Modern Fighting

In a Rematch of their Recent Controversial Title Fight on CBS, EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler Will Defend Against Scott Smith, While Jake Shields Squares off Against Nick Thompson For the Vacant EliteXC Welterweight Belt

CBS to Broadcast Four Live Fights (Including Two Title Fights) From 9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT; SHOWTIME to Televise Three Live Fights (Including EliteXC Heavyweight Title Fight) from 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, June 25 — CBS and EliteXC announced today that the next CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. on Saturday, July 26 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The four-fight broadcast will be highlighted by the highly anticipated rematch between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith for the EliteXC Middleweight Title.

The night of mixed martial action will begin with three live fights on SHOWTIME (8:00-9:00 PT, ET/PT) including an EliteXC Heavyweight Championship match featuring Antonio “Big Foot” Silva.

“One venue, two networks and seven exciting world class fights adds up to an entertaining and memorable mixed martial arts event in prime time,” said Doug DeLuca, Executive Chairman, ProElite, Inc.

In a rematch of their exciting, controversial first fight on May 31 on CBS, Lawler, the EliteXC middleweight champion from St. Louis by way of Davenport, Iowa

, will put his title on the line once again against hard-hitting challenger Smith of Elk Grove, Calif. Their last meeting, a fight that many called the fight of the night,

ended in controversy when doctors called the fight after Smith caught an unintentional finger in the eye late in the third round. Smith claimed he was ready to continue, but the fight was stopped and declared a no contest.

You can read the full press release by clicking here.

HONOLULU (June 14, 2008) - On a night fit for a King, not even a post-fight scuffle could ruin the moment for KJ Noons, who retained the EliteXC lightweight title with a devastating 48-second, first-round TKO over Yves Edwards Saturday at the Blaisdell Arena on SHOWTIME.
In the co-feature on a card billed as “Return Of The King,” Nick Diaz registered a third-round TKO over Muhsin Corbbrey.
The victories by Noons, who was raised in Kailua-Kona until he was 16, and Diaz sets up what could be a rematch, but a return bout can’t come soon enough for the fighters’ volatile camp members who nearly came to blows in the cage after the main event. The fracas caught most everyone off guard.
“I’m not sure what happened or who started what, but I feel bad for Yves, a class act who trained really hard for this fight,” Noons said. “Nick has no class, he’s a bum, a piece of (expletive) and he and his team disrespected my family and I with their gestures and trash talk and tried to upstage our fight.
“I’m the champion and have the EliteXC belt. I’ll fight anybody. I didn’t see his fight but if they say Nick deserves a rematch, then we can fight and I’ll beat him again - if he can make 160 pounds.”
Noons shocked the MMA world when he captured the first-ever EliteXC lightweight belt with an upset TKO victory over Diaz during EliteXC’s fight card on Nov. 10, 2007, on SHOWTIME. “I hope they make the fight with Diaz right here at the Blaisdell, but wherever it is, I will be ready,” Noons said.
Offered Diaz, who weighed in at 169 pounds a day earlier: “I’m sorry about what happened in the cage afterward, but I didn’t start it. His guys were talking (expletive) to us.”
The event was presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s EliteXC, and aired on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). The explosive main event can be seen exclusively on Cage Cam at SHO.com/Sports.
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“We accomplished what we set out to do on each and every fight card and that is deliver quality, exciting, entertaining fights,” said Douglas DeLuca, Executive Chairman, ProElite, Inc. “The fights were outstanding. I can’t say enough about the athletes’ performances. They were just spectacular.
“It was great being back in Honolulu. The fans in attendance and those watching on SHOWTIME got a terrific night of mixed martial arts.”

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K.J. Noons def. Yves Edwards (TKO R1)
Nick Diaz def. Muhsin Corbbrey (TKO R3)
Murilo “Ninja” Rua def. Tony Bonello (TKO R1)
Dave Herman def. Ron Waterman (TKO R1)
Rafael Feijao def. Wayne Cole (TKO R1)
Bubba McDaniel def. Kala Kalohe Hose (Submission R1)
Mark Oshiro def. Chris Willems (Submission R1)
Mike Aina def. Kaleo Kwan (Unanimous Decision)

 CBS has released this press release about he success of their June 1st ELiteXC primtime Event.

Here’s a snippet:
CBS Places First in Key Young Adult and Men Demographics with Triple Digit Percentage Increases Versus the Network’s Season Average on Saturday

National Ratings for the Highest Rated Part of the Broadcast—Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson —which Did Not Air Until 11:30 PM, Will Not be Available Until Tuesday

Local Markets Show Ratings Surge in Final Quarter-Hour

Kimbo Slice defeats James Thompson (3rd Round TKO / Stoppage)
Robbie Lawler wins over Scott Smith (3rd Round No Contest(Eye))
Gina Carano defeats Kaitlin Young (2nd Round TKO (cuts) )
Joey Villasenor defeats Phil Baroni (1st Round TKO (strikes))
Brett Rogers defeats Jon Murphy (1st Round TKO (strikes))

On a personal note, the decision in the Lawler / Smith fight was because of an eye poke and the doctor stopped the fight when clearly it should not have been. What a waste of months of training for both fighters in what was clearly a fight that was going down as one of the best EliteXC has ever had.

The main event was tainted too. Kimbo appears to tap in R1 when Thompson has him in a guillotine. It can be said Thompson won both rounds 10-9 and to have it stopped because of strikes when Thompson was still standing … or was it the blood in his cauliflower ear that started to ooze … or whatever the reason was is just silly.

I’d like to see a rematch of Lawler and Smith …

You can see the full recap here