The Breakdown – Elite XC ‘Unfinished Business’
EliteXC “Unfinished Business” on CBS & The Fight Network
July 26, 2008
9 P.M. EST on CBS; 8 p.m. on Showtime
Stockton Arena
Stockton, Calif.
Unlike the inaugural EliteXC network television event on May 31, this Saturday’s offering won’t feature all of the bells, whistles and personalities designed to attract as broad an audience as possible. If this card does a respectable television rating, it will be because America is truly interested in the sport of mixed martial arts, not just certain media-friendly characters like Kimbo Slice or Gina “Crush” Carano of American Gladiators fame. The card, which will not benefit from all the “first MMA event on network TV” media attention, is also not permeated with fights designed to produce knockouts as the May card was. Several matches promise to be all-around MMA exhibitions, with several grapplers and submission artists getting a chance to plough their wares in primetime. While the in-ring action will be no-frills, it will be interesting to see if producers cut some of the fat from the broadcast that made the first drag in spots, including extended lulls between fights and cheerleader dance routines. Local CBS affiliates with 11 p.m. newscasts put up a fuss when the last show ran some 45 minutes late, so expect a tighter presentation. This time, only four fights have been scheduled for CBS, though two are five-round title fights.
The headline bout is a rematch of the best fight on the May 31 event, an all-business tilt for the middleweight title between champion Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith. The promotion will look to strengthen the mass appeal of the brash and charismatic Nick Diaz, as he faces journeyman Thomas “Wildman” Denny in his backyard of Stockton. If Diaz can secure a win, the groundwork will be fully laid for a lightweight title showdown with K.J. Noons that has significant heat behind it after a post-fight pull-apart scuffle between the two camps in June. Jake Shields and Nick Thompson face off to crown a welterweight champion in one of the most competitive bouts EliteXC has booked in its 17-month existence. Shayna Bazler, one of the better female grapplers in the country, gets her time in the spotlight against Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in a match that will likely determine who faces superstar Gina Carano on CBS in October to crown a women’s champion. On the one-hour pre-show, broadcast on the Showtime premium channel, the first EXC heavyweight champion will be crowned and up-and-coming fighters will be featured.
TELEVISED CARD (CBS)
Robbie Lawler (15-4, 1 NC) vs. Scott Smith (13-4, 1 NC)
An accidental finger from Lawler into the eye of Smith brought the first bout between these two middleweights to a premature end. Smith told a ringside doctor he couldn’t see, apparently to buy himself more recovery time, but ended up protesting when the fight was stopped with a minute and a half remaining. While Smith proved game in a spirited slugfest in May, even he admitted he was on the verge on being beaten by the reigning EXC Middleweight Champion. Lawler is riding a four-fight win streak, is in peak form, and there is little reason to think he won’t be able to execute as well, if not better, against Smith in this rematch.
PREDICTION: Lawler
Nick Diaz (17-7) v. Thomas Denny (26-16)
Diaz came in a full nine pounds over the 160-pound limit in his fight against Muhsin Corbbrey in June; the fighters agreed on a 168-pound catch weight and Diaz won via third-round TKO. Time will tell if the 160 cut is consistently too much for Diaz, but he likely won’t have trouble with Denny, a grizzled veteran of the California circuit who is not being brought in to topple Diaz in his hometown, especially with a grudge match against K.J. Noons waiting to be made. Denny has lost to just about every name fighter he’s faced, and his wins are mostly by submission. Diaz, a Cesar Gracie student, has never been submitted. Denny appears to have nothing for Diaz.
PREDICTION: Diaz
Jake Shields (20-4-1) v. Nick Thompson (36-9-1)
This bout to crown the first EXC Welterweight Champion is a truly competitive match in the world welterweight rankings, as Shields and Thompson bring similar strengths to the table and are riding tremendous winning streaks. Thompson, a brainy fighter who is set to take the bar exam Monday, hasn’t lost since 2006, compiling a 12-fight win streak that includes handing Eddie Alvarez his first and only defeat. Shields has fought some of the world’s best, but a nagging back injury has kept him out of action since he defeated Mike Pyle in November. The only common opponent the two fighters share is top UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, whom Shields defeated in 2006 and Thompson lost to in 2005. This fight is likely to go the distance, and Shields, a Cesar Gracie pupil, looks to possess the tools that have spelled defeat for Thompson in the past.
PREDICTION: Shields
Shayna Baszler (9-4) v. Cristiane Santos (4-0)
Baszler has torn it up under the EliteXC/ShoXC banner, submitting three consecutive opponents in the first round. The grappling queen has notched every one of her wins by submission, and has only lost to some of the world’s best female fighters, like Tara LaRosa and Amanda Buckner. Santos, the wife of PRIDE veteran Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, has not faced the same level of competition, fighting only in Brazil and not since Nov. 2006. Baszler, who trains with top heavyweight Josh Barnett, is being groomed as the opponent for Gina Carano to crown a women’s champion, and should be able to topple Santos in this bout of three three-minute rounds.
PREDICTION: Baszler
SHOWTIME PRELIMINARY CARD
Antonio Silva (10-1) v. Justin Eilers (15-5-1)
This fight is to crown the first EXC Heavyweight Champion. Silva, an American Top Team product, brings unusual size and an incongruously quick and crisp Muay Thai game to the table. Eilers, a UFC veteran, has struggled against big punchers on big stages, falling to Andrei Arlovski, Paul Buentello and Brandon Vera in the Octagon. Silva has shown great finishing ability. In his one loss, to Eric Pele, he was landing heavy knees until being dropped with a wild punch that resulted in a slightly premature referee stoppage. Silva lasted three rounds against former UFC Champion Ricco Rodriguez in his last fight, who theoretically is a tougher test than Eilers. Silva will find a way to take this one.
PREDICTION: Silva
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (6-1) v. Travis Galbraith (15-5)
Cavalcante, a main training partner of Anderson Silva, is viewed as EXC’s top light heavyweight prospect. He is virtually undefeated, as his one blemish was recorded after he was disqualified for landing an illegal kick. “Feijao” is an aggressive fighter who won his last two fights in EliteXC using his knees. Galbraith, a champion in the Canadian King of the Cage organization, is no pushover with more than double Feijao’s experience. He’s been in with the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Joe Doerksen and Kazuhiro Nakamura, but has struggled to achieve a career-defining win. He has a proclivity for submissions, and Feijao’s game in that department has yet to be showcased. It does, however, look like Feijao is headed for an echelon that Galbraith has had trouble with historically.
PREDICTION: Cavalcante
Wilson Reis (4-0) v. Brian Caraway (9-2)
Reis is a 23-year-old Brazilian with great conditioning who submitted his first opponent in EXC, Justin Robbins, via rear naked choke in May. Robbins had a similar record to Caraway, indicating an experience deficit might not affect Reis much. Unlike Robbins, Caraway is riding a seven-fight win streak, including a win June 27 in Strikeforce Alvin Cacdac. But Caraway has relied on submissions for all but one of his victories, and that’s Reis’ realm.
PREDICTION: Reis
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