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Updated EXC 10/4 Florida card line-up
By Zach Arnold | September 24, 2008
- Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock (Heavyweights)
- Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley (for EliteXC Welterweight title)
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson (Heavyweights)
- Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold (Women’s 140-Pound Weight Class)
- Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach (Middleweights)
I expect a lot of the hardcore fans to be jacked up for Arlovski vs. Nelson. It’s a good fight on paper, certainly. The motive for booking the fight by EXC, however, was not for match quality. The fight was booked strictly for TV ratings and box office reasons. In terms of Arlovski as a major box office attraction, the jury is out on that right now. He got a great reception last July in Anaheim, but didn’t move the needle as the headliner for Affliction’s Las Vegas event. As far as being a draw on television, Arlovski’s probably the best ‘free agent’ outside of Tito Ortiz that they could have picked up right now.
The one problem EXC has revealed with this move is that hot-shotting in terms of matchmaking does not make up for a lack of ground game. One of the big issues regarding the financial problems EXC has had is that, unlike UFC, the company does not have a major infrastructure in terms of promoting local events. This problem was supposed to be solved by buying out all of the B-level promotions they put money into. Instead, that strategy backfired and those B-level promotions bled the main company dry. EXC’s biggest problem, besides not drawing a strong TV rating for their second show, is a lack of development in regards to building a legitimate promotional machine. I’m not talking about spending $1.3 million USD for a web site, either.
Topics: MMA, Media, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
Arlovski isn’t a free agent. He’s there on behalf of Affliction, and supposedly the January show might be a copromotion with Affliction and GBP. If this helps get boxing on network TV and you’re still wondering why Oscar De La Hoya would be interested in MMA, well….
What I want to know is if Arlovski is getting paid $500k show/$250k win that he got paid on Affliction’s card. And if he is, who is paying him -EliteXC or Affliction?
Cant wait to see Kimbo fight again, event thou on the last fight he lost if you ask me.
Is’nt Arlovski, like Sylvia and Rothwell under contract to Adrenaline? and leased out to Affliction?
So why is this fight being promoted as a joint venture by Affliction and EXC?
Have to believe that EliteXC is paying him.
Well, I wasn’t sure if I was watching the show. Arlovski/Nelson and Shields/Daley is enough to get me to watch.
Dana White and his pearls of wisdom re: Kimbo vs. Shamrock
http://www.matratz.com/2008/09/23/dana-white-gives-his-thoughts-on-kimbo-vs-shamrock/
He’s an ass, but I can’t really disagree with his assessment. It will be like a MMA trainwreck…a disater, certainly, but no one will be able to look away.