Roy Nelson
When Nelson came out, there was laughter in the room due to his appearance. The group I was with didn't care about his brown belt or past championships; they thought he looked like a fat trucker.
Sure, I understood his background, and so did many other MMA fans across the country, but when you're trying to grab ratings and help legitimize the sport in the public's eyes, Nelson probably wasn't a great choice to throw out there.
Sorry, but sometimes the look is more important than the substance. That's how the game works. Combined with everything else that happened, it probably was a bad choice even if it "could have been a main event anywhere in the country," per Ranallo.
On a positive note, Carano managed to pull out another victory and looks poised to head toward a big fight with 'Cyborg' Santos, but will there be anyone to watch? Slice's definitive loss took away Elite's last major draw, so they are effectively done with CBS.
I can't imagine the network putting their trust in an organization that is so, well, un-UFC like. Nights like Saturday don't happen in the UFC for a reason: they're too well-run and they take precautions so their main events actually happen, especially with this much on the line.
Hemorrhaging money, EliteXC had one last chance at staying on the merry-go-round, and they blew it.
Hopefully, MMA's perception in the public eye didn't go down with Slice.
Josh Nason started Ropes, Ring and Cage in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like SmallWhiteBall.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others.
He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, notably giving Razor Ramon a thumbs-down during a crowd pan of WWF Wrestling Spotlight. He can be reached at josh@ropesringandcage.com.
68 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete