EliteXC: Exactly What It Needs to Succeed

Kimbo Slice: Welcome to MMA. 

If you need someone to talk to about your upset defeat, there is a friendly Canadian by the name of GSP who can tell you all about how to overcome a loss to an underdog and still be successful in the world of MMA. 

GSP is a true champion and has forgotten more about MMA than you will ever learn.  You are not alone, sir.

Now the great Kimbo Slice has been exposed for what he truly is: a great and talented stand up fighter, with years of street credit beating random amateur victims down with remarkable ease, who in the end is only a human being like every other fighter out there. 

He has a lot to learn in the world of MMA—that much was made extremely apparent Saturday night.

The funny thing is, EliteXC should be more embarrassed than Kimbo Slice following this disaster this weekend.  How can you not insist on a main event fighter protecting himself the day of the fight? 

The fight was a bit of a sham in first place.  It was doubly ridiculous when it never took place. 

Thank you Seth Petruzelli for doing all MMA fans a favor and ending this debacle. 

That being said the best fights of the night had nothing to do with Slice.  That is a silver lining for Elite.

No longer will MMA fans have to hear about Kimbo Slice being at the top of the food chain, having not paid the dues to be there.  No longer will MMA fans be subjected to the hype that followed this man and this promotion everywhere. 

Casual fans now know what hardcore fans knew all along, and it goes without saying at this point. 

This is not an attempt to kick a man or a promotion while they are down, but more an attempt to offer an alternate point of view on the bleak situation that EliteXC now faces.

The problem from the start with Elite was this: They had forsaken the sport itself for the sake of marketability. 

This was a colossal mistake. 

What Elite has failed to recognize is what draws the loyal MMA fans that will truly make them successful.  These are the same MMA fans that drop countless dollars on PPV month after month and who surf the net to learn every bit they can about their sport and their fighters on their own because mainstream media will only cover this garbage.

What draws these fans: good fights by good fighters.

A guy like GSP, a guy like Anderson Silva, and of course a guy like Fedor.  Yes, they are superstars in their own respects. 

The reason?  They are battle tested. 

They have grown in the ranks of MMA spanning across multiple promos and many years.  They have won fans over with wars, success, and in some cases, defeat.  They weren't spoon fed to MMA fans and weren't told how great they were.  

The fans knew.  They saw them evolve.

So now that the sideshow has subsided, Kimbo will be dropped down in the ranks to do exactly what he should have done from the start.  He will earn his way back into the spotlight.  Next time MMA fans see him grace a main event, he will hopefully be more battle tested in the MMA world. 

Maybe, then, he will gain more credibility. 

Are you writing this down, Dana White?

While Elite—and the fans alike—wait for that to pass, why not showcase Elite's true MMA fighters? People who have paid their dues.  Fighters who have bled, who have won and lost in the world of MMA from day one.

This is a chance to redeem yourself, EliteXC. 

The gravest mistake you can make is to somehow keep Kimbo as the main attraction.  Any credibility you have left will be lost.  Put the man where he belongs—in the low ranks—and allow him to work his way up. 

The reward, if that happens, will far out weigh anything that has happened thus far. 

Even the signing of Tito Ortiz would be a step in the right direction. 

Sure, he is not what he used to be or he would probably still fight for Dana and the UFC. 

He has fallen off a bit lately but this much is true: A second rate Tito Ortiz is better than a top notch Kimbo Slice any day of the week, regardless of who your loyalties lie with.

Even Elite's willingness to showcase female fighters is a step in the right direction.  Not many promotions are willing to take a risk on the female fight game. 

That is their mistake. 

Hands down, any time you see female fights, they are almost always the most exciting.  These ladies have a lot to prove and come to do so with reckless abandon.  Not like some of these over-rated fighters who come to fight their fight and go home. 

These ladies come to bang, and rarely do they disappoint.  Hats off to them.

The point is that this whole disaster, as many see it, may be just what the doctor ordered for Elite.  There was no way they could keep the hardcore MMA fan interested running no names or has-beens out there for Slice to victimize. 

Now they must be forced to do one of a few things. 

They should focus on their true top talent, market their life long Mixed Martial Artists,  and/or set themselves apart by truly showcasing women's MMA and becoming a home for all female fighters. 

Or better yet, by doing whatever it takes to land some credible fighters.  Even if it means bringing them from the ground up. 

The sport is bigger than it ever has been with more interest than any time in the past. 

There is guaranteed to be a young crop of up-and-comers just dying to get their name in lights by showing what they are made of. 

Make some smart moves in light of the foolish ones made thus far.

There were no fireworks during this show.  There were no girls swarming the fighters on their way to the ring. 

Other than the fact that the main event was a joke, the only problem of note was blowing up the fact that Gina had to get naked to make weight.  What a disrespect to both her—and female fighters everywhere—and also the fight game itself. 

That was the first time someone needing to drop to the birthday suit to make weight got so much attention, and it was a damn shame. 

Other than that, it almost seemed like Elite was slowly learning how to make themselves more credible.  

No more fireworks, showboat antics, and hyped fighters at the top, and maybe, just maybe, EliteXC is on the right track. 

Holding ones breath and waiting for the success of Elite is ill advised though.  Hopefully they can pull through and provide a home to fighters who may not provide top draw capabilities, but more importantly the ability to draw the top fans. 

That is where EliteXC's success lies.