Kimbo TKOd by no-name in 14 seconds
SUNRISE, Fla. – Complete match-by-match coverage of Elite XC Saturday Night Fights from the Bank Atlantic Center.
Heavyweights: Seth Petruzelli (11-4) def. Kimbo Slice (3-1)
How: Ref stoppage in 14 seconds
Turning point: Petruzelli dropped Slice immediately with a jab and pummeled him with punch after punch until ref Troy Waugh stopped it.
Analysis: The ramifications here are numerous. Even if the television rating is big, the goose that laid the golden egg was exposed by a fighter who previously was known only to the most hardcore fans. In the long run, that is devastating to the company and for MMA on CBS. The future is very much up in the air.
Welterweight: Jake Shields (22-4-1) def. Paul Daley (18-7-1) to retain Elite XC welterweight title
How: Armbar submission in 3:47 of the second round
Turning point: Shields' ground game was too strong for Daley in the second round, as even though Shields tired, once he got it to the ground, Daley never could get away. After softening up Daley, and thinking armbar once and deciding against it, Shields went for the armbar late in the round and Daley had to tap.
Analysis: Daley was stronger in the stand-up and even reversed Shields late in the first round. Shields looked the worse for wear when Round 2 started and failed on early takedown attempts. But he finally got it together. Shields generally is considered the best non-UFC welterweight and is awaiting his next challenge.
Heavyweights: Andrei Arlovski (15-5) def. Roy Nelson (13-3)
How: Knockout at 3:14 of the second round
Turning point: Arlovski's superior speed and footwork standing made the difference in Round 2 as he used punches, kicks and knees on his slower opponent. Arlovski had Nelson in trouble after a flurry and finished him with a right.
Analysis: The crowd booed the first round, which saw Nelson control it by bulling Arlovski into the fence. Arlovski, the former UFC champion, looks to be the most logical opponent for Fedor Emelianenko on Affliction's next card and looked good in the last minute of the fight, but Arlovski had a difficult time in the first round against the former IFL champion.
Women, 140 pounds: Gina Carano (7-0) def. Kelly Kobold (16-3-1)
How: Unanimous decision on scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27
Yahoo! Sports score: Carano 29-28
Turning point: Another fight that tore the house down live. The standing exchanges were crisp, but Kobold was able to slow down the match at will by bulling Carano into the cage. She constantly went for takedowns but was only successful once, late in the second round. Carano clinched the fight late in the third round with hard kicks to the face of Kobold, who was cut over her right eye.
Analysis: The Carano vs. Cristiane Santos fight had the perfect build with both scoring wins. Santos was more aggressive in her fight, but Carano looked good whenever she and Kobold exchanged. No doubt if the match is signed it's the biggest, at least as far as public interest, women's MMA fight in history.
Middleweights: Benji Radach (19-4) def. Murilo "Ninja" Rua (16-9-1)
How: Ref stoppage (punches), 2:31 of Round 2
Turning point: Rua, the PRIDE veteran, was more aggressive in the second round, but he lost his balance after throwing a kick. Former IFL fighter Radach unleashed four bombs while standing onto Rua on the ground and the ref stopped the fight.
Analysis: A good action fight combining hard punching back-and-forth with some attempted submissions by Rua. Radach came out on fire and tried to overwhelm Rua, but Rua stood up to him and on the ground in the first round went for two heel hooks. The second round saw Rua on the attack, but Radach caught him early in the round with a devastating punch. Rua was staggered but came back with low kicks and knees. But a missed kick proved to be his undoing.
Representatives of Elite XC have confirmed that Ken Shamrock was not medically cleared to fight Kimbo Slice in tonight's main event at the BankAtlantic Center.
Slice (3-0) instead will go up against former UFC fighter Seth Petruzelli, a light heavyweight with a professional record of 9-4. Petruzelli was slated to face Aaron Rosa on an undercard match.
The Petruzelli match was in doubt until the last minute, as according to several sources, Slice's handlers demanded a considerable amount of extra money to agree to the new opponent.
Shamrock, 43, was doing a light training session in his hotel this morning and accidentally was head-butted by Dan Freeman, a longtime training partner. It reopened a prior cut in his forehead, and required six sutures in his eyebrow.
Frank Shamrock, Ken's adopted brother, is on site to announce on the CBS broadcast. The former UFC and Strikeforce champion volunteered to take the fight on no notice, but he is a middleweight who is coming off a broken arm in his last fight.
Women, catchweight (148 pounds): Cristiane Santos (6-0) def. Yoko Takahashi (13-10)
How: Unanimous decision on scores of 30-26, 30-27, 30-27
Yahoo! score: 30-27
Turning point: In a match that tore down the house, "Cyborg" dominated all three rounds, but Takahashi was game in hanging in and even rocked Santos in the third round with a spinning backfist that would have finished most women. Santos's aggressiveness was too much for Takahashi to handle, even though Takahashi got the top position a few times in the fight.
Analysis: The idea for this fight was to showcase Santos and build her for a match with Gina Carano. She performed her side of the equation. This match could air later on the network broadcast and could end up the fight of the night. Now it's up to Carano to do her part in making the match.
Lightweights: Conor Heun (8-2) def. Edson Berto (14-6-1)
How: Heun won with strikes from the top in 2:18 of the second round.
Turning Point: Heun took Berto down in the second round and threw punch after punch. Berto was bloodied from the forehead, and finally ref Troy Waugh stopped it.
Analysis: A big win for Heun, after the best action of the night in the first round. Edson Berto is the brother of new WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto.
Welterweights: Mickey Gomez (8-4) def. Lorenzo Borgomeo (4-1)
How: Armbar submission at 4:06 of the second round.
Turning point:: Gomez took down Borgomeo at the start of the second round and was dominating the action until finally catching the armbar.
Analysis: The first round was mostly standing until Gomez got a late takedown. Both were aggressive in landing shots, but neither man was hurt nor dominated until it went to the ground.
Bantamweights: Bryan Hamade (1-0) def. David Gomez (0-1)
How: Tap out from a guillotine choke 2:03 of the first round
Turning point:: Gomez had the early advantage, but when going for a takedown, got caught in a guillotine standing. He survived in the hold for several seconds until falling to the mat and quickly tapping.
Analysis: Gomez came out strong and was on top with punches from the top before the fortunes quickly were reversed.
Lightweights: Nicolae Cury (1-0) def. Jorge Boechat (3-3)
How: Tapped from elbows in 1:35 of the first round.
Turning point:: Cury got on top, used his legs to hold Boechat's head in place with a reverse triangle and began throwing elbows until Boechat tapped.
