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Media heat-up for EXC 10/4 Florida event

By Zach Arnold | October 3, 2008

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With both pro-football (Dolphins at home vs. San Diego Chargers) & college football (Florida State vs. Miami) dominating the Miami sports this scene this weekend, let’s see what kind of oxygen Elite XC can get with Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock.

Sherdog: The Kimbo Slice bubble

Stated plainly: EliteXC’s survival is contingent upon Slice in a way no other MMA promotion is reliant upon any of their stars. While EliteXC is possessive of a valuable if incomplete roster of fighters, none save female superstar Gina Carano are able at all to deliver ratings, DVD purchases or ticket sales. And while there is no doubting the power of Carano, it’s not at all clear she can carry the struggling promotion without Slice doing much of the heavy lifting (Slice is, after all, the main event).

USA Today: Words heat up for colossal Shamrock-Slice showdown

“Based on what I saw out of Kimbo’s last fight, Ken has the capability of winning this fight,” says Rich Franklin, who beat Shamrock in 2005.

Franklin cautioned that he’s not sure what kind of physical shape Shamrock’s in today. But Shamrock, one of five men in Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Hall of Fame, says he has let his body heal and is feeling better than he has in past years.

The Palm Beach Post: Gladiators star ‘Crush’ (Gina Carano) enlivens EXC card at BankAtlantic Center

“I’m kind of an extreme person, so I guess that fits me pretty well,” Carano says. “It seems natural.”

Maybe it does to her, but dad still cringes. He will Saturday, because Gina says Kobold (16-2-1) is her toughest opponent yet.

“She’s got a great smile and a great set of teeth,” Glenn says. “And let’s hope they all stay in place.”

The Long Beach Press-Telegram: EXC is sticking with what works

Three bouts into his professional MMA career, the 34-year-old Floridian is one of the most popular fighters in the game but also one who has yet to gain credibility within the MMA community with the lack of competition that has been put in front of him. But he said he doesn’t hand pick his foes.

“I fight whoever they put in front of me,” Ferguson said. “I have not turned down one name. My promoter lines them up, and I knock them down. I’ll fight anybody.”

UGO: Ken Shamrock interview

You try to think about going in there and try to get a guy in a position where you’re going to end up stopping the fight or at least hindering him from performing in the fight. You want to go in to do some damage early and try to tap him out. You don’t think about trying to end somebody. At least I don’t. You hear it said all the time, like, ‘I’m going to end your career. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to break your leg.’ A lot of those things are said, but when you go in there you understand it is all mental. It’s a mental game and you’re just trying to get in a guy’s head. To make him think if you get his leg and you do put a hold on there, you’re going to break it. And he’s going to think about tapping a lot sooner. It’s a mental game. I don’t think about going in there and hurting somebody permanently. Because I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.

Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

15 Responses to “Media heat-up for EXC 10/4 Florida event”

  1. catch says:

    The sun sentinel (The main paper for the area the show’s in) just had the second article in 2 days.

    http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/other/sfl-flspmmashowdown02sboct02,0,1084644.story

  2. Ultimo Santa says:

    “Stated plainly: EliteXC’s survival is contingent upon Slice in a way no other MMA promotion is reliant upon any of their stars.”

    Absolutely. Kimbo is to Elite XC as Hayabusa was to FMW in the 90’s.

    I’m sure Elite is praying that Kimbo Slice doesn’t metaphorically botch a Lionsault and break his neck.

  3. 45 Huddle says:

    Which is why they have had to protect him so much. It’s sad when a fighting company’s biggest asset isn’t even much of a fighter.

  4. Ultimo Santa says:

    45 – if you’re the booker, what do you do if and when Kimbo kills Shamrock?

    Do you keep letting him destroy ‘legends’, or do you give him real competition?

    I personally think Shamrock vs. Slice is a good fight for a Saturday night TV rating, but where do you go from here?

  5. 45 Huddle says:

    That’s a tough question, and no real answer to it. They can’t claim that he is the best Heavyweight in the World, because there is enough media who knows that isn’t true.

    I think they have to continue to walk that fine line between freak show and the illusion that they are somehow grooming him to be the next #1 Heavyweight In The World. Because really, that is what they are doing now. They are acting as if he is a young fighter who needs growth, and these fights are essential to him becoming something more. When in reality, he is an average striker, horrible ground game, and just has name value.

    Your last question is exactly the question people whould be asking. Of course this show will get good ratings. But who can fight Kimbo after this to make the company money? Kimbo obviously isn’t popular enough to sell out 10,000 seats in Florida. Which makes me think he isn’t popular enough to sell a PPV. He is good enough for a casual fan to watch as a freak show, but that’s about it.

    Plus, once you give away Kimbo for free (which they have), people will not pay to see him.

  6. Ultimo Santa says:

    “Plus, once you give away Kimbo for free (which they have), people will not pay to see him.”

    That’s a great point. His fans have been downloading his street fights for free, and now Elite is giving him away for free again on TV.

    What – if any – Kimbo Slice fight would people pay for?

    Kimbo Slice vs. Frank Shamrock (as revenge for Kimbo paralyzing his brother)?

    Slice vs. Royce Gracie? Bill Goldberg? Another WWE washout?

    I wonder if Mike Tyson needs some quick cash?

  7. Jeremy (not that Jeremy) says:

    UFC’s made a business out of giving away calves and selling cows simultaneously.

    The problem with EliteXC is that they don’t have a PPV track record, so there’s no expectation that people would ever have to pay for an event of any calibre, unless they want the DVD.

  8. David says:

    Next for Kimbo.. Frank Shamrock!! ahahh.

  9. zack says:

    Bring in Don Frye to smash Kimbo.

  10. Jesse says:

    The position Elite is in reminds me of the monkey/cookie jar scenario. There’s a cookie in a shatter-proof cookie jar. The mouth of the jar is so narrow that the only way the monkey can get his hand in there is with its hand flat. The monkey puts his hand in and grabs the cookie, but can’t get the cookie out because to hold the cookie is to make his hand’s shape incompatible with the opening of the jar. To get his hand out, he must let go of the cookie.

    Can’t Elite limp along long enough for someone to buy it? Do they feel like they’ve spent too much money to just let it go? I don’t think that cookie is coming out — maybe Dana White will jam his hand into the jar, crush the cookie, and dump it all out once Elite walks away.

  11. 45 Huddle says:

    Speaking of cookies, it soundds like Gina has been eating too many of them again. Third times a charm to make weight. She gets her very own weight class and still can’t make the weight.

  12. dave2 says:

    I doubt EliteXC would bring in more money with PPV than being on CBS. CBS is “free” but you get millions of eyeballs on the ads.

  13. Jeremy (not that Jeremy) says:

    EXC gets a flat license fee from CBS for a two hour event. They don’t get a cut of the ads.

  14. dave2 says:

    The flat license fee they get from CBS is less than what they would get from PPV? Really? Even 100k PPV buys would be generous for ProElite so that fee would have to be pretty small.

  15. Jeremy (not that Jeremy) says:

    I don’t know what they get for a flat fee, it’s part of what was redacted from their SEC filings.

    You suggested that they were making a mint on the ads, and they aren’t getting a penny for them.

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