I don’t think I have ever watched a night of fights where the fights have been good, but I was still disappointed. It’s a shame that EliteXC was afraid to just let the fighters fight. I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but it seems that the referee and fight doctor were told to be more conservative. Was it because they were on network TV? Was America not ready for the sight of James Thompson’s ear flapping in the wind? A breakdown of the show, after the jump.
I need to get more excited about the fights tonight. I’m really looking forward to seeing Robbie Lawler. I’m also puzzled by the commercial choices so far - Barrilla Plus pasta with the hot neighbor? OK. If that’s what the media buyers think will work!
We start with dancing girls. Sort of Luvabull like dancers. It’s great to hear Gus Johnson, but then he ruins it all by calling the sport vicious and violent. NO. NOOOOOOOO. I already sense my annoyance level hitting an all time high. Now, we get some Frank Shamrock, and that man has clearly gotten a chemical peel this week! Shamrock says that Bruce Lee is the godfather of MMA. Also, the father of a hot son.
Tomorrow night, Elite XC will debut on CBS, and the fights will make a splash in Middle America. (Or so I’m told. As a lifelong resident of middle America, one thing I can assure you about us is that we love our TV, particularly cable, and we’ve been watching the UFC on Spike for years.) There are a few things that make me very nervous about this broadcast, but a few things that I am excited about:
- Nervous: Kimbo Slice is a brawler, not a mixed martial artist. I am not doubting the effectiveness of the man’s fists, but what he is known for has nothing to do with mixed martial arts. If I had to teach the world about MMA in one fight, I’d show them BJ Penn’s victory from last weekend, or Roger Huerta/Clay Guida, or any other fight that showed two technicians going at it. Hopefully, Kimbo will get submitted and all will be right with the MMA world.
- Excited: Gus Johnson is broadcasting, and in addition to him kicking booty as an announcer, he kicks booty - literally. Johnson is a trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist.
- Nervous: Gina Carano, the face of women’s MMA, did not make weight. The fight is still going to happen, but Carano will have to give 12.5% of her purse to Kaitlin Young. This note is just for Gina:
Gina, honey, I understand that it’s a harder for us ladies to make weight. We carry extra fat on our bodies, we have the fun of water weight, and I won’t even bring up that monthly madness. However, darling, it’s the sport you chose, and like it or not, every time you put on gloves, you represent all women. Don’t be four pounds over. You didn’t just hurt your own pocketbook and reputation, you made us all look bad.
People not named Gina Carano can now continue reading. Tomorrow night should be fun, and I will cover it in some fashion.
I hope you are all enjoying your Memorial Day. Me? I’m on my eighth straight episode of Law and Order on TNT, and there is not much chance of me changing the channel. I have a bunch of different items for your reading pleasure today.
From Combat Lifestyle. I wonder if Roger and Kenny are letting us know how their fight is going to turn out.
Leftovers from UFC 84: Michael David Smith enlightens us on the sights and sounds of a UFC event from Octagon-side. Also, Ben Goldstein from Cage Potato is not going to die from drinking ipecac. Good to hear that you’ll keep living, Ben!
This weekend is MMA’s debut on network primetime: EliteXC on CBS. I plan to write more later this week, and liveblog the event, but I wanted to share this in the meantime. Kimbo Slice was hoping to advertise for Reality Kings on his shorts. Reality Kings brings us such wonderful sites as Milf Hunter, Round and Brown and We Live Together. (Sorry, not linking to them.) CBS said no dice, and it was the completely right move by CBS. Though advertising for the parent company might not break FCC standards, it’s still not the best idea to have MMA linked to pornography in its first time available to the masses for free.
Finally, if you haven’t stopped by Adam Frey’s blog recently, check it out and give Adam some words of encouragement. Despite good news about the size of his tumor, the daily grind of chemotherapy is starting to wear on him, and some d-bags think that it’s a good idea to leave messages saying that he is going to die. Not cool. Let Adam know that you’re cheering for him.
