By the Way, the Latest EliteXC Show Sucked

And I normally enjoy their product. Here are some notes:

- Bill Goldberg's gotta go. Period. I thought he did a decent job during September's "Uprising" card, but the broadcast came to a stand-still every time he opened his mouth Saturday night. Particularly awful were his post-fight interviews, which were laden with awkward pauses and his professional wrestling delivery.

- I can deal with the EliteXC dancing girls, even though at one point, a few of the girls were dancing when there was no music in the arena. But the guy dancers in the middle of the ring? Come on now...

- Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva looked good, disposing of a very sloppy Jonathan Wiezorek in Round 1. For a big fella, Silva moves well, especially on the ground.

- Jake Shields is for reals! I thought Mike Pyle would give Shields a tough fight. Nope. Pyle landed 2 solid knees early in the first round, but Shields shook them off, reversed a takedown attempt by Pyle, mounted, and then choked out Pyle via RNC in Round 1. Shields said he was pissed that this turned out not to be a title fight, and he seemed to have taken it out on Pyle.

- Nick Diaz didn't look bad in defeat. Sure, he took some big shots, but he also took some punishment early on against Mike Aina, Gomi, and just about everyone else he's faced professionally. As expected, he started out in a very tactical, methodical, almost precise manner. Unfortunately, KJ Noons did not and landed some very damaging right hands that busted up Diaz early on and eventually prompted the ringside physician to call the fight before Round 2. The best part of the evening was Diaz storming out of the cage, throwing up double middle fingers and slapping away a camera on his way to the showers.

- I'm a huge Nick Diaz fan, but hats off to KJ Noons. This guy loves to throw his hands, and he does it well. He also did a good job of stuffing Diaz's takedown attempts, which did not look particularly crisp. I look forward to more from Noons.

- Kimbo Slice didn't show me much, simply because he didn't have to. Bo Cantrell opened the fight with a spinning backfist (that didn't connect), and Kimbo repsponded with a right uppercut and a close-range right elbow. And that's all she wrote. If you ask me, Cantrell was psyched out before he even entered the cage.

- The Kleinbeck-Noke fight was also stopped as a result of a cut, but damn did Noke look good! Kleinbeck is a strong, powerful middleweight, but Noke gave him fits on the ground and seemed to be just as strong, especially from inside Kleinbeck's guard. I'd love to see these two meet again soon.

Overall, there just wasn't enough fighting for my liking; 5 matches gave us only about 18:30 of actual action. Luckily, I didn't have to pay for this card.

EliteXC Press Conference Recap: New Weight Classes, New Opponent for Kimbo

EliteXC held a conference call for the media yesterday to promote their November 10 card. Here are some highlights, courtesy of Sam Caplan:

- EliteXC has made official its weight classes: 140 lbs, 150 lbs, 160 lbs (LW), 170 lbs 9 (WW), 185 lbs (MW), 186-205 lbs (LHW), 206-265 lbs (HW), and 265+ lbs (SHW).

- A broken left clavicle will keep Mike Bourke from fighting Kimbo Slice on November 10. Bo Cantrell has been signed as a replacement.

- President Gary Shaw said that he'd welcome Randy Couture with open arms into EliteXC in virtually any capacity.

- Jake Shields and Mike Pyle will not be fighting for the welterweight title. Apparently, Pyle is unhappy with EliteXC and that his fight against Shields on November 10 will be his last with the promotion.

- Shaw said that he’s trying to get Antonio "Giant" Silva cleared for the card and that Yves Edwards is also a possibility for November 10.

- Shaw said he is open to using the tournament concept, not that it’s been reinstated in California.

- Kimbo has been training hard with Bas Rutten and has put smoking, drinking, and sex on the shelf for the time being. He noted that although he used to get high before some of his street fights, he'd never do that in MMA.

- Shaw said he'd like talk to Kimbo about getting him involved in pro boxing.

- Kimbo said he'd fight Tank Abbott "anywhere."

- Shaw said that EliteXC hosted Josh Barnett as a guest during their September Hawaii show and that he definitely has interest in Barnett.

- Shields said that a match with Paul Daley would be an easy fight for him (Shields) and one that he’d finish in the first round.

Shields vs. Pyle at EliteXC November Event

Jake Shields, fresh off his dominating performance against Renato Verissimo at last month's EliteXC Uprising event, will fight Mike Pyle on EliteXC's November 10 card.

Pyle, a WEC and IFL veteran, most recently defeated Aaron Weatherspoon in June, and based on that performance, as well as Pyle's IFL losses to Matt Horwich and Rory Markham, I have to go with Mr. Shields in this fight. Come to think of it, there aren't too many welterweights I'd pick over Shields.

For more on Shields vs. Pyle, click here.

EliteXC "Uprising": Put It in the Books

Jake Shields vs. Renato "Charuto" Verissimo - Going into this fight, my thinking was that Charuto didn't have anything that Jake Shields hasn't seen before. And Papa Bear was right again.

After controlling most of the opening round, Shields mounted Charuto later in the round and set free the hounds of war in the form of elbows and punches that prompted Mario Yamasaki to stop the fight with about a minute left. Shields remains undefeated and looked like a beast against a grossly outmatched Charuto. Based on Shields' dominating performance and his endearing comments toward Charuto and the Hawaiian fans after the fight, I can't see how any real fight fan cannot like this guy.

Riki Fakuda vs. Joe Villasenor - Let me start of by saying that Steve Mazzagatti's moustache looked absolutely delicious.

Fakuda looked very strong in the first round, landing punches and kicks and taking down Villasenor, who rebounded and dished out some punishment, but looked a little tired and flat-footed. In Round Two, however, Villasenor came out like a bastard, connecting with hooks and kicks. Rikki weathered the storm and dealt out some punishment of his own in what looked to me like a tough round to score. Round Three also saw plenty of action, highlighted by head kicks (which were blocked) from Smokin' Joe, who took the very close split decision.

Gina Carano vs. Tanya Evinger - Tanya muscled an early takedown, worked a guillotine choke to no avail, and was then choked the f- out by Carano in the first round. Nighty night. Mauro Renallo put it best: "That fight lasted as long as Lindsay Lohan's last stint in rehab." Oh, how I love topical humor.

Nick Diaz vs. Mike Aina - Seeing Nick Diaz make his way to the cage for the first time since Pride 33 in February brought me a joy I haven't known since discovering Ben & Jerry's cinnamon buns ice cream.

In Round One, Aina came out blasting, while Diaz seemed to be sizing up Aina. Diaz escaped the opening round unscathed but was dropped early in the second with a big right from Iron Mike, who wanted no part of Diaz on the ground and let Diaz back up. Diaz stayed busy the rest of the round, picking apart Aina with non-stop punches, scoring a takedown, and finishing the round in back control. Very tough round to score. After trading shots to kick off Round Three, Diaz took Aina down, but could not finish the tough Hawaiian. Split decision for...NICK DIAZ. Yeah, bitches!!!!!! Aina fought hard and gave a gutsy performance, but Diaz, despite being dropped in Rd. 2, was the more effective striker and the busier fighter.

Robbie Lawler vs. Maurilo "Ninja" Rua - Miletich vs. Chute Boxe. ICON Champion vs. EliteXC champion. I like Ninja in this fight, but let's see how it goes.

Lawler is damn strong! But speed beats strength and Ninja moved very well in the opening frame, avoiding damage from Lawler's nasty right hand. Ninja landed some low kicks, which slowed down and seemed to frustrate Lawler. Great first round, folks.

Ninja came out fast and furious in the second round, but Lawler avoided being taken down and put some heavy leather on the Brazilian. Ninja answered with some elbows from close quarters, but Lawler seemed content to stand and trade with Ninja.

Lawler kicked off the third round with a left kick to the body, an overhand right, and a Superman punch that really fired up the crowd. Lawler stayed busy, connected with another body kick, landed an uppercut that pushed Ninja back against the fence, landed another big uppercut that dropped Ninja, and finsished the Chute Boxe middleweight with massive right hands, forearms, and hammer fists. Mauro Renallo ejaculated, "Holy knockout, Batman, we've got a new EliteXC middleweight champion!" Oh yes we do. Lawler outlasted and outblasted Maurilo "Ninja" Rua to unify the ICON and EliteXC belts in what was a very exciting fight.

I thought this was a great night of fights. Mauro, Quadros, and Bill Goldberg, who conducts a good post-fight interview, did a great job calling the action. I thought that incorporating the traditional Hawaiian music into the show was a nice touch, and I liked with highlight videos of each fighter shown before the fighter made his/her way to the cage. In fact, I liked them much better than the UFC's. EliteXC also did a better job that the UFC between the rounds. I much prefer to watch highlights of the round and the EliteXC dancing girls (very talented performers)than watch the fighters receive instruction, water, and Vaseline from their corners. but that's just me. My hat's off to Gary Shaw and to all the good folks over at EliteXC for another great job.

Straight Talk

"Obviously, a win's a win, and nice, but I want to go out there and put on a dominant performance. I want to finish him. I don't really care if it's a submission or knockout, but I'd love to go out there and finish him, hopefully in dominant fashion. I want to go out there and make it just look like we're in different leagues."

- Jake Shields discusses his September 15 fight with Renato Verissimo.

Catching up with the Gracie Fighters

Here's the latest on some of the top Gracie Fighters from Cesar Gracie's Pleasant Hill, CA Gracie Academy. These happen to be some of my favorite mixed martial artists, as well.

Nick Diaz finished 5th in the Bear Valley Triathlon Sunday in California this past weekend after completing the 600-yard swim, a 10.5-mile bike ride and a 3.4-mile run in 1:00:57. Diaz, who has not fought since defeating Pride lightweight champ Takanori Gomi in stunning fashion at Pride 33 on February 24, will face Mike Aina, a pupil of BJ Penn, at 160 lbs. on September 15 at EliteXC's "Uprising" event.

EliteXC president Gary Shaw said that the organization is not in negotiations with Gomi, but that he'd love to see Gomi-Diaz II and believes that Diaz would defeat Gomi for a second time, proving once again that Diaz "is the superior fighter." As far as I'm concerned, Gomi vs. Diaz at Pride 33 has been the best fight of the year, hands down.

Jake Shields will be also be fighting a member of the BJ Penn camp on the September 15 Uprising card when he takes on Renato "Cheruto" Verissimo. Shields recently explained that this fight had been scheduled to take place twice before but ultimately to no avail. As for his training, Shields said that he occasionally visits the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA, where he spars with Jon Fitch and Mike Swick of the UFC.

Shields also said in a conference call recently that he has no real plans to fight Frank Trigg any time soon. An verbal agreement had been reached, but no contract ever materialized, and the Shields camp was never able to get a hold of Trigg. Shields did say that he would face Trigg, who's been fighting at middleweight, at 185 lbs. if the price is right.

Gilbert Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight title on September 29 at a Strikeforce event held at the Playboy Mansion. Melendez is one of the best 155-pound fighters anywhere, and to see "El Nino" in action, click here to see his fight against UFC lightweight Clay Guida. Great fight.

Nate Diaz, who recently defeated Manny Gamburyan to become the TUF Season 5 winner, will be fighting at UFC Fight Night 11 on September 19 against Junior Assuncao.

Elite XC Partners with ICON, ROTR

Yesterday at the Blaisdell Center in Hawaii, EliteXC’s Gary Shaw, ICON’s T. Jay Thompson, and Rumble on the Rock’s JD Penn officially announced their new partnership.

Their first card will be September 15th’s "Uprising," which will take place at Honolulu's Blaisdell Arena and will be broadcast live on Showtime.

The televised portion of the card will feature the following:

Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Robbie Lawler (middleweight championship match)
Nick Diaz vs. Mike Aina
Jake Shields vs. Renato "Cheruto" Verissimo
Joey Villasenor vs. Riki Fukuda
Gina Carano vs. Tonya Evinger

This is a good-looking roster. Rua and Lawler both hold the middleweight belts for their respective organizations, Nick Diaz returns as a lightweight, and Jake Shields - who holds wins over Yushin Okami, Hayato Sakurai, and WEC 170-lb. champ Carlos Condit - might be the best welterweight you've never seen fight.

Shaw explained that Nick Diaz had signed with EliteXC before he traveled to Japan to fight Takanori Gomi, which turned out to be a smart move. Nick Diaz, having beaten Gomi in such stunning fashion on the Pride stage, has certainly earned plenty of new fans and curious observers, which is a boon for EliteXC.

EliteXC will also be sponsoring the August 25 ShoXC Elite Challenger Series card (headlined by Krazy Horse vs. Joe Boxer), as well as Cage Rage 23 on September 22.

For a video clip of the press conference, as well as more about the September 15 card, click here.

Morning Droppings

- Undefeated UFC lightweight and NJ native Frankie Edgar is reportedly in preliminary talks with the UFC about appearing on a tentatively scheduled November 17 card in Newark, NJ. Keep your fingers crossed! For more on this story, click here.

- I was just reading an MMAWeekly piece about heavyweight Jeff "The Snowman" Monson, who has two scheduled scheduled within a two-week period. I knew that, but I guess I forgot. Tomorrow, Monson will face Chris Guillen as part of the Golbal Fighting Championships, and on September 1, he will face Pedro Rizzo for the IFA championship. Damn!

- A GracieFighter.com post from early this morning explains that the exclusivity of Antonio McKee’s IFL contract, as well as the threat of legal action by the IFL, will prevent McKee from fighting Jake Shields in October. Shields is awaiting a new opponent.

- Eighteen-year-old Ryan Shamrock, the son of Ken Shamrock, is scheduled to make his MMA debut at a Ken Shamrock Promotions event on August 25.

Morning Droppings

- An official press release from GracieFighter.com has announced a fight between Jake Shields and undefeated former IFL welterweight Antonio McKee, as well as the MMA debut of Mia St. John and Leland Chapman (Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son) on October 19 in San Francisco. Also expected to be on the card are Jeff Monson, Vernon White, Kimo Leopoldo, James Thompson, Dan Severn, and Krazy Horse Bennett.

- Doug Evans’ camp has said that an injury to Evans caused them to decline the October 20 fight with Jorge Gurgel as part of UFC 77. No official announcement has been made by the UFC about Gurgel's opponent

- After winning his UFL match last night, welterweight Chris Lytle announced that he had the chance to headline next month’s Spike TV UFC event but instead opted to fight for the UFL last night in his home town of Indianapolis, citing that the UFC event was not a pay-per-view event.

Morning Droppings

- GracieFighter.com has announced that lightweight Nick Diaz and welterweight Jake Shields (pictured) will both compete on the September ProElite card. Their opponents have not yet been named.

- Originally scheduled to headline the September 28 Cage Fury Fighting Championship card at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ, Tank Abbott and Kimbo Slice will now fight in the main event of the CFFC October 12 card, which will replace the September 28 event.

-The IFL has confirmed that Ian “The Machine” Freeman will become a head coach of an IFL team that will represent the UK.

- Undefeated Chute Boxe fighter Thiago Silva will fight UFC newcomer Tomasz Drwal at UFC 75 on September 8.

- Dennis Siver will face Naoyuki Kotani at UFC 75 on September 8.

- Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet has been confirmed for the September 19 UFC Fight Night 11 card.

- TUF 5 alumnus Gray Maynard will make his next octagon appearance against UFC first-timer Joe Veres at UFC Fight Night 11 on September 19.