EliteXC "Heat" Liveblog 5

• At 8:50 they officially announced that Ken Shamrock is out. His replacement? Seth Petruzelli. The crowd is less than thrilled.
• The venue is almost packed.
• Hulk Hogan has arrived with blonds in tow. Tito Ortiz gets his picture taken with Mr. Hogan. However, Hulkamania does not run wild.
• The big screens are playing Kimbo vs. Tank Abbott. Based on fan reaction here, the outcome is a shock.
• The EliteXC dancing slizzuts are very slizzutish. Their moms must be so proud.

EliteXC "Heat" Liveblog 4

• It's 8:15. Edson Berto and Conor Heun had a great fight, with Berto gaining the distinction of being the first fighter of the night to stain the cage canvas with his blood.
• Berto's corner is concerned that when he goes backstage, Cristiane Cyborg will catch the scent and go into a feeding frenzy.
• Affliction honcho Tom Atencio is here. Oddly enough, he's not wearing any Affliction apparel.
• Just kidding. Of course he is.
• The Kimbo/Shamrock mystery continues. The prelim bout between Seth Petruzelli and Aaron Rosa was skipped, and the prevailing rumors are that both were offered up to Kimbo. Where's that janitor?

EliteXC "Heat" Liveblog 3

• No one knows what the heck is going on with Kimbo and Shamrock. At this point, they could announce that Kimbo is fighting the janitor (no, not Vladimir Matyushenko - an actual janitor). Who knows.
• Three prelims are now in the books. The crowd in the arena is getting bigger and bigger. That potato salad is delicious.
• Sports Illustrated ace reporter Josh Gross has arrived. I believe the SI helicopter dropped him off at the helipad on the roof.
• At 7:45 there is a lull in the bouts. Tito Ortiz is up and taking pics with fans again. Members of press row may or may not be surfing Internet porn on their laptops.

EliteXC "Heat" Liveblog 2

• The Ken Shamrock/Kimbo Slice fight is definitely off. Sounds like they're trying to get Kimbo to fight TUF veteran Seth Petruzelli.
• Tito Ortiz is here, mobbed by fans and taking pics with every single one of them.
• It's 6:40 and the first of the prelims are about to get underway.
• Cristiane Cyborg just walked by again, this time holding hands with her husband. Small children weep and tremble with fear.

EliteXC "Heat" Liveblog 1

MMA Journalist is here at the BankAtlantic Center to liveblog EliteXC's "Heat" event. At 6:20 the cage is empty, and fans are trickling in to the arena.

• Yves Edwards is wandering around, all smiles as usual.
• Matt Polly, author of "American Shaolin", is here.
• The food selection in the press room consists of hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken breasts and a decent potato salad.
• Polly favors a hot dog slathered in mayonnaise.
• A security guard says there's a rumor going around that Ken Shamrock is injured and that the main event is off. No one is able to confirm or deny this rumor.
• Cristiane Cyborg is strolling around the arena - very friendly and approachable. The blood covering her shirt seems human in origin, but she insists it's from a deer that wandered into the Chute Boxe locker room.

Scenes From an EliteXC Weigh-In

Yeah, so, Gina Carano had to get naked to make weight, Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice tussled, and Paul Daley got in Jake Shields' face. Just your standard weigh-in affair.

TUF 8 Analysis: Episode 3

Last night was the third episode of the TUF 8 season, which, based on what we've seen thus far, is a season that will entail a lot of action, coach Nogueira speaking and us not understanding him, and enough drunken antics to make even the most hardened alcoholic say, "Jeez, guys, chill out."

• All your booze belong to Junie Browning. All your stupidity, too.
• Al "Stankie" returns! Few may remember a non-English-speaking Vitor Belfort crying out "Stankie? Stankie?" after he won UFC 12. Ah, the good old days.
• Coach Nogueira thinks some of his guys should open a restaurant based on their cooking skills. In the extra footage that will be available on the TUF 8 DVD, coach Mir takes Krzysztof Soszynski aside and says that, based on his wrapping skills, he should work for UPS.
• Ryan Bader and Tom Lawlor made for a good fight. Seriously. They came to throw down.

Kimbo Slice: "Shamrock Ain't Street"

The war of words continues between EliteXC main eventers Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock, this time with Slice adding fuel to the fire. Concerning their impending CBS Saturday night prime time clash, the Internet fighting legend had this to say: "Shamrock ain't street. I'm street." Speaking from his mansion below the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, Slice - wearing a traffic cone on his head and a shirt bearing a painted yellow traffic pattern - went on to discuss his opponent's lack of credibility. "He ain't nothing, man. He thinks he's something he's not. But I'm the real deal. I am street. Cars be tryin' to drive on me - that's how street I am!" Tune in for more as MMA Journalist goes cageside for EliteXC's October 4th extravaganza.

Ken Shamrock: "Kimbo is a Whippersnapper"

Just days away from EliteXC's October 4th magnum opus on CBS and already the pre-fight trash talk has begun to heat up - this time courtesy of Ken Shamrock. In an interview conducted at the Lion's Den Retirement Facility in Ocala, Florida, "Old Man" Shamrock blasted his opponent for being a "disrespectful punk". "Kimbo is a whippersnapper," said the UFC 1 veteran. Hunched over his walker with a glass of Metamucil in hand, he added: "That youngster is in for a lesson he'll never forget. I have bowel movements tougher than him." Stay tuned to MMA Journalist for a rebuttal from Kimbo Slice.

The Only Game in Town?

Are you a pro fighter in the New York/New Jersey area looking to get a fight or two in before the new year? Well, unless you make it on to Ring of Combat's November 21st card at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, you're out of luck. Battle Cage Xtreme, New Jersey's other regional show, doesn't return until maybe February of 2009, and promotions like Combat in the Cage and Reality Fighting - which were once staples of the Garden State circuit - are on permanent hiatus. Suddenly, ROC is the only game in town. Is this a sign of the economic downturn hitting East Coast MMA? Or is it just a confluence of scheduling snafus? Who knows. But one thing is sure: ROC's November line-up should be killer.