Street Fighting Legend-Turned-EliteXC Heavyweight Sensation Kimbo Slice
Will Square Off Against Hard-Hitting British MMA Standout James 'Colossus'
Thompson in the Main Event of a Five-Fight Broadcast
Popular Female Fighter Gina 'Conviction' Carano and EliteXC Middleweight
Champion 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler will also Appear on the Card
LOS ANGELES, April 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS and EliteXC today
announced the lineup for the first "CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS," to
be broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey,
Saturday, May 31 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
"In terms of recognition and perception, I believe May 31 is the
biggest and single most important MMA fight card ever. It will forever
change the landscape of the sport and how it is perceived," said Gary Shaw,
EliteXC Live Events President.
The following five primetime matchups are confirmed for the CBS ELITEXC
SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on May 31.
* Kimbo Slice vs. James "Colossus" Thompson (Heavyweights)
* "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler vs. Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith (for EliteXC
Middleweight title)
* Gina "Conviction" Carano vs. Kaitlin Young (140 lb. weight class)
* Phil Baroni vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua (Middleweights)
* Brett "The Grim" Rogers vs. Jon Murphy (Heavyweights)
KIMBO SLICE vs. JAMES "COLOSSUS" THOMPSON
Heavyweight sensation Kimbo Slice will headline the first-ever CBS
ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS. From the street to EliteXC, Slice's
unorthodox ascension through the world of mixed martial arts started with
posting his local fights on "YouTube," a move that quickly garnered
millions of downloads and made him an instant legend among fans of the
sport. Kimbo, aka Kevin Ferguson, who resides in Perrine, Fla., near Miami,
will be matched against James "Colossus" Thompson, a British MMA standout
whose pre-fighting resume includes work as a "debt collector." Thompson is
aptly nicknamed, standing at six-foot-five and weighing more than 250
pounds. He will be the first MMA fighter to possess a height advantage over
the six-foot-two-inch Kimbo. This bout is scheduled for three five-minute
rounds.
"RUTHLESS" ROBBIE LAWLER vs. SCOTT "HANDS OF STEEL" SMITH
Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler of St. Louis by way of Davenport,
Iowa will put his title on the line against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith in
the evening's middleweight championship fight. Lawler trains under the
legendary Pat Miletich, while Smith trains in Reno, Nev. Both fighters are
widely considered two of the most prolific knockout artists in the
business. This championship bout is slated for five five-minute rounds.
GINA "CONVICTION" CARANO vs. KAITLIN YOUNG
In a female bout, Gina "Conviction" Carano will square off against
Circle Pines, Minn. native Kaitlin Young. Carano, an undefeated Muay Thai
specialist, lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nev., and is considered one of
the most popular female fighters in the world of mixed martial arts. Carano
recently appeared on the series "American Gladiators" where she put her
skills to the test as the gladiator "Crush." Young, a well-conditioned
athlete who trains at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, started
Olympic-style taekwondo when she was 14. Her aggressive style and Muay Thai
background should provide one of the most interesting matchups of the
evening. This bout is scheduled for three three-minute rounds.
PHIL BARONI vs. MURILO "NINJA" RUA
Outspoken, hard-hitting, MMA bad boy, Phil Baroni, will take on former
EliteXC middleweight champ Murilo "Ninja" Rua, a specialist in Muay Thai
and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Baroni, a fighter known for always putting on a
good show, hails from Long Island, N.Y., and is currently training in Las
Vegas, Nev. and San Jose, Calif. The talented Rua is currently training in
his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. This bout is scheduled for three
five-minute rounds.
BRETT "THE GRIM" ROGERS vs. JON MURPHY
Brett "The Grim" Rogers brings an impressive undefeated record to the
fight against fellow heavyweight contender Jon Murphy. The explosive, hard-
hitting Rogers, who hails from Minneapolis, Minn., is six-foot-five and
weighs over 260 pounds. Murphy, a former middle linebacker at Syracuse
University who lives in Minersville, Penn, is six-foot-four and weighs over
240 pounds. This bout is scheduled for three five-minute rounds.
The intense nature of the contests and the theatrical elements of its
live events have made mixed martial arts one of the fastest growing
spectator sports in the U.S. Over the last several years, the genre has
seen tremendous growth in popularity, especially among the coveted 18-34
demographic.
Mixed martial arts is a sport evolved from a number of ancient combat
disciplines including judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling and kickboxing.
World-class athletes engage in hand-to-hand combat in a ring-both caged and
traditional-and must adapt their fighting style to fit their opponent. The
wide variety of styles and techniques make every event an unpredictable
spectacle.
CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports.
The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.
For additional information and fighter profiles, visit
http://www.proelite.com.
SOURCE CBS Television
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Related links:
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CONTACT:
CBS Press - Mitch Graham, +1-323-575-2415,
mitch.graham@tvc.cbs.com, or Kelli Raftery, +1-212-975-3163,
kraftery@cbs.com; or CBS Photo - Gaye Ann Bruno, +1-323-575-2796,
gayeann.bruno@tvc.cbs.com, or Paula Breck, +1-212-975-3811,
pjbreck@cbs.com; or Showtime Sports - Chris DeBlasio,
+1-212-708-1633, chris.deblasio@showtime.net; or ProElite, Inc. -
Evan Pondel of PondelWilkinson Inc., +1-310-279-5980,
epondel@pondel.com; or EliteXC - John Beyrooty of Brener Zwikel &
Associates, Inc., +1-562-233-7477, Johnnybey@aol.com
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