EliteXC: Heat – CBS Saturday Night Fights
On Saturday night, CBS will present its third edition of EliteXC Saturday Night Fights live from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The event, titled EliteXC: Heat, is headlined by internet sensation Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson taking on former UFC champion and Hall Of Famer Ken Shamrock. We at russnrojo.com have received an official fight card from EliteXC, including the scheduled order of fights, and can now preview the event which happens live on Saturday night beginning at 6 PM EDT, with primetime CBS coverage beginning at 9 PM EDT.
Undercard fights begin with a lightweight (160 lbs.) fight between
Jorge Boechat (3-2) and
Nicolae Cury, who is making his professional MMA debut. Both fighters fight out of Florida. This fight will consist of three, five-minute rounds as it is a non-title fight in the lightweight division.
Continuing the debuts of the night,
David Gomez makes his debut in a bantamweight (140 lbs.) fight against
Brett Jackowski (1-0), who only has one professional fight to his credit. Again, both fighters fight out of Florida, and the fight will consist of three, five-minute rounds.
In a welterweight (170 lbs.) bout,
Mickey Gomez (7-4) of Orlando, Florida, will fight
Lorenzo Borgomeo (4-0) in the cage. Borgomeo has not lost in four professional fights. An Italian born, Muay Thai fighter, Borgomeo made his EliteXC debut in impressive fashion back in February when he made Mike Bernhard submit to a triangle choke in the second round. In fact, three of his wins have come by way of submission.
In light-heavyweight (205 lbs.) action,
Aaron Rosa (11-2) will go into the cage against
Seth Petruzelli (9-4). Rosa, fighting out of San Antonio, Texas, has five TKO wins to his credit. Petruzelli is a big 240 pounder who is cutting to make the 205 lb. weight limit. During his career, Petruzelli has fought for King of the Cage, UFC, and WEC. He was a cast member on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter as a heavyweight, and has beaten former UFC legend Dan Severn via decision in his career. After an unsuccessful stay in UFC, including a loss to Matt Hamill, he looks to regain momentum in EliteXC.
In the fifth undercard bout of the evening,
Edson Berto (14-5-1), an experienced fighter from Tampa, Florida, will take on
Conor Heun (7-2), who comes to EliteXC from Los Angeles, California. The 29-year old Heun has two losses via decision, but the majority of his wins come by submission. He is a former IFL fighter who made his Pro Elite debut on March 21 of this year by defeating Marlon Matias via decision. He’s currently on a two-fight win streak. Berto has a few fights to his credit under the EliteXC banner, without much luck. He’s 2-2 in Pro Elite fights, including losses to KJ Noons and Yves Edwards. This lightweight bout will consist of three, five-minute rounds.
The final undercard bout features women’s action, as
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (5-0) looks to stay undefeated as she takes on
Yoko Takahashi (13-9). Cyborg is one of the cornerstones of the EliteXC women’s division, and with a win, a probable fight with Gina Carano will most likely take place on pay-per-view for EliteXC early in 2009.
CBS Scheduled Fights (in order):
Marilo “Ninja” Rua (16-8-1) vs. Benji Radach (18-4)
Middlweight Fight (185 lbs.)
- The Brazilian, Rua, was the first ever EliteXC Middleweight champion. He lost the championship to current defender Robbie Lawler, but is on the warpath to regain his championship. He has two straight wins coming off the loss of his title, and with his third here he may be in line for another shot at the title. A well-rounded fighter, concentrating in Jui-Jitsu and Muay Thai, has usually been able to put his opponents away before going to decision. His last fight that went to a three-round decision was against Quinton Jackson under the PRIDE banner, but that was over three and a half years ago. Rua’s professional debut came just five days after his 20th birthday back in 2000, and at 28 years old with plenty of experience, he’s always a threat in the EliteXC middleweight division.
In order for Rua to get his title rematch, however, he’ll have to get through a former UFC and IFL fighter in Benji Radach. Radach, who last fought professionally in December of 2007 in defeat, comes into this fight with only four losses. After suffering a loss to UFC fighter Chris Leben in 2004, in which Radach broke his jaw, he came back into fighting for the IFL in 2007. He made a nice run, winning five straight fights to reach the IFL Grand Prix Finals, but lost in the second round to Matt Horwich via knockout. This fight with Murilo Rua will be his first fight under a new three fight contract with EliteXC.
Gina “Crush” Carano (6-0) vs. Kelly Kobold (16-2-1)
Women’s 140 lb. Division
- Gina Carano, often called the “Face of Women’s MMA”, is an experienced Muay Thai competitor who is credited as being in the first sanctioned women’s MMA fight in Nevada history. Her MMA record stands at 6-0, with four wins coming by knockout or submission. She’s also a star on NBC’s American Gladiators, in which she performs as
Crush. Carano’s last fight was a victory coming by TKO, as doctors stopped the fight between her and Kaitlin Young at EliteXC: Primetime on May 31 of this year. If Gina gets by Kobold, a fight with ‘Cyborg’ Santos on PPV is on the horizon.
The experienced Kobold, who is coming into this fight after a nearly 14 month hiatus, says she is prepared to defeat the face of women’s MMA. The Minnesota native last fought in August of 2007, losing to Julie Kedzie via unanimous decision at Bodog Fight- Vancouver. Kedzie has a loss to Gina Carano on her record. This will be Kobold’s first fight for EliteXC. In a recent interview, she said her weight was 160 lbs, meaning she must cut twenty pounds to meet the weight requirements. Carano, who has a history of missing weight, has not disclosed her current weight. Gina was overweight in her May fight against Kaitlin Young, and as punishment was forced to forfeit a portion of her purse. The failure to make weight, along with her other outside commitments, have brought into question her dedication to the sport. This fight will consist of three, three minute rounds.
Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski (14-5) vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson (13-2)
Heavyweight Fight (265 lbs.)
- This fight is happening due to an Affliction MMA and EliteXC agreement. Recently, Affliction had to cancel an event they had scheduled for October 11 which was going to feature Andrei Arlovsky in the main event. With that fight gone, A-MMA had to find a way to appease Arlovsky, and sending him to EliteXC: Heat accomplished that. Arlovsky is still contracted to Affliction-MMA.
Arlovsky is a former UFC Heavyweight champion, who most recently defeated Ben Rothwell at Affliction: Banned. He won the fight convincingly with a second round knockout of Rothwell, and originally was going to fight Fedor Emelianenko for the WAMMA Heavyweight crown on October 11 before the event was postponed. Arlovsky trains in Chicago under boxing coach Freddie Roach, and has a well-rounded fighting style. His four-fight winning streak lands him in Sherog’s top ten heavyweight rankings, and a win over Nelson could land him that fight with Fedor in 2009.
Roy Nelson, the last and only IFL Heavyweight champion, has a five fight winning streak of his own. Those victories all come under the IFL banner. His last loss came at the hands of Ben Rothwell in April of 2007 at IFL- Moline. Rothwell was Arlovsky’s last victim, so they do share a common opponent, which is sometimes used to decipher rankings. This will be Nelson’s first EliteXC fight. His last four have all been won by knockout or TKO due to strikes. This will be Nelson’s first major test, and he has to prove he can hang with very tough competition. He’s relatively new to MMA, debuting in April 2004, but has been strong in his fights. His only two losses come by decision, one being split. Andrei Arlovsky has been criticized in some fights for not being aggressive in putting fighters away, and Nelson will be a tough opponent to knock out early.
Jake Shields (21-4-1) vs. Paul Daley (18-6-2)
EliteXC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs.)
- This fight will be the lone title fight on the card, and will consist of five, five minute rounds. Paul Daley fights out of Nottingham, England, while Shields fights out of San Francisco, California. Shields has a ten fight win streak, including his last win over Nick Thompson at EliteXC: Unfinished Business which won him the EXC Welterweight championship.
Paul Daley, the challenger, is a Muay Thai fighter with 18 wins, of which 13 are by knockout. His last victory came in July over Bojan Kosednar for the Cage Warriors Fighting Championships promotion. His last fight under the Pro Elite banner was for ShoXC in January, in which he defeated Sam Morgan in the first round by TKO. He’s an aggressive, young fighter, who’s riding a six fight win streak. Those six fights have all been stopped early due to strikes, including one opponent tapping out due to a punch to the body. Daley is confident, telling reporters “It should be an entertaining fight — before I knock him out.” An englishman, this fight could propel him to national media recognition in his homeland by winning the Welterweight title on live, primetime American television.
Jake Shields has been an unstoppable 170 pounder lately, taking over the EliteXC division since his debut last year. His last five fights haven’t made it out of the first round, and he hasn’t seen the third round since April 2006 on a night when he won two fights by decision on the same event. Shields is a wrestling and jiu-jitsu technician whose last loss came in December of 2004 in Japan to Akira Kikuchi. At 29 years old, he’s highly experienced and looks to reign the Welterweight division in EliteXC for a long time to come. He’s currently the sixth ranked welterweight in the world according to Sherdog.
Main Event: Heavyweight Division Bout (265 lbs.)
Kimbo Slice (3-0) vs. Ken Shamrock (26-13-2)
- Kimbo Slice is an inexperienced heavyweight who hasn’t faced a tough opponent yet. Shamrock is one of the most experienced heavyweights in the world who’s been fighting for over fifteen years professionally. Though his last few fights have been embarrassing losses, Shamrock comes into this fight telling the world he will take down the internet phenomenon.
Kimbo Slice rose to fame in a series of youtube street fighting videos, but now has three professional wins to his credit. His first two fights, against Bo Cantrell and Tank Abbott, went 19 and 43 seconds respectively. His third fight, against James Thompson at EliteXC: Primetime, was his toughest test. Kimbo managed to outlast Thompson in three rounds, finally finishing him off with strikes to land a TKO win. Through media recognition and exposure, Slice is one of the most recognized heavyweights in MMA today. It is highly possible that more people will see Ken Shamrock vs Kimbo Slice than any other fight in the history of mixed-martial arts. He could become the face of MMA with a win over the Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. This is his toughest fight, but still won’t answer the criticism that he cannot fight a tough opponent. He hasn’t been totally exposed, yet, but will definitely come into this fight in the best shape he’s ever been in.
Ken Shamrock has been a fighter brought in on name value only lately. Not having won a fight since June of 2004 for UFC, he’s been largely a part-time fighter and part-time broadcaster. He was also a trainer for IFL. His last significant win came in May 2000 for PRIDE, defeating Alexander Otsuka via strikes. If Ken can win, his career may be prolonged with increased exposure. He’d also end Kimbo’s winning streak, and deal a blow to the future of his career and EliteXC’s interest in promoting him as a headliner. If he loses, I’m sure he’ll fight again elsewhere, but not for a major company.
This is a huge event for MMA, and highly historic. It not only will feature two big heavyweight stars, a marketable woman in Gina Carano, but it will be the deciding factor in the future of EliteXC. Recently, Showtime has been in negotiations to purchase the company. Showtime already has a 20% interest in the company, and features many of the events on its networks.
Quotes From Today’s Press Conference
“Ken’s fighting in Florida, which is no place for an old man. I’m mentally prepared and ready to do it and represent the crib. It’s going to be ‘305’ (his area code) all day.” – Kimbo Slice
“I am going to get criticized all the time, but I enjoy MMA and try to represent the sport the best way I can. I have kids. I want to be the best kind of example I can be.” – Kimbo Slice
“Kimbo has gained a lot of notoriety, but, in my opinion, he doesn’t deserve it. Snap, crackle pop. I am going to walk across the ring, hit him on his ugly beard and break his leg.” – Ken Shamrock
“It is an honor for me to be at the dais with all these great fighters. I am looking forward to an amazing match. I would like to thank CBS and EliteXC for continuing to give us the platform to show what we can do. Having two women’s fights on this card says a lot.” – Gina Carano
“They are talking like the winner of my fight will face Fedor, but I have heard that kind of talk before. I have learned not to believe anything until it happens. So I will wait and see and continue to only focus on Saturday and on Roy.” – Andrei Arlovski
Current Betting Odds (Sportsbook.com)
Kimbo Slice -325
Ken Shamrock +250
Jake Shields -550
Paul Daley +350
Andrei Arlovski -500
Roy Nelson +300
Gina Carano -650
Kelly Kobold +450
Murilo Rua -260
Benji Radach +200
