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Elite XC 5/31 New Jersey event results
By Zach Arnold | May 31, 2008
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Quick Thoughts so far….
1. The new announcer is great. Mauro is annoying as usual. Frank Shamrock had wide eyes.
2. Fantastic production, but it was just kind of bland.
3. The strippers need to go. It looks trashy.
So…James Thompson loses to Brett Rogers, and is then headlining the main event?
I am in complete agreement about the dancers. There isn’t even any choreography or anything. Not classy.
And now Busta Rhyme’s makes an appearance…
It’s almost as if there target audience is the lowest common denominator.
Anyone know the results from the Binky Jones Calvin Kattar Fight?
Jones beat Kattar via first-round RNC.
Bad stoppage; Thompson is glass jawed, but he wasn’t blank eyed on his feet plus they gave Kimbo time to eat 40 elbows to the head (even if weak) the last round.
Actually I watched and re-watched that Thompson-Slice ending. Thompson’s eyes are in lala land and he wasn’t able to defend himself for four straight heavy shots. One or two more and he would have been out regardless.
I don’t think that it’s that early a stoppage. Watch his eyes again.
Rp
My god, that was one of the most shameful displays of biased reffing since Yuji Shimada’s heyday.
The stand-up from side-mount was ridiculous. The non-stoppage from 2-minutes of undefended elbows and punches was questionable. Then the quick stoppage for Kimbo was early.
I’m not one to normally complain about bad reffing, but Miragliotta was decisions were about as poor as they get. Miragliotta should share his bribe money with Thompson for that screw job.
The guy was out on his feet with a busted ear. It might have been early, but I have to laugh at people trying to claim it was fixed. Yeah, that was some brilliant fixing on EXC’s part, how they fit Kimbo getting put on his back and having to be saved by the bell.
Anyway, I love going to the Sherdog forums and seeing the same idiots who were calling Thompson a can 4 hours ago speaking about him like he’s Fedor now and would have just uncrossed his eyes and turned it all around in the next 10 seconds. Give me a break.
Aside from that and title fight’s ending, the show was phenomenal and the production values put everything this side of Japan to shame.
Kimbo might as well have just bitten that ear right off. EliteXC on CBS? Not anymore.
Well my cable company is run by idiots for using a different feed for the fight other than the CBS one, changing to the original CBS feed after the Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler fight. I missed the Street Fighter IV trailer. BLAH. Some quick notes.
Really great card, with really good fights UNTIL the Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler fight. That dumb bitch of a doctor can’t do her job properly. You give them 5 minutes. Not call off the fight right away. And the New Jersey commissioner was saying Scott said he can’t see when Scott said he wanted the 5 minutes.
The Kimbo and Thompson fight, poor reffing. I saw an early stand up, and I say a early finish. Kimbo should of landed two more hits then the ref should of called it off. Maybe it was the blood from the ear that made him call it early. Who knows.
I agree with 45 Huddle. The strippers were trashy. Although just one, don’t need to point out which one.
Gus Johnson. I thought he was annoying in some parts, not Mauro. Plus I don’t think the sponsors would be happy with him not announcing the sponsors properly. “Sponsored by Streetfighter.com” “Sponsored by Miller”. He got it WWRRRRROOOOOOOONGGG.
Another thing to note: Would you think Capcom, who was sponsoring the show with Street Fighter IV would be annoyed with CBS for letting Gino Carano come out to Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 music and wearing the game logo throughout the fight? Since Red Alert 3 is being published by Electronic Arts?
Production values? Very good, No where near the level of Daisuke Sato’s stuff though for the promos. The stage seemed kinda cheap.
Overall a good show, just the New Jersey State Athletic Commission ruined it in the end.
Quick Dana, save MMA!
…again
*Looks at calender*
6/1 – WEC Faber vs Pulver
6/7 – UFC 85
Whew, close one but it looks like we’ll make it through this catastrophe.
I continue to get bashed for my views, but time has been good to me.
I predicted the demise of the IFL because their concept stunk. I was right.
I said Gary Shaw was bad for the sport and this was garbage. I was right.
I do nuthug what Zuffa does, but there is a reason. No other company has proven to be in the same universe as Dana & Company. Until they do, I will continue to bash these MMA Amateurs.
Tonight was pathetic. Nothing more, nothing less.
At the same time, I will say Lawler/Smith was good for what it was.
Yeah uhhhhhh I never attacked you mate.
You know it’s bad when the announcer is screaming at the top of his lungs about a horrible stoppage – meanwhile Shamrock & Mauro remained mum. I don’t want to hear about how unbiased EXC announcers are, Mauro is as much of a shill as Goldberg.
I don’t know how it’ll do ratings wise but talent wise that was probably the worst main event I’ve seen since the early UFCs, but atleast in those events there was atleast a rudimentary display of JJ.
Jeremy (not that Jeremy),
Do you think CBS was under the impression that there was no blood in MMA? Christ, seemingly all the cue cards the announcers read had lines about how violent the sport (and Kimbo) are. They clearly knew what they were getting into, what they were putting on, and made no efforts to hide anything. They went out of their way to mention the negatives (probably to cut off the critics at the knees). This is the sport/show they wanted.
Body_Shots,
I think that it means there’s a bad announcer. That sort of tirade belongs on Monday Night Raw, not in MMA. Since when do ref’s wait until a guy is “ready to go down” before they stop a fight? Since never, or maybe into they want a few more in ring deaths. The guy doesn’t know as much MMA as he’d like to make us think.
There was already trouble in the henhouse at CBS over this thing because a decision was made without consulting top management. A little blood and some guy’s ear flopping off his head are two different things.
Maybe they’ll survive this (i.e. continue to have shows on CBS), but I don’t think the prospects are good.
Both Frank & Mauro, when put on the spot, refused to say that KIMBO was losing the fight.
“There was already trouble in the henhouse at CBS over this thing because a decision was made without consulting top management.”
We all read the story. But given that this is a network that’s made it’s name on putting on as many shows that feature rape and murder as possible on the lineup, clearly the ratings will be the only thing that matters.
And, again, they made no efforts to downplay the violence of MMA. They went in the exact opposite direction. That says, obviously, that CBS was prepared for more than just a little blood. If they wanted to sell it just on the pure sports aspect of it they could have, but deliberately chose not too. They even showed clips of Kimbo streetfighting, when I thought they wouldn’t even mention that aspect of his background.
Leslie,
For a new announcer Gus did pretty well, it’s actually refreshing to hear from somebody outside of the commentators that get recycled in this sport.
I think he called like it he saw it, James was basically in the same situation he was in the 2nd round. After letting the fight continue there & giving Kimbo the benefit of the doubt while he was getting elbow’d for 2 minutes, I think he was right to question that stoppage.
In retrospect though, this fight shouldn’t of even been made. Why would the commission let a guy who was chinny to begin with fight a heavy puncher when’s KO’d 5 times in his last 8 fights? Should James even be fighting at all?
Disgusting.
If this is MMA on network TV, then I hope MMA never goes back on network TV.
I wonder how much money the EliteXC pay those referees. Please, no more MMA events in New Jersey. What a bunch of clowns.
*when he’s been KO’d 5 times in his last 8 fights? Should James even be fighting at all?
Questioning is Okay. Sounding like Jim Ross does after Randy Orton kicked John Cena’s dad in the head? Not okay.
And is anyone going to honestly say Kimbo was more hurt at the end of the 2nd than Colossus was during the 3rd, or even the 2nd when he was out on his feet as well.
A guy with 30 fights with a guy with 3 in the exact position you want and you can’t convincingly finish or even give your opponent visible damage? That shows how out of it he was, and him getting his ear busted and letting Kimbo practice combos on him didn’t help matters. I’m not saying it wasn’t early, but it certainly wasn’t a travesty and even if it was Gus should have been more professional than that.
He wasn’t all bad, but screaming out how someone, “Wasn’t ready to go down” shows he’s a bit inexperienced. I just wish Frank or Mauro (who no doubt were shocked to find themselves playing Jerry the King Lawler), didn’t insert, “Well actually the ref stops it when he thinks the fighter isn’t defending intelligently himself and could sustain serious, unnecessary injury if the fight continues. If you look at TKO’s the ref is often in well before anyone is out, and once the guy has a few seconds to recover he always pleads, ‘I’m okay!’ But it’s not about being okay after the ref stops it, it’s about what would have happened to you in those few seconds and it’s a judgment call on the ref. Sometimes it’s early, sometimes it’s late, but that’s the chance you take when you come in with a tumor on your ear and start dropping your hands.”
Lawler/Smith and Carano/Young were good fights, just like I thought they’d be. Sadly, even those fights couldn’t stop EliteXC from being a massive failure.
When people heard of MMA through the grapevine and decided to give it a shot, by watching the network premier of MMA, this crap is what they got? This is what potentially millions of first-time MMA viewers witnessed? Absolutely embarassing for the sport.
It doesn’t matter what the ratings were for this show, the next show will see a massive drop. EliteXC will not be getting good word-of-mouth from hardcore fans, the press, or first-time viewers. It won’t be long before CBS drops it.
This is the next XFL…
I guess 45 Huddle didn’t hear Mauro saying that he gives the slight edge to Thompson live on TV.
I think 45 Huddle just wants to hate on this and nothing’s going to change his mind.
Look, this show had good matches on it and was entertaining and that’s really all that matters.
UFC 85 is practically Dana White cramming boring TUF guys down your throat. Marquardt, Bisping, etc are not PPV commodities. But Dana’s trying to edge out big money fighters and build his PPVs on the cheap with low cost reality show fighters.
I honestly don’t think that PPV will be any more talented than this one.
Kimbo might not have a lot of MMA time but he is improving and Rutten is helping him get better.
If they EliteXC was willing to spend some money on some former UFC names like Ortiz, Belfort, Arlovski, maybe Sylvia… and hell even score the Couture-Fedor fight at some point they would give UFC a serious run for their money. They have some talent but they’re lacking a few top flight proven names. Those names would give them that credibility and add to what Frank Shamrock, Cung Le, Kimbo Slice, Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields bring.
Also IIRC the tickets at EXC events are more reasonable which opens up the possibility of running larger venues where UFC is charging exorbitant prices for nosebleeds and having a harder time filling seats at many of their shows.
There’s definite possibilities with EXC and there is an open door to really step up and challenge UFC.
A good first step would be to have Mauro stop referencing UFC results or fights every ten seconds. It’s nice to acknowledge other MMA exists but it isn’t a great idea to keep referencing the great fights those other organizations are having and thus pushing viewers in that direction.
Rp
I remember Thompson looking glassy eyed at the end of Round 1 yet Miragliotta didn’t stop the fight then; it was only after a (likely) 10-8 round against Kimbo (where Miragliotta had a more viable reason to call a halt to the bout given that he was failing to defend himself and took a ton of shots after Miragliotta warned Kimbo to defend himself) that he decides its a good time to halt the bout after Thompson got stunned briefly and Kimbo looked like he was going to collapse from exhaustion any second.
If you’re going to let a guy eat 30+ elbows to the head without calling a stoppage, I hardly think it’s unfair to expect the referee to grant leeway with regards to stoppages in the stand-up position in a similar manner. I don’t think the stoppage was bad in the sense of “Hey wasn’t even stunned!” but it was bad from the “Well, you let him get this stunned before and let it continue, plus you let his opponent eat far more punishment with constant threats to stopping it then so it does make your decision very questionable.” perspective.
“If you’re going to let a guy eat 30+ elbows to the head without calling a stoppage, I hardly think it’s unfair to expect the referee to grant leeway with regards to stoppages in the stand-up position in a similar manner.”
Actually they were mostly punches and not very hard ones at that. Kimbo was signalling he wasn’t hurt and though he wasn’t defending himself he was trying to muscle out of his position. I think this was clearly a flaw Rutten will have to work on.
But Thompson was glassy eyed enough to look close to out on his feet. I agree he had the same look in round two but the bell saved him there, he would not have had that luxury here and could have sustained some serious permanent damage had Kimbo just kept unloading.
Rp
Ice, I agree 100%Its a crying shame that this is the first- and likely last – impression for many.
If they weren’t clean enough shots to cause some level of damage on Kimbo, why would Dan Miragliotta scream “Defend yourself!” to Kimbo? Was he being incompetent by stating that Kimbo was eating too many flush shots when Kimbo was rolling/blocking them with his positioning or was he just playing favorite/being inconsistent with his “protect the fighter” mentality?
I’m fairly certain that Thompson actually recovered from the flurry in Round 2 and took down Kimbo and then elbowed him for the last 2 minutes so, if anything, that was indicate that he could have potentially recovered from the flurry in Round 3.
The fact of the matter is that Miragliotta was inconsistent in his reffing and could be argued as having messed up badly by being protective at random times, which I hope you aren’t trying to refute.
What we saw tonight was the castration of MMA on network television.
Fights were stopped at the first sign of trouble.
Fights were stopped with the first sign of blood.
Fights were stopped due to an eye poke.
I can’t explain the Kimbo Thompson fight, however. That fight was as close to a fix as anything I’ve seen in my life.
I think we can all agree that Kimbo Slice is officially the biggest fraud perpetrated on MMA fans since Tank Abbott.
Normally I’d defend the referee in the vast majority of cases. It’s a hard job to do, and everyone makes mistakes. But that Kimbo/Thompson fight was… ugh. Standing the fight up when Thompson had side control was unbelievable. Even when I look at the ref’s decisions in the best possible light, they’re very… inconsistent, to put it mildly.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
At least Cage Rage has straight refs.
Fights were stopped due to an eye poke.
Couture/Belfort II NEVER HAPPENED GUYS.
Leave it to D.Capitated to miss the entire point and jump on one line.
Couture/Belfort II was stopped due to cut in the eye lid/eye, not just an eye poke.
“I do nuthug what Zuffa does, but there is a reason.”
LOL what type of grown man would ever type something like that?