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EliteXC: Heat

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EliteXC: Heat
The poster for EliteXC: Heat
PromotionEliteXC
DateOctober 4, 2008
VenueBankAtlantic Center
CitySunrise, Florida
Attendance9,414 (7,723 paid)
Total gate$826,433
Event chronology
EliteXC: Unfinished Business EliteXC: Heat EliteXC: A Night of Champions

EliteXC: Heat was a mixed martial arts event held by Elite Xtreme Combat (commonly known as EliteXC) on October 4, 2008, in Sunrise, Florida, at the BankAtlantic Center.[1] The event was scheduled to be headlined with a heavyweight fight between Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice, but Shamrock had to pull out due to an injury and Seth Petruzelli was called up to replace him. Petruzelli delivered a shock win by knocking out Slice, but the fight was overshadowed by accusations that Petruzelli had been offered a payment by EliteXC's promoters to not fight Slice on the ground. The event also featured a heavyweight match between Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson in a cross-promotional event, and drew an estimated 4,560,000 viewers on CBS.[2]

Background

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EliteXC: Heat was the third and final EliteXC show to be featured on CBS and marked the return of fighters Jake Shields, Gina Carano, and Kimbo Slice.[2]

The main event was originally scheduled to be between Slice and Ken Shamrock.[3] Shamrock took the fight after seeing Slice's previous fight against James Thompson. The EliteXC vice-president, Jared Shaw, wanted Slice to fight Brett Rogers but agreed to the fight with Shamrock, as a fight with Shamrock could have potentially raised television ratings.[4] On the day of the event, Shamrock was practicing Brazilian Ju-Jiusu moves with his nutritionist but received a cut above his eye from an accidental headbutt. Although Shamrock was stitched up, the CBS network executives refused to let him fight.[4] Shamrock's brother Frank, who was there as a commentator for CBS, offered himself as a replacement and showed paperwork that he was still registered as a fighter with the California State Athletic Commission, and would even throw the match for Slice. However, Slice rejected the change.[4] Seth Petruzelli was moved up from a match on the undercard to replace Shamrock in the main event, something that Slice demanded a cash advance for in order to accept the change of opponent.[5]

The show also included a co-promoted heavyweight bout with Affliction Entertainment, which featured former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski facing the last and only reigning IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson.[6] Arlovski and Nelson were loaned to EliteXC for the fight by Affliction Entertainment. Their fight was added to the card 10 days before the event,[7] and other fights were not dropped from the card to make way for it.[7] Shaw said that he wanted the event to be the catalyst for EliteXC to become a mainstream MMA company.[7] The fight between Shields and Daley was also added despite suggestions that Shields would defend his EliteXC Welterweight title against Affliction's Matt Lindland. Shaw stated that this was speculation and the proposal had not been put to him by any side and he was only focussed on confirming Shields and Daley.[8] A women's featherweight fight between Carano and Kelly Kobald was also arranged.[9]

Pre-fight

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During their pre-fight weigh-ins, Shields and Daley got involved in a fight. Shields' coach Cesar Gracie claimed it started with Daley trash talking.[10] For the women's featherweight bout, both fighters missed the 140 pound weight limit: Kobald weighed in at 141 pounds, and Carano at 142.75. In response, Carano stripped naked and tried again but she still missed weight at 142.5 pounds;[9] she was allowed a third attempt due to an error with the scales and weighed in at 141 pounds.[9] Accordingly, EliteXC refused to release footage of the weigh-ins.[11] During Shamrock and Slice's weigh-in, Slice turned to leave when Shamrock shoved him in the back. Both fighters brawled for a few minutes with Shamrock constantly telling Slice "Don’t turn your back on me."[9]

Results

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Main card (CBS)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight Seth Petruzelli def. Kimbo Slice TKO (punches) 1 0:14
Welterweight Jake Shields (c) def. Paul Daley Submission (armbar) 2 3:47 [a]
Heavyweight Andrei Arlovski def. Roy Nelson KO (punch) 2 3:14
Women's Featherweight Gina Carano def. Kelly Kobold Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) 3 5:00
Middleweight Benji Radach def. Murilo Rua KO (punch) 2 2:31
Preliminary card (Unaired)
Women's Featherweight Cris Cyborg def. Yoko Takahashi Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Lightweight Conor Heun def. James Edson Berto TKO (strikes) 2 2:18
Welterweight Mikey Gomez def. Lorenzo Borgomeo Submission (armbar) 2 4:06
Bantamweight Bryan Hamade def. David Gomez Submission (guillotine choke) 1 2:03
Lightweight Nicolae Cury def. Jorge Bouchat Submission (triangle choke) 1 1:35
  1. ^ For the EliteXC Welterweight Championship

[12]

Aftermath

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After the event, Petruzelli claimed that he was asked by the promoters to not take Slice to the ground and stay standing in exchange for money.[13] The rationale was that Slice was stronger on his feet,[14] though Petruzelli later claimed his words had been misconstrued and that he was just looking for a "Knockout of the Night" bonus.[15] Dana White, the promoter of the rival Ultimate Fighting Championship, called it fight tampering and said "That's fucking illegal."[16][17][18]

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation opened an investigation into EliteXC as a result of the allegations, though it resisted White's call for the FBI to get involved and opening a criminal investigation.[18] The preliminary investigation was assisted by the Florida State Boxing Commission to determine if there was a violation of F.S. 548.058 relating to sham or collusive contests. The investigation found insufficient evidence to proceed for a full investigation.[19]

EliteXC was viewed as having set its brand around Slice.[20] His quick loss was viewed to have damaged its product.[21] At the time, the company was losing $55 million. The Slice incident led to Showtime Networks, who were looking to purchase a majority stake in the company, pulling out of negotiations. As a result, EliteXC folded on 21 October 2008.[22]

During the first round of the Arlovski–Nelson fight, Nelson attained side-control and attempted a kimura lock on Arlovski. However, after 39 seconds on the ground, the referee ordered both fighters to stand up. The referee received criticism for the move, with MMA commentators stating they felt he acted too quickly and alleged it to be part of EliteXC's preference for stand-up fighting.[23] The referee later explained that he did it because he felt that Nelson was not being active enough in trying to advance position or go for a submission.[24]

Salaries

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EliteXC: Heat disclosed a fighter payroll totalling $1,318,000.[1] Arlovski and Nelson's payouts were paid by Affliction instead of EliteXC.[1]

  • Seth Petruzelli ($50,000) def. Kimbo Slice ($500,000)[1]
  • Jake Shields ($50,000) def. Paul Daley ($12,000)[1]
  • Andrei Arlovski ($500,000) def. Roy Nelson ($80,000)[1]
  • Gina Carano ($25,000) def. Kelly Kobold ($6,000)[1]
  • Benji Radach ($30,000) def. Murilo Rua ($35,000)[1]
  • Cris Cyborg ($8,000) def. Yoko Takahashi ($2,000)[1]
  • Conor Heun ($5,000) def. Edson Berto ($5,000)[1]
  • Mikey Gomez ($4,000) def. Lorenzo Borgomeo ($1,500)[1]
  • Nicolae Curry ($1,500) def. Jorge Boechat ($1,000)[1]
  • Bryan Hamade ($1,000) def. David Gomez ($1,000)[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m ""EliteXC: Heat" salaries: Arlvoski and "Kimbo" top earners with $500K". 6 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "EliteXC: Heat". Tapology. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ Hui, Ray (21 March 2011). "Frank Shamrock: I Did Not Offer to Take a Dive Against Kimbo Slice". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Mindenhall, Chuck (3 October 2013). "Five years later: Madness of EliteXC's final show". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Peturzelli in storm". Eurosport. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  6. ^ "- ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS ROY NELSON AT ELITE XC ON CBS - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more". Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  7. ^ a b c "VP says EliteXC going mainstream with Oct. 4 Arlovski vs. Nelson fight". USA Today. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley title fight slated for Oct. 4 EliteXC-CBS". USA Today. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "Shoving matches, naked Gina Carano "Heat" up EliteXC weigh-ins". USA Today. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: Jake Shields On Scuffle With Paul Daley At Weigh In". MMA today. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  11. ^ Naked, Rear. "EliteXC Weigh-In Madness: Gina Carano Gets Naked". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  12. ^ "EliteXC: Heat". sherdog.com. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Petruzelli creates a big stir after fight". Los Angeles Times. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Petruzelli in center of Elite XC storm". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  15. ^ "ProElite, Slice-Petruzelli fight under investigation". ESPN. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Dana White Says He Knows For Fact EliteXC Fixed Fights". MMA News. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  17. ^ "UFC's Dana White Vs Oscar De La Hoya: A History Of Beef". HotNewHipHop. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  18. ^ a b "UFC President Dana White on Kimbo-Seth: 'EliteXC Ought to Be Investigated by the FBI'". NBC. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  19. ^ Staff, S. I. "EliteXC investigation closed, suspicions linger". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  20. ^ Rovell, Darren (2 June 2008). "Elite Couldn't Risk A Kimbo Slice Loss". CNBC. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Today in MMA History: Seth Petruzelli KO'd Kimbo Slice, and EliteXC went down with him". USA Today. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  22. ^ Naked, Rear. "EliteXC Is Dead". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  23. ^ Smith, Michael David (9 October 2008). "Ref Jorge Ortiz Should Explain Stand-Up in Andrei Arlovski-Roy Nelson Fight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Ref Jorge Ortiz on Andrei Arlovski-Roy Nelson: 'In My Opinion Nelson Wasn't Active Enough'". NBC. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
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