ProElite Folds, EliteXC Event Cancelled

by Robert Sargent

With controversy still swirling from their October 4th event, EliteXC's parent company, ProElite, has ceased operations, and the cancellation of the November 8th "Night of Champions" card has left EliteXC's talented fighters out in the cold.

There are rumours of a potential union between the newly-formed Affliction MMA promotion and CBS, which could pick up where EliteXC left off, but the future is uncertain.

The announcement, while somewhat expected after the embarrassing actions of EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw and comments from Seth Petruzelli following his 14-second knockout of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, once again shrinks the opportunities for fighters competing outside of the UFC. This, in turn, hurts the sport of MMA.

EliteXC faced numerous problems right from its inception in December of 2006, and its inexperienced and brash management caused many challenges as the promotion grew. Former EliteXC President Gary Shaw, whose experience was developed in the often-corrupt world of boxing, and his son, Jared, were seen by many as hindrances to the potential of EliteXC.

Always outspoken, the Shaws made many enemies while they tried to take the UFC, and its president Dana White, head-on. Time after time, though he often looked equally immature and unprofessional, White's predictions for the future of EliteXC came true.

In less than two years of business, EliteXC lost nearly $60 million. Much of these expenses came from the poorly-planned acquisitions of many smaller promotions around the world, including King of the Cage in California, Cage Rage in England, ICON Sport in Hawaii and Spirit MC in Korea. In total, the purchasing, leasing or supporting of the smaller promotions cost EliteXC over $10 million.

When the new additions to EliteXC's promotional stable did not show growth, and actually lost more money, the warning signs for EliteXC's future began to become more evident. However, a huge deal with the CBS television network gave new life to EliteXC, as its talented fighters were given three opportunities to shine on the grand stage of primetime network television.

EliteXC's debut show on CBS, on May 31st of this year, was a tremendous success. The event set record ratings for MMA on TV, and also made household stars of EliteXC headliners Gina "Conviction" Carano and the aforementioned Ferguson. However, despite the success of the event, questions lingered following a highly controversial main event between Ferguson and James "The Colossus" Thompson and disappointing doctor stoppages in other bouts.

EliteXC returned to CBS for "Unfinished Business" on July 26th, featuring a Middleweight title rematch between "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, but a night of exciting fights was not enough to draw ratings the likes of the debut CBS show. It became clear that events lacking Carano or Ferguson would be tough draws for EliteXC.

Following managemental changes, which saw Gary Shaw demoted to the role of a consultant and his son Jared limited in his influence, EliteXC took one more shot at primetime on CBS. Their October 4th event in Florida, titled "Heat," once again showcased the superstars, Carano and Ferguson. The event was arguably EliteXC's best to date, but a pre-fight injury to legend Ken Shamrock forced a last-minute replacement for Ferguson.

The former street fighting legend was promptly knocked out by UFC castaway Seth Petruzelli. Not only that, but he was stopped by a jab and was finished in just 14 seconds. With one of EliteXC's two main draws reduced to a sham, and with Jared Shaw's screams and bias plainly evident for millions of viewers, controversy once again struck for the vulnerable promotion.

Comments days after the fight had Petruzelli hinting that EliteXC officials had paid him not to take Ferguson to the ground, where Ferguson's lack of skills would be evident. While this became an irrelevant point of discussion after Ferguson was knocked out at his own game, suspicions remained high enough that the Florida State Boxing Commission opened an investigation to further address the matter.

According to numerous reports, the aftermath of the October 4th event sealed EliteXC's fate. The Showtime network, which was in near-completed discussions to purchase the struggling promotion, abruptly backed out of the deal after allegations of attempted fight-fixing became public knowledge. Left without a financial backer, EliteXC and its parent company, ProElite, were forced to take the same route as other recently-dissolved promotions such as Pride Fighting Championships, Hardcore Championship Fighting, BodogFIGHT and the International Fight League.

The loss of EliteXC, which has been attributed to numerous managemental failures by those in and close to the company, now leaves yet another void in the North American MMA world. Fighters are once again tossed into the unknown; forced to toil in smaller shows or hope for an opportunity in the UFC or in Asia. For the blossoming women's division of EliteXC, the hardships are even greater, as the UFC has no plans to include women's bouts anytime soon.

Recent EliteXC signees such as Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Marloes Coenen, Sarah Kaufman, Kaitlin Young, Shayna Baszler and Kelly Kobold are suddenly without a promotion to compete for. For Kaufman, Young and Kobold, this is the second time in less than a year that they have faced this unfortunate reality.

For Carano, should she continue to dedicate herself to the sport, it is likely that her huge fan following and popularity will see her find a new home soon. The long-awaited bout against top-ranked fighter Tara LaRosa could happen if Carano signed with the American Fight League. Or, perhaps, the UFC may have a change of heart and bring in the popular "Face of Women's MMA."

It is not without reason, however remote the possibility may be, that CBS could form a new partnership with Affliction or even the UFC. Such an agreement could potentially allow many of the now-former stars of EliteXC to retain their spots in a major promotion on a major network.

With the current state of MMA outside of the UFC, fans can only hope that a new opportunity will arise for the talented fighters who once called EliteXC home.