Of Zombies and Dark Magic

Rumors are circulating that ProElite is very close to being bought, and that Zombie EliteXC will rise to shamble around and give us more MMA bouts, so MMA Journalist would like to talk about the concept of zombies and the dark magic that creates them. First, a little history: in 2000 the UFC was owned by Bob Meyrowitz and his company, Semaphore Entertainment Group, and as everyone knows the organization was close to death - so close, in fact, that Meyrowitz was interested in selling and (supposedly) people like Monte Cox and promoter Jamie Levine were considering pooling their dough to buy it. Why? The UFC had grown into a brand, which meant that it was a potentially viable product with solid public recognition, and given the right guidance it could, at some point, make money. Of course, we all know that Zuffa came in and turned the whole organization around, but the thing to take away from that is branding can give something a life of its own - a soul, if you will - and sometimes death will hold little sway over it. Well, with EliteXC's Showtime and CBS contracts and its roster of fighters and other assets, the damn thing developed a soul. After all, the number one and number three most-watched MMA bouts in US history took place in EliteXC's cage - the public knows it as a product. Death, or bankruptcy, will ultimately hold little sway over it, and all it should take is a little dark magic (in the form of some decent lawyers, a buyer and a strong staff) before EliteXC rises from its grave to chomp on us again. Personally, I will relish the bite.

Kimbo's Manager Speaks

MMA Journalist tracked down longtime Kimbo Slice manager Icey Mike yesterday to get his perspective on the sudden downfall of EliteXC. Here are some quotes.

• "I'm doing good, man. Who is this?"
• "I don't know, man, I just found out about it yesterday (Monday). I thought they had a good show coming up in November, and now this."
• "All this happened yesterday and I don't know what's going on until I meet with [ProElite] and figure out where we're at."
• "Our plan was to fight again in January or February but it doesn't look like that's happening now."
• "We gotta talk with these guys and see where we're at with the contracts and stuff. We've never been in this situation before."
• "When everything is said and done, we'll take offers from everyone."
• "It's going to be hard for anybody to start and organization from the ground up, now. These guys had a lot going for them and they couldn't make it work."
  
• "So this is for the New York Times, right?"
  

Newsday Article on ProElite's Demise

Pick up a copy of today's Newsday (a Long Island newspaper and the tenth largest newspaper in the country) for an article on ProElite's demise written by yours truly. And in case you ever wonder why there's a lull in MMA Journalist posts... yes, it's because I'm cheating on you with other news outlets. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Link: http://www.newsday.com/sports/custom/boxing/ny-spelite1022,0,2422751.story