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Gary Shaw vs. Dana White: Part II

by Joe Schmitt 5/30/2008 4:06:00 AM

Well, as I warned you all in my last article, the war of words between UFC ringleader Dana White and EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw has extended. Shaw appears content to take a shot at Dana White whenever the opportunity presents itself. Here’s what Shaw had to say in a recent interview with Fightline.com:

Fightline.com: I gotta say, Kimbo is getting a ton of exposure recently. I just saw him presenting at the Country Music Awards of all places.

Gary Shaw: Exactly, because the UFC is run by a jazzercize instructor and EliteXC is run by a real promoter.

Mr. Shaw, are you serious? A real promoter? Let’s see, you’re losing money hand over fist, half of your roster is UFC rejects, and you’re banking on a guy with 2 professional MMA fights to carry your organization. Is this really a smart business model?

I believe Kimbo can carry EliteXC for the time being, because he’s intriguing, but what happens when he loses a fight? Is anyone going to care anymore? The idea of relying on one fighter to carry your organization is a recipe for disaster (see: M-1 Global and Fedor Emelianenko). Not only that, but Kimbo seems to be on a path that is commonly used by boxing promoters. They’re setting him up in fights that present little danger to him, but give him the opportunity to land a highlight reel knockout. While this is fine in the short term, how long will fans continue to sit around and watch Kimbo fight fighters that present no real challenge to him?

The war of words and the general statements made by Gary Shaw are so misaligned; they’re really hard to swallow. Does he really think he’s the reason Kimbo appeared at the Country Music Awards? I’m sure that CBS had something to do with that. They’re invested in this programming, and they’re going to try to do everything they can to make money off of this venture.

It’s going to be interesting to see what Dana White comes back with, because we all know he won’t just sit idly by. We’ll see if Shaw’s plan to attack the UFC and Dana White at every opportunity will pay dividends this Saturday night.

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Dana White | Gary Shaw

Comments

June 2. 2008 17:37

I never heard of this guy, Gary Shaw, before the CBS production last Saturday. The guy comes off very sleazy and egotistical. The production was really substandard and I feel hurt the legitimacy of the sport. My first reaction to the Kimbo fight was "fixed". Looks like the ref was definately favoring Kimbo. He took so many unanswered shots on the ground and one time the ref stood them up when Thompson was in side guard working. He got hit twice and was rocked a little at the end but it was stopped at the first chance to save their star fighter. Then Kimbo falls to the ground while Thompson is still standing pleading his case for the early stoppage. Be a man and walk over to your corner after the fight, Kimbo. Also the cheerleaders were "cheasy" and the Apollo Cread dance in the robe by "the Bad Ass" was ridiculous. And then there was the 5 minute recovery time, or was it 1 minute as the doctor gave Smith. What don't they understand about 5 minutes to recover? You check the eye at the 4 and 1/2 minute mark and then make the determination. The women's fight was great but stopped too early. The production ran too long. Dana White is probably a little upset with the image that Gary Shaw put out there to the mass public. He has to be saying " what a Fu#*ing idiot. I will stick with the UFC and WEC shows. I do not care to watch the EliteXC even though it may be free. The whole ambiance is sub-par and diminishes the luster that Zuffa has worked so hard to polish. They may think they succeeded with the ratings, but wait until the next show. That will tell you what kind of show Gary Shaw has put together. He's just an opportunist leaching of the UFC's success. I think everyone , even the casual fan will be able to see that.

Tom Wetterhahn