As the MMA world continues to expand, another fight organization jumps into the fray as Elite Xtreme Combat debuts on Showtime this Saturday at 10 pm EST. According to Gary Shaw, President of Live Events and Director of EliteXC, the fights will take place in a round cage and the fight rules will be similar to those used in UFC. One rule deviation, however, is the 15-second ground count. If the fight goes to the ground and no one attempts to strike or advance his/her position for 15 seconds, the fighters will be stood up. The announcers for EliteXC include Bill Goldberg and AC Slater.
Main Event: Frank Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie
Shamrock and Gracie are the two biggest names in MMA. This is why Elite Xtreme Combat chose Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie to headline their first show. Shamrock, 21-7-1, has only fought twice over the last six years but he has won ten fights in a row, including his last fight over Cesar Gracie. Renzo, 12-6-1, has been fighting a steady schedule and had two IFL fights in 2006, wins over Carlos Newton and Pat Miletich.
The similarities between Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie don’t stop at the significance of their surnames. Both men have their own gyms where they train youngsters of the sport. Both have tremendous heart. Renzo even had his arm broken in a fight and refused to tap. When Frank and Renzo win, they both usually do so by submission. It ought to be an exciting fight and without question the best Shamrock-Gracie fight ever.
Wesley “Cabbage” Correira vs. Antonio “Junior” Silva
This is the lone heavyweight contest on the main card. Correira is best known for being a punching bag for the likes of Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, and Tank Abbott. Silva has a couple of wins in K-1 Hero’s and tips the scales around the 300 lb mark. Correira can certainly take a punch and will be put to the test against Silva. Don’t expect any mat work in this fight. They will keep it on their feet. These aren’t the most talented heavyweights but it is a good choice of a fight as it will undoubtedly entertain the audience.
Joey “Dream Smasher” Villasenor vs. David “The Crow” Loiseau
Villasenor is a middleweight champion out of King of the Cage. He was recently squashed by Robbie Lawler at Pride 32 and is looking for redemption. Loiseau is no slouch with extensive UFC experience. He’s a striker with deadly elbows that Villasenor likely would like to keep on the ground. Villasenor is as good on the ground as he is on his feet so he can adapt to whatever pace is set in the fight.
Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett vs. KJ Noons
Bennett is indeed crazy. He has been known to mock the referee before fights and climb the cage seconds after the opening bell. Bennett is a street-bred fighter that enjoys MMA because he can, as he puts it, “whoop a bitch’s ass and not go to jail…and get paid for it.” Noons is relatively new to MMA with only five professional fights, compared to 30 for Bennett. This fight offers an odd clash of styles as Bennett is as unorthodox as they come while Noons fights more of a traditional style. Regardless of the fight, you can be assured Bennett will do something to validate his nickname given the exposure of Showtime.
Julie Kedzie vs. Gina “Conviction” Carano
Kedzie is nothing more than fodder for Carano. She was just announced as Carano’s opponent a little over a week ago. Carano may be a badass chick, I don’t know that, but she is certainly attractive and that’s why she was put on the televised card before her opponent was found. It doesn’t really matter what she does as long as she looks good doing it.
Undercard Fights:
The undercard will be broadcast on ProElite.com at 7 pm EST. It’s a pretty cool feature for this fight card and even if you don’t get Showtime, you can watch these five bouts for free.
Bo “Redrum” Cantrell vs. Tim “Big Perm” Persey (Heavyweight)
Seth “Mass Destruction” Kleinbeck vs. Riki Fukuda (185 lbs)
Adriano “Nasal” Pereira vs. Javier “Showtime” Vazquez (155 lbs)
Mike “Quicksand” Pyle vs. Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez (170 lbs)
John Shackelford vs. Edson “Little Tiger” Berto (155 lbs)
Come back to Inside Fights after the show for a full review of all the action.
