MMA on CBS

Saturday night was the first night many people finally got to see Kimbo Slice, the EliteXC sensation. People complained when the fight lasted more than 30 seconds, but I believe that fight will help Kimbo become a much better fighter in the future. A three round fight can be much more entertaining than a 30 second, two or three monster punch fight. Fans got to see all of his skills, or lack thereof, on the ground. He has incredible stamina and toughness to be able to withstand the second round barrage of choking and elbows, even giving the thumbs up symbol to the cameras/referee. A more skilled ground fighter may have been able to get a submission after Kimbo, but it was a good test and allowed him to grow as a fighter. He will improve his ground game, and gradually rise through the ranks and fight better fighters in EliteXC. If he continues to train with legend Bas Rutten, he will certainly improve in all areas of MMA.

The other fights were equally entertaining, especially the women’s card and the championship fight. The women’s fight also had a star in the making with Gina Cerrano. She is criticized for trying to use her fighting fame to become a bigger star in entertainment (American Gladiators), but it is crucial for EliteXC to have as many stars as possible however they can get/make them. The championship fight had many fans in Prudential Arena booing when the fighters did not immediately sprint at each other throwing punches. Championship fights have more on the line, and each fighter spent a little bit of time figuring the other out. Once that was over, the fight was a classic until the doctor stopped it early.

It may end up being better for MMA that EliteXC landed the CBS deal instead of UFC because that could have given UFC almost complete control of MMA. Now that it appears EliteXC could be a legitimate contender, and healthy competition could improve the sport. Fighters now appear to have a better chance to make money and become a star by way of EliteXC or UFC or at least have more leverage in negotiations. If Elite and UFC are smart, they will find a way to work together or at least coexist and try to bring MMA to the mainstream. UFC should take a vested interest and try to help Elite because if EliteXC fails on network TV, it could turn off some of the potential fan base of MMA. If EliteXC can build a strong base of fighters, cross league fights between EliteXC and UFC could bring in strong ratings from the die-hard fans and a network audience in the future.