explore other opportunities for Alvarez in the States. As much as I would love to see him in the UFC, I believe that you’ll see him compete 3-4 times a year in Japan and 1-2 times a year in the U.S. for a promotion such as Affliction or Strikeforce.

Another option to consider is Philadelphia. With MMA having failed so many times as a national business-model, we’re going to see a shift towards regional-based promotions. A lot of people talk about the Strikeforce model but they are successful because they have hometown heros in Cung Le and Frank Shamrock. Well, Alvarez could easily be the Le and Shamrock of Philadelphia. MMA is technically legal in PA but shows aren’t taking place because the rules haven’t been voted on by the House of the Senate yet. As of now, it’s possible the first MMA show in Philly could take place in early-2009 and if that’s the case, a local promotion could build a cottage industry around Alvarez.

Nick Diaz - Personally, I’d love to see Diaz in the WEC so we could see Carlos Condit pushed, but I just don’t see that happening. Diaz is good enough to compete for the UFC at welterweight. However, one Diaz brother might be enough for Zuffa. Considering they were so down on Nick Diaz that they let him walk after he won a UFC fight tells us all we need to know. Zuffa is likely out, and so is Japan, unless Sengoku makes a bid because Diaz has already competed for DREAM and is believed to be owed a significant amount of money. If I was a betting man, I say he ends up competing for Affliction. I think Diaz’s persona will mesh well with a brand that is trying to market edgy clothing.

Wilson Reis - There’s a lot of negative things that can be said about EliteXC, but not everything they did was bad. They missed out on some talent but also brought a lot of new fighters to the forefront such as Feijao, Dave Herman, Brett Rogers, Fabricio Camoes, and of course, Wilson Reis. Reis has exploded from a highly-regarded prospect on the Philly and Jersey MMA scene to a highly-regarded featherweight competitor on the national scene in just little over a year. He’s gained a lot of momentum in a short amount of time but the best is still yet come from the 23-year old jiu-jitsu black belt. Is he ready for Urijah Faber? Not yet, but give him 12-16 months and he will be. And while he’s not ready for Faber, he’s most definitely ready for the WEC’s 145 lbs. division and I believe he’ll end up there sooner rather than later.

Joey Villasenor - I actually believe we will see Villasenor end up in the UFC some point within the next 6-to-8 months. He has the Greg Jackson association and the UFC went after a lot of secondary guys that were on the IFL roster because they were good fighters who could be acquired at an affordable price. I see the UFC finding itself in a situation in the next six months where they need a late-replacement for a PPV fight at 185 and for them to turn to Villasenor.

Murilo “Ninja” Rua - Rua is coming off a loss and the UFC rarely signs fighters in those situations. He also will likely command more money than the UFC is willing to pay. I see Strikeforce as a great option because they aren’t averse to spending money on International talent and he would be an interesting opponent for Cung Le.

Scott Smith - Smith may not have the best record in the world but he’s a great television fighter and has gained a lot of exposure thanks to a stint during the fourth season of TUF, his highlight-reel knockout over Pete Sell during the show’s live finale, and his two CBS appearances against Lawler. The UFC likely will take a pass but Affliction and Strikeforce should both make a play for Smith. Strikeforce likes fighters with California ties because it promotes so many shows in its home base of San Jose, so it appears to be a great fit for Smith.

Paul Daley - I think he’s another lock for the UFC. The UFC wants more starpower in the UK and Daley has the potential to be every bit as big as Michael Bisping, thanks to his outspoken nature and exciting fighting style. With Bisping, Dan Hardy, and Daley all onboard, the UFC would have a nice trio of UK-based fighters to spearhead their European aspirations.

K.J. Noons - The argument as to whether Noons is free to leave EliteXC with two fights left on his contract is a moot point. He can now go wherever he wants. The WEC’s lightweight division is the best place for Noons but Zuffa won’t be an option as long as he is represented by Mark Dion, who is believed to be involved in litigation against the company as a result of the whole Brandon Vera situation. Sengoku is a possibility but I think Noons would also be an ideal fit for either Affliction or Strikeforce.

Dave Herman - Herman is quite the enigma but he’s 11-0 as a fighter with a solid wrestling pedigree. When I saw him compete live for the first time against Mario Rinaldi on the Feb. 16 undercard for “Street Certified,” I thought to myself “How did the UFC not get this guy?” He’s competed twice for EliteXC since the Rinaldi fight and has been totally dominant. He is young and athletic with the potential to be a star and the UFC should sign him immediately.

Brett Rogers - Rogers is another fighter I am surprised EliteXC beat the UFC to the punch on. As with Herman, the UFC should sign Rogers for its heavyweight division because you can never have too many undefeated heavyweight prospects on your roster. A future heavyweight division of Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Herman, and Rogers would look pretty nice. But whether or not Herman and Rogers sign with the UFC will come down to money. Being that they don’t have any wins over top fighters, the UFC may feel like they are unproven and that they should signed to entry-level contracts. Meanwhile, their management might see them as undefeated fighters who have received national exposure via CBS and SHOWTIME. It behooves the UFC to lock them up but I could see them falling through the cracks and ending up with Affliction.

Benji Radach - Radach has a crowd-pleasing style and is 6-1 since ending a three-year hiatus from the sport. The UFC told him he needed to win a fight outside of the organization to garner an offer, and he not only got a victory, but he got it on national television. The thing is, he made at least $40,000 for his last EliteXC fight and with a virtual monoply on the industry, I don’t see the UFC coming close to offering him that. Affliction and Strikeforce are likely his best options.

Cris Cyborg - Whevere Gina Carano goes, Cyborg, and all of EliteXC’s division should follow. Then again, if I had millions of dollars to invest, I’d look at the possibility of going out and signing Carano, Cyborg, Tara LaRosa, Sarah Kaufman, Kaitlin Young, Julie Kedzie, Shayna Baszler, Tonya Evinger, Marloes Coenen, Amanda Buckner, Roxanne Modaferri, Rosi Sexton, Michelle Watterson, Elena Reid and do an all-female promotion with divisions at 115, 125, 135, and 145. Female-only promotions have been done before and failed but one has never been done with all of the top females competing under the same promotional banner. I think there’s a business-opportunity there for someone to capitalize on.

Yves Edwards - Edwards is already scheduled to compete for Strikeforce later this month against the promotion’s current lightweight champion, Josh Thomson. Edwards has beat him once before so a win isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. If Edwards holds the Strikeforce lightweight title, the promotion will probably be able to keep him very active. A loss could mean that he’ll need to return to the regional circuit to fill out his dance card.

These are just some of the more notable names. But much like with the IFL and BodogFIGHT, I didn’t realize just how good of a roster of talent EliteXC had until it was gone. So much like the IFL and BodogFIGHT, EliteXC was guilty of not being able to properly market its fighters and bulld more stars. There’s a whole list of talented fighters that we will see end up competing on the regional level with quite a few of them only needing a win or two before getting another shot with a major national promotion. The names are many and include Fabricio Camoes, Phil Baroni, Nick Thompson, Hector Lombard, Bao Quach, Cyrille Diabate, John Alessio, Jon Murphy, Conor Heun, Edson Berto, Giva Santana, Seth Petruzelli, Matt Makowski, Mamed Khalidov, Shane Del Rosario, Jared Hamman, Po’ai Suganuma, Aaron Rosa, Lyman Good, Paul Bradley, Torrance Taylor, Malaipet, David Douglas, Bryan Caraway, Abel Cullum, Zach Makovsky, Thomas Denny, and Jesse Brock.

This Saturday, October 4, EliteXC’s latest installment of CBS Saturday Night Fights will emanate from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. Headlining the card is a bout between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock as well as several great undercard fights including a female bout between the face of women’s MMA, Gina Carano, and the woman who wants to mess up that face, Kelly Kobold. And we’re here to provide you with a breakdown of that very fight.

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.

Normally we post the official weigh-in pics provided to us to EliteXC, however Esther Lin over at CombatLifestyle has a much more interesting collection.

Nick Thompson’s bare ass, Tonya Evinger getting violated by a Gina Carano cutout, and the Diaz bros Stockton 209 crew… it looks like good times were had by all yesterday in Stockton, CA.

Read more

Last night’s EliteXC “Return of the King” proved to be the “Return of the quick, one-sided fight card.”

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.

Read more

A female MMA bout between Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young is expected to be added to the card for EliteXC’s first show on CBS, FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) has learned exclusively through sources.

EliteXC’s debut show on CBS is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Carano, 5-0, last competed on September 15 during EliteXC: Uprising in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she recorded the first submission victory of her career when she tapped out Tonya Evinger with a rear naked choke at just 2:53 of round 1. She has undergone an extended layoff from fighting due in large part to her involvement in NBC’s hit television show “American Gladiators.”

She will have her work cut out for her in her return bout aginst Young, who made national headlines after winning an eight-woman, single night tournament last November during a HOOKnSHOOT that was sponsored by BodogFIGHT. Young won each of her fights in dominant fashion, recording three first round knockouts inside of one minute.

Young last competed on February 1 on the undercard of a BodogFIGHT sponsored show that was headlined by Nick Thompson vs. John Troyer. She suffered the first professional loss of her career after submitting to Sara Schneider due to armbar at 0:35 of round 2.

EliteXC’s first show on CBS will be headlined by Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. an unnamed opponent. Other bouts scheduled include EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith; Phil Baroni vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua; and a swing bout featuring heavyweight prospects Jon Murphy vs. Brett Rogers.

Kaitlin Young is the latest fighter to be added to EliteXC’s female division, a source close to the promotion has informed ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com).

No decision has been made as to when she’ll make her EliteXC debut. She joins a women’s division in EliteXC that includes Gina Carano, Shayna Baszler, Tonya Evinger, and Julie Kedzie.

Young, who trains in Minnesota out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, is 4-0. She will look to improve her record to 5-0 this Friday in Las Vegas when she fights Sara Schneider (1-0) for the Tuff ‘N Uff promotion on a card sponsored by BodogFIGHT.

There’s no word whether Friday’s fight will be the final bout on her Bodog contract or if she’ll compete for both promotions.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

When: Jan 25 ‘08
Where: Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal

Main Card
• Eddie Alvarez def. Ross Ebanez via KO Rd 2.
• Paul “Semtex” Daley def. Sam Morgan via KO Rd 1.
• Tonya Evinger def. Julie Kedzie via Submission Rd 1.
• Bao Quach def. Bobby McMaster via Unanimous Decision.
• Kala Kolohe Hose def. Fred Belleton via KO Rd 1.

Undercard

• Wilson Reis def. Zach Makovsky via Submission (side choke) Rd 2.
• James “Binky’’ Jones def. Mark Getto via Submission (kimura) Rd 1.
• Brett Linebarger def. Sergio Vinagre via KO Rd 3.
• Matt Makowski def. Joe Shilling via Submission (choke) Rd 1.
• Charlie Brennemen def. Drew Puzon via Split Decision.

The next EliteXC fight card on SHOWTIME is Saturday, Feb. 16, at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami. In a long-awaited grudge fight, Kimbo Slice will take on David “Tank’’ Abbott in the main event.

Click for more ShoXC content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

What: ShoXC
When: Jan 25 ‘08
Where: Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal
Watch: Showtime

Here’s the latest on the ShoXC card:

Main Card
• Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez
• Tonya Evinger vs. Julie Kedzie
• Sam Morgan vs. Paul Daley
• Ross “Kala Kolohe” Hose vs. Frederic Belleton
• Bobby McMaster vs. Bao Quach

Undercard

• Zach Makovsky vs. Wilson Reis (140 lbs)
• James “Binky” Jones vs. Mark Getto (150 lbs)
• Sergio Vinagre vs. Brett Linebarger (170 lbs)
• Matt Makowski vs. Joe Shilling (170 lbs)
• Doug Gordon vs. ??? (170 lbs)

Check out more ShoXC content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

In an official press release sent out Tuesday afternoon to formally announce the signing of former BodogFIGHT champion Eddie Alvarez, EliteXC also confirmed that Sam Morgan, season two veteran of The Ultimate Fighter, will fight Paul Daley in a co-feature bout to be televised on Showtime during the next ShoXC telecast scheduled for January 25 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Alvarez’s opponent was confirmed as Hawaiian Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez, who last competed for EliteXC during the promotion’s first-ever card last February in Southaven, Miss. Ebanez lost to Mike Pyle due to a rear naked choke in the first round but is undefeated in his three fights since then (two wins and one no contest).

Other televised matches include a female match between Tonya Evinger and Julie Kedzie; a middleweight match between Ross “Kala Kolohe” Hose and French-Savate expert Frederic Belleton; and a fight between Bobby McMaster and Bao Quach that will be contested at 150 lbs.

The non-televised undercard includes scheduled bouts between Zach Makovsky vs. Wilson Reis (140 lbs.); James “Binky” Jones vs. Mark Getto (150 lbs.); Sergio Vinagre vs. Brett Linebarger (170 lbs.); Matt Makowski vs. Joe Shilling (170 lbs.); and Doug Gordon vs. TBD (170 lbs.).

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS BLOG, INCLUDING A MINI-BREAKDOWN OF THE CARD, ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

EliteXC officially announced on Friday morning a story that we had reported on earlier; that their next event is slated for Saturday, February 16 at the BankUnited Center on the campus of the University of Miami.

In addition to confirming a reported main event between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Tank Abbott, EliteXC announced the addition of female fighter Gina Carano to the card.

Carano last fought on Sept. 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii, recording a first-round submission over Tonya Evinger.

Carano’s opponent for Feb. 16 has not been announced.

The latest edition of Inside the Cage Radio is now available! Joining Matt Cava and I this week were Kenny Florian, Ricco Rodriguez, and Joe Riggs.

[display_podcast]

OR you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser:

http://mmatakedown.net/MMA_Audio/Inside_the_Cage_Radio_9.22.07.mp3

Here’s a rundown of this must-listen show…

Segment One – EliteXC’s female MMA controversy:

Sam and Matt share their thoughts about the fallout from the Gina Carano vs. Tony Evinger match at last Saturday’s EliteXC “Uprising” from Tonya Evinger’s pre-fight comments, Mauro Ranallo’s in-fight comments, and Gina Carano’s post-fight comments and her weight cutting issues. The show takes a unique turn when Sam’s wife joins the show to give a female fighter’s perspective.

Segment Two – UFC lightweight fighter Kenny “The Finisher” Florian:

Kenny breaks down his victory over Din Thomas from UFN 11 this past Wednesday night and discusses how he scouted Thomas; Florian addresses whether he’d be ready for a hypothetical lightweight title fight in November and indicates when he plans to fight again; he reveals when a match between B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson might take place; he reveals who Roger Huerta’s next opponent could be; Florian also broke down specific fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division and discussed who he considers the top lightweight fighters outside of the UFC (and he had some interesting things to say about Takanori Gomi).

Segment Three – Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez:

Ricco comes out firing right out of the gate. He reveals he not only took a fight with Ben Rothwell at the IFL finals on short notice but that he had just gotten out of rehab shortly before the bout; he addresses the controversy surrounding the match with Rothwell head on and pulls no punches; Ricco clarifies his contract statuses with both the IFL and EliteXC; indicates his plans for what weight class he plans to fight at in the future; discusses his recent decision to sever business ties with MMA superagent Ken Pavia; indicates that he believes politics could be keeping him out of the UFC; addresses his fallout with Tito Ortiz and issues an official challenge; and much more! Ricco was just dropping bombshells left and right. He sounded hungry, healthy, and happy and it looks like the Ricco Rodriguez of old could be back. I think we’re going to be seeing him fighting for the big promotions on a regular basis again soon.

Segment Four – New Strikeforce middleweight fighter Joe “Diesel” Riggs:

Ricco was not an easy act to top but Riggs just might have done it. Joe let everyone know why he asked for his release from the WEC and why he wanted to go to Strikeforce; clarifies on the record once and for all whether he ever wanted to be assigned to the WEC in the first place; addresses rumors as to whether he will fight Cung Le if he beats Eugene Jackson on Sept. 29 at the Playboy Mansion; calls out a surprise opponent; discusses his past pain killer addiction and comments on drug use in MMA; and reveals the true story of the infamous Nick Diaz fight that took place at a Las Vegas hospital following UFC 57; and much more!

Matt and I were really happy with this show and we would love your feedback! Please leave comments here or e-mail me at SCaplan8@comcast.net and please spread the word about this week’s show.

Inside the Cage Radio will be back this weekend! We have a show scheduled to tape tomorrow and it’s going to be a fun one.

First, I have just received confirmation that Kenny Florian will be a guest on the show. We’ll obviously be talking about his big win over Din Thomas this past Wednesday at UFN 11 along with several other topics. If there is anything you want us to ask Kenny, leave a question in the comment area.

Second, we’re going to experiment a little bit and possibly take phone calls. The show doesn’t stream live, hence the word “experiment.” We tape between 12:15 p.m. ET and 1:15 p.m. ET.

You can reach our production studio at 609-419-0300. After that, you’ll need to dial 709 when prompted.

Matt and I will open the show around 12:15 p.m. ET with some EliteXC talk and all the controversy pertaining to the women’s match between Gina Carano and Tonya Evinger from Evinger’s pre-fight comments, to some of the commentary during the fight, Carano winning via submission.

Kenny is then going to be on around 12:30 p.m. ET.

So you can try to call in but I can’t promise we’ll pick up immediately (we don’t have a call screener so we’ll be doing it Larry King style where I press a button and say “Caller, you’re on the air).

I’m also working on some other things. So stay tuned.

I don’t always agree or completely understand the direction of some of Pro Elite’s business strategies but I have to give them credit, most of their EliteXC shows have been great, and last night was no exception.

The debut show in February wasn’t anything special but considering it was their first show, it was pretty good. The June co-promotion with Strikeforce for the Baroni vs. Shamrock main event was perhaps the second best show of the year, just behind PRIDE 33 from this past February.

Even their first ShoXC show in July was solid. The only bad shows were the August ShoXC and the Dynamite USA!! debacle in June, which really wasn’t even an EliteXC show. It was more of a cash grab when FEG threw money at Pro Elite to help co-promote, get U.S. PPV distribution, and lend talent for three matches.

The match quality on last night’s show was outstanding (there wasn’t a bad match on the show) and the production was probably the best of all their shows thus far. I also enjoyed the commentary and was completely surprised by Bill Goldberg’s showing. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I’ve been highly critical of him in the past. But I have to give the man credit when it’s due. He didn’t just make a slight improvement, I thought it was drastic improvement. Maybe not a 180, but possibly a 120. He still has room to get better but the fact that he finally showed elements of progression bodes well for the future of EliteXC telecasts on Showtime and pay-per-view.

I think the presence of Stephen Quadros was a huge help to Goldberg. The two know each other well and have worked shows together before. With Quadros’ vast technical knowledge he put Goldberg in a position where he didn’t feel the need to overextend himself. Bill was more relaxed and could pick and choose his spots. I also liked how Goldberg threw questions at Quadros right as a fighter was walking into the cage. Good way to setup Stephen.

Having a veteran like Quadros helps Mauro because when you have two newer analysts in the booth with both Goldberg and Jay Glazer at the same time, it’s a lot of work and pressure for Mauro. With Quadros in there, Mauro doesn’t have to worry about how everyone else is doing and he can just focus on his role.

Goldberg did a much better job of not talking over Mauro during key points of the bout and leaving the important fight calls to Mauro. He also did a much better job with the post-fight interviews (although I think they still should hire a full-time reporter who handles post-fight interview and locker room updates, something all major promotions should do in a sport where injuries are a constant).

I think the David Dinkins Jr.-led production team did well for themselves. I’ve said it before, but I like how they open the show much better than how the UFC does. The UFC opens a show like a pro wrestling telecast while EliteXC opens the show the same way Fox or CBS would for football by showing shots of the locale where the telecast is emanating from. I also like how they show the main eventers entering the arena from the outside like NFL pre-game shows do with the starting QBs from each team walking up to the stadium in street clothes as if they’re arriving for work. They also do a better job of showing graphics previewing the entire night’s card instead of focusing heavily on just one or two matchups.

I also really like the overhead crane camera angles that they do and I think they do a much better job with crowd reaction shots than the UFC. Aside from the opening of each UFC show, you don’t really see the crowd unless they cut to a celebrity. I love seeing the crowd reaction because it adds to the feel of a big win just like when you see fans going crazy following a touchdown or a homerun.

The native Hawaiian drumming and dancing by the ring entrance way was pretty cool. It was no PRIDE staging area but I wouldn’t expect that kind of promotion to dump that much cash into a stage set up. The lit up walkway was also a nice touch. It’s like something you’d see at a club in Vegas. Overall, I think the ring entrances were better than what you see in the UFC.

My only complaints are that the corner men should come out with them (isn’t it a time honored MMA tradition to have your whole team walk out with you?) instead of already being cageside waiting for them and once again, they have to do a better job mic’ing the PA system (and mic’ing the crowd too, didn’t they learn from Baroni vs. Shamrock?). I guess Showtime’s personal preference is to have the fighter walk out music be nothing more than a backdrop while the fighters enter. Maybe it’s just me, but hearing less talk from the announcers and hearing the fighter’s music really gets me pumped.

In addition to the overhead crane shots, I liked how the cage was mic’d. You could really hear the punches and grunts during the Joey Villasenor vs. Riki Fukuda match when the ground and pound was going on. I really felt that added to the match. For some reason though, I felt the sound on the punches from the cage became lower and lower as the show progressed.

Before I forget, the pacing of the matches was awesome. The timing was great. I almost felt like maybe they should have slowed things down a bit but I’m not going to complain about non-stop action.

There are only a few negatives from the show that I can point out.

First, they desperately need a ringside scorer. I think it was a mistake that the UFC cut Eddie Bravo and I think that aspect was really needed during Showtime’s telecast (and for that matter, how much was it needed for Bisping vs. Hamill? If ever there was a time…). I realize Quadros knows his stuff and was keeping score but it’s real hard to focus solely on scoring when you also have to analyze a fighter for a national television audience. And as much as I dig Quadros, I can’t believe he gave that third round to Mike Aina? Did anyone else out there feel Nick Diaz completely owned that round or was it just me?

But we had two decisions that were not obvious with the Fukuda vs. Villasenor and Diaz vs. Aina matches and it was like Mauro was commentating blind because we had absolutely no perspective on who was ahead and who needed to step it up. Yes, the TV scorer is not official but it gives you some inkling of what’s going down and adds to the drama a bit. It really makes you focus on the fact that it’s a close contest. Without any sort of talk of potential scoring, it’s just like the match ends and then you realize it’s in the judges hands. The ending of Villasenor vs. Fukuda was somewhat anti-climatic as a result.

I also don’t like the sequencing of promos before a fight. They show a video package and then introduce one fighter. Then they show another video package and introduce the second fighter. It’s just a real momentum killer. The ring entrances of the fighters should be back-to-back with no interruption. It needs to be seamless. Combine the video package like the UFC does.

I also think the production value of the packages themselves need to improve. They need to do a better job conceptually when it comes to the fighter one-on-ones because what they’re doing now comes off low-budget. I realize they can’t do those one-on-ones until they arrive at the event location but there are plenty of gyms in Hawaii. Instead of a basic black background, interview them in a gym, inside the cage, in the basement of the arena, anything different than what they’re doing now.

Also, I’m still not digging the post-match festivities (re: awards presentations). It’s just corny. I realize they are trying to re-create what PRIDE used to do but it just falls short and comes off as just a way to get Pro Elite’s myriad executives on camera. It just comes off awkward and seems weird that you’re presenting a guy who is bruised and battered with nothing more than a small little plaque that a kid gets at his annual Little League banquet. It you’re going to present a fighter with something then have Gary Shaw come into the cage and announce that a fighter is getting a bonus check for his performance. And if you want to highlight the presence of Jaydee Penn from ROTR and T.J. Thompson for Icon, then cut to them in the crowd between matches and have Mauro educate the viewer who each guy is and how significant it is that the two rival promoters came together for the event.

And again, I really don’t like Shaw being in the ring after every fight congratulating the fighter. It comes off as self-indulgent. I’ve said it before but Gary said EliteXC would be about the fighters and not the promoters, which was a direct shot at Dana White. Well, Gary is in there after every match hob nobbing with the fighters and their corner people. It’s a bit hypocritical on his part and unnecessary. I think it’s great that Gary wants to show his appreciation to the fighters for all the sacrifices they made but he can do that off-camera in the locker room. When he does that stuff it comes off as so Don King. The only time Gary should be in the cage is to put the belt on a fighter.

A better utilization of Shaw would be a quick sit down state of EliteXC interview. Dana White used to do this on the UFC PPVs and I really enjoyed it because he’d either break some news, set the record straight on some bogus rumor, or give you some insight into the future direction of the company (like when he first announced the concept for TUF and that they had a deal with SpikeTV or when he broke the news that they weren’t going back to Japan after all because Japanese promoters didn’t like the main events they were proposing). There is a lot you could have asked Shaw to address such as all the recent acquisitions. You could have also asked about the next show (which will be in November and we learned that by a simple graphic on the screen, it comes off as a bigger deal with an exec like Shaw presenting it as if he’s breaking some news). You could even do some throwaway questions like “Is there a chance we might see Gomi vs. Diaz II in EliteXC?” or “What free agent talents is EliteXC talking to? Is Josh Barnett a possibility?”

Even if Shaw doesn’t give definitive info it’s still interesting if he says something like “Gomi vs. Diaz is not something in the immediate future but obviously it’s something that could be possible down the line” or “We’re not currently in talks with Barnett but he’s the caliber of fighter that we’d love to have in EliteXC.”For a brand new promotion, something like this is really needed because it helps give the viewer more education about the direction of the company and sends the message that they’re going to be around for awhile. When the UFC was struggling before the Spike TV deal those Dana updates always left me feeling more upbeat about the company.

I also wanted to elaborate more on how having an arena correspondent could really enhance the show (because the correspondent could be the guy asking Shaw the questions). Showtime is already covering EliteXC like a mainstream sporting event from their intros to the way they allow Mauro to acknowledge other promotions. I’d like to see quick cutaways to the locker room that delve into storylines. Jay Glazer wasn’t on the show because of his NFL duties for Fox Sports (I’ve been told Jay will be back when his NFL commitments don’t interfere). But let’s use Jay as an example in this case. Right before the Carano vs. Evinger match you could have Mauro go “For a quick update on the condition of Gina Carano, let’s go to Jay Glazer who is standing by in the locker room.” And then he responds with “Mauro, it’s no secret that Gina Carano had trouble making weight yesterday and nearly passed out on the scales. There was some thought that Tonya Evinger would have a sizable advantage coming into this bout as a result but I was able to speak with Gina when she arrived at the arena today and she appeared to be in much better spirits. She was able to re-hydrate all through last night and indicated she has enough energy to go three, three minute rounds if need be tonight. Mauro, Bill, and Stephen, back to you.”

And another thing I would have liked to have seen was them going back to the locker room to address the Robbie Lawler leaving MFS situation. Right before the main event it would have been nice if they threw it back to the arena correspondent who would say, “Guys, this will be the first match in X amount of years in which Robbie Lawler has not been cornered by former UFC champion and legendary fight trainer Pat Miletich from the Miletich Fighting Systems. Lawler recently joined Matt Hughes in leaving MFS to start a new gym and fight team in the St. Louis area. In place of Miletich and the MFS label, Lawler will be cornered by long-time friend and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and will represent Hughes’ new fight team, the H.I.T. Squad. Will the change in camps have an impact on tonight’s outcome? We’ll have to watch and see.” Hey, it would even be cool if they could grab Hughes for some last minute words. If you can’t get Hughes because he has to be at the cage, pre-tape the segment and show it as if it’s live.

Also, a real journalist serving as an arena correspondent could be used for the post-fight interviews and ask probing questions. It’s not just EliteXC, but it seems like all post-fight MMA interviews are a waste of time. It’s all softball stuff. I’d like to see some probing questions like Larry Merchant does on HBO or how Jim Gray used to do for the NBA and baseball. You know Jim Gray would have been all over Nick Diaz and the fact that he was coming off the marijuana suspension. Goldberg completely softballed him. Did he even ask if he took Aina lightly? I can’t remember. That’s how meaningless post-fight MMA interviews are. And again, it’s not limited to EliteXC. Joe Rogan does a great job on color commentary for the UFC but aside from the Sobral post-fight, when has he ever really stirred the pot during a post-fight? Also, Golberg towering over fighters creates the same problem with Frank Mir towering over guys in the WEC. A guy really looks like a bad ass when he’s next to a senior citizen like Merchant. Next to Goldberg or Mir? Not so much.

Another thing, tease more future matchups. I love the brief talk about Gomi vs. Diaz II and when Goldberg hyped it. I would have loved to have seen them speculate what might be next for Robbie Lawler and have them name drop Frank Shamrock as a possibility. Get us excited for the future and build towards the next show. Get the people talking! Hey, people started talking about Baroni vs. Shamrock and a heated rivalry was built over the Internet. I think it would be much easier to build rivalries over TV. Take a page from pro wrestling.

Okay, I guess this is the part now where I should talk about the fights, right?

Joey Villasenor vs. Riki Fukuda via split decision – This was by far the match of the night. It offered a lot of great back and forth action and I was really, really impressed with Fukuda. The guy has a tremendous chin and absorbed a ton of damage. He showed a lot of great skills and his dirty boxing was great. He had nice head and shoulder movement and kept his chin tucked like a pro boxer would. You can tell Fukuda lives in the gym and is working hard. He’s only going to get better. Kudos to Luke Thomas from BloodyElbow.com who predicted a Fukuda upset. It didn’t happen but the bottom line is Luke knew this match was going to be a lot closer than most pundits (such as myself) anticipated.

Fukuda did his best to cut off the distance between he and Villasenor but Villasenor still had enough room to throw a lot of high kicks. It seemed like that Fukuda was getting hit in the head by Villasenor’s feet instead of the shin. If the shin had been landing I’m not sure if Fukuda would have been able to absorb them. That’s the first thing I learned when I transitioned from Longfist Kung Fu to Muay Thai — you kick with your shins and not your feet. It didn’t take me long to understand why. I agree with the decision and I think it was a solid win for Villasenor because Fukuda is no joke and is a real prospect. My concern though is that because Fukuda isn’t a household name the win might not help Villasenor with the mainstream because it might come off as Villasenor being unable to finish a lesser opponent, when in reality, that is nowhere near the case. I wouldn’t mind seeing Fukuda vs. Seth Kleinbeck on a future ShoXC card.

Jake Shields via first round TKO over Renato “Charuto” Verissimo – I was really disappointed in Charuto’s performance. I’m a huge fan of his and he’s just a super cool guy. I predicted an upset here as well and wow, do I feel like an ass now. Shields just steamrolled him. He’s now finished four opponents in a row. They need to market this kid better. He’s articulate so he should be out there doing more interviews. They should also be pushing him as one of the most underrated fighters in the game and start name-dropping him in the same sentence as Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, Karo Parisyan, and Jon Fitch. He belongs in that class. EliteXC also needs to get on the ball and extend his contract (he now only has one fight left on his deal) and start getting him some tougher competition. I want to see Shields in a war and not squash matches. He’d be a good representative as a EliteXC welterweight champion but who is he going to fight for the title against and if he wins, who will he defend it against? EXC needs to go out and get some established WW’s and also put more focus on the 170 lbs. class on their ShoXC shows. They focus more on the 135 lbs. and 145 lbs. weight classes on those shows but have done nothing to build out their 170 lbs. and 205 lbs. divisions. One more thing, I loved the cigar references by Mauro. Especially when talking about Charuto losing and saying “No cigar.”

Gina Carano via first-round submission over Tonya Evinger - I have to give Carano a lot of credit, her ground game has definitely improved. I was shocked like most people when she tapped Evinger. I thought that was pretty awesome. But let’s keep things in perspective because Evinger is not a top challenger right now. She has a ton of potential because she’s tough, has an amazing wrestling background, and can box a little, but she needs more time to develop. It didn’t look like she had much Jiu-Jitsu to complement her wrestling and we don’t know if she is a versatile striker. I think she was rushed to that spot. I also agree with the critics out there who feel EliteXC has a Gina Carano division and a not a true women’s division. I’d love to know who the three new female fighters Shaw teased as trying to get under contract (hey, he could have announced that during the show during my proposed “State of EliteXC address” segment idea). I’d also love to know why Shayna Baszler didn’t get the slot to fight Carano after she beat Jan Finney on the ShoXC undercard when Evinger got it instead. Did Baszler fight too well, or something?

But Gina winning via submission was great for her, great for EliteXC, great for women’s MMA, and great for the sport. I hope her ground game continues to catch up with her striking because I’d love to see EliteXC build to a match between Tara LaRosa and Carano down the line. That’s the biggest money matchup that women’s MMA has to offer right now and it needs to happen for the advancement of women’s MMA. It shouldn’t happen anytime soon but I think in 12-16 months it would be pretty competitive. They should start building to it now by having the two mouth off about each other in the press.

Oh yeah, some people had an issue with the 25 centimeter line from Mauro, but my wife and I laughed our asses off. What’s the big deal? First, it was Evinger herself who went to the gutter in the first place with the makeout line (which was brilliant on her part, by the way). All Mauro did was drop a spontaneous one-liner. I felt it was pretty witty and not something that was totally low brow and obvious. I really don’t get the criticism about Mauro. The guy can’t win. He had a ton of fans when he was with PRIDE but had some critics as well. The critics said he was overly technical, too stiff, and didn’t show enough personality. Well, he’s showing personality now on Showtime and interjectiing humor and when he does he gets crap for it? Like I said, the guy can’t win. I was a huge Mauro fan from his PRIDE days but I think he’s light years better on Showtime now. Much more relaxed.

Nick Diaz over Mike Aina by split decision - You all know I’m a Diaz mark by now and I scored this his fight 10-9 Aina in the first, 10-10 tie in the second, and 10-9 Diaz in the third. If my math is correct, that’s a 29-29 draw. But it was so close it could go either way. I think Diaz started off slow because he knew little about Aina and wanted to feel him out in the first. Well, I think he learned that Aina has some explosive hands (I told you guys about this kid!). Diaz’s face looked pretty jacked, but when doesn’t it following a fight? He always absorbs a lot of punishment in his fights and I’d love to see him work on his defensive standup. Diaz stepped it up in the second and third but fought a methodical fight. I just don’t always understand the methodical approach for him because Nick doesn’t always make the best tactical decisions. Quadros nailed it when he said Nick should have gotten the fight to the ground much sooner. Had he done so, the fight might have been finished much earlier. I mean, he had that armbar going at the end of the fight. I think maybe Nick just enjoys standing too much and likes to stand and trade. I also think Nick needs to work on his wrestling. His Jiu-Jitsu takedowns aren’t going to get it done. Sweeps and trips are great and all but there’s nothing like a sweet single leg or double leg to help you put your world class BJJ skills to good use.

For Aina’s part, he fought a good tactical fight. I was really impressed how he handled himself after that knockdown at the start of the second round. He went in to try and finish when Diaz was on his back but when he saw he wasn’t going to be able to land big shots while standing, he backed off and allowed Diaz to get back to his feet. He knew better than to pursue matters further and go into Diaz’s guard. Smart thinking because Diaz could have triangled him or maybe even pull off the gogoplata again. I’m surprised the announcers didn’t point that out.

A lot of people will be critical of Diaz but I don’t think he fought any differently than he has in most of his fights. He’s never been the type of guy who in spite of his immense skill normally comes out and completely dominates the opposition. When Diaz fights, it’s usually a back and forth war. Overall, I think Diaz fought a lot better than most people gave him credit for and I think people are failing to give Aina the credit he deserved. He’s much better than his 9-6-1 record would indicate. I like how Goldberg pumped the kid up after the fight about earning himself a future with EliteXC. I’d like to see more of him because he has a ton of heart. He showed no fear against Diaz. Before I forget, I thought it was a great match. A close second to Fukuda vs. Villasenor.

They also need to promote Diaz better. He should be on of their biggest stars. I have an issue with EliteXC shoving Krazy Horse down our thoughts but not going overboard when it comes to promoting Diaz. I know they might be concerned about the marijuana issue but the kid has a political stance and isn’t trying to glamorize it. He’s not a criminal and he delivers in all of his fights. Krazy Horse on the other hand has been convicted of some pretty heinous stuff and comes up short in a lot of his fights.

Diaz should be marketed as a counter-culture anti-hero. Embrace his outspoken nature and who gives a crap if he feels pot should be legal? You know, I can’t relate to some of his stances because I’m a 30-year guy with a wife, a kid, and a mortgage. I’m pretty far removed from the drug culture. But we all know a lot of MMA’s fanbase is the 18-24 male demographic and a lot of those guys are pot smokers themselves. How many dudes out there were hanging last night getting high while watching the show? A lot of people identify with Diaz — a 20-something kid who is scraping by to get himself established financially and has issues with authority and the system. He’s a rebel with a cause. You spring Krazy Horse out of jail for a fight yet you have reservations about putting the full court promotional press behind Diaz because he smokes a little weed?

Why wasn’t he doing more interviews last week? Why wasn’t he on the conference call (and if he failed to call in, someone should have been on his ass about it)? Why wasn’t he booked for a show like Scott Ferrall, The Bubba the Love Sponge Show, or Fight Network Radio? Talking about weed publicly could come back to haunt him with the commission but if he’s playing it smart now and not testing positive then how’s it going to be an issue?

Robbie Lawler vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua - I was surprised how these guys felt each other out to start. I thought it would be rock ‘em sock ‘em robots with fireworks early. This is not the same Robbie Lawler we saw in the UFC. He’s a much more controlled fighter and doesn’t take the stupid risks he used to. I was really impressed with his performance and I’d rank him as the third best middleweight in the UFC.

While I was impressed with Lawler, I was really disappointed in Ninja. I felt he kind of quit. He showed heart in absorbing Lawler’s big left hands but he realized he needed to get the fight to the ground. But when he he realized he couldn’t get Lawler on the mat, he had a look of defeat in his eyes. It was almost like he was resigned to losing. That’s not what you want to see from a champion. And Lawler, you could almost see him grinning when he realized Rua couldn’t take him down. It almost seemed like he knew he had it won and all he had to do was wait it out for his opening. The old Robbie Lawler might have tried to force the issue and took an unnecessary risk and got himself caught in a careless submission. It’s kind of like a hitter in baseball. The old Lawler would have swung at an outside breaking ball when he was behind in the count 0-2 and gone down swinging. The current Lawler would sit there, work the count so he could get ahead, and wait for a fastball down the center of the plate. A Robbie Lawler with poise and patience is a deadly Robbie Lawler.

EliteXC has a major score on their hands with Lawler because he’s not just a top ten middleweight, but a top five middleweight. My only question is, what’s next for this guy? He’s already beaten Joey Villasenor. Ninja didn’t show enough for a rematch. Niko Vitale was lost to K-1 and Strikeforce. I’d love to see Lawler vs. Frank Shamrock but I think Shamrock knows better than to take that match. Personally, I think Shamrock could take the match and still survive even if he lost. If he lost to Lawler I think that the anticipated Shamrock vs. Cung Le showdown would still have a lot of box office potential. Heck, a Shamrock loss might actually make the matchup appear closer on paper because in some aspects, it seems lopsided right now considering how much experience Frank has on Cung.

I’d also love to see Lawler vs. Phil Baroni. There’s no reason for it to happen now but I think it would be a fun match. I would think Baroni needs to come off suspension first and win a fight or two before he’s in any sort of title picture. He’s also under contract to Strikeforce and not EliteXC. But Lawler vs. Baroni with the plotline of who is the harder puncher at 185 lbs. would be a great marketing angle.

Looking long-term, maybe you could even do Diaz vs. Lawler II because Diaz holds a win over him from the UFC. Diaz told me he’d be willing to fight 185 lbs. and he has never been shy about telling people he’ll fight anyone.

In general, the fact that there really aren’t obvious next opponents for last night’s winners really underscores the fact that EliteXC needs to get busy and start building out their roster. Granted, they now have access to a lot of fighters through their recent acquisitions but a lot of those fighters are not established and it will take a lot of time and money to build them up as stars before they can be considered marquee draws. And right now, I don’t think EliteXC is doing the best job they could be doing when it comes to building new stars. I have a lot of ideas on how they could do a better job in that regard but that’s another diatribe for another time (and besides, that would be like providing free consulting). They’re spending tons of money buying up fight promotions but I think they need to be investing more money into established talent.

Normally I try to take a mature approach when it comes to female fighting. My wife is a semi-pro Muay Thai fighter and I’ve trained with females before. I know how hard it can be at times for them to be taken seriously and treated lake legitimate athletes.

But hey, I’m going to break from tradition here, thanks in large part to a comment made by Tonya Evinger during yesterday’s local press conference in Hawaii to hype EliteXC’s Uprising card this Saturday at the Blaisdell Center.

I just couldn’t resist when during the press conference Evinger dropped this precious gem:

“I’d like to make out with Gina, but I am here to knock her out. Either way she wants it, though, is fine. with me.”

Well, that’s not something you’d normally hear during a fight presser and I’ve got to admit, it’s a little steamy (I hope my wife doesn’t read this). She had additional quotes, but they were a little more on the serious side.

“Fighting Gina on SHOWTIME is an awesome opportunity,” continued Evinger. “Of course, I want to kick her butt. I want to kick everybody’s butt. Style-wise, it never matters who I fight.

“But I can’t say anything bad about her. Gina is a good girl. I just want this to be a great fight and I will win. I have worked really hard and am going to try my best. I know putting forth a great performance will help me get fights later than I may not have been able to get.

“I am confident but I am always worried before a fight that I will not execute my game plan. That’s what happened to me last time and I lost. Seems the bell sounds, and I tend to forget everything and I just want fight.’’

Carano, for her part, took the whole thing in stride.

“I can’t believe Tonya says what she says sometimes, but she speaks her mind and that is good,” Carano began.

“I am really looking forward to returning to the cage, but I expect this to be a tough fight. It is going to be a tough fight. I seem a little more anxious before a fight than I have in the past. We’ll see after Saturday’s fight if that was good or bad.

“I thank God and my family and EliteXC for putting me on this great show. We’ve got the ball rolling. I don’t want it to stop here.’’

Oh yeah, the two are going to fight on Saturday. That should be an interesting pre-fight staredown. Could we see another Heath Herring vs. Yoshihiro Nakao situation?

It’s time for another edition of MMA Roundup!

* According to MMAOnTap.com, Drew McFedries will be sidelined the next 6-8 months as he recovers from complications due to staph infection. According to the Wrestling Observer, McFedries had to have a chunk of his lower leg removed as a result of the infection. Get well soon!

* FightHype.com is reporting that Brandon Vera has informed the site that he’s close to making his return to the UFC. He’s apparently asked the site to conduct a poll to see who fans would like to have him fight next. My vote would be the winner of Mirko Cro Cop vs. Cheick Kongo.

* UFCjunkie.com and Mickey’s conducted a chat with UFC middleweight fighter Kendall Grove last night. There were some interesting highlights, including Grove saying he’d like a chance to fight Jason MacDonald and that he believes he’s 4-5 matches from being ready for a title shot.

Here are some highlights:

10:05:29 PM: First question:
10:05:32 PM: Owen O – what fighter would you most like to fight?
10:06:08 PM: Kendall – Right now, Patrick Cote. I never looked past a fighter, but after him, probably Jason MacDonald. He says he’s the guy who should have won the TUF show, and I take that as disrespect. I wouldn’t mind fighting him.

10:06:28 PM: Patricia S – Kendall How close do you feel you are to competing for the Middleweight title?
10:06:35 PM: Kendall – About a year and a half. I just want to get more mature in the sport and climb that ladder.

10:06:55 PM: follow up:
10:06:57 PM: aaron w – how many more fights do you think u need before a title shot?
10:07:28 PM: Kendall – I’m guessing it’ll be about 4-5. I’m not in a rush. I’m still young in this sport. I don’t want to get in there too soona nd get knocked. I think I’ll be ready in about five fights.

* There are rumblings that Manny Tapia is off the card for the WEC’s next event on September 5 in Las Vegas. Tapia had been slated to fight Chase Beebe for the WEC bantamweight title. Rani Yahya could drop from 145 lbs. to 135 lbs. and replace Tapia.

* There have been some rumors that Roger Gracie will be fighting Allan Goes at the IFL finals on September 20 in Hollywood, Fla. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that Gracie is not on the card.

* K-1 Hero’s has announced some matches for its Sept. 17 card in Tokyo, Japan. In the semifinals of its 154 lbs. tournament, Caol Uno will fight “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro will be taking on Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti (awesome matchup!). Ralek Gracie is also slated to fight Ikuhisa Minowa.

* Gina Carano finally has an opponent for EliteXC’s next card on Sept. 15 in Hawaii. According to The Fight Network, Carano will take on Tonya Evinger.