SHOWTIME ANNOUNCERS WEIGH-IN
ON IMPENDING NIGHT OF ACTION
For
Immediate Release
EliteXC on SHOWTIME,
Saturday, Nov. 10 Live at 10 p.m. ET/PT
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Nov.
8, 2007) – EliteXC, the world’s
fastest-growing mixed martial arts (MMA) promotional
company, will conclude its inaugural year with
an explosive five-fight telecast THIS SATURDAY,
Nov. 10, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed
on the West Coast) from The American Bank Center
Arena in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Kimbo Slice (a.k.a. Kevin
Ferguson)--an Internet-spawned street fighting
legend--will make his highly anticipated professional
debut against veteran Bo Cantrell. The featured
fight of the night will be an EliteXC Lightweight
Championship scrap between Nick Diaz of Stockton,
Calif., and K.J. Noons of San Francisco, for
the vacant title.
Renowned play-by-play announcer
Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside
with “The Fight Professor” Stephen
Quadros and world wresting superstar Bill Goldberg
serving as color analysts. The executive producer
of the telecast is David Dinkins, Jr., with
Bob Dunphy directing.
Ranallo, Quadros and Goldberg
weighed in with their take on this Saturday’s
event.
Mauro Ranallo, renowned SHOWTIME
play-by-play announcer:
"Elite XC continues to prove it’s
an MMA promotion on the rise with another solid
card. The debut of internet fighting sensation
Kimbo Slice should draw the interest of the
casual fans, while match-ups like Shields vs.
Pyle and Diaz vs. Noons will showcase the high
level of talent the promotion has on its roster.
At the end of the day, fans want to see great
fights. EliteXC should deliver the goods this
Saturday in Texas."
Stephen Quadros, “The
Fight Professor,” SHOWTIME color commentator/analyst
"This has been an incredible year for mixed
martial arts and for Showtime in MMA. After
becoming the first premium cable outlet to televise
the sport with the debut of EliteXC in February,
SHOWTIME ignited even more programming in July
with the advent of the very popular ShoXC: Elite
Challenger Series, which features the stars
of tomorrow.
“The final EliteXC
card of the year features a lightweight title
clash between two of the sport's best in Nick
Diaz and KJ Noons. This is a fight that will
be decided by the execution of a game plan.
Noons surely liked what he saw when "Iron"
Mike Aina gave Diaz all he could handle while
standing and trading, before losing a narrow
split decision to Nick in EliteXC "Uprising"
in Hawaii. So Noons will have to get off first
on his feet and do something that no one has
done yet, finish Nick Diaz with a punching attack.
Diaz likely will use low kicks to set up a clinch,
which will lead to a takedown. Once on the floor
Nick should be able to finish Noons with one
of his otherworldly submission holds.
This stacked card also features
the debut of an urban legend when Kimbo Slice
makes his first appearance on a nationally televised
MMA event. Kimbo is widely known for his brutal
bare fisted matches that have appeared on YouTube.
His frightening aggression and bone-breaking
punching power will be tested against a man
who has seen it all in former King of The Cage
champion Bo "Redrum" Cantrell.”
Quadros continued: “Slice
executed well in his MMA exhibition match when
he submitted former world champion and Olympic
gold medal winning boxer Ray Mercer with a guillotine
choke earlier this year. People were surprised
at his quick transition from straight-ahead
brawler to a thinking mixed martial artist.
Against a seasoned MMA veteran like Cantrell,
Slice will get a test. But because Cantrell
is a mid-level fighter at best, "Redrum"
may be just the medicine that Kimbo needs to
continue his steps toward legitimacy. This match
will contain something unexpected; I can just
feel it.
“Where the Kimbo/Cantrell
match will satisfy the spectacle seekers, Jake
Shields versus Mike "Quicksand" Pyle
will be one for the purists. Shields seems to
be unstoppable and Pyle, although quite talented,
at times seems like he has trouble taking all
this fighting stuff seriously. But Pyle must
be focused if he is to be competitive here.
If he is not then he's in for a typical Shields
beating or submission.”
Bill Goldberg, SHOWTIME color
commentator and former pro wrestler and football
player:
“I’m excited to see how much Kimbo
Slice has progressed under trainer Bas Rutten.
That will show me how serious he is about MMA.
“I don’t think
the fight will go past the first round. Kimbo
is so explosive. I don’t think you can
take the instinct out of the man. But I also
know that Cantrell is extremely dangerous so
it can go either way. I think this is the most
intriguing match up because everyone wants to
see how this plays out.”
For more information on SHOWTIME
Sports telecasts including exclusive videos
and photos, please visit SHO.com/Sports. For
full coverage of the event, including press
conferences, weigh-in, pre and post-fight interviews
and forum chats with fighters, please visit
www.ProElite.com.
About ProElite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting
entertainment experience in the world of mixed
martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment
events, cable television programming on Showtime
Networks and community-driven interactive broadband
entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces
MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity,
discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining
inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s
live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular
live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s
top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s
interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes
on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed
martial arts by building a community of mixed
martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming
the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite
expands the fan base of the sport by providing
a comprehensive set of online social networking
tools for fans, fighters and organizations.
ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community
TM
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