Monday, June 16, 2008

CBS Wants EliteXC to Cobble Together Another Show in Six Weeks - Who Should Fight?

Hungry to capitalize on the mojo created by "Saturday Night Fights", EliteXC's masters at CBS want another primetime brouhaha despite EliteXC's expressed desire to push their network TV return back (in an effort to allow Kimbo, Carano, et al. some time to recover). But what CBS wants, CBS must get. Logistical issues aside, who could EliteXC field that would make for some good TV-worthy combat on just six weeks notice? The following is a list of potential ass-kickers for the July 26th show. Yes, they're exciting. No, they're not all the best. Not yet at least. 1. Matt Makowski, a welterweight striker who's young, hungry, and on the rise. 2. Wilson Reis, a featherweight jiu-jitsu machine. "Fast-paced" is his middle name. 3. Chris Liguori, a well-rounded lightweight capable of ending things on the feet or on the ground. 4. Steve DeAngelis, a well-rounded featherweight sprawl-and-brawler. 5. Jim Miller, an IFL fighter, grappler extraordinaire and the best 155-pounder in the Northeast. 6. Doug Gordon, a 170-pounder who can submit people or knock them the fuck out (see Gordon's fight against Gregor Gracie). 7. Tom Gallicchio, a welterweight ground-and-pounder. 8. Lyman Good, a bad, bad, bad dude with serious striking skills and serious grappling skills. 9. Dan Miller, a submission specialist and IFL middleweight title holder. 10. Josh Key, an extremely strong well-rounded lightweight who fought and won on BET's Iron Ring. This list is by no means a complete one, but it's a good start. With the Robbie Lawler/Scott Smith rematch headlining the card, any of these fighters are scrappy enough to fit right in.

Observations from My Couch: EliteXC "Return of the King"

-Rafael Feijao and Dave Herman have looked very impressive in the cage thus far, taking out their opponents with violence and fury. Too bad I still have no idea who they are. -Tony Bonello is apparently that little guy who gets drunk at parties and picks fights with the biggest, baddest people he can find. Murilo "Ninja" Rua hates parties. -Nick Diaz ain't no bitch. He ain't no weight-cutter, either. -KJ Noons defeated Yves Edwards faster than you can say "champion slowly but surely legitimizing the depth of talent in EliteXC's relatively new roster with wins over quality opponents".