ELITEXC ANNOUNCERS OFFER UP FRONT COMMENTARY FOR SATURDAY’S CARD
Posted on | November 9, 2007 | 1 Comment
SHOWTIME ANNOUNCERS WEIGH-IN
ON IMPENDING NIGHT OF ACTION
EliteXC on SHOWTIME, Saturday, Nov. 10 Live at 10 p.m. ET/PT
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Nov. 8, 2007) – EliteXC, the world’s fastest-growing mixed martial arts (MMA) promotional company, will conclude its inaugural year with an explosive five-fight telecast THIS SATURDAY, Nov. 10, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from The American Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Kimbo Slice (a.k.a. Kevin Ferguson)–an Internet-spawned street fighting legend–will make his highly anticipated professional debut against veteran Bo Cantrell. The featured fight of the night will be an EliteXC Lightweight Championship scrap between Nick Diaz of Stockton, Calif., and K.J. Noons of San Francisco, for the vacant title.
Renowned play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with “The Fight Professor” Stephen Quadros and world wresting superstar Bill Goldberg serving as color analysts. The executive producer of the telecast is David Dinkins, Jr., with Bob Dunphy directing.
Ranallo, Quadros and Goldberg weighed in with their take on this Saturday’s event.
Mauro Ranallo, renowned SHOWTIME play-by-play announcer:
“Elite XC continues to prove it’s an MMA promotion on the rise with another solid card. The debut of internet fighting sensation Kimbo Slice should draw the interest of the casual fans, while match-ups like Shields vs. Pyle and Diaz vs. Noons will showcase the high level of talent the promotion has on its roster. At the end of the day, fans want to see great fights. EliteXC should deliver the goods this Saturday in Texas.”
Stephen Quadros, “The Fight Professor,” SHOWTIME color commentator/analyst:
“This has been an incredible year for mixed martial arts and for Showtime in MMA. After becoming the first premium cable outlet to televise the sport with the debut of EliteXC in February, SHOWTIME ignited even more programming in July with the advent of the very popular ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series, which features the stars of tomorrow.
“The final EliteXC card of the year features a lightweight title clash between two of the sport’s best in Nick Diaz and KJ Noons. This is a fight that will be decided by the execution of a game plan. Noons surely liked what he saw when “Iron” Mike Aina gave Diaz all he could handle while standing and trading, before losing a narrow split decision to Nick in EliteXC “Uprising” in Hawaii. So Noons will have to get off first on his feet and do something that no one has done yet, finish Nick Diaz with a punching attack. Diaz likely will use low kicks to set up a clinch, which will lead to a takedown. Once on the floor Nick should be able to finish Noons with one of his otherworldly submission holds.
This stacked card also features the debut of an urban legend when Kimbo Slice makes his first appearance on a nationally televised MMA event. Kimbo is widely known for his brutal bare fisted matches that have appeared on YouTube. His frightening aggression and bone-breaking punching power will be tested against a man who has seen it all in former King of The Cage champion Bo “Redrum” Cantrell.”
Quadros continued: “Slice executed well in his MMA exhibition match when he submitted former world champion and Olympic gold medal winning boxer Ray Mercer with a guillotine choke earlier this year. People were surprised at his quick transition from straight-ahead brawler to a thinking mixed martial artist. Against a seasoned MMA veteran like Cantrell, Slice will get a test. But because Cantrell is a mid-level fighter at best, “Redrum” may be just the medicine that Kimbo needs to continue his steps toward legitimacy. This match will contain something unexpected; I can just feel it.
“Where the Kimbo/Cantrell match will satisfy the spectacle seekers, Jake Shields versus Mike “Quicksand” Pyle will be one for the purists. Shields seems to be unstoppable and Pyle, although quite talented, at times seems like he has trouble taking all this fighting stuff seriously. But Pyle must be focused if he is to be competitive here. If he is not then he’s in for a typical Shields beating or submission.”
Bill Goldberg, SHOWTIME color commentator and former pro wrestler and football player:
“I’m excited to see how much Kimbo Slice has progressed under trainer Bas Rutten. That will show me how serious he is about MMA.
“I don’t think the fight will go past the first round. Kimbo is so explosive. I don’t think you can take the instinct out of the man. But I also know that Cantrell is extremely dangerous so it can go either way. I think this is the most intriguing match up because everyone wants to see how this plays out.”
For more information on SHOWTIME Sports telecasts including exclusive videos and photos, please visit SHO.com/Sports. For full coverage of the event, including press conferences, weigh-in, pre and post-fight interviews and forum chats with fighters, please visit www.ProElite.com.
About ProElite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About Showtime Networks Inc.
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