(Mainstream) News Roundup: Elite XC on CBS Edition

Gong — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:27:51 -0000

After last night's sub-par fiasco, most wondered how the mainstream would react to MMA's breakthrough broadcast on network TV. With the help of Google News (don't laugh), I've gathered snippets from various news outlets:

New York Times :

"The CBS announcer Gus Johnson looked into the camera and proclaimed the evening — the sport’s live debut on network television — “the dawn of an era in American sports.”

...

Slice, 6 feet 2 inches and 235.5 pounds, gave the fans and the organizers what they had hoped for in the third organized bout of his career, although he had to work harder to win than in his previous fights. The bout was ended by a disputed decision, with the referee calling a technical knockout in favor of Slice. Thompson was bleeding from his ear, and the bout was stopped 38 seconds into the third round.

...

The next bout, between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith, was a dull affair. The officials stopped it in the third round after what they deemed an accidental foul — Smith took a thumb in his right eye — and the bout was declared a no contest. But that fight was quickly forgotten when Slice stole the show."

South Florida Sun-Sentinel :

"So the real issue is if this is your cage of tea. Do you enjoy watching a sport whose primary goal is to make someone a vegetable? Again, there's no difference between liking this and liking boxing, except boxing has a lineage of greatness like Muhammad Ali, who now stands as Evidence A of its fundamental problem.

MMA doesn't have a timeline to measure pain yet. It has Kimbo Slice, who was once homeless and is now a media creation, according to the sport's purists. But there he was on prime-time TV Saturday, cashing checks."

Canada's Globe and Mail :

"So yes, Kimbo Slice night on CBS lived up to most of the hopes and fears.

...

The fear from mixed martial arts purists that a sport still battling to establish its legitimacy might be drawn back towards its grotty, "human cockfighting" origins?

Check. The dancing girls, the fireworks, the ridiculous pro-wrestling style stage entrances, Slice's obvious lack of skills and a couple of extremely dubious stoppages (including that of the main event) certainly did nothing to advance the cause.

...

The problem was that on Saturday, he didn't really deliver the goods. Matched against an opponent chosen specifically because he had a history of being knocked out in spectacular fashion, Slice struggled mightily. He was hopeless when taken to the ground. He was completely out of gas by the third round, when Thompson's glass ear let him down. Temporarily stunned, Thompson absorbed some hard shots from Slice, and then the referee leaped in just as fast as he could to preserve the desired ending."

AOL Sports :

"The reaction to Elite XC's inaugural show on CBS has been mixed to negative and after spending the night cageside, I can't argue with that. The stoppages in each of the last two fights was much to quick and the controversy about an uncalled tapout by Kimbo Slice looms as an issue that Elite and CBS will have to deal with to confirm the legitimacy of what they're putting forth.

As you can see in the above picture of James Thompson, the stoppage didn't come completely out of nowhere. His ear is in awful shape. I don't think the context of the fight to that point called for a stoppage but Slice's punches and strikes were doing damage. Thompson's, on the other hand, weren't. He was on top and throwing elbows but, from my spot 10-15 feet away, they weren't doing much to hurt Slice. If Thompson weren't fatigued and/or hurting, I think he would have ended the fight during that moment in the second round but he couldn't muster the necessary might."

Lastly, from the network itself, CBS Sports :

" It was a fight promoter's worst nightmare.

...

The story of Saturday Night Fights was quick stoppages. And while that's hardly the fault of the fighters or the promoter, it's still no way to send the fans home happy. That's not EliteXC's fault, but it's still their problem."

So what has this really achieved? A part of me regrets that EXC were the first to get a network deal. We'd like the world exposed to the best of MMA, not some second hand drivel with a shallow talent pool.

SB Nation User Blog: Gong

(Mainstream) News Roundup: Elite XC on CBS Edition