Breaking Down Elite XC on May 31

On May 31st, Elite XC will debut MMA on free television. The main card, which will be televised on CBS, will feature five bouts.

Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy

Rogers is a guy I have had a chance to see live in a couple of smaller shows in Minnesota. He trains with Team Bison, and is a big, strong striker. His last victory came over James Thompson at Elite XC's Street Certified show. His opponent, Jon Murphy, is a submission fighter with decent hands. I look for Rogers to keep this one on his feet and KO Murphy somewhere in the second round.

Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor

This fight is a dark horse for fight of the night. Baroni is a UFC and Pride veteran with tremendous power. He has trained with team Hammer House and guys like Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. He has lost three of his last five and needs a win to snap back to back losses to Frank Shamrock and Kala Hose. 

Baroni is a guy that, if it goes to a decision, the outcome usually doesn't go the way of the "NY Badass". Villasenor comes from one of the strongest camps in MMA, Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting. He has won three of his last five with his two losses at the hands of Ninja Rua and Robbie Lawler. Villasenor is extremely well rounded and is very comfortable where ever the fight takes place. The edge on the ground goes to Villasenor and I think this is where he is going to beat Baroni.

Kaitlin Young vs. Gina Carano

I'm super stoked for this fight. Both Carano and Young are above average on their feet and this fight looks to be a stand up war. Young is another Minnesota native and trains at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Young brings in a 3-1 record in her last four fights with all three wins coming by way of KO. None of her wins have gone past the one minute mark of the first round.

Young's opponent will be fan favorite Gina Carano, also known as "Crush" on the TV show American Gladiators. Carano has been thrust into the spotlight of female MMA. The match between these two ladies could do wonders for the popularity of female MMA. I'm going to take  my hometown girl Kaitlin Young in a stunning upset by KO. Just to clarify things, like many other men, I have a boyish crush on Carano. The woman is absolutely smoking but I don't think she has the stand-up to hang with Young.

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith

Lawler is a product of the famous Miletich Fighting System. He is coming off four straight wins, including victories over Villasenor, Frank Trigg and Ninja Rua. He is an elite striker and has tremendous KO power. His opponent, Scott Smith, also has dangerous hands. Smith has become somewhat famous for the incredible KO of Pete Sell. This fight is more than likely going to end in a highlight reel knockout. it's just a matter of who will be on the receiving end of that KO. I'm going to take "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler by KO sometime in the second round.

Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson

I'm not going to go on a rant about Kimbo as I have written several articles about the guy. The fight is going to be short in my opinion as James Thompson is NOT known for his iron jaw or great cardio. What he is famous for is dashing across the ring as soon as the bell rings and getting knocked into la-la land by Aleksander Emelianenko. Slice is going to walk through Thompson in impressive fashion and feed the hype machine that surrounds him.

Overall, I'm excited about the card and it should be a good show. The most interesting thing about the show may be the fallout with the American public the following Monday. I'm intrigued to see how the CBS audience will handle the fights. Until then, we must wait and see.  Make sure to tune in and see what happens.