UFC Competitor EliteXC Signs Deal With CBS
MMA promotion and UFC competitor EliteXC has signed a deal with CBS to air MMA on network television for the first time in history.
MMA Junkie first reported news of the deal earlier today and Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole has since released further information about the agreement:
“[The EliteXC-CBS deal] is believed to be a four-fight deal that will begin in April.
Kevin Ferguson, the Internet street-fighting sensation known as Kimbo Slice, is expected to headline the first fight card on CBS from either Atlantic City, N.J. or the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The cards on CBS are expected to be two-hour shows broadcast on Saturday nights. The exact time slot is unknown, though it is likely to be something like 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Eastern time zone and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Pacific.”
Without a doubt, this agreement is huge for the sport. While it wasn’t the biggest name in the game who inked a network deal, it still means that the casual, cable-less MMA fan could soon simply tune in locally to catch some sweet cage action. This is indeed a landmark day for mixed martial arts. With a network deal in place, MMA could begin its catapult into the world of mainstream sports entertainment in the United States. Here’s to hoping this is only the beginning of a trend which other networks will follow.
Maybe Katie Couric can do the broadcast. Kimbo can do a cameo in CSI: Miami and name the episode “Brawler.” There are so many marketing ops here.
I enjoy watching people get beat up….it’s fun. However, I do not think Elite XC is a “competitor” to the UFC. To me it is a smaller promotion for fighters to build a name or polish their skills until they can move into the big time. I do not want to take anything away from the fighters who train their asses off. I have the upmost respect for them. It is just that elite xc has Kimbo as their frequent main event and he is not fighting anyone worthy of giving him credit in MMA. I am more than a casual fan and feel that the majority of elitexc fighters lack a ground game. Along with that, the refs do not even let the guys grapple and roll for more than 20 seconds. Probably because the lack of ground games would make for a boring fight. Elite xc just seems to lack all around mma skill in my opinion. I love a lot of their fighters too but I am just saying elite xc has a differennt approach to mma and I do not dig it from the promoters side. It just seems lke the media is dying to attack the UFC or stir up controversy.
EliteXC has some excellent fighter they arent the USA but they have showtime backing them, as well as, Gina Carrano who i will always tune in to watch fight.