Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva was one of the most entertaining battles that we saw last year in the UFC. The toe-to-toe exchanges were spectacular, and the surprising chin and cardio of Silva proved to make the fight even more exciting. There were also the years and years of hype and hope that fueled the excitement for that fight to happen, and the UFC made the play to get Silva and create that fight to not only please the hardcore fans, but produce a fantastic bout between MMA legends. Now, a new matchup that pits a legend in Liddell against an Internet street brawler in Kimbo Slice could very well be the next Silva vs. Liddell.

The long road to producing this fight has already begun. Chuck Liddell had these words to say regarding Kimbo’s supposed star status:

"Kimbo's one of those guys who doesn't have any ground game," Liddell said. "He's training and he's learning but he's been built up as such a big star, and that's the thing that bothers me.

"People talk about him like he's the next great thing when he really hasn't done anything. He's been built up because of the Internet and him beating a bunch of guys on the street... I could make some impressive knockout videos too if you let me walk outside and just punch people and knock them out."

Kimbo has since replied with his own comments:

Ferguson says that Liddell and other fighters are "only creating a monster" by calling him out and that they should come see him directly if they have a problem.

"We can always take it back to old-school; that'll work for me," Ferguson said. "But I still got love for all the MMA fighters, but if you keep on rapping man, I'm going to have to zip it close, baby, because I'm getting tired of the talk.

"The next one that has something to say, just see me [directly]. I'll come to your camp, and that's real talk."

Talk may be cheap, but it’s all that MMA fans need to get the gums flapping about this matchup. Is Kimbo the real deal? Can Liddell actually use a ground game against him? Will he even try? A lot of questions are being asked, and it’s very interesting to hear Chuck talk about how nobody should care about Kimbo, yet he continues to comment on him.

Regardless of all the talk, both fighters are beginning their campaigns to make this fight happen down the line, and make this fight become something much bigger than it initially was thought to be. Dana White confirmed on TSN Canada's sports talk show "Off the Record" that they would be looking at Kimbo if he beats some legitimate competition. That would give fans the signal that the fight is a definite possibility down the line if Kimbo's skills can continue to improve.

Add in the potential for Kimbo to become a true MMA star if EliteXC’s venture into network television ends up being a huge success, and we could see the makings of some record breaking numbers for a UFC PPV. Kimbo’s internet presence alongside his newfound presence on network television could boost his drawing power through the roof. Kimbo could very well be the dream draw for casual fans, while Liddell is one of the UFC’s highest draws in their history. Put both these guys together on one card, and it could be one of the most successful events ever for the UFC.

Right now however, this is all speculation until Kimbo proves that he can continue beating competition in devastating fashion. A few legitimate opponents in the future would definitely up his stake to hardcore fans while some successful battles on CBS would excite the casual fanbase. Once he’s successfully been put through the hoops, I’m sure the personality of Kimbo Slice will begin to rear its head in the media and the “smack” talk will be heard throughout the industry. Chuck Liddell can’t resist shutting down Kimbo’s claims, so it should provide the perfect background to hype Liddell vs. Kimbo.

Is this fight inevitable? Two powerful strikers with heavy hands and knockout power squaring off against each other is always a great battle, but Kimbo still must prove himself to the fanbase and to the UFC. I believe Kimbo will face Liddell eventually. It could take some time though, and Kimbo isn't exactly young. Hopefully, he takes on some better competition after Thompson and legitimizes his skills, but don't leave out the possibility of Kimbo being slapped down the ladder he's climbing.

A few months back, fans were arguing over what the UFC should do with the Middleweight division's talent pool and how they could give Anderson Silva a challenge. Robbie Lawler happened to be a name that was popping up in the minds of fans everywhere, and unfortunately for those fans wanting to see a return of Lawler to the UFC's middleweight division, they'll have to wait a bit longer. Lawler, along with Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, were all signed to long-term, multi-fight contracts with EliteXC that was announced in a press release Monday evening.

Lawler will take on Scott Smith in one of the higher quality matchups during the May 31st CBS/EliteXC card while Kimbo Slice will take on James “Glass Joe” Thompson in the main event. Gina Carano is scheduled to battle Hook N' Shoot champion Kaitlin Young, and judging by the looks of Young, EliteXC is trying to build up a battle between young and sexy female fighters to attract some viewers. In any case, all three signings are essential for EliteXC to continue on the course they are currently traveling on.

That course is taking EliteXC to new heights, heights that have solidified its standing at the #2 promotion in the North American market. Kimbo Slice has the most star power behind him at the moment. He has a strong connection to the casual fanbase through his already established Internet fame as well as having a fighting style that appeals to many of the casual fans in the 18-34 demographic. Lawler has a similar style, and he is one of the best fighters out there who tends to avoid the ground and go for the knockout.

Carano's star appeal can't be denied, and it's only been added to by her appearance on American Gladiators. EliteXC could not have been more happy when signing a network deal while having one of their stars on another network primetime show.

EliteXC has a bright future if the CBS shows can produce some good ratings. Carano, Slice, and Lawler will all be big pieces of the puzzle for the next year. Look for all three to be featured extensively.

I won’t be as critical of Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports as many other writers have been in the past, but I’ve wholeheartedly agreed with nearly every single posting I’ve seen on Iole from time to time. He’s been blamed for being a troll in the UFC’s hype machine, a “nuthugger”, and teacher’s pet to Dana White, and for the most part, his writing on the UFC would definitely lead me to believe those claims. People also state he isn’t a real MMA fan or historian, and the list goes on at the number of insults I’ve heard in regular conversation with hardcore MMA fans. I don’t mind his writing, and I’m by far not the best writer in the blogosphere or in any sphere, but I can critique one opinion that he mentions in his mailbag regarding the CBS/EliteXC fight in May:

Question: I feel EliteXC is doing MMA a huge disservice by putting Kimbo Slice as the main event on such an important card. I am a huge Kimbo fan but, lets face it, he is still more of a spectacle at this point in his MMA career. Why not legitimize our sport by featuring a championship bout between two thriving middleweights, Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith? Both men have appeared on UFC cards in the past, both are legitimate MMA fighters, and both appear to be just as marketable to the general public as Kimbo. What’s your take?

Iole: I don’t have a problem putting Kimbo on the card, but I find it horrible he’s in the main event against James Thompson. How CBS would accept Thompson as the opponent in a main event is beyond me. The guy has lost two in a row and six of his last eight. It’s a disgrace that a guy with a record like that would be put into a main event of such a significant card in the sport’s history.

I find it unbelievably ignorant that Iole can’t see why James Thompson is fighting Kimbo Slice as the main event on this card. Yeah, it’s a crap fight to have as a main event when you think of it in terms of quality, but in terms of entertainment, Kimbo Slice is guaranteed to “tee off” on James Thompson’s world famous weak chin. Even if we look at the opposite outcome, James Thompson isn’t going in the cage to submit Kimbo via heel hook or gogoplata. He’ll also be looking for the big knockout. Thompson is also known for his exciting opening round charges that have grabbed the attention of fans everywhere.

Sure, Smith vs. Lawler is the quality matchup we as hardcore fans all want to see, but there is one concept here that many writers are ignorant when analyzing the fanbase. The fanbase isn’t you. If you are writing about MMA on a daily basis, the majority of fans out there have nowhere near the knowledge that you have when talking about these fights. Do you want to see the fanbase that EliteXC is trying to pull in?

Go to a bar on a Friday night in a college town. Sure, fans will watch the fights and likely see a great fight between Smith and Lawler, but if Kimbo flatlines Thompson in the opening :30 seconds of the fight, those same fans sitting at that bar will be talking about that fight the next day and maybe even the next month.

Entertainment will grab viewers’ attention, and a fantastic knockout by Kimbo Slice will only up his drawing power and captivate casual fans to want to see him again. I’m not sure how people don’t “get it”.

Yesterday was an exciting day for MMA fans everywhere. Tim Sylvia had reportedly signed on to fight PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko on July 19 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, but reports are now coming out of Russia that contradict the previous report from Sherdog’s Greg Savage… big surprise. Fedor’s manager, Vadim Finkelstein, states on the M-1 Mixfight website:

“At the moment we can’t certainly say the bout will take place come July because the contract is not signed,” Finkelstein is quoted as saying on the website M1Mixfight.com. “However, the both parties are involved in the negotiation process and we are about to break the finishing tape although we haven’t come to an agreement concerning every detail as of yet”

Great, some more obstacles to bull through in order to make this fight happen is exactly what made other fights disintegrate. The quote makes it sound as if they are close to a deal which begs the question as to how much money was thrown Fedor’s way. I highly doubt they gave him the $2 million dollar contract, but it could have been close. Hopefully we will see this deal come through.

Kimbo vs. Thompson to be announced this week

Moving to the other end of the spectrum of quality matchups, Kimbo Slice will officially be announced to take on James Thompson later this week according to NBCSports.com. Sam Caplan reported recently that Thompson was the frontrunner to take on the street brawling Kimbo, and it’s definitely a smart move for EliteXC to feature this fight on CBS.

It may not be a quality matchup, but it will give the viewership tuning in a sense of what Kimbo does… knock people out! Thompson possesses one of the weakest chins in the MMA game today, and the light switch flips off once he gets tagged by a couple blows from most of his opponents. His matchup with Kimbo should be no different, but you never know what to expect from Thompson.

Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner

Evan confirmed on his website that he will in fact be taking on TUF winner Kendall Grove over the summer. On paper, the matchup is intriguing because Tanner’s history and quality of opponents far outweighs Grove’s record. Grove has been weak chinned in his recent fights, but he still possesses some range, a large reach, and a formidable height for him to use in all facets of the fight. 

I think this fight comes down to Evan Tanner’s abilities to pound out Grove. Can he get through the length of Grove? If so, he could easily expose Grove’s chin to a crushing blow to end it. Regardless of my assessment, it should still be a tough fight to call at this point. We’ll see how Evan does with the training.

Burkman vs. Hazelett confirmed for June 21

Josh Burkman will reportedly take on Dustin Hazelett in June according to MMAWeekly.com. I’m not high on Josh Burkman’s style of fighting, but he could spell trouble for Hazelett if he can maintain top control on the ground without getting submitted. Hazelett is a very slick grappler, one of the better grapplers in the UFC, and he has smooth transitions from guard to a submission position. I’ve been impressed by his jiu-jitsu skills, and I don’t see a reason why he can’t win this one. The only real threat is Burkman’s strikes, which are looping, slow, and very easy to spot.

Ben Saunders vs. Jared Rollins at UFC 86

Looks like the UFC is rewarding Rollins for a great fight against Koppenhaver with matchup in the Octagon. Saunders has some abilities to avoid the ground and pound, and his length will definitely cause some problems for Rollins. Also, Saunders is training out of American Top Team, which will likely increase his skills substantially by the time we see him at UFC 86.

Variety.com reported that Showtime's suscriptions had increased 11% during the fourth quarter of 2007. There seems to be a mixed feeling in some parts of the MMA community as to whether Kimbo Slice's popularity really sparked that much of an increase. I think it's safe to say that it was the exact reason why, after all, I have the crappy channel at home.

I subscribed to Showtime through my cable provider for two reasons. First, it was a special deal in which I got the entire package including the On Demand movies of Showtime for free for one year. Second, EliteXC would hold MMA cards on the channel, and ShoBox was also still being aired on the channel as well, two combative sports that I love to watch. What could go wrong?

Well, here's what went wrong. Most of the boxing fights are terrible. The biggest glaring problem with Showtime is their movie selection as well. It's atrocious and shouldn't be a consideration when trying to decide between it as being your premium channel of choice. Six Showtime channels that contain absolute garbage for movie titles isn't the reason why people are picking up the phone and calling to get Showtime. It's because of the mixed martial arts.

EliteXC may not be the UFC, but they have managed to increase Showtime's worth. They have fighters that don't just fight, they sell their personality, sex appeal, or brute power to the fans. ProElite has cashed in on that concept, and it's a concept that been used for years by wrestling organizations like the WWE. Instead of having a fighter who is ranked high on the Heavyweight rankings or world renowned as one of the best in the world, they have a legendary street brawler who gained fame by using one of the biggest interfaces to the fans he could possibly use... The Internet. EliteXC tapped into Kimbo's small popularity from the Internet to cross over fans to MMA.

As ridiculous as the promotion of Kimbo was at times, it still worked in their favor. ProElite poured out the interviews and promotional material and Kimbo himself was able to get a big following going with his own promotion. All in all, it was a win-win for both parties.

Why are people acting like this was impossible? It wasn't. Kimbo Slice is solely responsible because there is no way in hell that Elizabethtown made more people run for Showtime. Kimbo Slice continues to draw a crowd, get ready for more.

"Instead, I watched the boxing match between Jermaine Taylor and Kelly Pavlik, a fight in which cuts were treated, consciousness was encouraged and the only time you considered someone would die was when ''guest judge'' Harold Lederman got a little too excited while giving his round-by-round scoring.

And that's where the hesitation to embrace Slice comes in. It's not in the man himself. It's in the mixed martial arts events where rules and safety are something of an afterthought, and too often referees step in five or six punches after a fighter's brain has clearly surrendered.

Based on accounts from folks actually at the Elite XC event, there were cringe-worthy moments during the undercard where it appeared a fighter's life was seriously at risk.

That alone is enough to keep me from getting caught up in Kimbo."

I'm still not completely understanding the logic behind these comments. Is Gutierrez a boxing fan? Because if he truly was, he would understand one important fact that nearly all fight fans that enjoy both boxing and MMA know. That fact being that there are still more deaths in attributed to the constant pounding to the head that boxers take on a daily basis as opposed to the quick flash knockouts that mixed martial artists potentially take.

Maybe that point has been pushed so far up boxing enthusiast's asses that it really isn't a good argument, but I'll tell the story of a boxing fight that was much more rattling than the Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott matchup. I watched a replay last night of one of the bigger boxing upsets of the year in Donaire vs. Darchiniyan. Donaire stuck Darchiniyan with a hard left fairly early in the fight that sent him down spectacularly, and stopped the bout. The ensuing mayhem in the ring included nearly 10-15 emergency personnel who checked out Darchiniyan, who was unable to get back up for about 5 minutes. Eventually, he was able to leave the ring on his own power and even talk trash after his performance.

What's the point? It happens in both sports. People get hurt, consciousness is lost, and the danger of a fighter losing his life is always there. Instead of acknowledging that fact, Gutierrez sounds as if it won't be happening in boxing, but had a high chance of happening at the MMA fight. In fact, it has a higher chance of happening during a boxing fight due to the sheer amount of blows one takes to the head.

Just cut the damn hate. Sure, there are moments in MMA in which a fighter has clearly lost consciousness and is being hit after the fight is over. The referee has yet to intervene, and people scream bloody murder. Even with those fights happening, there are still boxing fights that I see today in which one fighter is knocked out standing and still being pummeled relentlessly as he falls. MMA is different. A fighter goes down, recovers, and then submits you to make a great comeback win a reality, and the next thing you hear is people screaming in your ear about how stupid it was that you didn't crush the guy while he was down. That's where MMA and boxing differ.

You can stick with boxing, I'll enjoy watching both. Email him your thoughts.

Paul Buentello has once again requested to see the power of Kimbo Slice. MMAWeekly Radio had Buentello on as a guest on their show recently, and Buentello stated that people want to see this fight:

“People want to see it," Buentello is quoted as saying in an article on MMAWeekly.com that chronicles the radio appearance. "I think everybody wants to see it. Me and Kimbo should lace up the gloves. Everybody wants to see it and I think it’s time. He’s fighting all the guys I’ve already knocked out and I’ve already exposed. He needs to get off that buffet line I put out there and come over to my Paul Buentello taco shop and see if we can get to work.”

Let me just be the first to say... this is a bad fight for Buentello. He was absolutely crushed by Alistair Overeem, who has been underrated throughout his career in my opinion due to his poor cardio. If there is one thing that you cannot be when you are fighting Kimbo Slice, it's sluggish. That's exactly what Buentello looked like in his last fight. Absolutely sluggish and slow.

Does Buentello stand a chance? After seeing Kimbo's very quick and heavy hands completely batter an overweight and lackluster Tank Abbott, I'm not sure the outcome would be much different for Buentello. I'm not sold on Kimbo as a complete fighter though, and maybe Paul has something up his sleeve. Striking with Kimbo is bad news in anyone's gameplan though, and I believe Paul would make that ill-fated mistake of striking with a grizzly bear.

Buentello, Shamrock, Gannon, and even Rogers are all being thrown into the mix of names that could potentially fight Kimbo. Shamrock is very intriguing in my eyes because of his submission game in past fights. Rogers would be a quality matchup, although I'm not convinced he would try to stay away from Slice's hands. Buentello just doesn't create the buzz that a guy like Shamrock or Gannon could provide. Gannon has beaten Slice in an unregulated fight in one of his videos, but this was all before his intensive training and MMA as a career happened. EliteXC would undoubtedly hype that fight up into the realm of being an epic saga.

Buentello needs to show us that he's ready to compete seriously after being beaten senseless by Overeem. Maybe this is the fight, but this writer doesn't think so.

Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott

Let's get down to the nitty gritty of this matchup from the get go without delving into the potential of Kimbo Slice. Right now as it stands, Kimbo possesses one skill that will win his this battle of two very similar styled fighters... his standup. Both fighters will come in wanting to put the other man down, but Kimbo does possess some type of submission game that is always in the mix when he fights. He put Ray Mercer down to the floor and submitted him with relative ease to nullify the one skill that he had. Will Kimbo do the same to Tank?

There's potential there for it, but I imagine Kimbo will strike a bit with Tank. Tank's power will be formidable, but does he have the technical prowess to put Kimbo down? I doubt it. Tank looks out of shape in his training photos over the past few days, and his cardio is always terrible. Add in the fact that he's been fairly weak chinned, relatively inactive for most of the year, and the fact that Kimbo actually has Bas Rutten helping him train. I have to go with Kimbo here.

Leland's Prediction: Kimbo Slice via TKO, Round 1

Scott Smith vs. Kyle Noke

This should actually be a pretty damn good fight for the promotion. Smith brings a 12-5 record into EliteXC with some UFC experience that can be summed up in his win over Pete Sell. If you don't remember, Sell damaged Smith badly with a gut shot, moved in for the kill, and then Smith unleashed a punch from hell that put Sell out cold. Other than that fight, he wasn't successful in the UFC with losses to David Terrell, Patrick Cote, and Ed Herman, although those opponents are rather tough for power striker like Smith. He'll come into this fight looking to punch his way to victory, and he definitely has the capacity of skills to beat Noke.

Noke is an up-and-comer in the MMA scene even though his 14-3-1 record would likely give you a different sense of his career. One of the only Australians to be successful so far in his career, Noke is looking to extend his wins and begin proving that he can hang with mid-echelon talent. Smith is a perfect test. Noke is well-rounded with a good ground game and some power in his hands, although he has managed to prove that he doesn't haven't the finishing power of many other Middleweight counterparts. The big question in this fight is whether Smith can defend the submission against Noke's wrestling ability. Smith's weakness is the ground, and Noke is definitely skilled enough to give Smith a run for his money. I can't jump on the Aussie MMA train just yet.

Leland's Prediction: Scott Smith via TKO, Round 2

James Berto vs. Yves Edwards

I'm not sold on Berto. His record looks great, but the level of competition that he has beaten isn't at all as impressive as you would think. He's went to decision against some guys he should have finished, and his main weapon seems to be the ground game, specifically the heel hook. Yves isn't about to be submitted by the heel hook, and his game is much more well-rounded. He's also recently switched camps and now trains with American Top Team, a great move to get back to his winning ways.

Leland's Prediction: Yves Edwards via submission, Round 2

James Thompson vs. Brett Rogers

I won't delve too much into this one. "The Colossus" is exactly that, a huge, strong striker who is mainly known for his bull charges at the beginning of the fight that are reminiscent of Bald Bull. He's fairly weak chinned, and subpar opponents have taken advantage of it. "Butterbean" Eric Esch and Neil Grove both knocked out Thompson in recent fights.

That being said... Rogers might be a good bet here. He's coming into the bout at 5-0 and has shown some big power in all of his fights. A weak chinned Thompson may fall victim once again to the big hands of lesser known striker. I'm picking Rogers here for one reason alone. Thompson hasn't shown us anything that indicates he's a changed fighter. He's still one dimensional, reckless, and only has big sloppy punches that have the potential to wreck someone. Rogers should put him to the floor immediately and punch him out.

Leland's Prediction: Brett Rogers via TKO, Round 1

Ricco Rodriguez vs. Antonio Silva

I'm actually looking forward to seeing this fight. It's a step in the progression of Ricco's recent statements regarding his weight, and it'll be interesting to see what he will be able to do here. Although I imagine he will loom in the upper limit of the weight class due to Silva's size, but will he have his skills back to take on Antonio?

Silva has some heavy hands and is very quick for a big guy. Specifically, his knees are dangerous in the clinch, and he uses them often. It'll be up to Ricco to take this to the floor if he wants to have a chance at winning this one. Ricco's traverse back to the top may have hit a roadblock with this fight.

Leland's Prediction: Antonio Silva via TKO, Round 2

Rest of the card
Rafael Feijao vs. John Doyle: I'll take Feijao in this one. He has some great power in his hands, and should be able to dispatch of Doyle rather quickly. Feijao via TKO, Round 1

Mario Rinaldi vs. Dave Herman: Herman is my pick here. Rinaldi hasn't shown a strong skillset against some tougher opponents earlier this year, and his weight slows him down quite a bit when he balloons over 265 after the weigh-ins. It could be tough for Herman to deal with it, but he has huge power in his hands. Herman via TKO/KO, Round 1

Jon Kirk vs. Yosmany Cabaezas: Kirk should take this. His submission game is much better, and Cabezas is only 3-0 in his career right now. Kirk's experience will most likely play a factor as well. Kirk via submission, Round 2

Eric Bradley vs. Mikey Gomez: Gomez has a vast amount of experience on Eric Bradley, and his submission game should be his key to success. This is Bradley's third professional fight, and Gomez won't be an easy task. Gomez via submission, Round 1

Mike Bernhard vs. Lorenzo Borgomeo: Pick 'em - Borgomeo via submission, Round 1

During my Monday night sports show schedule that leads up to a much anticipated Monday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings, I caught the last thirty minutes of Pardon the Interruption. If you aren't familiar with the show, it's a showdown between two Washington Post columnists, Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. The format of the show revolves around a highlighted stack of topics to the right of the screen. Each topic is commented on by both Wilbon and Kornheiser, and the argumentative spirit of both writers makes the show compelling in seeing the different views of both.

During the final countdown to the end of the show, it was mentioned that it was Chuck Liddell's birthday today. Although the line about Liddell turning 38 was completely ignored, the reason they seemed to bring it up was for Wilbon to pronounce his love for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. I have seen the show at other times during major UFC events in which Wilbon mentioned that fact that he likes seeing "Rampage" brawl in the cage. What I didn't expect was the next quote:

"All I want to see from that sport is "Rampage" Jackson against Kimbo Slice, wake me when that happens..."

After some chuckling regarding Liddell's recent loss to "Rampage" Jackson, they moved onto other remarks. What does a quote like this say about the status of MMA in the eye of the general public? Can we even make a generalization just based on one person saying what he thinks?

I think this somewhat confirms what some journalists and MMA purists believe wasn't the case about Kimbo Slice. He isn't a guy who is just going to simply sit on the map of the MMA scene and fight these standup brawls with subpar fighters. Eventually, he will shed the spectacle fight image and be popular enough for someone to think about pitting him in some big fights with well-known fighters that aren't Internet video legends. People want to see him fight the best.. already! One of the more interesting things that comes out of that quote is that Kimbo Slice is much bigger than many of the stars of the UFC in the mind of the casual fan. Sure, there are casual fans out there that know about the UFC in detail, but there are certainly many fans who feel the same way as Wilbon. They want to see the brawling Kimbo Slice. It's interesting because when he first came into the sport, people labeled him as just a sideshow and that there wouldn't be a lot of potential revenue to gain from him.

That idea may be obsolete, and we may need to start paying attention to the impact that streaming media and Kimbo Slice has had on his popularity. Will they bring in a circus environment? Only time will tell.

"KJ Noons began the fight with a hesitant look on his face. He squared his shoulders and moved quickly around the ring as Diaz chased and threw some peppering shots into the face of Noons. Noons stepped back, unloading a haymaker that caught Diaz and put him to the mat. Noons, calm as can be, stuck to his guns and remained on his feet as Diaz shuffled on the ground toward him. Unbelievably, Noons ran away causing Diaz to stand back up. Diaz relentlessly threw himself at Noons's legs for the takedown. Noons continued to stuff takedown attempts and eventually caught Diaz with a knee as he came in for a takedown, reminiscent of a Franca knee blast into Sherk's forehead. Diaz, beaten and battered, hung on for the remainder of the round."

That's a small dose of the action that took place this weekend at EliteXC: Renegade. Sounds a bit exciting, doesn't it? Well, the event had some potentially explosive battles that turned out to be cut short of their full potential to the fight fan. One fight in particular proved to be one of the most controversial that the promotion has had in quite some time. After EliteXC's last event, which I deemed to be successful, this was a poor showing and you can't really blame Gary Shaw for some of the outcomes. After all, this is mixed martial arts... anything can happen? These are some of my post-event thoughts regarding the "work", the stoppage, and the overall event.

Nick Diaz looked horrible!

Let me give you a small background as to how I feel about Nick Diaz. I find his attitude to be a bit enlightening at times. He has the type of personality that screams "I don't care what anyone thinks!". Society seems to try to push this type of personality on people with the media at times, but for the most part, business seems to be driven on the inclination that you will want to be someone you are not. Some people may buy expensive clothes to look like they belong in their "clique" of friends. Nick Diaz would slur vulgarity in your direction. His views on organic foods, the promoting aspect to MMA, and the fact that his name gets splashed on every horrible card in California from time to time seems to fuel his anger at times. I can respect the fact that he has opinions and actually self-educated himself on the food industry and probably much more. Problem is, his mixed martial arts background looks unbelievably impressive on paper, but not so impressive in the cage.

Many fans like to point at the fact the "weed" had a lot to do with his win over Takanori Gomi earlier this year. Fact is, the fight was still impressive and Nick Diaz is known for his amazing chin. Diaz has only been stopped ONCE in his career. Jeremy Jackson was able to do so very early in Diaz's career back in 2002. I find it hard for people to still believe that Diaz would have been completely knocked silly during the Gomi fight. Drop it already. The KJ Noons fight should be a proving point.

Noons landed a couple solid haymakers that staggered Diaz, but Diaz has one aspect to his game that is always a saving grace. His Brazilian ju-jitsu is highly feared by even the most aggressive opponents. It allows him to recover and continue, and that's the game that Diaz has decided to play no matter what type of opponent he is fighting. Is this an effective gameplan? Absolutely not. I don't mind seeing Diaz try to outbox his competition. Diaz has some decent boxing skills, but he clearly has improvements he needs to make in his defense. He would land a couple of peppering shots to Noons and then get smacked with a hard shot from Noons. Defense is key when coming in for the clinch while throwing jabs. Diaz didn't have it.

I'm ignoring another factor in this battle though. Diaz's gameplan didn't seem to be the gameplan we've seen in previous battles. It's standard procedure, at least historically, that Diaz comes out with his fists churning like a locomotive wheel. Apparently before the fight with Noons, he made a switch in his head. Diaz came out looking for the takedown immediately. The problem: Diaz's takedown attempts were TERRIBLE. Diaz needs some explosiveness in his lead step to make any attempts effective. Slowly running into his legs looking like a turtle isn't going to cut it when someone is trying to destroy your face at the same time.

Combined with a horrible takedown game, Diaz was outstruck. This was one of the aspects of Diaz's game I liked. I thought he could potentially stand with Noons, but I was wrong. Noons countered effectively during the first round. Noons cut Diaz up with some good punches and a huge knee. The stoppage was a bit premature to many fans, but it wasn't controversial. Diaz had some big cuts in bad areas. I did feel Diaz could have continued until it was noticeable that he wasn't seeing punches coming in. It ended a fight that could have potentially been great in the later rounds. We can now look forward to seeing Noons vs. "Crazy Horse" Bennett early next year.

Shields chokes out Pyle

Jake Shields continued his dominance in EliteXC with a win over Mike Pyle. I wasn't overly impressed with Shields, but then again, I haven't ever been really impressed with him. Shields seems to be a guy with an excellent ground game, but his standup is still lacking. From what I heard from Frank Trigg this past week about Pyle, Pyle was looking to catch Shields early. Unfortunately, Shields has explosive takedowns that actually pummel his opponent to the ground. Pyle became overwhelmed and was choked out. I was actually impressed with his aggressiveness on the floor. Quality win for Shields and a step up in the competition. Who will EliteXC go out and get since Shields managed to sign a new long-term deal with EliteXC? It should be interesting to see who they can really put up against him.

"Kimbo Slice" wins by intimidation

Kimbo won his fight on Saturday night before he even stepped into the cage. He was taking on Bo "Redrum" Cantrell who took the fight on short notice and shouldn't have been in the cage in the first place for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Cantrell has been knocked out cold in 3 out of his last 4 fights. He also allowed himself to be gogoplata'd by Brad Imes in his most recent bout that took place only a couple of weeks before this fight. He obviously has no ground game, which is exactly what EliteXC probably wanted to see during the matchups. This wasn't the problem I had. It's widely known that when you withstand a lot of knockouts, it becomes more of a problem later down the line. It seems that the problem has reached its peak for Cantrell.

Cantrell took a stiff uppercut to the armpit, then a solid elbow to the head and went down. While on the ground, he looked very coherent and wide eyed. He instantly tapped however. The concensus of many fans who were watching the action unfold with me was that the fight was a "work" as in it was fixed to allow Kimbo to win. In my analysis, it looked as if Cantrell was staring into the fists of fury that Kimbo was about to unleash on his head and didn't want any of it. It's widely known that Kimbo has thunder in his hands and Cantrell obviously hates that kind of punishment. You can call it a "work" all you want, but Cantrell was overmatched before he even entered.

Kimbo could be seen telling Shaw that he was upset at the fact he barely fought. I'd be a bit upset at the fact that all of the training and hype surrounding me ended in a 17 second intimidation stoppage. Hopefully Kimbo will get a test in his next fight, I'd be interested in seeing a guy with some decent defensive standup and a good ground game taking on Kimbo.

Australia gets a new ambassador

I've been fairly critical of the Australian mixed martial arts scene recently. The only real fighter that they've had come out of the country was Elvis Sinosic, and he seems to be the UFC's fallback cannon fodder. Although he's excellent in ju-jitsu, he's small for his weight class and seems to always be fed to bigger strikers. The problem for me is every time I think of Sinosic, I think of the fight in which he was submitted via chin to eye by Chris Haseman back in the old Aussie Vale Tudo days, ahh the memories. Noke, on the other hand, seems to have some impressive tools in his arsenal. HIs boxing still needs some improvement, but his ground tactics were excellent. He was able to withstand Kleinbeck's initial standup strikes and take Kleinbeck down easily for a choke win. EliteXC has a nice prospect on their hands and it will give another look at the Australian progressive in MMA. Also look out for George Sotiropoulos, currently a cast member on this season of the Ultimate Fighter. He's another guy who could propel the MMA scene down under.

Antonio Silva once again being mentioned as a Fedor beater

Ridiculous claims once again are surfacing. Antonio Silva hasn't fought since February of this year, and finally came down to 265 and looked impressive against Jason Wiezorek. At one point in his career, he was the man that could give Fedor problems, which I firmly believe could be a possibility. Making claims that he is now ready to take on the Russian is outright ridiculous though. We need to see Silva against a couple more opponents before something like that could happen. He has some awesome potential to be a very intimidating presence in the heavyweight divison though. His striking is heavy and he has a good ground game. He also has some surprising agility and can pull of some flying knees in the clinch. He is another big heavyweight that can make the cut from the looks of it and present big problems in the division. We may see him in the UFC or M-1 later down the line.

EliteXC pulls the streams for the preliminaries

A business opportunity or the cost of streaming the events is mounting? Which is it? I believe it's the latter. I was looking forward to watching the preliminaries on ProElite.com on Saturday only to find out that I would not be able to. One of the appeals to the organization for me was that I could watch the entire card without having to pay for the preliminary bouts. I bought Showtime for the simple fact that they have some decent movies at times, boxing, and mixed martial arts. I pay for Showtime. Give us back the streams!

Final thoughts on the evening

With the two controversial fights headlining the EliteXC's card, it was inevitable that the event would be deemed a disappointment. It felt like it was when I was tuning in for the event. The Diaz-Noons fight was just beginning to get interesting due to the fact that Diaz is one of the toughest fighters out there. If he could have had a few more rounds to work, we may have seen a miraculous comeback from Diaz. Instead, it was stopped after the first round. I can't complain about the stoppage, but I would have loved to see more.

Kimbo didn't live up to the hype, only because his opponent decided to tap out because he was "scared" of the beatdown he was about to receive. EliteXC needs to put a quality opponent against Kimbo for his next fight. I'm not talking about somebody who is 10-0, but give him an up-and-coming prospect who also has some decent potential to be a good mixed martial arts fighter. I'd love to see if Kimbo's ground tactics have progressed as well.

I want to see more of Antonio Silva. His size and abilities interest me and it was amazing to me that he was in such great shape for the fight at 265 lbs. EliteXC can also set up the Eric Pele rematch and bring in some bigger heavyweights to take him on. M-1 could be a potential partner in that kind of venture as well. Jake Shields seems to be in the same position. Great potential, but needs some significant steps up in competition. It will be interesting to see who EliteXC can draw into the promotion to fight Shields. Shields should also teach Diaz how to shoot with some aggressiveness.

Overall, the event wasn't horrible, but in the arena of mediocrity. The two top fights didn't live to the explosiveness that I had hoped, but for very different reasons. The two lower main card battles weren't too impressive, but they were entertaining. I would have liked to see the Yves Edwards fight on the main card. Many people write him off completely due to his last few losses, but they were against some ranked opponents. The potential for future cards looks to be pretty damn good however. They have some talent coming in from ShoXC and grabbing up Noke and Silva was good for the promotion. Hopefully, their next event will feature some great matchups.