In a recent email to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer, Elite XC Manager of Fight Operations J.T. Steele confirmed that the promotion has indeed ceased operations and had no other choice but to cancel “A Night of Champions,” which was set for Reno on November 8.
It was supposed to be the last event for Elite XC in 2008 … and it was shaping up to be perhaps the promotion’s best offering to date. Two world title fights were on the line, including a 185-pound showdown between division champion Robbie Lawler and Joey Villasenor and a 160-pound dream match up between Nick Diaz and Eddie Alvarez for the vacant lightweight crown.
A funny thing happened on the way to the desert, however, forcing Elite XC to call it quits.
The main event fight influencing controversy that surrounded the “Heat” CBS event earlier this month scared away what investors at CBS/Showtime were still left standing after nearly $60 million in debt had already piled up in the less than two years since the organization’s creation.
It was the final stitch in an open wound that appeared to only get worse with time.
Here are perhaps the last words from Steele that will adorn the Elite XC epitaph:
“… the unfortunate confirmation that the November 8, 2008 Elite XC event will be canceled. It is with great regret that I must also inform you that ProElite, Inc. will be closing our operation today.”
Rest in peace, Elite XC.
12/14/2006-10/20/2008.
50 Comments »
I wonder if Affliction will take them over?
I don’t think their is anything to take over.. but if there was.. is it worth it??
your right, nobody wants to touch that brand.
nobody wants to touch that debt.
And I had tickets. Lame.
Get your $$$ back!
Video library and fighter contracts are the only assets worth anything. After creditors, UFC might pick up a few of each but the rest will go to HDnet like i said a few months ago.
bump-bump-bump.. another one bites the dust!
Good Riddance…i do feel bad about other real quality fighters. I hope they can fight again ASAP. But hey that’s what happens when your management is influenced by network TV that has you by the ball in a contract..NO wonder Zuffa doesn’t want anything to do with them.
No kidding. Hopefully the other networks are beginning to realize that Zuffa is the best route for MMA on network television. Whether it be UFC or WEC. I would personally like to see WEC hit network TV and to take on a womens division.
RIP !
DONE!!!!! Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!!!
More like amazing disgrace. They tried turning MMA into a circus.
Yeah! Now tonight lets watch guys get drunk, fight in a house,wreck the house, pour itching powder on each other,freeze each other underwear,hop over the ring to start a fight AFTER a fight, spit on a guys black belt, and just totally disrespect everybody!!! BECAUSE THATS THAT MMA IS ALL ABOUT!! NOT A CIRCUS.
The reason MMA will never be bigger than it is right now.
Actually, it is the reason MMA is as big as it is right now. Griffin Bonnar 1. But I agree with what your saying. That’s why i usually DVR it and watch the last 10- 20 minutes.
I have to agree with you on that, TUF has become a very lame reality show, I only watch the fights at the end, trash talk and all the hype before a fight is good, but this season has gone out of control, still the fights are good.
But, EliteXC was a freak show, a low class promotion, they tough they can set up a decent organization signing guys like Kimbo, please….
The reason why the UFC is the best in the business is simple, they know about the fights, they love it, they want to see good fights, they really know MMA, all this other organizations they see it as a money maker.
eh em…..jumped over the octagon….not a ring.
Right, but the itching powder,black belt spitting, plastic wrapping and underwear freezing was cool right?
hahahaha you bet!
Where are we going to be able to watch Gina and Cyborg at now?
HDnet fight can probably get them.
Just set a Playboy and any issue of Guns and Ammo next to each other. It’s about the same.
Finally they begin to put a good card together and then they fold. Shucks….wheres Kimbo gonna go? Wouldn’t be surprised that whoever signs Kimbo, signs Seth as well and attempts to build up the rematch between the two of them.
RIP Elite your free fight cards will never be forgotten…..wait yes they will just as soon as the next free fight night comes out.
A Diaz and Alvarez one fight deal with the UFC would be sweet! Winner gets a contract! Should we start a petition?
thats a great idea but i would want them both anyways lol
that’s a good idea, they should do the same with Lawler and Villasenor, Dana please let’s do this!!!!!!!
Godd riddance. Sucky fake ass wrestling wannabes are gone. Still the girl fights will be missed. UFC and Affliction will probably gobble up the talent that is worth fighting over and the rest (kimbo) will fade into obscurity.
Besides the whole Kimbo thing… their last event was pretty good
it was always obvious that the Kimbo bandwagon would come to a grinding halt. Kimbo had no skills what so ever and was not an athelete. More a jail house thug.
kimbo had no mma skills but he certainly was/is an athlete
the affliction fight on their last card was great
still cant see how they pissed away $60 million
only losers from this is womens mma and the B level fighters such as villasenor who now lack a good pay day
ufc and wec will grab some of them (hopefully robbie lawler nick diaz and jake shields)
although lawler could be an interesting signing for strieforce to face shamrock cung le etc or affliction to face lindland
thank fuck!
I bet you somehow, someway Kimbo ends up in UFC.
Dana is a whore for money… and Kimbo is a huge rating producer… He may suck balls… But still
who would he fight so that kimbo lasts more than 20secs? Houston Alexander every 3 months?
Houston alexander would knock kimbo silly…. but we wont see that cause dana wont sign kimbo… not that anyone is gonna complain
I would love to see kimbo do the ultimate fighter. That would be good TV.
the ufc’s free show’s will slow down.
Seth killed it. Elite xc rest in piece.
Nick Diaz – Jake Shields to the UFC !!
Mania, you’re too kind. EXC shouldn’t rest in peace. It should rot in hell. EXC was a clusterfùck of imcompetence and errors from management who should never have been in the MMA industry in the first place. Yes, they had some good cards and fights; but the ethics problems and incompetence far outweigh anything positive they did.
The end of EXC is a great day for MMA.
Elite who? What is this article about? I’ve never heard of these guys.
Anyway let’s talk about what the UFC is up to. Big card on Saturday boys.
i think kimbo is gonna wind up in UFC. check out this link. this guy brings up some interesting points.
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/specialevent/ultimate_fighter/blog/2008/10/why_ufc_should_sign_kimbo_slic.html
O NO!!!! now where will tito sign is record breaking contract? haha thats funny as hell, he still continued to talk about his contract and how they were getting ready finalize everything and the company goes belly up. The UFC knew what it was doing when they let him go and didnt renegotiate a new contract, tito is finished, just like Elite XC.
Sucks for Diaz, he finally got his shot and now this. I know he’s got to be pissed. He is going to smoke ALOT of pot to mellow back out.
does anyone notice that joey villasenor’s name is under robbie lawler’s picture, and vice-versa
hahaha your right. Good catch.
i’ll be pissed if the ufc picks up kimbo. other then that, i’m glad elite xc bit the dust cause they were fucking up mma as a real sport. i do hope that the ufc picks up most of the talent from the elite xc roster (what little there is). hopefully ufc gets diaz, lawler, yves edwards, scott smith (even though he can’t seem to win in the ufc he still puts on good fights), would also like to see what villasenor and alvarez can do against stronger competition, maybe even noons if he can manage to get his head out of his ass. agree that the ufc should put these 2 fights on a free fight card, looks like a couple of exciting fights
I’m happy to hear this until i realised there won’t be any counter-programming on Spike
hahaha shammy is gonna have to go back to fighting bums with noone watching him on strikeforce or sign with affliction. the frank vs ken fight is less likely to happen now, thank god.
kimbo, kimbo, kimbo.
i suggest they pick him up in affliction, they need the star power. unfortunately they got noone there that kimbo can beat.
kimbo would be better off going to fight at regional shows, earning peanuts like all the other mma fighters and working up from there.
lawler, shields, villasenor, diaz, noons, junior silva, rafael feijao = UFC. if dana doesnt sign these guys he has made a huge mistake
tito, tito, tito. where will you go? where will you go? back to the ufc buddy. unless you wanna swallow your undeserved pride and go to affliction, so they can just sign you to FIGHT, you know, FIGHT, what you should be doing?! instead of pretending to be this uber businessman, doing reality shows and the like trying to be a superstar. well to be a superstar in mma buddy you gotta start wining fights.
the rest…..regional shows for those guys, they are just not ufc material.
eventually affliction WILL suffer the same fate. doesnt matter that they are paired up with Golden Boy, they simply dont have the same name recognition as the UFC. the only names that they got that are reasonable draws are arlovski, and maybe fedor. i guarantee any card that doesnt have either of those fighers on it is going to bomb.
I’m just glad to see EliteXC gone. We’ll see who’s still standing in the next 6 months.
Kimbo was a pathetic joke…I would have supported Elite XC a lot more if they never had that dumb monkey…..go back to street fighting for $50
I hope that kimbo ends up in Ufc. Elite built him up to be one of the greatest fighters, but all of his fights were against fighters who basically had to be pulled out of retirement to face him. Let him face a tito ortiz or a robblie lawler, ect…… somebody that is in his prime and see what kimbo does then. I think if kimbo’s image is going to fade away little by little why not let him get his ass kicked a little by some true fighters. I can’t wait to see who ends up where, that will be interesting!!!