EliteXC "Heat" (Kimbo Slice)

[Mizango]

He's overrated because he's a garbage-tiered fighter who was being spoon-fed chumps. EliteXC kept trying to pass him off as one of the sports best, which is an absolute insult to the intelligence of true MMA fans. You then end up with people who don't know much about the sport actually agree with this bullshit and start spewing crap like "lulz kimbo would so own this fedor guy!" Do I hate him personally? Hell no, I completely respect what he's doing for him and his family. There isn't a single person here who wouldn't have done the same in milking EliteXC for all its worth. People just simply need to acknowledge that Kimbo merely is to MMA as Milli Vanilli was to music. Plain and simple.

100% agree. This is MMA's fault, he did something everyone here would do. Take free money and let OTHER people hype themselves up. In contrast you have people in other sports like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson of the NFL that self promote to no end and it causes you to detest them. Kimbo is the product of a marketing machine, don't blame the person blame the sport and the symbolism there.

I know people that hate him personally for what? Taking free money that someone offered? Shit id get ass naked, wear a utility belt and a pair of flip flops and fight a Tiger for the right amount of money. He essentially did the same, can't hate him for that.

[Plow]

People just simply need to acknowledge that Kimbo merely is to MMA as Milli Vanilli was to music.

So you're saying it's not actually Kimbo out there fighting?

[Deejay]

100% agree. This is MMA's fault, he did something everyone here would do. Take free money and let OTHER people hype themselves up. In contrast you have people in other sports like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson of the NFL that self promote to no end and it causes you to detest them. Kimbo is the product of a marketing machine, don't blame the person blame the sport and the symbolism there.

I know people that hate him personally for what? Taking free money that someone offered? Shit id get ass naked, wear a utility belt and a pair of flip flops and fight a Tiger for the right amount of money. He essentially did the same, can't hate him for that.

lol. Much truths were spoken in this post. Agree with Mizango whole heartedly.

[Krandor]

So you're saying it's not actually Kimbo out there fighting?

After the performance he had on Saturday I'd be willing to believe he had a body double for all his fights.

[kearnsy]

http://deadspin.com/5059233/meet-the...o-felled-kimbo

[Dimmauk]

Black guy's worst nightmare is being KO'd by a gay man.


EliteXC's new sponser is....

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Gayfuelcan.jpg

[Chips]

After the performance he had on Saturday I'd be willing to believe he had a body double for all his fights.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...IMBOSGHOST.jpg

[Fhqwghads]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...IMBOSGHOST.jpg

LOL

[Blarg]

Maybe Kimbo#1 just trains stand up and Kimbo#2 only trains the ground game and they had the Kimbo set to defend submissions from ken in the cage that night.

[Chips]

There are some rumors floating around that Seth is still under contract with the UFC... If that's true, this sucks even more for ProElite.

[Dimmauk]

Interesting news.
I wonder if they told him that cause they wanted him to get KO'd or if the fix was in.

Petruzelli in center of Elite XC storm

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports 15 hours, 8 minutes ago

Yahoo! Sports

Seth Petruzelli, after going from nobody to national celebrity for punching out Kimbo Slice, went on the radio Monday. He delivered a shot potentially more powerful than anything he threw Saturday.

He said his original plan against Kimbo was to get him to the ground and exploit his weak wrestling skills and submission defense. It made more sense than trading punches with a street brawler who outweighed him by 30 pounds. Petruzelli said he changed his mind though.

“The promoters kind of hinted to me, and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him,” he told “The Monsters in Orlando” radio show. “They didn’t want me to take him down, let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him.”

The quote spoke of an attempt to if not rig the fight, then make it favorable for Slice, the main star and cash cow of the EliteXC promotion.

Such an action would be a disaster for mixed martial arts as it attempts to convince mainstream audiences it isn’t scripted pro wrestling or a farcical Toughman contest. If EliteXC gave Petruzelli money to fight one way, it would open itself to all sorts of investigations.

The allegation rocketed around the country, making bigger post-fight news than pictures of Petruzelli in drag (more on that later. Needless to say, it’s been a wild couple of days for him).

EliteXC’s Jared Shaw immediately denied the fixing charge to Yahoo! Sports and fellow executive Jeremy Lappen did the same to Sherdog.com.

Tuesday, Petruzelli said he got the story confused.

“What that meant was they offer a knockout bonus, submission bonuses, fight of the night bonuses,” Petruzelli said in a phone interview. “I think it just got misconstrued. I wanted to have an exciting fight and I wanted the knock out bonus so I wanted to keep it standing.”

So did they say anything about keeping the fight off the ground?

“They just said, ‘we want to see an exciting fight no matter what happens.’ I took it as I wanted the knockout bonus.”
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That explanation won’t appease some conspiracy theorists, if only because the original statement sounds more believable.

Then there is the general distrust of the organization, where the cards often seem more show than sport. Although the last two televised cards were mostly strong, memories remain of exploding cauliflower ears, silly introductions and using the popular but unproven Slice as a headliner.

Besides, it’s no secret Elite XC had a vested interest in Kimbo winning. Jared Shaw even charged the cage and screamed at the referee that Slice had been hit illegally. Shaw has since apologized for that reaction.

“He spent a lot of money to build up Kimbo,” Petruzelli said. “If I saw one of my guys I spent millions on getting his face pounded I’d get upset also.”

Then there’s CBS, which gave up any pretense of journalism in favor of unseemly propaganda.

The network previously embarrassed itself by comparing Kimbo to great sports figures such as Tiger Woods. This time, Gus Johnson’s declaration that Petruzelli’s triumph was “the most incredible victory in the history of mixed martial arts” was laughably ridiculous.

The worst was Johnson repeating the party line that Slice didn’t hesitate to switch opponents from an injured Ken Shamrock. That was simply a lie. Slice demanded a cash bonus on top of his $500,000 payout just to get in the cage with Petruzelli, according to Lappen.

“We made it up to him,” Lappen said.

For a stretch, the replacement wasn’t going to be Petruzelli but Frank Shamrock, Ken’s brother. Frank said Saturday he was even cleared by the Florida commission to fight. Lappen said he didn’t think that was true, although he did admit there were discussions with Frank.

CBS was certainly privy to that information since Frank was at the arena as its color commentator. It was never mentioned on the air though. Frank told Yahoo! Sports Saturday it was CBS officials who blocked him from taking on Slice.

When the broadcasts have no objectivity, perspective or news value and the promoters are openly rooting for one fighter and not the other, how can anyone believe anything these guys say or do?

For his part, Petruzelli said he wishes he hadn’t made the original comment. He swears no one from EliteXC has called him and pressured a retraction.

The entire thing has put a damper on his sudden surge of fame. That and the pictures on the internet of him in drag, of course.

“Man, people aren’t going to let those down, are they?” he said. “Everything in costumes was (for) Halloween. I always dress in crazy stuff. All the leather and that sort of stuff, it’s all done in fun.

“I want to put that to rest right now. I’m officially 100 percent not gay,” he said. “I’ve been happily married for two years and been with her for five years.”

He laughed at the entire speculation. He laughed at a lot of things Tuesday. And who can blame him? Last week he was a part-time fighter who was competing on the non-televised undercard for a four-figure payout. His main job was owner of a Smoothie King stand.

Now he’s an overnight celebrity after 4.59 million people watched him TKO Kimbo.

He just wishes he could do it again. He’s begging for a rematch and the big payout it would bring.

“But I don’t think he was receptive to that,” Petruzelli said. “Kimbo doesn’t want the rematch. He wants no part of that.”

He said that dropping Slice with a single short right despite leaning back on one foot was no fluke and he can do it again.

While Kimbo had a reputation for taking punches from his YouTube videos – he often let guys take free shots that didn’t faze him – Petruzelli said there’s a big difference between a professional fighter and those dudes.

“The thing is, they are arm-punching,” Petruzelli said. “It’s like little flicks with their arms. There’s no weight behind it, there’s no turning of the hips. It’s how you throw it and where you throw it.

“If we fight again, the same thing will happen.”

EliteXC should make it happen. Only this time demand its executives stay seated and its broadcast partner at least attempt professionalism.

Everyone could use the dose of credibility.

[Krandor]

Welp

Sources have confirmed to FightLine.com that ProElite, which is the parent company for EliteXC, will be closing its doors this Friday. FightLine.com sources close to the situation verified that the employees for the struggling MMA company received word today that the company’s last day of work will be this Friday. During the company’s two years of business, it has been reported that they have lost nearly $60 Million, causing many to believe that, despite their valuable deal with CBS, it was only a matter of time before the ship sank.

Graciefighter.com, which is run by Caesar Gracie, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach for ProElite fighters Nick Diaz and Jake Shields, posted the following message on their website, confirming the report:

"We are confirming that EliteXC has folded. What this means for our fans and supporters is that there will not be a Nick Diaz vs. Eddie Alvarez fight on November 8th. However Jake Shields in the UFC has now become a real possibility. We will be updating our site for future developments."

In ProElite’s attempt to be more competitive to the UFC’s stranglehold on MMA, they acquired a number of smaller MMA promotions, most notably King of the Cage and Cage Rage. Rumble on The Rock, the Hawaiian promotion owned by JD Penn, the older brother of UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn, had been leasing his promotion to ProElite. Our sources have confirmed that JD was laid off this afternoon as well.

EliteXC just held their third CBS promotion, “Heat,” last month, which turned out to be another primetime ratings success. However, on the event, the company’s golden boy and former street fighter, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, was knocked out by MMA journeyman Seth Petruzelli in 14 seconds. As he fell to the mat, it seems as though he took EliteXC’s hopes for a future with him as well.

Two days after the upset, Petruzelli went on a local Florida radio show stating that EliteXC management offered him more money if he made his fight against Kimbo strictly a stand up battle. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees the Florida State Boxing Commission, is currently investigating EliteXC regarding Petruzelli’s claims.

Word is that Petruzelli’s statements and the investigation were the final nails in ProElite’s coffin.

[Remyo]

took longer than I thought, most fighters will probably go to affliction. man I hope Gina finds a home....come to think about it she can sleep with me if she gets on hard times.

[Chips]

Hopefully Shields, Lawler, Bigfoot (when his suspension clears), Ninja, Diaz, and Noons all head over to the UFC. I also wonder which of Affliction and the UFC get Kimbo. I know Dana hates him, but man he'd be good for the ratings. This also leaves CBS open to a new MMA organization.

[Blarg]

Sucks that it had to happen before diaz vs alvarez, I was really looking forward to that. Interested to see who the UFC tries to grab up, and which org tries to bank on kimbo.

[Remyo]

Hopefully Shields, Lawler, Bigfoot (when his suspension clears), Ninja, Diaz, and Noons all head over to the UFC. I also wonder which of Affliction and the UFC get Kimbo. I know Dana hates him, but man he'd be good for the ratings. This also leaves CBS open to a new MMA organization.

I think dana said kimbo would never fight in the UFC. I see shields and ninja coming to the ufc, and lawler and diaz returning. noons to affliction, kimbo will go back to fighting in hobo land.

[Fhqwghads]

kimbo will go back to fighting in hobo land

We can only hope. He's got no room to complain. He went farther than most MMA fighters in an incredibly short time, which as I've said before is a slap in the face to all the guys who've put in their time and are infinitely more talented than Kevin Ferguson.

I also hope this is a wake-up call to all the other organizations that MMA shouldn't be turned into a fucking circus. Putting cards together for "exciting" match ups shouldn't be what the sport is about imo. The cards should make themselves by fighters rising through the ranks based on skill, not marketability.

[Tyche]

We can only hope. He's got no room to complain. He went farther than most MMA fighters in an incredibly short time, which as I've said before is a slap in the face to all the guys who've put in their time and are infinitely more talented than Kevin Ferguson.

I also hope this is a wake-up call to all the other organizations that MMA shouldn't be turned into a fucking circus. Putting cards together for "exciting" match ups shouldn't be what the sport is about imo. The cards should make themselves by fighters rising through the ranks based on skill, not marketability.

I couldn't disagree with this more. I'm a casual MMA fan. I couldn't tell you the names of 95% of the fighters or pick them out of a lineup. I do, however, know that this is what has killed boxing. Marketable fighters had to climb through the ranks, and we got about 1 marketable bout every 6 months. They lost their casual base and the fundamentalists still think boxing is great. Boxing sucks and I'd hate for MMA to take the advice of their hardcore fans who appreciate tradition and fundamentals...that could send it to it's same doom. They'll lose their casual base they have been steadily grabbing in key demographs (18-36 year old males). I agree you don't want to turn it into a WWE-esque parade of horseshit, but you have to give people the matchups they want to see. You have to have big names clash.

[Dimmauk]

Kimbo Slice will become a WWE fighter.

[Remyo]

I disagree too, all fights should be exciting, though I find most fights exciting.