“CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS’’

FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE CALL QUOTES

Incredibly popular Kimbo Slice, of Perrine, Fla., will face England’s James “Colossus’’ Thompson
in the main event in one of five fights on the inaugural “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS”
this Saturday, May 31 (9-11 p.m. ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The history-making, first-ever mixed martial event in primetime on network television will be presented
by Los Angeles-based Pro Elite, Inc.’s live fight division, EliteXC, from the Prudential Center at Newark,
N.J.

In other televised fights: Crowd-pleasing EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless’’ Robbie Lawler
of St. Louis defends against hard-hitting Scott Smith of Sacramento, Calif.; talented unbeaten Gina
Carano of Las Vegas will face confident, hard-hitting Kaitlin Young of Circle Pines, Minn., in a women’s
fight at 140 pounds, exciting, charismatic Phil Baroni of Long Island, N.Y., meets determined, hard-nosed
Joey Villasenor of Albuquerque, N.M. in a 185-pound scrap and undefeated, power-punching Brett
Rogers of Minneapolis takes on the versatile Jon Murphy of Philadelphia in a heavyweight match.

Tickets for the live event start at $25 and are available at Ticketmaster locations, by phone (201)
507-8900, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Prudential Center box office (973) 757-6625.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET. The first live fight is at 6:30.

GARY SHAW, EliteXC Live Events President

“I want to thank everybody for being here. Saturday, at 9 p.m., on CBS is going to be a tremendous, historic night for mixed martial arts and EliteXC is proud to present it to the millions and millions watching on television and live in attendance. No one is going to be disappointed. CBS, its announcers, the production team, all of us at ProElite and EliteXC, the fight team, could not be happier or more excited.

A special thanks to Ken Hershman (Senior Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports Programming, Matt Blanc (Chief Executive Officer, SHOWTIME) and SHOWTIME – without them, none of this would have been possible.

I also want to thank the press for the outstanding job they have done for this mega event. We are on the front pages of sports sections. The turnout here is outstanding. So, thanks to all of you.

I would have our fighters fight with another organization. I have said all along, the UFC is a fine organization. They are nice people. They put on some of the finest fights in the world, but it is not the only organization that has fine fighters or fights.

We will hopefully announce the next CBS fight on Saturday. There are two parts of it – it is CBS programming making sure it doesn’t conflict with any other commitments and it is us getting the right venue. Those are the two things we are working on right now. I can tell you it will be late summer to very early fall. (But) Pray for us for Saturday first.

Ticket sales are at about 7,000 right now. We are happy about it. In-arena ticket sales may be hurt because of the area and because it is going to be on primetime television. I think we have done such a spectacular job talking about CBS that it is almost like people want to stay home and watch it on CBS and have a party.

Roughly 96 percent of the CBS affiliates are showing the fight card. Every major market is showing the fight.

It won’t be much different of a format. For us, we have been on SHOWTIME which is a network that is advertising free. We will roll out the show in the same manner, but will have commercial breaks. The in-arena atmosphere will be high energy and entertaining. Commercials will be the only difference. We are not going to cut away right before a knock out.’’

DOUG DELUCA, Executive Chairman, ProElite, Inc.

“First of all, I want to thank my wife and my baby in the first row. Without them, I wouldn’t be on this wild ride with Gary and Kelly (Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime). Thank you to all the press. I am an entertainment guy myself, so to see all of the support for this sport in its shining moment is an amazing thing. This is being broadcast in many other countries. We are in for one hell of a night. You know in a business when the team is gelling. Everybody is working like a team.

Gary said most of the thank yous, but I want to say a big thank you to our partners, SHOWTIME and, now, CBS, who have thrown all the guns at this. You see the press this is getting. You see the promos surrounding the event. They (both) promised they would be a true partner and they have been a true partner. Everyone is really in for a treat. It is really going to be a special event. I am as excited as Gary. This is a first-class announce team. This team is excited. They are working overtime on their own. They know they sport. They are meeting with the athletes.

I always say when I talk about broadcasting how the NFL taught viewers how to watch football. We are going to help the viewers who not-yet fans of MMA, tell them about MMA and draw them in. Anyone who gives it a chance will fall in love with the sport and be compelled by it.

The huge thanks is to our fighters. They put so much pressure on themselves each time they compete. The pressure that this event has added to these guys, I don’t envy. They are all doing it with smiles. My hat is off to you guys. A heartfelt thanks for a great event. Win, lose or draw, you are all champs.

The ProElite team has been working hard for over a year. We promised that it would come together and it will come together on Saturday night. I hope to see all of your there and thank you from the bottom of my heart.’’

GARY SHAW ON KIMBO

“The first time I introduced Kimbo, I was introducing him as a YouTube sensation with over 10 million hits. I knew he was a star then. I knew he could be a superstar. There are great basketball players, but nothing like Michael Jordan. There are great golfers, but nothing like Tiger Woods. Every once in a while there is someone who crosses over that line to a superstar. You just know. When Mike Tyson walked in, the place erupted. When someone else walked in there were only a few claps. Well, Kimbo Slice is a superstar. He is probably the most recognizable name in all of MMA. On May 31, when he gets in the cage, he will be the single most known face of MMA.

(UFC’s) Dana White will be at home watching us on CBS. When he rips Kimbo Slice, it only proves he is an idiot. When he says that BJ Penn is the best fighter in the whole family and can knock out Kimbo Slice, the DEA should raid his home. I know BJ Penn would never say that and is probably embarrassed. Although BJ Penn is the best fighter in the family, he’s not the smartest Penn (JD, his brother, is an executive at EliteXC).

If you want to do something good for the sport, you should support CBS. Whether Kimbo has two fights, or six, he is raising the tide of MMA. All ships rise with the tide. The fighters on this card have said it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. He trains with Bas Rutten. If you train with him, you are a real fighter. Randy Khatami, the whole camp you see, are not paid by Kimbo. They are a family. He is first class. He is the closest thing I know to Tyson. He has an off and off switch. When he is off, you would have him baby sit your kids without a second thought. When it is on, someone is in trouble for sure.

Kimbo has a complex side to him as well. He is intelligent. He is well-read, well-versed. He is street through and through. He has not forgotten where he came from. On the bus ride over here, he told me he bought two 26-inch TVs and is going to give them to someone needy in the work area in Newark. He wants to leave Newark with a positive impression. It not only says something about Kimbo but the MMA family. I am telling you, Kimbo Slice is real.

We are up for the challenge in a cage. When this is over, you will be proud that Kimbo has represented MMA. You will be proud he is a family man and has taken care of his kids. You will find when the story is over that Kimbo rose to the occasion as a standup guy. He is our franchise player right now. The guys that has helped us more than he knows. I have called upon him more than any other athlete.”

KIMBO

“I don’t have much to say. I was to thank CBS and EliteXC. CBS rules.

I don’t feel like all the pressure is on me to perform a certain way. Not at all.

I don’t underestimate any fighter. Just because he has lost a couple fights, doesn’t mean he isn’t going to come out strong.’’

“JAMES THOMPSON

“It is a wonderful opportunity for me. I have come in nice and quiet and I am looking forward to it. It has been a long time coming to get on CBS. I am very lucky and I look forward to making the most of it.’’

“RUTHLESS’’ ROBBIE LAWLER

“I don’t have much to say. I’m ready to fight. It is nice to be on CBS. I am going to put on a show.’’

SCOTT “HANDS OF STEEL’’ SMITH

“I have to thank my family and friends. They have followed me from Vegas to Miami to Ireland and now to New Jersey. They support and believe in me. They know what I am capable of and now it is time to show the fans that tune into CBS. This fight is a dream fight for me. Robbie is an exciting fighter and a great champion, but I believe that I can be a champion. These guys are awesome. Once again, this is a fight I would buy on pay-per-view to watch. It is great that everyone will be able to see it. Thanks to CBS for allowing me to be a part of it.’’

GINA CARANO

“I would like to thank my fans, all the people that have supported me and God. I think Kaitlin is a great opponent for me. (We’re going to) blow the (heck) of our women’s MMA. I appreciate everyone’s support and I hope the fight goes well. I’m ready. Let’s do it.

It depends on the day if I feel pressure. Sometimes I feel pressure. Sometime it depends on the hour. Sometimes I say ‘forget about the pressure.’ I am just another human being that is living and doing the best I can. I am doing surprisingly well today. I am looking forward to the fight. I want to get this fight over and jump into the gym and train for the next one.

I think Kaitlin is going to be one of my tougher matchups. I think this is going to be a very big test of what I am capable of doing. I hope it comes out good. You can only hope for the best.’’

KAITLIN YOUNG

“I want to thank EliteXC, CBS and ProElite. I think it will be a great fight. We bring out the best in each other. I think that women’s MMA has been overlooked in other leagues until EliteXC came around. I am really excited and honored. I have trained harder for this fight than I ever have. I’m excited to put on a good fight for you on Saturday night.”

JOEY VILLASENOR

“I want to say what an honor it is for a veteran like me to fight on such a big card. We are making history, not only for MMA and EliteXC, but for my family. From that night on, my family lives forever. That gives me nothing but great pride. They are going to have a chance to see all of us fighters. Everyone is going to have a chance to see us, family men and real people. It is a chance to get new fans out there. I can’t wait to perform on Saturday. I feel like I am at my best. What an honor.’’

PHIL BARONI

“I am just a fighter. I am here to fight. Once I step in the cage, I am just here to fight no matter how many TV’s are on it.

“I am ready to stomp this guy. He knows it and I know it.’’

JON MURPHY

“I just want to thank Gary and EliteXC, ProElite and CBS. I have been doing this for five years or so and I am glad to be a part of it. We had always hoped that it would get to this level. It is going to gain a lot of fans. I am looking forward to Saturday’s fight.

I am excited to have the first fight. It is a good way to set the tone. When Brett and I go out there and have a great fight, we will set the tone for the evening.

Being on network TV is a huge step for all that is happening in MMA. It is going to be showing to the widest audience possible. It is obviously going to pick up more fans. It is perfect for me.

Brett’s a big, strong guy. He fights hard. He is a pretty athletic guy from what I have seen. I think our styles match up perfectly and it is going to be a great fight. Of course, I am going to win. I don’t predict, I just go and fight. This is the best shape I have been in, so I am ready to rock.

I donated 15 inches of my hair to “Locks of Love” back on Jan. 1. That is pretty much why I grew it in the first place – two and a half years worth.’’

BRETT ROGERS

I would like to thank EliteXC for allowing me to be a part of this. This is real big thing to be on CBS. I have been fighting for five or six years. I never thought I’d be here today. I’d like to thank my family, friends and sponsors. We are the first show and I know it will be exciting.

It means a lot to be the first fight on such a big night. I’m thankful that EliteXC is even allowing me a chance. I am respectful for that. But I’ve been working hard and deserve this. I am definitely going to take my time and win each fight.

I predict our fight is going to be stand and bang unless he decides he wants to take me to the ground. If he wants to hold me, I might play into his game, but I say I win by KO.

It’s funny. Every time Kimbo has fought, I’ve been on the same fight card. I have my views on it, but it is good because everyone wants to see the show. He is the highlight right now. At least people can see me too and I can catch the eyes of the fans. Once I get to his level, there will be no surprises. Everyone will know what I am capable of doing and they will love what they see.’’

GUS JOHNSON, Play-By-Play Announcer

“I’d like to say it’s an honor to work with these artists from the world of mixed martial arts. They are truly real, live warriors. I think we all can learn a lot from their passion, commitment and dedication. This is a sport that has to be given the proper credit for shows like this. These great artists will start to gain recognition nationally and internationally with this broadcast on CBS.

I have had an opportunity to call a lot of major national events with the National Football League on CBS, the NCAA Tournament and I am the voice of the Knicks. I have had a chance to call boxing at Madison Square Garden at a very high level. I have had the opportunity to train as a boxer, to study as a kung fu artist, and most recently to take up jiu-jitsu.

This sport is the sport of the future. It takes a very intelligent person to be able to fight in so many different ways whether that be standing or a jiu-jitsu man using guillotines. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved. I love this sport and it is a rising sport for kids of all ages, especially that 15-22 demographic. I believe there are jiu-jitsu academies and martial art studios popping up all over the county because of it. I really believe mixed martial arts and, hopefully EliteXC, will lead the way to a whole new era in American sports.’’

FRANK SHAMROCK, Analyst

“I certainly know what it feels like to throw some kicks and punches. I’ve done all that stuff. I am honored to be the commentator for this momentous event. Mixed martial arts is a lifestyle. It’s an art form. It is a mini-movement in the USA and around the world. For some reason right now, making a living through fighting and having a purpose for that and representing your family, your community, yourself in a professional fashion has just become fashionable and I appreciate that. I have been that guy for some time. I plan to call it like I see it. I plan to put my special flavor on it, which is to tell the truth. I am proud to be part of such an amazing movement at such an amazing time. Hopefully, I have some good years left in me. It is an honor to be here. Thank you for this.’’

MAURO RANALLO, Analyst

“I want to thank ProElite and everyone involved. I want to thank SHOWTIME and of course the people at CBS for having the foresight to bring the greatest sport to the forefront. I am deeply honored and thrilled to be a part of this landmark event. I have been a fan of Gus Johnson for many years. I think we have the same passion and intensity. I know he is going to be tremendous for this sport. Of course, Frank Shamrock is a pioneer in the sports of MMA, an entertainer and definitely one of the most educated people when it comes to articulating our sport. I think it is up to me and the other commentators to tell the story of all of these tremendous athletes up here. They are all intelligent, all educated, all of them champions in there specialty whether it is judo, boxing. It is a dawn of a new era in mixed martial arts. I had the opportunity to commentate in Japan where there were 35,000-40,000 people in the stands and they were front page the next day. It is about time that MMA is front page news for the right reasons here. We are all going to entertain and educate. These fighters are going to put on one hell of a show. Enjoy the show. Thank you very much.”

KARYN BRYANT, Reporter

“Thank you, Gary and Ken. I was so glad someone came and asked me to do this. This is going to be amazing. I have been a fan of this sport for several years. This is the wave of the future. This is the sport of right now. We already get along great, the announce team. I think the enthusiasm, passion and love we have for this sport will really show. I am really glad to see Gina and Kaitlyn here. I’m glad there are women on the card. It is really a thrill to see that and introduce people to the sport. ‘We’ love fighting just as much as the guys. I think it is going to be a win-win for everyone. I’m pleased, thrilled. I’ve been a MTV vee-jay, I’ve sat behind the desk at CNN. I love this job. It’s a blast. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity. I think it is going to be great.’’

NICK LEMBO, NJ Sports Commission

“There is a middle school here where we used to have MMA shows. Within six years, we’ve gone from middle school to primetime network television on CBS. I think it is great for the sport. I’m very glad Gary selected New Jersey as the host venue. It’s a huge moment for the sport.’’

JOY GULLEDGE, Prudential Center

“On behalf of ownership at the AEG facility. I am happy to be here. We are a very new building and are excited to ride the wave of excitement surrounding MMA. We are looking forward to an exciting event. We hope to see everyone there.”

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Check out UFC and MMA Trivia with The MMA Digest’s Mixed Martial Arts Trivia Book at theMMAdigest.com

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Kimbo Slice noted in an interview with ESPN.com, he is anticipating a ground battle with James Thompson Saturday night on CBS’s Elite XC show.  “I’m expecting it to go to the ground, and I’m more excited about going to the ground than standing up”, notes Kimbo.

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From FoxSports.com…

#7-Kimbo Slice: Ok here is the first evidence of my disdain for Mr. Canseco; I have seen a youTube video of Kimbo destroying a guys face to the point that it appeared his eye ball was going to pop out. Now that would make for good television.

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from Blackvoices.com:

Even though the Mixed Martial Arts industry is downplaying Kimbo Slice’s fighting skills in the cage, no one can doubt the money and attention he’s bringing to the sport. On Saturday May 31 Slice will be making his national TV debut on CBS as part of the CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights. In a feature for ESPN Magazine Kimbo shares his life story coming up from the slums of Miami and spending time living in a Nissan Pathfinder to working his way up as a bouncer, then bodyguard, to hardcore street fighter which turned into YouTube fame. Kimbo also said he is aware of the criticism he’s getting but isn’t backing down and is training and building up his fighting skills for the MMA world.

“I still consider myself a baby at this game,” Kimbo
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told ESPN Mag. “Those guys probably know how to run circles around me, but I can bang with the best. And I’m not a one-dimensional fighter anymore. I used to have just a hammer. But now I’ve got a hammer, a tape measure, a screwdriver, a glue gun. Now I’ve got some tools in the belt.” For his fight on Saturday, Slice will be going up against James “The Colossus” Thompson, a 6′5″ 270-pound, who according to MMA pundits is another bum that gives Kimbo no credibility in his cage fighting skills. In the meantime, Kimbo will still be getting plays on YouTube, getting people to watch him beat down folks on TV, all the while stacking his dough.

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Check out UFC and MMA Trivia with The MMA Digest’s Mixed Martial Arts Trivia Book at theMMAdigest.com

GARY SHAW:

“It’s my honor to promote this show in primetime. This event is probably the single biggest thing to ever happen in the sport of mixed martial arts. The fact you will get this for free is huge for MMA. It is something we are very proud to bring you.

“More eyeballs will watch this show than has seen any other fight in the world.

“I want to thank Doug Deluca and a few other people who got together and started this thing. (It started) On a napkin (and) they wrote some notes. Eighteen months later, we are on CBS.

“I want to thank Ken Hershman at SHOWTIME. He was truly the visionary of this. Without him, we wouldn’t be here today.

“For me this is a milestone in my career. Boxing hasn’t been on network TV in a long time. This is huge.

“Nothing can be bigger for our company. To these fighters, this is it. The morning after May 31 they will be cult heroes. It (their CBS appearances) will change their lives dramatically.

“To the athletes that signed with EliteXC, we have delivered something that has never been delivered in MMA.

“Doug Deluca said that he wants MMA to be in the Olympics in 2012. If this can happen, maybe that can happen.

“ I believe the future of the sport is resting on our shoulders. If we don’t have the largest MMA audience, I will hang myself. That will make for great live television.

“It will be a fast format on Saturday night. We are in a five-fight format, it’s going to move. It will resonate because it is fast-paced action. The stoppages are fast, the action is fast. You don’t get 12 rounds of a boring fight; you get non-stop action and high energy throughout the night.

“On EliteXC, you are not going to watch two guys having a love fest on the ground. You are going to see an exciting fight.

“Fighters are the most important thing in our company. We work for the fighters. I want our fighters to be bigger than ProElite and EliteXC.

“We have a great farm system. We try and get them started on our ShoXC series and them put them on SHOWTIME and maybe someday on CBS.

“No organization owns all the best fighters and no organization owns all the best fights. UFC got this started, but we are coming now. When UFC looks through the rearview mirror, we are on their bumper. We are just drafting right now.

“When we sign fighters we allow them to fight in other organizations. People that fight for us enjoy that special freedom

“There are a lot of important things that we can do to help MMA. Putting other organizations against each other is one of them. Imagine if we could do a show of UFC vs. EliteXC. We are willing to do that.

“The great thing about MMA is that a loss in MMA is not devastating like a loss in boxing.

“About the Robbie Lawler-Scott Smith fight: This is a fight that I don’t want to be a promoter for. I would rather be up in the stands watching it.

“If we can send women to war, then they should fight on TV. I thank Ken Hershman for putting Gina on in the beginning, and look at us now.

“When you start getting a lot of positive and a lot of negative coverage, you’ve arrived. Kimbo is going to get a lot of shots taken against him because he is on CBS. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s not pleasurable to read. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory.

“We spent a lot of time putting together the announce team. We were looking for a great mixture and the perfect recipe.

“We will probably have some bumps and some criticism. But we are ultra confident that we will bring the arena experience right into your room.

“We are all about the sport. If we don’t succeed in growing the sport, it will die on the vine.

“Every time we do these fights it gets bigger and bigger. Gus (Johnson) likes the violence, I like the fast pace. That is what boxing is missing.”

KELLY KAHL:

“We are thrilled to be bringing mixed martial arts to a wide audience. It’s been fun watching the kind of publicity and excitement. We have some great fighters and it all culminates on May 31.

“We’re going to start with the four fights (broadcasts) and in success hopefully expand that further. We’re very excited about the 31^st.

“We really don’t know what to expect; it is fun watching the interest level grow. The bar for success isn’t all that high. We really don’t know what to expect, but we’re anticipating good things.

“I hate to say the bar is really low on Saturday night. We do OK but we’re hoping to see an improvement on what we do. Hopefully we see an increase in the younger demographics.

“You’re going to get a bigger audience with tape delay on the west coast. We’re trying to get the biggest audience out of this.

“It’s a little bit of a hybrid of entertainment and sport. This is certainly a sport.

“To get new fans in to the fold, we really want to build the sport and one way to do that is to maximize the sport as best we can.

“I’m struck by the athleticism of these guys. These are world class athletes. They do not walk out of a bar and into a cage; they walk out of a gym and into to a cage.

“We are already planning to introduce this to a casual fan. This is really going to hum along. You are not going to see a lot of waiting. When one fight is done, we are teeing the next one up right away.

“We are always looking for opportunities. This is an example where opportunity meet a need. On Saturday night, CBS did not have a lot going on. It used to be a place for great event programming, and this is a chance to get back at that.

“We spoke to a lot of different organizations and EliteXC and ProElite felt like the best fit. They have a great relationship with SHOWTIME and it worked out well.”

DOUG DELUCA:

“It is also important to us to grow the sport. You’re going to see some amazing stars and athletes in the next few years.

“There seems to be a heightened interest now. That is a great thing for the sport, for CBS and for EliteXC.

“These guys are some of the best athletes in the world. The world is going to see that on May 31. We have a great roster of fighters and we are loyal to them.

“CBS has been a fan and watched this sport grow from its infancy to where it is today. We started our partnership with Ken Hershman and SHOWTIME. CBS invested and waited to see how things went. It was extremely successful on SHOWTIME and it has progressed to CBS.

“It has been a big year and a half for us and the sport of MMA. This is a sport that will be here for a long time. It will continue to grow, and ProElite is dedicated to helping it grow.

“These fighters deserve a big congratulation. They will be taking part in the biggest day in MMA.

“We are committed to great content. We are building a global network of MMA. We are going to create a great MMA umbrella that will help this sport progress. It is all coming together in a major way. We are ready to go on CBS.

“I think this will be a work in progress. This is a hybrid between entertainment and sport. We will hit all categories of fans on Saturday night.

“Most of the people who have not watched the sport have not liked it. Everyone who watches it with an open mind becomes a fan. We want to teach the non-fan to become a fan. On May 31 we hope to make that happen.

“There is a lot of pressure for the sport. If this doesn’t do well on network TV, it doesn’t do well for the sport. Pressure is not a problem, we are excited by it.”

NICK DIAZ:

“It’s great to be here with all these famous MMA stars. It’s great for me to come here and get to travel around a little bit.

“I just fought in Japan and will be fighting again June 14 on SHOWTIME in Hawaii. Looking forward to a worthy opponent, so we’ll see how it goes. I am looking forward to fighting on SHOWTIME. It’s always good to be fighting on live TV like that.

“I’m happy to be with EliteXC. It’s been a wild ride and I’m happy to be on board.’’

ROBBIE LAWLER:

“It’s pretty good to get this out to the general public why media needs to be involved and learn about the sport. I’m ready to fight on May 31. I’ll be ready to go.”

SCOTT SMITH:

“I love the workouts because probably half these people here have no idea what MMA is about. It’s good for the public to come out and see the guys’ personalities. The more exposure these guys get the more people get to see their personalities.

“Lawler? I couldn’t ask for a better opponent. When I signed with EliteXC, there were three fighters that I looked at and said, ‘these would make fun fights’ This is definitely one of them..

“I’m honored to be a part of this historic event. This is an absolute dream fight for me. I never ask for the easiest fights. This fight with Lawler is going to be one of those fights that you continue to replay over and over.

“I think my first fight for EliteXC I was under a little pressure. For this title fight I don’t feel that I’m under any pressure. This fight is huge and we are all very proud to be a part of it.”

GINA CARANO:

“I think it’s important to remember we’re not just female fighters. We’re fighters. This is going to be one of the toughest fights of my life and I hope you guys enjoy it.

“When it comes down to it there are just two fighters in there. I am anticipating one of the hardest fights in my life. It is exciting, but it is just another fight. Fights speak for themselves.

“There are a lot of female fighters in the world, the public just needs to warm up to them.”

FRANK SHAMROCK:

“I have been here kicking butts and speaking in the cage from the very beginning. The only difference is we have CBS and SHOWTIME behind us.

“I broke my arm in my last fight in on SHOWTIME. This bone simulator is supposed to help my bones grow faster. I am wearing it now and will be fighting again in September. Welcome to MMA.

“I’ve been in the business for a really long time. I always knew this day would come. It’s the greatest sport in the world and the greatest lifestyle in the world. I’m proud to say I’m a mixed martial artist.

“I’ve invested my entire life in to this sport. I put my entire future in the success of this sport. For me it’s an art form and a lot of these guys want to be respected in their art.

“I’ll train this commentary team to kick any other commentary team’s butt.”

PHIL BARONI:

“I’m going to knock this kid out. I am going to send him back to New Mexico in a body bag. He has a big mouth, and I am going to shut it. He’s not here, so what can I say.

“The real tough guys fight in cages. Hit the books, don’t throw hooks. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Stay in school.

“Everybody here is a fighter. Kimbo started on the street. That’s where I started out. We are all fighting for something.”

JAKE SHIELDS:

“I’m feeling healthy again and I can’t wait to fight again.”

KIMBO SLICE:

“I’ve been fighting since I was 13. I’ve been having my fights recorded for about five years now and look where it took me.

“I don’t know anything about my opponent.

“When I was fighting on the street there was no training.”

DAVID DINKINS, JR. :

“We wanted to fill all the requirements. Frank is an expert. Mauro is an MMA historian. Karyn is a great MMA fan and reporter and Gus is one of the best announcers out there.

“We are sensitive to the violence level. I think we are going to see how fast we can go. We are usually able to take a lot of liberties on pay per view and SHOWTIME. We don’t want it to be too graphic and we don’t want to turn people off, but we want to be true to the sport.

“The refs are on top of things. There isn’t a chance of sustained concussions. This sport is very safe.

“It is sport and entertainment. What makes the stars stars is that there is the special X factor of the entertainment portion. If we are not properly broadcasting this, we are not doing our jobs. What makes this special is the arena experience. It will be a smooth running story of the night that we plan to broadcast. There will be some challenges with the commercials, but we will show you the whole night.”

GUS JOHNSON:

“Hopefully our approach is to not only highlight what these athletes do in the ring, but (other things). I want to know about Kimbo Slice and how he was one of the Top 10 linebackers in the U.S. and then Hurricane Andrew hits. I want to know more about Gina Carano. Those are the kinds of things we want to talk about on a regular basis.

Our team will approach this the same way we approach the NFL on CBS, the NCAA on CBS. Mixed martial arts is the sport of the future. It’s about kids, not 30-year-olds like us. What America is going to see is guys going out there and fighting.”

“For me it is an honor to have the opportunity to work with ProElite and EliteXC. I think that MMA is the sport of the future. I have called all the big sports, but what I like about this sport is you get to see athletes who will leave it all out in the ring. You will see non-stop action, and that is exciting.

“We will tell America what we see. We won’t be edited by anyone. We want to tell a positive story.

“From a boxing perspective, the purists don’t understand it. They don’t understand that the hardest part is on the ground. Our challenge is through a Frank and Mauro to educate America on what they are seeing. Then there will be much more of an appreciation for what they are watching.

“If boxing is the sweet science, then MMA is quantum physics.”

KARYN BRYANT:

“I think it’s really important for people to understand that the women watching the sport were brought along by their boyfriend and left a screaming fan. I want to thank CBS because I think it’s going to be an incredible endeavor. I’ve been working boxing for a few years and the excitement that I have for boxing and MMA is real. There are a lot of us that enjoy the sport and enjoy the athleticism.

“I got into MMA several years ago hanging out with (pro MMA fighter) Malaipet and having my husband come home from training with him and having to put a steak on his eye. MMA is a lifestyle and it truly is. A lot of the friends that I have are from my husband’s fight club.”

MAURO RANALLO:

“I want to thank everyone for finally bringing the greatest sport in the world to network TV primetime. We have finally arrived. These are the best athletes in the world. You will very quickly find out that these are the best athletes and some of the nicest people outside of the cage.

“There is no one else who deserves to be calling a fight as much as Frank Shamrock. He is a legend in this sport.

“I love how EliteXC allows us to talk about every sport. The sport is mixed martial arts, MMA, not UFC.”

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Check out UFC and MMA Trivia with The MMA Digest’s Mixed Martial Arts Trivia Book at theMMAdigest.com

from MSNBC:

The main strip of Virginia Beach along the ocean was deserted — a ghost town without a car in sight, where hotel vacancy signs shined hopelessly on a cold night in November. But it was another story inside the fourth-floor ballroom of the Surfside Inn. Beer flowed, the heavy beat of hip hop rocked and a crowd gathered around a regulation boxing ring set up in the middle of the room.

After all, it was fight night: an amateur “no-holds-barred” martial arts tournament that takes place every three months, called “King of the Ring.” A pleasant woman in a sweatshirt tended the door, with a metal box stuffed with cash in front of her on a fold-out table, right next to a local police officer. Tickets ranged from $20 for sitting in a folding chair to $50 for a seat in the overlooking balcony with the VIPs.

“No hold barred,” sometimes called “submission fighting”, “extreme fighting,” or “mixed martial arts,” is not as brutal as its name implies. It is no longer underground and has battled its way to popularity.

“It’s always nice,” one local fan, 23-year-old Chris Honeycutt, pointed out as he watched a couple of lightweights, “to see some guys pound each other.”

In an era when even an NBA game in Detroit can devolve into a real no-holds-barred fracas, he may have a point. After all, maybe that explains the endless replays of Friday night’s basketball brawl. There, though, the punches were a sideshow to the main event, while in Virginia Beach, the fighting was the central point.

It was a humble place, but the promoters strove for ambience. The lights dimmed, a cloud of smoke burst from the smoke machine, and then the strobes seared the ring as the announcer called out the fighters’ names.

In a typical battle, Joey Allen, a local from Virginia Beach with a build as wiry as a car antenna, was waiting in the makeshift “locker room.” In reality, that was the hotel kitchen, with its brushed stainless steel refrigerator and giant gas ranges and cutting boards. When his name was called, he came out with his coach and supporters through the heavy swinging doors.

The other fighter, a U.S. Marine named Will Loushine down from Quantico had come upstairs in the hotel elevators from his room stripped to his fighting shorts and already wearing his gloves.

In the ring they squared off and angled toward each other like crabs on a beach heading for a strip of fish. They wore nothing but shorts and small leather gloves that cover their knuckles but allow them to grab. They started cautiously jabbing and they grabbed each other, and suddenly they fell hard to the mat, still slamming each other, and wrestled, Allen on top, slamming his fist down on the Marine’s face like a hammer. Still, he was unable to get any leverage behind the blows.

‘I’ll come again’
“Good job,” shouted Jennifer Millner, as Allen mashed the Marine’s face with his palm, “Go, Joey!” She’s a local woman who found herself at one of these tournaments for the first time. Blonde, wearing a white turtleneck and sipping a beer, she is a far cry from the stereotype some might imagine of a fan raving for the sight of blood. She drives a UPS truck for a living, and she’s just a friend of the fighter. “I’ve known him since he was two or three years old,” she said. “I used to work for his grandparents.” Is the fight too gruesome for her? “No, I’ll come again.”

In the ring, the Marine moved his hand to protect his face, and that left his ribcage open. Allen started thwacking the exposed torso, with short blows, each strike a loud crack like a bat hitting a ball, clear enough to hear over the audience catcalls.

Still, in spite of the ferocity, modern-day “no holds barred” fights have rules.  Section L of the mixed martial arts rulebook lists the “illegal techniques,” which include “head butts,” “biting” “eye gouging or fish hooking,” “groin strikes”, “hair pulling.”

This sort of fighting, in the United States, at least, started in 1993. By now most Americans have heard of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Critics used to call it “human cockfighting,” but the sport evolved. Now there are rounds and weight divisions. Opposition never had much traction. A few states banned it, but most permit the matches and regulate them like boxing. By now, the fights are even available for rent on the recent release sections at video stores.

The King of the Ring, here in Virginia Beach, was a far cry from all that. It’s like your local softball game compared to the Yankees and the Red Sox in the World Series. In fact the Marine and Allen scrapped and panted for free. They do it to prove they’ve got skill, they do it to prove they can take the punishment, and they do to prove they’ve got game.

I only learned about this event because I was working out myself at Maguilla Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Maryland. And one of my fellow students, Vlaja Varsilis, from Georgia, the former Soviet republic, was competing. Vlaja, a pleasant and cheerful 27-year-old built of solid muscle, can barely speak enough English to read an exit sign.

Vlaja’s fight was quick. First he dove in and tried to tackle his opponent, and then when that didn’t work he came in swinging like a helicopter’s rotor. He knocked his opponent out in 18 seconds, and then when the guy seemed to take a while getting off the canvas Vlaja leaned over in concern.

Still, his opponent stood up unsteadily and recovered, and the referee held Vlaja’s hand up.

‘Most of these guys are egomaniacs’
At the King of the Ring, the event’s promoter was William Varner, a fit-looking man in a white polo shirt who sat at a round table right next to the action. He runs a local martial arts school, although he himself has never fought.

“I’m 41 now, but the state frowns on anyone doing this kind of thing over the age of 35, because there is a high risk,” he said. Why do the fighters compete? “Some guys do it for one time just to test themselves,” he said, “and then they get on with their lives.” A lot of it has to do with pride. “Most of these guys are egomaniacs — a lot of them are.” he laughed.

Varner says there have been injuries, although they are rare. He doesn’t count knockouts. “I don’t consider that an injury. If the doctor passes them in their post-fight medical, then that’s not really an injury. They check their eyes, make sure they don’t get a concussion.”

One team that has been sending fighters to his events consistently has been the U.S. Marine Corps. “They’ve been getting better,” he said, although their performance this time was weak. “They won one out of five, but before this event they’ve been doing very well. They developed their own martial arts system, and this is an arena they can test it.”

Varner makes sure to point out that the sport is not as violent as it’s portrayed. “These guys are skilled,” he said. Still, the event, indeed, the whole sport has an underground aura about it, even if it isn’t underground at all.

Promoters like Varner often try to walk a careful line. On the one hand, they want to insist it’s as safe as bumper cars so they don’t get accused of running death matches or a real life “Fight Club.” They insist this has a better safety record than boxing and point out that even hockey is more brutal. Still, they don’t want to lose their edge. Professional fights go by the names “Rumble on the Rock,” or “Super Brawl” or “Final Conflict,”

Andrew Smith, a martial artist who runs a no-holds-barred Web site, says the sport is safer than boxing, but suffered from promoters’ trying to sell tickets back in the early days in the 1990’s. “They’d say ‘Anything can happen, even death.’ What they were saying was, ‘Come see the freak show.’”

Boxing called ‘far more dangerous’
It’s another story now, he says, as the sport has developed.  “The fights going on now are between world class athletes. In mixed martial arts I’m not going to say there are no injuries but there are not that many compared to other contact sports.” Boxing, he says, “is far more dangerous.”

Still, he says, as this sport gets safer, “people will always push the envelope. They always want something more.”

Most recently, bare-knuckle matches have been appearing on the Internet, hard-core brawls with no referee, no ring and plenty of blood. The newest phenomenon on the Internet is a backyard brawler named Kimbo Slice, who fights in matches without regulations.

And on the mixed martial arts chatrooms, Smith says, “Everybody’s talking about it. That’s all they are talking about pretty much.”

Aram Roston is an investigative producer for NBC News based in Washington.

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Check out UFC and MMA Trivia with The MMA Digest’s Mixed Martial Arts Trivia Book at theMMAdigest.com

From Sports Illustrated:

It’s getting harder and harder to talk about Kimbo Slice, though it’s not from a lack of trying. It seems like everybody has an opinion on the Internet-brawler-turned-pro-fighter.

Either he’s the worst thing to happen to the sport of mixed martial arts, or he’s the next big superstar.

He’s the ratings draw that MMA desperately needs, or he’s a wild animal, who will come to your house and eat your children. It’s a discourse of extremes, and it isn’t helping us understand what’s really happening. The criticism of Slice (aka Kevin Ferguson) comes from all directions, and for different reasons. Some is legitimate and some isn’t.

“He’s an Internet sensation, who beat up guys at Taco Bell,” former UFC champ Chuck Liddell said. “Come on. How hard is that to do?”

ESPN’s LZ Granderson likened the image Slice has built for himself to be “a cross between Lil’ Wayne and Kunta Kinte — a runaway slave with a mouth full of gold teeth, playing up every single stereotype of an African-American male in exchange for short-lived adoration from a soulless media with ADD.”

Different motivations, but the same message: Kimbo is bad — bad for the sport, bad for his race, bad for the impressionable youth who see him on TV. It’s a simple enough way of looking at things, even if it isn’t completely fair.

A certain amount of backlash is to be expected. Slice has attained a type of fame that would not have been possible 10 years ago. Only in the age of viral video could beating up nightclub bouncers in backyard brawls be considered a path to national celebrity. But as uncomfortable and unsavory as those videos may be, is it fair to use them to define Slice as he pursues a career as a serious professional?

It’s not a simple question. Slice’s current persona is largely based on his past. Without those videos, without the notoriety the came with them, it’s unlikely that he would be fighting on EliteXC’s live event on CBS on May 31, much less making six figures to do it.

But it’s not as if he’s preparing for that fight by brawling in the streets and drinking malt liquor with Internet pornographers. By all accounts, Slice is a dedicated professional these days. He trains at Bas Rutten’s Thousand Oaks gym alongside other fighters from all the major organizations. Rutten describes him as a model student, as do most of the trainers he’s worked with.

“I don’t see anything that he does wrong for these people to talk about him like this,” Rutten said. “Is it just because of the way he dresses that they call him a thug? If he dressed however they told him to dress, just to make people happy, that seems more like a slave to me. More people know him than know some other fighters, and some guys don’t like that, but that’s not his fault.”

Whether or not it’s not his fault, it is part of what’s fueling the anti-Kimbo sentiment. What makes Slice’s career as an MMA fighter so novel is that he was famous before he ever stepped in the cage. Many people had already made up their minds about him, as well as about whether he would be a help or a hindrance in MMA’s ongoing struggle for mainstream acceptance.

Instead of working his way up the ranks the way any other fighter would have, Slice was fast-tracked for success because of his drawing power. He fought a series of high-profile fights against opponents with losing records. He spent no more than a few minutes in the cage. And yet the hype would have us believe that he’s already arrived.

This is Slice’s problem. It’s not so much about who he is or what he’s done, but how he’s being marketed. Slice is not a main-event fighter. Not yet, anyway. But Elite XC didn’t even blink when they tapped him to fight James Thompson (who’s coming off two straight KO losses) as the headlining bout for their biggest event yet.

That tells us exactly what Elite XC’s motivations are. They want to capitalize on the Kimbo craze before it dies down. They want to exploit his fame for ratings instead of letting him establish himself the old-fashioned way. They don’t care that he may not be main-event caliber yet. Not as long as the ratings are good. Meanwhile, a proven veteran, like Robbie Lawler, fights for a title on the same show and hardly gets mentioned.

It’s not so much a question of whether Slice deserves all the criticism he’s getting, but rather how he deals with it. If he keeps winning fights and eventually faces more credible competition, he’ll silence most of the critics.

Those who don’t like how he dresses or talks or wears his beard will probably always be waiting in the wings to take a cheap shot, but such are the devils of fame. The notoriety that got him to this point is now an albatross around his neck, and the only way to get rid of it is by proving himself like a regular fighter.

Let’s just hope the all-powerful hype machine EliteXC will give him that opportunity, and quickly.

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From Sherdog.com:

The same week that UFC President Dana White’s glowering, slightly pouty mug was inexplicably splayed across copies of Men’s Fitness — a magazine with a last-reported circulation of 700,000 — rough-knuckled Kimbo Slice took up residence on the cover of ESPN: The Magazine (cir: 1.95 million) and was featured in a one-page spread in Entertainment Weekly (cir: 1.725 million).

It is conceivable that his pending destruction of James Thompson (Pictures) on Saturday’s premiere EliteXC telecast on CBS will be the most-watched fight in mixed martial arts history. CBS routinely draws a minimum three to four million viewers in that timeslot — as much as 13 million for a big NCAA sporting event. Household familiarity with the network and recent media ogling could help Elite best the roughly five million couch occupants who watched the UFC’s Quinton Jackson (Pictures) outpoint Dan Henderson (Pictures) on Spike last September.

Ratings, circulation, carry the one, blah, blah. To the point: for better or worse, Slice is poised to become the most notable (some might say notorious) freestyle fighting athlete in North America, the bearded face of a burgeoning sport that has long struggled for public acceptance and respect. For many, the impression of this complex, neurally and physically demanding activity will be distilled to Slice’s haymakers robbing Thompson of consciousness in a pithy scrap that seems predestined to last less than 90 seconds.

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From AOL Sports:

Kimbo Slice has an endorsement contract with the pornographic web site Reality Kings. But while fighters usually get to decide for themselves which corporate sponsors’ logos they wear into the cage, Slice has been told that he can’t advertise Reality Kings on the EliteXC show on CBS Saturday night.

Via Five Ounces of Pain comes the word from EliteXC President Gary Shaw, who said, “Reality Kings will not be on his clothing. …We understand what’s socially responsible, and CBS has a very high standard for standards and practices. And every logo we put on or whatever we do goes through CBS in their standards and practices.”

That’s definitely the right call, as Saturday night’s show should be all about trying to attract people to mixed martial arts, not to reinforce the negative stereotypes that surround the sport. All the fighters on the CBS card will make a significant chunk of money from the ability to wear sponsors’ logos on their clothing, and it’s perfectly fair for EliteXC to tell the fighters that certain sponsors are out of bounds.

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Check out UFC and MMA Trivia with The MMA Digest’s Mixed Martial Arts Trivia Book at theMMAdigest.com