Big weekend for MMA

It was an MMA packed weekend. Saturday we had the EliteXC debut on CBS and Sunday WEC held it's biggest event ever in Sacramento.

EliteXC: Primtime
The whole point of this show for those who want to see MMA succeed and press forward was to put on a good show that the casual fan can relate to. So did CBS and EliteXC pull it off? No.

The fight that mattered was the Kimbo fight. The best thing that could have happened to get the casual fan hooked was a semi-quick KO or TKO by Kimbo. That is far from what actually happened.

In the first round, everyone who watched, saw what appeared to be Kimbo tapping. This was not unbelievable under the circumstances, Thompson had a front standing guillotine locked in relatively tight. I honestly thought he tapped. Luckily, on a second look he does appear to be giving a thumbs up to the official.

Now, regardless of the fact that the fight was not great, it was not a disaster. Kimbo did win and did win by TKO.

The mainstream media, particularly ESPN, have been all over this historic event. It is somewhat painful to listen to uneducated, non-fans thoughts of the event but it is something that is clearly expected.

This is why only Barry Melrose talks about hockey, no one else knows shit about it on ESPN. So unless you are an authority on the subject, preface your comments with a statement explaining that you are nothing of the sort.

WEC 35: Faber vs Pulver
Now for the more hardcore MMA fans this was the event of the weekend. We knew that going in. I thought that this would not go to a decision the same way both fighters did. That ended up not being the case either.

Both Faber and Pulver put on a great 5 round show. Faber clearly came out on top. As a fanof BH Penn and Joe Lauzon I was a bit biased towards Faber since he has been training with them recently. At the same time, Pulver is a great comeback story and it would have been great for him if he could have pulled this one out.

The fight of the night was the other "co-main event" (whatever that means) Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda. The fight ended on a doctor stoppage on the count that Maeda's eye was so swollen that I could not even see the eyeball one bit. This was a war. Not the technical battle that it could have been on the ground if both warriors had wanted to go that route but rather a stand-up slobber knocker that showed the disdain they had for each other. Entertaining to say the least.

Conclusion
The ratings for EliteXC are starting to come in and they look pretty good, especially for the most important 18-34 demo. I've heard the XFL-experiment mentioned in the context of having a big opening weekend and then absolutely falling apart from there. That is an awful comparison because the XFL was not a special event it was a weekly and bi-weekly broadcast. On the other hand, EliteXC will be a quarterly thing with the next event being in the Fall. So, for EliteXC and CBS the wheels have not completely fallen off the carriage just yet.

EliteXC: Primetime guide for new fans

Tomorrow marks the national broadcast television debut of the sport of mixed martial arts. There is a ton riding on this and a ton of things that people should know before watching (if you aren't a big fan).

First, what is mixed martial arts? It is not "ultimate fighting". UFC has done an incredible job making the terms "ultimate fighting" and "mixed martial arts" or "mma" the same. Not only are they the same but the term "ultimate fighting" is likely more often used in the mainstream media.

Now, who or what is EliteXC? EliteXC is a MMA promotion that is a partnership between Proelite.com, and the Showtime Network. Th company is well under two years old but has clearly made massive stride in the right direction.

People need to know that this sport is beginning to be backed by some major, important people. I will start with one member of the announce team this Saturday; Gus Johnson. Gus is an accomplished announcer, most notibly from his work with the NFL and the NCAA Tourney. What many people do not know is that he has trained for years in the discipline of boxing and has recently taken up ju-jujitsu. Also on the announce team is famed MMA combatant Frank Shamrock. Having these two names in the booth is important for a show on CBS.


Everyone should also know that this card is not even that great. This is especially true from the "storyline", "mainstream" side of things. This makes me nervous as someone who wants to see EliteXC succeed.

EliteXC and CBS do have Kimbo Slice and they have been marketing him and him only.

I don't watch CBS, almost never do I really, so I don't know how often or when they are playing these things but it is a great attempt to gain some viewers based on curiosity.

That is the whole reason that CBS is taking this risk. They need to gain the coveted male 18-34 demographic. The are, I believe, the oldest of the four major networks as far as viewership.

The most important thing for the success of EiteXC and thus the growth of MMA in general is simple. Kimbo Slice must win. To take it one step further he must knock James Thompson out in a thrilling fashion.

Kimbo is a clear favorite at -600 on Bodog. Thompson is not exactly a tier 1 mma heavyweight. He has lost 6 of his last 8 fights. One of those two wins was against a very old, out of his prime Don Frye. However James Thompson is a solid 6'5 and will give way to a great match-up appearance wise, especially for those who do not know much about Thompson.

In any case, a loss by Kimbo will be devastating.