Props: CBS
Quoteworthy:
“Ratings for the final 51 minutes of CBS’s inaugural CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS mixed martial arts broadcast (11:00-11:51 PM, ET/PT), which were unavailable Sunday, delivered an average audience of 6.12 million viewers, according to updated Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Saturday, May 31. The audience peaked at 6.51 million viewers from 11:30-11:51 PM which featured the night’s main event — Kimbo Slice’s victory over James Thompson. Among key men demographics, the broadcast peaked from 11:30-11:51 PM with a 4.1 rating in men 18-34, 4.0 rating in men 18-49 and 4.3 rating in men 25-54. The addition of the final 51 minutes lifted ratings for the entire broadcast. CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS (S) (9:00-11:51 PM) delivered a 3.0/06 with 4.85m viewers, 2.2/07 in both adults 25-54 and adults 18-49, 2.3/09 in adults 18-34, 3.1/09 in men 25-54, 3.0/10 in men 18-49 and 3.2/12 in men 18-34. In the 9:00-11:00 PM time slot, CBS was first in the adults and men demographics, second in both households and viewers. Compared to CBS’s 9:00-11:00 PM regularly scheduled programming on Saturday during the 2007-08 season, CBS was up +16% in adults 25-54 (from 1.9/05), +57% in adults 18-49 (from 1.4/04), +156% in adults 18-34 (from 0.9/03), +121% in men 25-54 (from 1.4/04), +173% in men 18-49 (from 1.1/03) and +357% in men 18-34 (from 0.7/03).”
Those are some BIG numbers for the mixed martial arts network television debut for Elite XC: “Primetime” on CBS this past Saturday, May 31 from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. More on this in a bit.
156 Comments »
The big question is, will people bother to watch again after what happened?
i just hope that they relize there mistakes and make it better, they do have some good fighters and hopefully they will be on the next card not kimbo.i would not mind if kimbo was the opening fight and maybe one other set of brawlers but they can not fill the card with brawlers like the last one, they need diaz,shields,edwards,melendez,alverez for the next card and maybe they can save themselves from the true mma fans if they put on a real mma show.
See what you dont get is that if it was not for Kimbo that many people would not have tuned in…This dude is a internet LEGEND, man if you woudl have had Nick Diaz fighting against a polar bear the ratings would not have been as high
from what I’ve been reading, most ppl that knows nothing of MMA liked the program. The main question is, will ppl stop hating?
The most watched MMA event in history.
Hearing that 1 year ago, who would have thought that the event would be headlined by James Thompson vs Kimbo Slice!!!
How quickly things change
VM can we blame them for using Kimbo? according to the numbers, he is the reason so many ppl tuned in. Again, I just can’t blame EliteXC, and I am optimistic that they’ll have better quality in the future as they grow. But they have to start somewhere, I blame Dana for not making the UFC mainstream. He has the talent pool to have us all happy with a live/free MMA event on primetime tv, but he did not. Gary did, and he used what he got. I just can’t hate on that.
those are impresive #s indeed. the massess, not the hardcore fans, are what will make the difference in the future.
Well hate on this, in less than a year there will be no such thing as free tv. So all of this will no longer matter and it will be a joke to have MMA on CBS
linx, not Kimbo’s fault at all. In fact, Kimbo is a mastermind at self marketing. A few years back he was homeless living out of his PathFinder. Now he is the main event of the most watched MMA event in history. Now THAT is amazing!!!!
Did I sound like I was hating on Kimbo or anyone else in my first post? I didn’t think I did, or at least I tried not to. Just saying that if one year ago you were told that the main event of the most watched MMA event in history would feature James Thompson vs Kimbo Slice, you’d consider that person insane
Dude, everybody has cable already, free TV is something that ppl no longer use. But guess what, even though most ppl have cable/satellite they watch more Fox, NBC and CBS. Keep on hating.
VM, I completely agree, sorry to call you out, but even though the main event was mediocre at most for us, I still feel this was the most significant event in MMA history after TUF 1 and the acquisition of Pride and many of it’s fighters.
It is damn right impressive while a little disturbing to see that Kimbo can pull in that Many viewers. I cant hate on him at all. Like VM said, it is amazing to see what he has done for himself. We all know that Kimbo should not be the face of mma right now, but he seems to be gaining much attention for the sport, people say: there is no bad publicity. if he can attract viewers to the sport, I will take it.
Lets face it, no matter what fighters are exposed to the older audience, they probably wont like, or even understand MMA, so F em….Let the old stupid sportswriters right how Barbaric and Brutal it is, because as sick as it sounds….it will attract more of the Younger generation and the sport will grow anyway.
Old heads are propbably never going to Understand the sport, thats what makes the 17-35 demographic so important….and kimbo seems to draw the hell out of that crowd!
i havent seen where hardcore fans or veteran writers or even jim rome are hating on kimbo or blaming him. its shaw who is getting the most hate. and well deserved.
Linx I’m sorry man but you are wrong. I work for Comcast and one of the big things with the company is to transfer people from basic to standard digital. Ages 18-22 do not have digital or even standard cable. I alone know at least 15 people who do not have cable (ranging from the same age group). Not everyone has digital cable and even more important not everyone has spike tv. Some areas don’t get the channel and some require you to request it. I realize a good amount of people have cable but be honest here. When you have the option of watching the bout on Spike tv or CBS almost everyone will choose Spike.
Smokes, if you work for comcast than you’ll definitely know the amount of ppl that do not have cable which I’d think would be on a low percentage. but I’m saying on your day to day, people that you know personally, do many if not all not own a cable provider? I’m in Brazil, and even I don’t know that many people that don’t have cable, I’d think that since this is the US most if not all would have. on your second point, about more people would rather watch something on spike than cbs, why is it than that we have had UFC for free on spike in the past and that did not translate into the same amount of viewers?
whats the highest rated spike tug or fight night?i know its not even close to those numbners from elite.
ROY: it is champion vs champion tape delay rampage vs hendo. it drew in 4.7 mil and peaked at 5.9 mil viwers. not far behind elite’s free show. my mom has basic cable and it doesnt include spike, so spike isn’t exactly free.
speaking of ratings, chucks highlight show with the wandi fight drew 1.6 mil on spike and VERSUS with faber vs pulver did about 1.5 million viewers, versus highest rated show ever.
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto Will Fight at DREAM.5 on July 21st
By Tim Ngo | June 03, 2008
It was just announced earlier today via DREAM’s official website that Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto has been signed to fight on the DREAM.5 card on July 21st. Yamamoto’s opponent is Joe Benavides who has only one professional fight on his record, which was a victory back in January.
“Kid” Yamamoto is one of the top Featherweight fighters in the world and that’s who current WEC Featherweight Champion, Urijah Faber, is always referring to when he mentions that he wants a fight against “Kid”.
Yamamoto has been inactive since December 31st, a victory over Jiu-Jitsu expert Rani Yahya. The last loss that he has suffered was back on May 5th, 2002 and he’s looking to continue his winning ways.
A press conference announcing the fight and the event will be setup shortly and will feature both Yamamoto and DREAM producer Keiiti Sasahara.
Big Fan of the KID!!!!!
His last fight was agaisnt Rani Yahya. Rani is a bantomwieght. That was who Chase Beebe defeated in his first title defense in the WEC.
Speaking of Chase Beebe, he lost he last fight as well, but it wasn’t televised. He lost to Will Ribeiro at the Faber/Pulver event. Chase loses his belt, and then is relagated to the prelims. What is that all about?>
The people who buy the kimbo hype will.
I don’t think there is much left anymore..
casual fans and first timers not only loved this event, they really think Kimbo is the real deal. I had a guy tell me yesterday that the UFC wouldn’t sign him because their fighters are scared. I told him he was a moron, and he told me I’m crazy and have no clue! These are the fans that are going to ruin the sport. We NEED Dana to cross promote
Brock/Kimbo
Vandy/lawler
Spider/cun le
Hendo/baroni
BJ/Noons
GSP/shields (only fight elite could win)
Diego/diaz (maybe this one too)
the only legit guys in elite are trained by caesar gracie!
What might be the saving grace here is that EliteXC had no problems referencing the UFC, “lawler express train was in the ufc until he lost a few fights” and they mentioned other fighters from the UFC like Anderson Silva as a top mw…so..maybe some of the really really new viewers will check out the top talent in Dana’s roster
cuz we all know white wont x-promote anytime in the forseeable future…he wants the UFC to be synonymous with MMA
GSP could lose to shields? Is that a joke?
I don’t think so, but only chance of elite winning a fight!!
Kevin:
Hendo vs. Mr. Baloney?
That’s a massacre waiting to happen…
See my post below re: Mr. Baloney.
thats the point, it would all be a massacre!!
You must be hanging with diaz cuz you have to be high to think that shields can beat GSP!
Kevin, did I read you right when you said these new fans will ruin the sport? are you kidding me? how many noobs did we get with TUF, did that ruin the sport or make it more valuable? Now with it on primetime, how is this going to ruin the sport? We need these noobs to start backing the sport, who cares if they think Kimbo is invincible? the sport can’t grow if there aren’t any noobs. You guys puzzle me, for real. I think maybe there is a difference between all the haters and the old school mma fans on this site. There is UFC fans and there is MMA fans. UFC fans hate it that UFC didn’t make it mainstream, MMA fans on the other hand knows that this is a great opportunity for the sport and we’ll suport it. Maybe if Dana wasn’t such a hard head we could be having the UFC on primetime.
I have problems with UFC too, not just elite.
Titles held up way too long, and tuf is sickening this season
My point about TUF is that it was good for the sport in general, because we got more fans out of it. That is the only reason UFC got big and were able to buy out Pride. In the same way TUF was good for the sport, so was saturday night fights.
Yeah but in the same way TUF would show a bunch of drunken barbarians in a house but decent fighters in the ring is the same as CBS. Its not about the new fans to MMA, they are great and they will eventually learn that Kimbo is bogus. Thats not the point, its the fact that this is more fuel for the anti-MMA person. You missed that Kimbo called his hands his nigas and that Grim is talking smack about Kimbo in an unprofessional way. What this is doing is giving fire to the people who don’t like MMA for example politicians. Get real, the real MMA fan will know that new fans are always great but at the expense of an embarrassing show it is not that great.
The point is not to focus on the new fans but the anti fans. The people who do think that MMA is barbaric and silly. Why put on a show like that and give them fuel for their fire. In the same way that TUF showed decent fights but had their fighters getting drunk and street fighting with each other am I disagreeing with EXC’s CBS show. Its about furthering the sport with a good showing and showing respect for the sport, from what I saw it was a WWE event with very questionable reffing and gave me a feeling like everything was scripted. It isn’t about new fans liking Kimbo, nobody cares because eventually they will find out that Kimbo is a C class fighter. Its about the sport being blocked in New York, about the sport showing that it has rules and that the fighters are educated normal people, not barbarians from the street. Awesome that Kimbo found his way up from the street but why do they have to point that out every five seconds? For a quick rating?
linx, that is exactly what i try and tell people here. I have always said that the more competition the UFC gets, it will only make the sport we love better. competition is always good for any business.
I just dont understand from an MMA standpoint here why so many “UFC fans” fans dont understand this. they seem to follow the dumb leader that is dana white, so they believe and do anything he says. Thats why they also tend to dispise anything not relating to UFC. All the bashing Kimbo, Fedor have gotten the past year is lame. Anyone who calls kimbo a bum is to ignorant to see that he is “trying” to become a legit MMA fighter, and of course…. it will take time. people bashing FEDOR, i just cant help but think they have never seen him fight and just believe the lies that dana throws out there simply because he refused to sign with the UFC.
Kevin you know how many people at school tried telling me that Kimbo will crush Chuck Liddell?
U cant imagine the amount! Its ridiculous, but he seems to be attracting new fans that know nothing about the sport which is really good, eventually they will learn about the sport and come to realize that he is garbage and start to appreciate the real mma stars!
Kimbo = Good thing for MMA
lets face it, No matter which fighter you expose to the older demographic, its not going to apeal to that crowd anyway:
Kimbo: Huge Scary Diesel Bald Black man with a Nasty Beard
CHuck Liddell: A Hells angel looking white guy with a Mohawk who happens to be a KO machine and has his head tatooed
Wanderlei Silva: A Brutal Brazilian they call the Axe Murderer, who actually looks like one when he fights
Bj Penn: Crazy ass Hawain, licking his opponents blood off his gloves…
None of it matters, old heads will never take to this sport, but eventually our generation will be the old heads, and we will still love it. As long as new fans emerge, mma can still grow tremendously in the future and become a mainstream sport.
Its not Kimbo, its elite XC stop the circular arguements. You guys just say what you think you know, the show is what is in question, the reffing, the judging, the stoppages, the dancing girls, the post fight interviews, nobody cares about Kimbo get it right. Everyone knows Kimbo will be exposed in a fight or two, its Elite XC that needs to be exposed!
The fans of EliteXC that think Kimbo is a stud will come around, just like the new TUF fans that think forrest will beat Rampage will eventually come around. I for one am not making any money from promoting MMA and could care less how many new fans Elitexc brings to the table. I’ll just keep talking to the same old fans who’s opinions, all though I may not always agree with, I respect.
I don’t think they are going to ruin the sport. UFC will still be around and are obviously aren’t going anywhere. I’ll watch the XC Elite for free but I won’t take it too seriously. It would be interesting to see the UFC schedule a monster card the same night XC Elite puts Kimbo on again.
Bet only 40-50% will watch again
I’d say that is overly optimistic.
50% WILL GO BACK TO WATCHING REAL MMA AND NEVER WATCH THIS CRAP AGAIN THE OTHER 50% WONT WATCH MMA PERIOD THANKS TO THIS CRAP
YAWN
As a member of the reality based community I agree. There must be a lot of EliteXC employees visiting the site today.
XFL drew big ratings in its first week. Every week after that the ratings declined by half when people saw that it was a spectacle and not good football. Expect the same thing to happen with Scumbag Shaw and that garbage he trotted out to the masses.
I don’t think the correlation applies. People watched the XFL because they love football and hoped to get more of it. The ratings declined because the product sucked (they should have abolished placekicking).
People tuned in to see Kimbo period and they will again for at least one more fight. Hey, I’m just happy to be able to talk about MMA with some of the guys at work who never watch the UFC.
I’ll watch the next show because they are likely to have some good fights lke Lawler v. Smith and Carano v. Young were.
I agree, ppl knows football and were able to make comparisons between the NFL and XFL. ppl don’t know MMA and are being introduced for the first time, those will probably stick around.
Actually it’s worse. You can’t build an audience when you’re scheduled to have fights every three or four months.
How does this not correlate? Major MMA fans made up the majority of those ratings. People wanted to see what was going to happen to Kimbo and how the CBS group would pan out. Well I’m telling you after looking at all the forums you can tell a good amount of the Veteran fans will not tune into the next fight because this fight was either fixed in their minds or a WWE event. But I won’t stand on that because I do admit that I kind of want to see Kimbo get beat on, so there is a chance I might watch the next one. I just wish there didn’t have to be a next one and that EXC would go away. Affliction looks good though for people who think I’m a UFC hugger
Smokes, major MMA fans made most of the 6.5 million viewers? Where did you get that data? I’m pretty sure we’re in the minority…
Intresting… 1st cbs event- MMA vets watching it out of curiosity and noobs watching it just because. 2nd cbs event- MMA vets watching it just to see kimbo get beat… And noobs watching again to see kimbo kick ass… GREAT MARKETING!! (Thumbs Up)
I think is nothing but good news for the UFC and Zuffa, seriously. With six and a half million people watching, I’m sure there was a lot of people that have never watched mma before, and were intrigued by it. And with shows like Around the Horn and Rome is Burning calling Elite Xc the “Minor League of MMA” I bet those same people will now want to watch what is considered the best of the best of MMA. IMO, the UFC gained a lot more than Elite XC did from this past Saturday.
I can see your logic and have to agree. Good post.
Especially if they tuned in the next night and saw that WEC spectatcular!! Dana gains, Shaw . . . At a loss for words when it comes to this cat.
Totally agree. In marketing terms, THIS is exactly how competition is good for you, especially when you are the one delivering a superior product/service.
People might have been disgusted about the over all event, but if they liked anything about MMA purely, they will investigate more.
Couldn’t agree more – especially since 90% of the mainstream press likened this event to “minor league baseball”.
Congrats to Gary Shaw for making MMA so popular!
seriously, I’m glad I’m not alone in this.
That’s snark right?
Kimbo is the real deal. Great fights = Great ratings!
Kimbo is the “real deal”!!!?? JJJJjajajaj, nice one.
Unrelated: In an interview at BJPENN.COM BJ says he probably wont fight again til the begining of 09 but when he does fight again . . . DuH Duh DUUUUUUUUUH . . . It will be what we’ve all been waiting for baby!!!! Thats right, “GSP, ya dead!” Now thats its on the brink and not just a hope/dream of all us BJ fans, im curious to see what all the GSP lovers have to say! BJ has made it happen, a lot of pleases and begging and he finally did it, it sounds like! BJ BJ BJ!!!
BJ will win, Hughes will beat serra and then we’ll get BJ/Hughes 3. Then BJ will be considered the best fighter in the world and may even bump up to fight anderson Silva.
HE WILL BEAT GSP AND HUGHES!! AFTER HUGHES WE’LL GET SILVA OR GSP 3!! MARK IT DOWN GUYS, I’LL BE RIGHT AGAIN!!
Word! his first title defens wi be against the last guy that beat him, Matt you shouldnt have put him away in the manner that you did, i feel bad for you. Your hops that he would just go away after that have come to an end!
Defense, will, AND hopes. Hella typos, my keys suck the big one!
BJ is the best ever and will beat GSP, but we will never see BJ and Hughes again because Hughes is going to lose this weekend then beat Serra then fade away…
Its hughes’s biggest money fight left, and he owes BJ for returning and giving him a shot to redem a loss, it will happen, matts going away party if you will.
Even if it does happen who cares Hughes will be a huge step down after he beats GSP, why not go right up and fight Silva… I can dream.
Hughes wants to pound Serra first. I don’t think we will see a Hughes/BJ 3.
I can agree man, that was the only legit way I could see Hughes Penn 3. Definetly could look forward to it going that way but don’t count GSP out completely
GSP will smash BJ once again
He hasnt smashed BJ for a first time so . . . again??? If im not mistaken GSP spent the night in a hospital while BJ spent the night at a local bar.
Damn, that’s too long a wait, bro…
Can’t BJ keep busy and fight Florian in the meanwhile?(if Florian beats Huerta which I think he will)…
BJ/GSP 2. Dayummm !
He said he wants to “put on the muscle right over the time period, not put on fat like the old days” Plus BJ has faught 3 fights in less than 9 months so hes “a little burnt out right now, needs a little time to himself” Te guy busted his *ss to run through these 3 guys to get it over with and get back to GSP!!! He said it could be on December 31 at the earliest though. That gives GSP plenty of time after the Fitch fight to prepare.
GSP could prepare for years and I think he’d be in trouble!!
Didn’t Dana say in a recent interview that he wants to have a show in Hawaii in 09? Could you imagin if they had GSP vs Penn on BJ’s home turf?
It wont be but i could see the Hughes rubber match being there. The hawaiian fans were real hyped on that fight!! But since it wont be til the end of 09 that hawaii gets the regs done it wont be GSP.
WOWZERS! I’m a fan of BJ but I don’t make crazy predictions like that. BJ did not fight 3 times in 9 months. Actually, he hasn’t done that since the year 2002. His last 3 fights were Sherk, Joe Stevenson, and Jens Pulver. He fought Pulver last June. It is now June, agin. I’d call that about 1 year. Also, he didn’t exactly face top competion either. Beat Joe Daddy for an interim title? If a win against Kurt Pellegrino cattapults you to a title shot, why isn’t Nate Diaz booked to fight for the title? As a matter of fact, Nate finished Pellegrino and Stevenson couldn’t. (If Nate’s last name wasn’t ‘Diaz’ he’d be getting what he wanted) He also beat a 155 lb Jens Pulver. Jens is now 8-1 at 145. That makes him 13-8 as a LW. Not exactly top talent. And he was able to out-box Sherk. Wooo Hooo! What’s Sherk’s reach, 2 feet?
I have only rooted for GSP one twice (against Sherk and against Kos), so I am by no means a fan of GSP. Of course I respect his talents and he is no doubt Top 5 lb for lb. But BJ and GSP already fought. If it wasn’t for the eye gouge in the first round, GSP would have won a unanimous decision, 30-27 on two of the judges cards. (Without the eye poke, BJ only won one of the 9 scored rounds).
He was still fat BJ as of about 1 year ago. BJ needs to prove that he can wipe out the competion at 155 before jumping weight classes. Everyone hates how having a champ coach on TUF because it ties up the belt. BJ taking off the rest of the year and then fighting at WW would REALLY tie up the belt. If that it truely his plans, to bulk up to become a WW, then he should relinquish the LW belt. It is not fair to the fans!
With that said, when BJ does fight GSP, I’ll be rooting for BJ 100%, but still, no where near as hard as you’ll be rooting.
agreed. if he didn’t want to stay at lightweight, he shouldn’t have gone there in the first place.
BJ BJ BJ BJ!!!!! Awesome, 09 will be the year for Bj Penn!
Adam, I replied, but I’m being moderated….. It should be up soon!
I thought it was in Sept man, the pulver fight. it was in sept, not june, pulver=sept, joe=jan sean=may.
And not if the announce that BJ is moving up and making the Huerta/Florian fight for the vacant LTWT title, then its not tied up or long huh. I care about nothing, i have confidence in BJ. I dont care about anything
LoL, true pimp, i might be rooting the hardest for him out of all his many fans, til i lose my voice or pass out from the brewskys/bong rips!!
Huerta/Florian for the title makes sense. At least its better than having the belt go undefended for a year.
And Adam, sorry if I sounded like a d*ck, it wasn’t my intentions. You are my go-to-man on anything BJ related!
you are right, pulver at the end of june and he faught sean the 24th so 10 and half months yea? Thats still a fight every 3 months and a wek dude, not bad??
Dont trip man, i know who my rivals are and who thinks the way i do bro. ViolentMike in the HOUSE!!
Adam,
Check out Irish Hand Grenade’s blog below…
We are now BJ Boner Fanatics. LOL.
I thought Marcus Davis said that in his weekly write up here on Mania….
To clarify, it was said by a mmamania forum user named Irish Hand Grenade.
I’m a big fan of Marcus Davis and if he had the balls to say that publicly, than I’d love him twice as much!
- BJ Boner Fanatic
BJ PENN better fight in Hawaii.. And if he does, I will guaranteed have the best seats that the UFC has left(after UFC Club members purchase theirs). I think the fight will be at Aloha Staduim where the NFL Pro Bowl is played. If Rich Franklin, GSP, etc get to have fights in their hometown, BJ Penn should be able to. I really hope it happens.
Yo adam, do you have the link for the video?? I can’t find it.
Go to BJPENN.COM and its the 2nd video on the opening page labeled “UFC84 post fight interview on KWXX FM” just got to his opening page scroll down a bit and its right there bro. Its not a youtube thing, its at his site.
http://www.bjpenn.com/video/video/show?id=2022293:Video:132465
Thanks mang!!!!!!!!!
Off Topic:
Any idea as to what is next for Baroni?
Is his career over?
That showing vs. Villasenor was bad.
I am not sure how Villasenor ranks as a fighter but he made Mr. Baloney look like a rank amateur.
I am not sure that any MMA organizations will offer Mr. Baloney after that stink fest.
Any insights from the board?
you are the only 1 who cares I am afraid.
LMAO. Good point.
lol, plucking eye brows, puckering lips and combing hair…oh yeah and saying he could beat anderson silva!!
Beat Anderson? Whaaaat? He did NOT say that? Did he?
exactly, the show was a mess. who would bother watching it again. Its the WWE in disguise.
has is robbie lawler, jake shields, wilson reis, nick diaz, antonio siva, joey villasenor and many other great fighters considered WWE?
i agree, i’m surprised we didn’t see Vince MacManon in the crowd at this.
although many of the fighters listed above are talented, remember that many of them lost in the UFC, nad were released from contracts
I think he meant the overall production, not necessarily the quality of the fighters. The elaborate ring entrances, the pyro, the excessive talking with very little action are all pretty typical of WWE, which usually has about 5 matches in a 2-hour 10-minute Monday Night Raw. If anything, I would say the caliber of the Elite fighters relative to other MMA fighters was significantly lower than WWE stars in comparison to other pro wrestlers.
Well don’t I feel suckered into watching crap targeted directly at my age group.
Hopefully this shows FOX, NBC, and ABC that UFC might be the most attractive product to put on National TV. I would not be suprised to see UFC on ESPN by next year!
good point! if this fiasco can draw 7 mil people in the other networks must br drooling over what the ufc can produce. we still have to wait to see the numbers for the 2nd show first though.
Agreed. ESPN is obviously starting to follow MMA pretty seriously, and for good cause according to these tv rankings. My guess, ESPN makes a push for TUF, much like they did for the Contender series. Maybe they will show old fights like they used to do for K1 and San Shou (I know the first time I saw Cung Le was at two in the morning on ESPN2 about three years ago). I think if the UFC gets a deal with a major network it will be ESPN – don’t forget they are owned by ABC – so if that did happen there could be eventually be UFC shows on primetime networks.
lets get back on subject, after the kimbo fight, i still cant find chuck’s ‘i told you so’…. and in order for elite xc’s formula to work, they need to seriously work out their time management. 2 minutes of fighting in first 70 minutes of show? not that i would recommend it, but im sure if you flipped to the wwf, they would have squeezed out at least a half hour of wrasslin’ in a 60 minute show.
well to start this off, GSP will kill bj.
you think gsp is going to stand with bj. Bj will be toast.
he will be on his back. known for shitty cardio, he will gas out..again. all you bj boner fanatics gotta stop
thinking BJ is the King of MMA. getting Old
BJ Boner Fanatic in da house !!!
Hahahahaha.
LOL
WestsiiiiiiiiidE!!!! Head Boner right here or as my pupils call me “The Big Bone” LMAO!!!
The more I keep reading these comments, the more I am puzzled by the MMA fan community. People, this is good for the sport, 6.5 million viewers? Are you kidding me? You guys are being too negative on the whole thing, this is without a doubt a historic night for the sport. This will bring more ppl to watch it and will make the sport grow even faster than it already has. EliteXC could be the biggest competition for the UFC in the near future, and we are the ones that will get compensated for this. It’s not always going to be kimbo, but frankly that’s all they got to market themselves. Give it a couple of months and I am sure by the end of ’09 you’ll have a talent pool just as good as in the UFC. I guess there is no use, you guys will have to accept this as time goes by, but mark my words, if the UFC does not counter this by going mainstream, we’ll all be talking about EliteXC cards by the end of ’09.
I agree with you. This could be for MMA what the 1st TUF finale was for the UFC. I get it. But most hardcore MMA fans prefer a better representation of MMA to the general audience as opposed to Kimbo or Mr. Baloney…
I hear you OJR, but that will only come with time. They have quality fighters, just not that many. We have to keep positive though, and understand that this can only come with time. Since they are already cross promoting with Dream, they might have some of their fighters inside the cage sooner than later!
the first season of TUF IS the reason MMA is where it is today. It didn’t just bring the UFC to the forefront, it brought all of MMA into the spotlight. And like TexasHoldEm popped up during the NHL lockout, everyone with any amount of money to invest started up an MMA production.
There may not have been any MMA on primetime television, but anyone with more than basic cable could find MMA on TV regularly. With the TUF, the IFL, King of the Cage, WEC, etc. being played on a variety of sports networks (in Canada anyways, cant speak for the US)
I dont feel banking money on Kimbo Slice, pyrotechnics, and dancers is needed for MMA.
6.5 million viewers is not good for the sport if what those people saw was not representative of the sport. Now we have countless news spots on “Kimbo street thug to headliner”. It set the sport back years in my opinion. Kimbo did not look like a world class athlete, just a juiced up out of shape thug. The sport is only gona move forward when people recognize the fighters as legitimate athletes. Not circus freaks.
reading your comment bellow about your conversations with colleagues and co-workers makes my point Todd. and which news program had their headlines as “Kimbo street thug”? Before you answer this, even if it’s true, ask yourself about all news programs that took a hit at MMA (specially in fox). It doesn’t matter if it’s Kimbo or Machida for crying out loud, ignorant ppl will look at the sport as barbaric, period! However, from most of the feedback of new fans (such as your colleagues and co-workers) we need them to be part of MMA fan base. It does not matter that they think Kimbo is the real deal, they’ll lose that argument once Kimbo loses (which we all know he will). The important thing is to have them watching MMA and supporting MMA, that is the only way it will grow even further. We were all noobs at one point in our lives, come on, let these ppl have their time too.
Linx — agreed re: news channels taking hits at MMA before/after CBS debut and regardless of whether or not the subject is Machida or Kimbo. There will always be those (Bill O’Riley etc.) who think MMA represents the degradation of our society. I’m also with you in regard to wanting the sport to grow — I’d love to have more people to talk about the sport with.
As far as growing the sport goes, I think the biggest group of consumers not into MMA currently, but that have the potential to be great fans, are boxing fans. I’m sure any educated boxing fan had a good laugh at MMA after seeing the EliteXC event. Not that very many MMA fighters are grade A boxers, but c’mon — the two title fights at the WEC show would have been infinitely better examples.
Also, back to the news. As I said, I think that many of the detractors will always be detractors, maybe some jump on board.. but, I don’t think it helps our cause when the detractors can put youtube videos up on the news of Kimbo beating up some guy on the street and tying that to legitimate MMA (I’ve seen that on three separate occasions so far.)
LINX: in the end i hope you are right,at least right about it being good for the sport of mma, i am still very skeptical though. i still cant stand gary shaw, no matter what. like i said , lets see what the numbers are for the 2nd show. that will tell the tale. these numbers are good, but will they ever translate into ppv sales. that is what will get elite out of trouble. a 6.5 is good but not good enough were they can rely on sponership money alone. if the ufc does ever go network, people will be able to tell the difference and that could sink elite xc. i still think that the adreneline/afffliction combo(they have to stay together) might be the one in the end to challenge the ufc, mainly because of monte cox. cox is the polar opposite of shaw, like dana,i think he does care about the sport and its fighters.
I agree b.w. let’s see what happens in the future, but I’m very optimistic!
linx, i know you’re a big mma fan cuz i read some of your posts before. but why would you defend a promotion that puts on fake/rigged fights? they are now the enron of mma. secondly, as a fan, why do you even care that the sport grows? what is in it for you? what do you mean by being compensated? fights will be on TV regardless of how big the sport is. all i’m looking for is a REAL competition of the best fighters/athletes to compete in the cage – NOT a predetermined outcome with fireworks where the announcers of the sport don’t know anything about it. I really don’t see what elitexc brings to the table and how watching them for the sake of “growing the sport” is relevant and NOT a complete waste of time.
The stench of fight fixing will be impossible for EliteXC to overcome. They had their shot – and they blew it with a lousy show.
yea.. lost all credibility. and i used to support them.
Kama Kaze, I’m not buying the whole fake/rigged fights thing, we have seem many controversial stops before and we will see many controversial stops in the future. But I’m not going to doubt the integrity of a referee (that also refs for the UFC) based on one card and rumors from the net. I’ve heard his interview after the fight and I thought he cleared many of the questions about the Kimbo fight in particular. About MMA growing, I would love to see it as being a recognizable sport, anywhere, including here in Brazil. I want that as a fan, because I think all MMA athletes deserves respect and recognition from the media, and the only way that will happen is if it grows even bigger. Now about having great and competitive bouts, that will only come with time really, but I’m sure if they keep on going like this it won’t take to long.
interesting point of view
couldn’t have said it better myself. good post.
In a couple of monthe EliteXC cards will rival the UFC???????? They won’t even be around in a couple of months.
This event half ruined mma for me. Lots of coworkers/guys I know at the gym know I’m into mma, and I’ve had several conversations like this in the past few days:
Idiot: Hey Todd, did you see that ultimate fighting on TV?
Me: There was no “ultimate fighting” on TV this weekend, you mean MMA?
Idiot: Yeah…
Me: Are you talking about the elite XC event or the WEC event?
Idiot: Whats WEC?
Me: Yeah I saw the the Elite XC event, what a joke, Kimbo belongs in local shows or the circus.
Idiot: Dude, I’ve been boxing for 15 years and he is a sick boxer.
Me: Um ok.
Idiot: And what about those chicks, pretty awesome huh?
Me: Yeah, not bad, not sure about that stoppage though.
Idiot: Dude, I guess you don’t know because you’re not a boxer, but people can get seriously hurt, so they had to stop it, good call.
Me: Ok yeah, I’m gona go over there now.
I think maybe I’ll become a closet MMA fan to avoid this crap. Pretend I’m into golf instead.
LOL.
Todd, most people are bandwagon by nature.
Don’t let it demoralize you.
I am sure that if you drop some real MMA knowledge you might convert some people…
There’s no rule that says you can’t like MMA and golf. The two sports are very similar.
Okay they’re not similar at all but you can still like both.
Well maybe you’re just not playing golf the right way.
maybe you workout in the wrong gym.:) most guys close to my age have at least some knowledge of mma. it might not be much, but it would prevent comments like that. you should have told him real fighters don’t box, so someone getting hurt doesn’t matter. haha
lynx hit it dead on
6.5 mill…You cant hate on that Get em Kimbo!!
You think Bj Penn VS Sherk would have gotten those #’s honestly
Even if it was free…
didnt the free tito/shamrock and rampage/hendo do big numbers on spike. i do believe so and spike is not free and in some parts of the country is on premium cable only(costs more to get wher i live). so the answer would penn/sherk do that good or better on network? fkin-a right they would! they would have gotten those #s in hawaii alone.
People tuned in out of curiosity. That and the fact that thereand were no other sporting events on TV at that time helped the ratings. Ninety percent of the people who I’ve talked to thought that it was lame. The smell of fight fixing doesn’t help either. I’ll be surprised if CBS puts on another card – they’ve already cancelled the one for JUly 26th. EliteXC will be out of business in 6 months. You guys are forgetting the basic fact of business – you need to make a profit. This debut show has done nothing for their bottom line. This broadcast set MMA back 5 years. How can anyone defend a broadcast that includes announcers that liken Kimbo Slice to Tiger Woods? Slice was exposed.
Anybody who compares Kimbo to any successful professional athlete is an idiot. Kimbo may one day be a very successful MMA fighter. I doubt it but who knows. But he bears no similarities to Tiger, Jordan, Kobe heck not even tyson.
Kimbo is like the Paris Hilton of MMA he is famous for doing nothing except for having some cool videos on the internet.
you exposed your cornhole to a dolphins man muscle and thats how you got your name.
How about we keep the discourse above 3rd grade level.
you have the power to turn into a dolphin and your the one who named him.
Hello I am Kelly Kahl SVP of CBS. Send me a message to my LinkedIn account at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/5/5ab/5b2 and tell me what you thought of the CBS and Elitexc presentation.
Your feedback is very valuable to us.
Thanks!
Hey Kelly, take a few minutes to read all the threads on this site and perhaps you’ll get an inkling of the general opinion of the MMA fanbase.
Kimbo is like the Paris Hilton of MMA he is famous for doing nothing except for having some cool videos on the internet.
even that’s debatable…who was cooler afro puff or chico??
Gotta go with afro puff just for the name! hehehe
C’mon it was an entertaining show…so you really can’t say it was horrible. Howard Stern is sleazy and crude, but yet, he is very entertaining. Although it would be much more worthwhile if Dan Miragliotta wasn’t there .
howard stern rules! i miss his E show. i dont get sirius. wahhh!
LMAO DonnyG Kimbo IS the Paris Hilton of fighting!! Kam and Irish Hand Grenade need to go get a room. You guys seem like you don’t care about the integrity of MMA whatsoever. I’d like to see BJ and Kimbo fight in the next primetime event and prove once and for all what a waste Kimbo is and what a wash Elite XC is.
there is a pretty interesting open letter from brett rogers and his camp to gary shaw about wanting to fight kimbo right now at cagepotato.com. if anyone is interested.
Okay, I’m a huge fan of MMA, but I will not be watching anymore Elite XC. Doesn’t it boil your blood to know that those fights were fixed?!? I mean, could they have been anymore obvious?!? I was so pissed, and they lost my view
That fight was a joke, too bad it got so high ratings, I’ll never watch an EliteXC fight like that one. Now I understand why Dana White doesn’t want to do cross-promotion fights, the UFC has the best fighters in the world, no other organization can top it’s fighters.
hey haglnuts. how did you get that outta the five words i used. dude your a douche bag. lol. where do u get off telling me i dont care about the integrity of MMA. funny guy you are. your the dude all hyped up about kimbo. plus a BJ nuthugger