EliteXC Heat Review: MMA Suffers Prime Time Setback
October 5, 2008
Give EliteXC credit for trying to make the best out of an impossible situation, but despite what was an entertaing show, the entire sport of MMA was a loser Saturday night. Far from a legitimate, complex, nuanced sport, MMA came off looking like a local tough man contest where match-ups don’t matter and game plans are non-existent when Seth Petruzelli was tabbed as an eleventh hour replacement for Ken Shamrock. That’s the sort of thing that happens in professional wrestling, but not in sports.
The main event result itself was another blemish on MMA’s record for the casual viewer who tuned into CBS for the event. If the face of MMA, at least to a significant percentage of casual sports fans, promoted as a future world champion and a street certified bad ass, can be knocked out in 13 seconds by last minute replacement, journeyman reality television castoff, what exactly does that say for MMA as a sport? For MMA, spectacle gets it in the door, but ultimately its the underlying sport that matters most for its long term prospects.
However, in all fairness, it’s not like EXC had much of a choice. With its financial future on the line, pulling Kimbo off the card altogether probably wasn’t a realistic option, but hindsight being 20/20 the decision to hot shot an ill-conceived fight with absolutely no upside onto its carefully protected star backfired in the most sensational fashion imaginable. It is hard to imagine Slice as a credible headliner in the immediate term as the loss seemingly clears much of his mystique which had been key in garnering interest from the mainstream media and casual fans alike.
ProElite’s future as a going concern is the central question emerging from the show. The rating appears to be in-line with the 5/31 debut, however, that number was considered only marginally successful and the failure to build any audience has to be seen as a negative. I would be surprised to see CBS move forward with the company based on these results, particularly financially.
If the network still believes in MMA, the most likely scenario might be a deal with the Affliction/Golden Boy combination. CBS had originally discussed the Saturday Night Fights concept with Top Rank Boxing as well as EliteXC, indicating some interest in prime time boxing. Given the mixed results for MMA as a stand alone product, the partnership between Affliction and Golden Boy could provide the perfect avenue for attempting to expand MMA’s appeal, as well as add some mainstream creditability. A return to the negotiating table with the UFC is also not out of the question in the least.
If the company is able to move forward financially, which is a major if, the next question it faces is which stars will it build around? Despite six hours of prime time network television and a roster of talented, young fighters, the company has failed to produce any breakout stars outside of Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, who were already smoldering to some degree entering the first show and each come with their own limitations (Carano can fight, but women have never drawn in combat sports). Tito Ortiz was teased as the answer, but whether or not the company can actually come to terms with him remains to be seen and he too has his limitations at this point.
If this was the last EliteXC broadcast on CBS, then the grave stone might well read one step forward, two steps back.
