EliteXC on CBS: What, exactly, were you expecting?
Posted by Dave Walsh on June 1st, 2008
By Dave Walsh
Really, what were you expecting from EliteXC on CBS? I am looking around the net right now, and it is actually kind of distressing the level of insanity that is coming with the inaugural MMA event on broadcast television and the coverage that it is getting. A lot of the mainstream media is giving this event some positive or simply complacent reviews, while most of the net is going absolutely livid over it. What I see is a whole different level of understanding, and it isn’t in the way which you would think.
A big problem I’m seeing is people complaining about early stoppages, and while usually I would agree that there were some really quick stoppages on this card, what more could you expect from an event like this? It is safe to say that everybody involved had to have been on edge. From EliteXC officials, to the producers at CBS to members of the NJSAC, including the referees and judges. This event was going to be, almost by default, the most watched live MMA event in history. With this honor comes the certain responsibility to the sport as well as a responsibility to the viewers. Could Thompson have kept fighting in the main event against Kimbo Slice? Of course he probably could have, but you have to look at this from all angles; you have a large, scary looking Kimbo Slice pounding away on Thompson’s head, you have Thompson taking a few unanswered punches to the head and you have to feel that any of the next few shots from Kimbo could have dropped him and made it official. Outside of that, you have to understand that broadcast television especially isn’t too hot on the concept of showing human bloodshed and brutality as a form of entertainment. Kimbo Slice just popped Thompson’s cauliflower ear on live television, and we were treated to blood and puss, as well as parts of Thompson’s ear spewing out all over the ring. Most of the people I’ve talked to were happy the fight didn’t go on, and couldn’t stop talking about how gross of a display Thompson’s ear was.
There is no doubt in my mind that the referees had an added pressure of making sure things don’t get too gruesome in the ring, and really, James Thompson’s ear exploding and Kimbo attacking it like a wild dog is pretty brutal. Most of the net is in an uproar right now, screaming out ‘FIX’ as loud as they can, without really having any sort of perspective on the situation. It was not a great stoppage, but at the same time, it probably wasn’t a great idea to have live fights on a conservative broadcast network. Plus, I don’t understand the reasoning behind complaining from the hardcore fans about the stoppage — was anybody actually enjoying the fight? It was an awful fight and a really bad way to introduce America to Mixed Martial Arts. Both Kimbo and Thompson really lack a lot of the skills that even your average KOTC heavyweight had, which is really saying something. The Kimbo myth will live on, though, as Kimbo gets the win in what would look to your average viewer as an extremely hard-fought war between two heavyweights.
I can understand not being happy with the Smith/Lawler stoppage, but it is extremely hard to blame anybody except for Smith for that one. Under no circumstances do you tell a doctor at ringside that you can’t see if you wish to continue the fight. He could have simply told them that he wanted his five minutes and gone from there, instead he told them that he couldn’t see and wanted his five minutes. That fight, though, was easily the best fight of the night, and while it played out as a somewhat sloppy stand up war, it was probably the best display of MMA that EliteXC could present to the world right now. The card overall wasn’t the best MMA presentation, but EliteXC isn’t really known for having the best cards. Usually it is a mishmash of talented fighters and B- and sometimes C-level fighters in uneven fights. Villasenor vs. Baroni was a mismatch due to Baroni simply not being in his prime anymore and Villasenor is, but Baroni is a “name” fighter to a degree, so I can understand wanting to use him, as well as a character.
Overall, I don’t see too many surprises. EliteXC ran what felt like an unorganized abortion of a show, most of the fights weren’t that good and there were production issues the whole night. Then you have the internet getting indignant over things of little consequence. To me at least, things turned out exactly the way I thought they did. The show was fun at times, at other times just painful, but like it or not, this was how MMA debuted on a big stage in America.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:28 am
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June 1st, 2008 at 9:48 am
[...] Total MMA placed an interesting blog post on EliteXC on CBS: What, exactly, were you expecting?Here’s a brief overview [...]
June 1st, 2008 at 11:48 am
after that horrable example of mma last night i think there chances of making big time like the UFC is slim to none. there were 3 of the 4 fight stopped by the DR of ref way to early 3 fighter where got screw. they all were under dogs, but still should have had a chance to finish. I call B.S
June 1st, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I’d much rather the INTERNET HARDCORES hate the show and it generally get a positive reaction from the mainstream press, than vice versa.
June 1st, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Oh, there is no doubt that it was an awful example of MMA. What I thought was funny was that UFC didn’t want to do this because they didn’t want to add a network PBP guy and wanted complete control over the production. The production was, more or less, outside of the pre-show, fine. Gus Johnson was actually a good, knowledgeable MMA announcer. I mean, he was better than Mauro at least (which isn’t a stretch).
Honestly, I can see UFC kicking themselves over not doing this, as the announce crew didn’t stick to just talking about EliteXC during this show, but instead mostly talked about UFC. Does anybody really think if this was UFC on CBS that they would have talked about EliteXC/ShoXC/Strikeforce or any other tiny MMA promotion? You have to think that UFC could have thrown out a Fight Night-level card for this and gotten good ratings, lots of praise and the possibility of more PPV buys and exposure. Oh well.
June 1st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Dave Walsh is just mad that this event sucked, the fight was fixed, and that the MMA lost thousands of viewers last night.
What was the deal with that camera angle from the nose bleeds when Kimbo was in the Guillotine? Marketing fix!!!!!!!!!!!
June 1st, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Nah, I thought the event wasn’t very good, of course. While the officiating wasn’t great (like Kimbo taking 20 - 30 unanswered elbows on the ground), it was exactly what was expected from EliteXC, CBS and the state of New Jersey.
I’m more upset with how awful the coverage is on the net. It is like every site (including Yahoo!) is afraid of overlord Zuffa taking away their chance of getting press creds for UFC and WEC shows.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Mainstream america is not ready for MMA/UFC style fighting. Ignorance of the neuances of groung fighting and the perceived brutality prevents the novice from really enjoying the sport. As a studant of MMA, I enjoy all aspects because I have an idea of what to look for. As we become more educated about the sport I think our appreciation will grow…
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June 3rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I agree, in a way. It is a damned if we do/damned if we don’t situation. If you give main stream America technical ground fighting they’ll get bored and instead of seeing it as a bloodsport, seeing it as something that is portrayed wrong in the media and kind of boring. Basically, hyped for no reason. If they get brutal knockouts, mismatches and awful displays of violence it’ll just re-confirm what the media says. There is no real way to win.
While I’m not Joe UFC Fan, I do think that broadcasting your average UFC PPV or even something as good as the last WEC show would help change some minds (not all, obviously. Some will never be happy).