ProElite.com

I was able to get in touch with EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw soon after the news broke that the promotion had signed Kimbo Slice to a long-term contract. Gary was kind of enough to give me a few minutes. Below is the transcript of the impromptu interview...

Sam Caplan: I just wanted to confirm the report on ProElite.com that Kimbo Slice has been signed by EliteXC?

Gary Shaw: Yes, we have a long-term deal with Kimbo Slice. I'm very excited about the signing.

Sam Caplan: Can you discuss the length of the contract?

Gary Shaw: The one thing I never do is talk about money or the length of contracts other than to say it is a multi-year, multi-fight deal with Kimbo. He's going to be a part of the EliteXC and ProElite family and we love to have him. I am really excited about putting him on Showtime and letting the world see him.

Sam Caplan: Is this an exclusive contract?

Gary Shaw: It's an exclusive contract, yes.

Sam Caplan: You mentioned showing Kimbo to the world on Showtime. How soon will fans get to see him fight under the EliteXC banner?

Gary Shaw: November 10 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Sam Caplan: Has an opponent been named?

Gary Shaw: Not that we have decided on yet. We'll make that decision this coming week.

Sam Caplan: Is there a chance that Tank Abbott, who was scheduled to have faced Kimbo Slice this weekend for Cage Fury Fighting Championships this week before the event was canceled, could be the opponent?

Gary Shaw: (There's) always a chance that anyone fight with EliteXC and on Showtime, yes.

Sam Caplan: There might be some critics out there who might come out and point to Kimbo Slice's street fighting history. Was Kimbo's background a concern?

Gary Shaw: It was never a concern. It was only a plus. He has a huge amount of fans and an astronomical amount of hits on YouTube. He is a street fighting legend and he's exciting. The only naysayers will be those who couldn't sign him or didn't think to sign him. There were a lot of naysayers when I said I was going to put on women's fights and then I put on Gina Carano. And I don't read any blogs or anyone saying that women can't fight.

Sam Caplan: Cage Fury took a lot of heat because they used the video from his unsanctioned street fights to promote him. Is EliteXC is going to use street fighting footage to promote him?

Gary Shaw: I can't answer that right now. We just completed the deal. We're just going to start working on our marketing. But he's a street fighting legend and when you say we're going to take heat, I don't know who takes the heat or who makes the comments. But he's real and we're willing to fight anybody with him and he's serious about MMA. He's going out to LA on Sunday to do some serious training and he has been doing serious MMA training. I don't put on freak shows and I don't put on side shows.

Sam Caplan: Can you comment on reports that Nick Diaz has signed a long-term extension with EliteXC?

Gary Shaw: Absolutely, he has. That was completed late yesterday. We're really excited to have Nick long-term. On a personal level i am extremely fond of him. I got to spend some time with him in Hawaii and I got to learn a lot about Nick Diaz and I think that Nick Diaz learned a lot about Gary Shaw during that trip. It cemented our relationship and he knows we care about him. We stood by him after the Gomi fight and he is a huge addition to EliteXC and our long-term global strategy.

Both he and Kimbo will be traveling. He's (Diaz) already gone to Hawaii but we'll bring Kimbo to Hawaii. We'll bring them both to England and we're going to take them to Korea. Nick Diaz has a huge fanbase and he's quite a character. Those that know him know that he does the triathalons and he'll do that right after a fight so he's a serious athlete. He's a serious fighter and a very important part of EliteXC's global strategy.

--

Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com