CBS To Begin Airing MMA Bouts
bryn_cmbs
Posts: 407
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-elitecbs022808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Eltie XC deal could change MMA
By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
The entire landscape of mixed martial arts changed today. Maybe.
The announcement that CBS will broadcast live Elite XC shows on Saturday nights in prime time is potentially the biggest deal in the history of the sport in North America.
But no matter what is said about a multi-year commitment and four shows per year, when it comes to television, like everything, it will live and die by the ratings.
“The sport of MMA airing on CBS is the single biggest thing to happen to the sport,” saidElite XC promoter Gary Shaw. That sounds like a promoter over hyping his latest announcement, but if the show is successful, that’s exactly what it will be.
But it’s going to take a huge promotional effort by the network and the company to build the event and make it fly.
Even the most-watched Ultimate Fighting Championship event in history, the Sept. 8 show headlined by Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson in a UFC-Pride light heavyweight championship unification match, drew 4.7 million viewers. While those are great numbers for cable television, they don’t come close to what would be a desirable audience number for CBS, even on a Saturday night.
Within the Male 18-34 age group, the big show UFC numbers would be successful on a network level, but MMA at this point has proven to have a narrow reach. It doesn’t do well with older people. It doesn’t do badly with women within the 18-34 group, but for network prime time success, you need to draw strongly in more than one age group.
Boxing’s much-lauded “Contender” series failed on the network level. World Wrestling Entertainment programming, far more popular on cable television than MMA, was successful on NBC in the 80s, but drew poor numbers the past two years in a similar prime time slot with the revival of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The first Elite XC show, which is tentatively scheduled for April 26th and likely headlined by Kimbo Slice, will either be the most watched MMA event ever in the United States, or it will be a failure. One could make a strong argument that above and beyond UFC’s first live television special in 2005, where Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar became instant stars by having almost the perfect match at the perfect moment for the sport, this is the most important night, going forward, in the sport’s U.S. history.
If the shows get poor ratings, the entire sport will be stigmatized with the idea that it has its cult popularity and is simply cable TV fare. It will be a huge negative perception blow for a sport which, with its phenomenal growth over the past few years, has been written up as the next NASCAR. Conversely, successful numbers, particularly if they maintain, will entrench MMA as a major sport in this country.
“Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and a wildly popular entertainment vehicle for upscale, young adult audiences,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President of CBS Primetime. “It’s original programming for Saturday night; it’s live, creating an event-atmosphere; and it’s something that hasn’t been seen on network television, until now.”
It’s not a surprise that CBS made a deal for MMA. Both CBS and NBC negotiated for MMA programming for months. CBS’ interest in UFC predated the writers’ strike, while NBC’s interest picked up with the idea of looking for new live programming during the strike. That CBS went with Elite XC over the established UFC is a surprise, and is believed to have happened because Dana White wouldn’t compromise on giving the network control of the broadcast.
White noted earlier this week, before the deal was announced, that he wasn’t going to sign a bad deal for the company, even with a network station. The control issue also likely cost UFC a deal with HBO last year. UFC’s strategy of playing hardball and trying to get the deal on its terms simply wasn’t going to work with a network, but the gamble was that a big player wouldn’t take the chance with an organization that has nowhere near the name recognition and level of mainstream stars.
Because Showtime, part owner of Elite XC, is part of the Viacom family, which owns CBS, they fell into a deal that as a fledgling group, gives them a level of exposure they couldn’t afford to turn down.
“I don’t know why they didn’t get it,” said Gary Shaw, promoter of Elite XC. “If I had to guess, I’d say that it was Dana White. I don’t know that. I don’t worry about the UFC. If the prom queen wants to go out with me, I don’t ask why she isn’t dating the quarterback. I just show up at 8 p.m. at her door. I’ve said all along I think the UFC is great.
“I like the Fertittas and Marc Ratner (UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs) is like a brother to me. But the problem is no fighter can be bigger than Dana White or the UFC. For us, the fighters will always be the biggest stars.”
Shaw’s most successful MMA event was the Feb. 16 show in Miami, which drew a 1.9 rating on Showtime. It was the highest rating for a non-UFC MMA event in history, largely due to the unique Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott main event. But that’s only 522,000 viewers, and they’ll need ten times that audience number, if not more, to do competitive numbers on CBS.
The show also sold out the 6,187-seat BankUnited Center in Miami, which benefited from Slice being a hometown star. For CBS events, Shaw said they are looking at running 15,000-seat arenas with the new Prudential Center in Newark being among the venues under consideration for the debut show.
Most of the details of the deal have not been made official. CBS will be paying Elite XC a fee per show. They haven’t agreed to a time slot, although with affiliate news commitments, it would have to be either 8-10 p.m. or 9-11 p.m. The broadcast team hasn’t been agreed to, but both sides will have input into the decision. Shaw said that once the date and the venue are finalized, they would begin finalizing the matches.
Shaw said he expected the shows to be similar to the Elite XC events on Showtime.
“It’s the same type of show,” he said. “I think we do a very good production with competitive fights.”
Another key is that, with so many people watching the first show and presumably so much hype, that if someone makes a good showing, they can become an instant star, similar, to what happened to Griffin stemming from the first Ultimate Fighter finals. The impact of a great match will be multiplied tenfold.
An unknown fighter who does a sensational finish will almost instantly become one of the best known fighters in the country. A genuine match of the year could end up being the most talked about fight in history. Similarly, the affects of a poor show will be magnified like never before.
But it also adds to an over-saturation problem. UFC is producing roughly two shows per month. Elite is now adding four CBS dates to the 16 or so Showtime dates they had planned for this year. That’s a lot of events in a sport with a finite number of stars, and in which the stars can only fight a few times per year.
Even with the deal giving his company the largest television exposure in a business where television exposure is the life blood, Shaw doesn’t feel Elite XC is on the verge of leapfrogging UFC as the top promotion.
“No, I’m a realist,” he said. “UFC is No. 1. I am Pepsi to their Coke, Avis to their Hertz.”
Eltie XC deal could change MMA
By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
The entire landscape of mixed martial arts changed today. Maybe.
The announcement that CBS will broadcast live Elite XC shows on Saturday nights in prime time is potentially the biggest deal in the history of the sport in North America.
But no matter what is said about a multi-year commitment and four shows per year, when it comes to television, like everything, it will live and die by the ratings.
“The sport of MMA airing on CBS is the single biggest thing to happen to the sport,” saidElite XC promoter Gary Shaw. That sounds like a promoter over hyping his latest announcement, but if the show is successful, that’s exactly what it will be.
But it’s going to take a huge promotional effort by the network and the company to build the event and make it fly.
Even the most-watched Ultimate Fighting Championship event in history, the Sept. 8 show headlined by Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson in a UFC-Pride light heavyweight championship unification match, drew 4.7 million viewers. While those are great numbers for cable television, they don’t come close to what would be a desirable audience number for CBS, even on a Saturday night.
Within the Male 18-34 age group, the big show UFC numbers would be successful on a network level, but MMA at this point has proven to have a narrow reach. It doesn’t do well with older people. It doesn’t do badly with women within the 18-34 group, but for network prime time success, you need to draw strongly in more than one age group.
Boxing’s much-lauded “Contender” series failed on the network level. World Wrestling Entertainment programming, far more popular on cable television than MMA, was successful on NBC in the 80s, but drew poor numbers the past two years in a similar prime time slot with the revival of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The first Elite XC show, which is tentatively scheduled for April 26th and likely headlined by Kimbo Slice, will either be the most watched MMA event ever in the United States, or it will be a failure. One could make a strong argument that above and beyond UFC’s first live television special in 2005, where Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar became instant stars by having almost the perfect match at the perfect moment for the sport, this is the most important night, going forward, in the sport’s U.S. history.
If the shows get poor ratings, the entire sport will be stigmatized with the idea that it has its cult popularity and is simply cable TV fare. It will be a huge negative perception blow for a sport which, with its phenomenal growth over the past few years, has been written up as the next NASCAR. Conversely, successful numbers, particularly if they maintain, will entrench MMA as a major sport in this country.
“Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and a wildly popular entertainment vehicle for upscale, young adult audiences,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President of CBS Primetime. “It’s original programming for Saturday night; it’s live, creating an event-atmosphere; and it’s something that hasn’t been seen on network television, until now.”
It’s not a surprise that CBS made a deal for MMA. Both CBS and NBC negotiated for MMA programming for months. CBS’ interest in UFC predated the writers’ strike, while NBC’s interest picked up with the idea of looking for new live programming during the strike. That CBS went with Elite XC over the established UFC is a surprise, and is believed to have happened because Dana White wouldn’t compromise on giving the network control of the broadcast.
White noted earlier this week, before the deal was announced, that he wasn’t going to sign a bad deal for the company, even with a network station. The control issue also likely cost UFC a deal with HBO last year. UFC’s strategy of playing hardball and trying to get the deal on its terms simply wasn’t going to work with a network, but the gamble was that a big player wouldn’t take the chance with an organization that has nowhere near the name recognition and level of mainstream stars.
Because Showtime, part owner of Elite XC, is part of the Viacom family, which owns CBS, they fell into a deal that as a fledgling group, gives them a level of exposure they couldn’t afford to turn down.
“I don’t know why they didn’t get it,” said Gary Shaw, promoter of Elite XC. “If I had to guess, I’d say that it was Dana White. I don’t know that. I don’t worry about the UFC. If the prom queen wants to go out with me, I don’t ask why she isn’t dating the quarterback. I just show up at 8 p.m. at her door. I’ve said all along I think the UFC is great.
“I like the Fertittas and Marc Ratner (UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs) is like a brother to me. But the problem is no fighter can be bigger than Dana White or the UFC. For us, the fighters will always be the biggest stars.”
Shaw’s most successful MMA event was the Feb. 16 show in Miami, which drew a 1.9 rating on Showtime. It was the highest rating for a non-UFC MMA event in history, largely due to the unique Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott main event. But that’s only 522,000 viewers, and they’ll need ten times that audience number, if not more, to do competitive numbers on CBS.
The show also sold out the 6,187-seat BankUnited Center in Miami, which benefited from Slice being a hometown star. For CBS events, Shaw said they are looking at running 15,000-seat arenas with the new Prudential Center in Newark being among the venues under consideration for the debut show.
Most of the details of the deal have not been made official. CBS will be paying Elite XC a fee per show. They haven’t agreed to a time slot, although with affiliate news commitments, it would have to be either 8-10 p.m. or 9-11 p.m. The broadcast team hasn’t been agreed to, but both sides will have input into the decision. Shaw said that once the date and the venue are finalized, they would begin finalizing the matches.
Shaw said he expected the shows to be similar to the Elite XC events on Showtime.
“It’s the same type of show,” he said. “I think we do a very good production with competitive fights.”
Another key is that, with so many people watching the first show and presumably so much hype, that if someone makes a good showing, they can become an instant star, similar, to what happened to Griffin stemming from the first Ultimate Fighter finals. The impact of a great match will be multiplied tenfold.
An unknown fighter who does a sensational finish will almost instantly become one of the best known fighters in the country. A genuine match of the year could end up being the most talked about fight in history. Similarly, the affects of a poor show will be magnified like never before.
But it also adds to an over-saturation problem. UFC is producing roughly two shows per month. Elite is now adding four CBS dates to the 16 or so Showtime dates they had planned for this year. That’s a lot of events in a sport with a finite number of stars, and in which the stars can only fight a few times per year.
Even with the deal giving his company the largest television exposure in a business where television exposure is the life blood, Shaw doesn’t feel Elite XC is on the verge of leapfrogging UFC as the top promotion.
“No, I’m a realist,” he said. “UFC is No. 1. I am Pepsi to their Coke, Avis to their Hertz.”
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
routine was the theme..
there aint gonna be any middle any more
loved the xfl.
http://www.myspace.com/brain_of_c
Except Americans have always liked violence like Boxing and Wrestling.
This appears to me to be a combination of those two things. I think it can stick around if they market the fighters like they have so far ie Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture.
6/7/2003 (***1/2)
7/9/2006 (****1/2)
7/13/2006 (**** )
4/10/2008 EV Solo (****1/2)
6/25/2008 MSG II (*****)
10/1/2009 LA II (****)
10/6/2009 LA III (***** Cornell!!!)
you and me both, sista!
thanks for posting the article, bryn cmbs. it will be interesting to see how this goes for elitexc. they have had some fantastic matches so far, but they've also put on some pretty poor efforts, especially with their undercards. their announcing is good, but their production has been amatuerish at times, so this deal could be a good thing for them in that respect.
i'm happy the ufc decided not to go to hbo or cbs and hand over their creative control to them, as they've already established their "brand" and can still feel free to make the changes they deem necessary in order to grow. handing over creative control like elitexc has done would be a dangerous thing for an established promotion, but it could be a positive for a smaller and more unknown brand like elitexc. i just hope they don't try to turn it into a joke like fox did with hockey!
their LW, MW and women's divisions are pretty interesting and have some quality mixed martial artists, but there are only a couple of stars to speak of at WW and HW, and their LHW division is pretty much non-existent.
anyway, i hope they have success with it and maybe they can draw in some better fighters in the process. gary shaw is a pretty shady guy and there have been rumblings about managers already having problems with him regarding their fighters. let's hope he doesn't ruin what could be a good thing.
in the end, it's all about how the matches are perceived by the viewers, i guess. it's always hit and miss with MMA...sometimes the best looking fights on paper end up being the snoozers and sometimes the relative "unknowns" end up stealing the show.
here's the first few fighters rumoured to be fighting on that april 26th show they mentioned...
EliteXC: April 26, 2008 - Hawaii
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson Vs. TBA
KJ Noons Vs. Yves Edwards - Elite XC LW Championship
Nick Diaz Vs. TBA
Gina Carano Vs. TBA
edit: also, i like meltzer's writing and articles, but i definitely think he's way off base when he says that..."If the shows get poor ratings, the entire sport will be stigmatized with the idea that it has its cult popularity and is simply cable TV fare. It will be a huge negative perception blow for a sport which, with its phenomenal growth over the past few years, has been written up as the next NASCAR. Conversely, successful numbers, particularly if they maintain, will entrench MMA as a major sport in this country." i think by saying this he's overlooking the different styles of fights that exist between brands and that not all mma organizations are looked at the same way, nor do they always use the same rules and / or venues.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
MMAWeekly.com
CBS and ProElite, Inc. on Thursday announced that the first live primetime mixed martial arts event will be telecast on Saturday, May 31 from 9-11 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network. CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights will be telecast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
A number of top fighters are expected to be on the card including a main event featuring Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson against an as of yet unnamed opponent.
One fight that was officially announced for the card is “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler returning to action to defend his EliteXC middleweight title against Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight veteran Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith.
Additional fights will be announced at a later date.
"We're excited to introduce broadcast television viewers to America's fastest growing sport with this prime time event," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. "EliteXC is putting together a line-up card that showcases the unique personalities, world-class athleticism, and raw power and emotion that characterizes mixed martial arts."
The announcement about EliteXC’s partnership with CBS came a few weeks back. ProElite Live Events President Gary Shaw has been vocal about his excitement for the opportunity to present mixed martial arts on network television.
"I am very happy for the highly trained fighters, who will finally get the kind of exposure they deserve, and, of course, the viewers, who will get the opportunity to learn that MMA is truly a sport that requires an abundance of skills, both mentally and physically," said Shaw via a press release on Thursday.
Showtime Sports will handle the production on the CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, which are currently slated at four events per year in the two-hour primetime slot.
More announcements are expected to follow about the show including the broadcast team that will handle the announcing duties for the show.
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5926&zoneid=13
EliteXC, May 31, 2008 - Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey - CBS
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson Vs. Ruben Villareal
Robbie Lawler Vs. Scott Smith - EliteXC MW Championship
Antonio Silva Vs. TBA
Gina Carano Vs. TBA (Cristiane Cyborg or Kaitlin Young)
Brett Rogers Vs. John Murphy
EliteXC, May 31, 2008 - Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey - CBS
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson Vs. James Thompson *
Robbie Lawler Vs. Scott Smith - EliteXC MW Championship
Gina Carano Vs. Kaitlin Young
Phil Baroni Vs. Murilo Rua
Brett Rogers Vs. John Murphy
* only James Thompson has not been confirmed for the card.
Main Card
Heavyweight Bout: Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock
Welterweight Title Bout: Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley
Heavyweight Bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson
Women's Bout: Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald
Middleweight Bout: Benji Radach vs. Murilo Rua
Preliminary Card
Women's Bout: Cristiane Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi
Lightweight Bout: James Edson Berto vs. Conor Heun
Light Heavyweight Bout: Seth Petruzelli vs. Aaron Rosa
Welterweight Bout: Lorenzo Borgomeo vs. Mickey Gomez
Bantamweight Bout: David Gomez vs. Brett Jackowski
Lightweight Bout: Jorge Bouchat vs. Nicolae Cury
For all you MMA noobs like myself, this is gonna be a great network showcase of this popular sport. This is the third EliteXC to be aired on CBS, probably most anticipated MMA event on network TV. All for free to view...
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
i can't wait, longrd.!
a solid night of matches on the main card, with the exception being the "main event" of course.
p.s. go gina!
EliteXC, October 4, 2008 - The Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida - CBS
Main Card:
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (234.5) Vs. Ken Shamrock (206.5)
Andrei Arlovski (240.75) Vs. Roy Nelson (262.75)
Jake Shields (169.75) Vs. Paul Daley (170) - EliteXC WW Championship
Gina Carano (141) Vs. Kelly Kobald (141)
Benji Radach (185) Vs. Murilo Rua (185)
Swing Bout:
Cristiane Santos (148.5) Vs. Yoko Takahashi (148.5)
Pre-lims:
Connor Heun (160.75) Vs. Edson Berto (157.75)
Seth Petruzelli (205.5) Vs. Aaron Rosa (204.75)
Lorenzo Borgomeo (170.25) Vs. Mikey Gomez (170.25)
David Gomez (138.75) Vs. Bryan Hamade (138.75)
Jorge Bouchat (159.5) Vs. Nicolae Cury (161.25)
he's 44, i believe. he'll be looking for his first win since 2004 when he knocked out kimo. he's 0-5 since then...all ko or tko losses in the first round. sadly, he probably should have retired a few years ago.
Shoving matches, naked Gina Carano "Heat" up EliteXC weigh-ins
by John Morgan
Oct 03, 2008
SUNRISE, Fla. -- After two near brawls and the public disrobing of female star Gina Carano, all fighters have officially made weight for tomorrow Saturday's "EliteXC: Heat" event.
The difficulties in the affairs started when female superstar Gina Carano failed to make weight on her first attempt, weighing in at 142.75 pounds. Though visibly embarrassed at the necessary next step, Carano appeared intent on not missing weight for yet another EliteXC card.
Behind the cover of four separate towels in front and behind the undefeated young fighter, Carano removed all of her clothes and stepped back on the scales. An incredulous Carano showed her frustration and presumed embarrassment when the scale showed 142.5 pounds.
Officials on stage suggested a third attempt may be beneficial as the scales appeared to have an issue during the second attempt. After Carano stepped on the scales a third time, an acceptable weight of 141 pounds was registered. The weight was one pound over the contracted 140-pound limit, but the same as Carano's opponent, Kelly Kobald.
The afternoon's activities took a turn for the worse minutes later as EliteXC middleweight champion Jake Shields and Paul Daley came together for their obligatory staredown.
With the two fighters so close to each other that the bill of Daley's cap was touching Shields' forehead, the British striker began spewing obscenities at the champion. Shields smiled confidently at first, but Daley continued to hurl insults from close range.
As the tense situation reached its boiling point, EliteXC officials jumped in to seperate the two combatants. Both fighters lunged towards each other, and continued to yell at each other as they were ushered off the stage.
Mere moments after the parties were escorted backstage, the temporary backdrop lining the rear of the stage began to sway and shake while voices continued to erupt. EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen darted to the curtained-off area, and order was soon restored.
The near-brawl was just a prelude to the antics to follow.
After heavyweights Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and Ken Shamrock each made weight, the fighters moved to the front of the stage for photos. Facing forward, the two posed for several seconds. As Shamrock turned towards Slice for the customary staredown, Slice turned to exit the stage. Shamrock was less than pleased with the actions.
Shamrock shoved Slice in his back as he walked away, and a second melee began. Members of both camps, as well as EliteXC officials, worked to keep the fighters apart. Slice remained silent as Shamrock yelled repeatedly, "Don't turn your back on me."
After several minutes order was again restored and the weigh-ins for Saturday night's undercard began. The remainder of the activities were held without further controversy.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/12928/shoving-matches-naked-gina-carano-heat-up-elitexc-weigh-ins.mma
Sounds like an attempt to drum up more interest and viewers for the event. The only thing that is missing is the exploding limo outside.
the exploding limo, eh? yeah, that sounds about right.
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
ken's gotta sell it! haha
There goes the legacy of Kimbo Slice!
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
Arvolski-Nelson was good too though.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
i thought seth would probably take him down and submit him in the first, but instead kimbo goes down to a jab (followed by a few hammerfists...)! it certainly was a crazy night!
BUT during the post-fight interview, he talked a lot and said 'it's all good, there's still a party after the event' and it was an improv fight. :rolleyes:
I dunno, he came off like he was there for the money and not for the competition.
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
it sounds like there were a couple of excellent fights on the undercard as well from reading the play by play.
sounds like you caught the whole show, long rd.?
All the non-main events matches were surprisingly good.
1st match was Benji Raddach vs. Murilo Rua: Raddach started off strong with standing attacks but Rua never went down and stood his ground even after taking some nasty punches.
The big blow was when Rua missed a Muay Thai knee thrust and slip to the ground. Raddach landed some big punches to Rua's face as he was defenseless on the gorund.
Raddach got the OK win.
2nd match was Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald. Kobald was aggressive with a grapple attack to maintain Carano's standing attacks. What hurt Koblad was that she wasn't able to attack consistantly because of the grapples. Carano got enough punches and kicks to get a cut over Koblad's eye. Carano's hits was the big difference. She got the unanimous decision.
3rd match was Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson. Somewhat similar to the Carano-Kobald match. Nelson was going for the grappling holds rather than attacks. Seemed like Arlovski knew his game plan but waiting and waiting for Nelson to tire out and eventually he did. The big finish was when Arlovski got a nice thrust kick to Nelon's leg to unbalance him and got some nasty punches to the face. Arlovski won by KO.
4th match was Welterweight Title Bout: Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley: A bit boring if you like the hits and attack style because Shields used his great grounding skills and eventually get a submission armbar in the 2nd round for the win. Daley was on his back in defense for most of the match.
Main event: Kimbo Slice vs. Seth "Somebody"
Well, no need for a review because it lasted about 12 seconds with Kimbo getting knocked out.
Arlovski was probably the most skilled fighter of the night. He has a lot of styles to attack with on both the ground and standing.
Can't wait for the night MMA event!
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
in agreement with your points too. the matches went pretty much as i'd expected, with the exception of radach vs. ninja. i thought ninja was going to take him down in the second and finish it on the ground. he weathered a huge early storm, though. oh, and i thought seth would take kimbo down and submit him, not ko him!
i'm definitely looking forward to the next show
Glad I went to the Carolina/UCONN game last night instead of staying in to watch this mess.