THE FIRST "CBS ELITEXC
SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" TO BE BROADCAST
LIVE ON SATURDAY, MAY 31 ON THE CBS TELEVISION
NETWORK
For
Immediate Release
EliteXC Heavyweight Sensation,
Kimbo Slice, Will Headline an Exciting Night
of Mixed Martial Arts
Middleweight Champion "Ruthless"
Robbie Lawler will Defend His Title Against
Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith
LOS ANGELES, March 20 —
CBS and ProElite, Inc. today announced that
the first live primetime mixed martial arts
event will be broadcast Saturday, May 31 (9:00-11:00
PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS
ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast
live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
"We're excited to introduce
broadcast television viewers to America's fastest
growing sport with this prime time event,"
said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President,
CBS Primetime. "EliteXC is putting together
a lineup card that showcases the unique personalities,
world-class athleticism, and raw power and emotion
that characterizes mixed martial arts."
Champion "Ruthless"
Robbie Lawler will put his title on the line
against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith
in a middleweight championship bout. EliteXC
heavyweight phenom, Kimbo Slice, will also participate
in the May 31 event along with other stars from
mixed martial arts. Additional matchups will
be announced at a later date.
"I am very happy for
the highly trained fighters, who will finally
get the kind of exposure they deserve, and,
of course, the viewers, who will get the opportunity
to learn that MMA is truly a sport that requires
an abundance of skills, both mentally and physically,"
said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President.
CBS and ProElite, Inc., a
Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and
media company that produces world class mixed
martial arts (MMA) events, announced last month
they were teaming up to bring MMA to a major
broadcast television network for the first time.
CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year,
produced by ProElite's EliteXC fight division,
as two-hour live primetime specials.
Mixed martial arts is a sport
evolved from a number of ancient combat disciplines
including judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling
and kickboxing. World-class athletes engage
in hand-to-hand combat in a ring — both
caged and traditional — and must adapt
their fighting style to fit their opponent.
The wide variety of styles and techniques make
every event an unpredictable spectacle.
CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT
FIGHTS will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports.
The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr.
with Bob Dunphy directing.
For additional information
visit www.proelite.com