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Excerpt taken from Dave Deibert, TheStarPhoenix.com
Petruzelli gets win of a lifetime after Slice-Shamrock bout cancelled at Elite XC card
Gina Carano, Andrei Arlovski win bouts on undercard
Prior to Saturday night, only the most hardcore mixed-martial-arts fans had any idea who Seth Petruzelli was. That all changed 14 seconds into his showdown with Kimbo Slice at Elite XC: Heat.
Petruzelli (11-4), who was a last-minute replacement for MMA legend Ken Shamrock against Slice (3-1), took advantage of his opportunity of a lifetime. Just second in, he scored with a front kick on an incoming Slice and followed it up with a lightning-quick right hand that knocked Slice to the mat. Realizing he had the much-bigger Slice in trouble, Petruzelli pounced, firing off a dozen unanswered shots before referee Troy Waugh stopped the bout at the 14-second mark.
Petruzelli's previous biggest MMA claim to fame was his appearance on Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Now, however, he has much more to brag about - a win over one of the most recognized MMA fighters in the world, although one whose skill isn't equal to his fame.
Kimbo SliceView Larger Image View Larger Image
Kimbo Slice
Elite XC
"This is what I wanted to do my whole life. This is what I do," Petruzelli said in the ring following the match.
The Petruzelli-Slice bout was in doubt until 40 minutes before the live broadcast began on CBS. According to Yahoo! Sports, Slice's handlers "demanded a considerable amount of extra money to agree to the new opponent."
The anticipated main event between Slice and Shamrock, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall-of-Famer, was called off after Shamrock suffered a cut above his left eye during a light workout on Friday night. Officials were trying Saturday to get Shamrock cleared to fight, but the commission's doctor ruled against it just hours before the broadcast.
The Shamrock-Slice match was likely going to wind up as the most-watched MMA match in North American history. Although neither fighter would rank in anyone's top-50 heavyweights, their mainstream appeal is undeniable - Shamrock became a superstar in the UFC Octagon, while Slice built up his tough-man reputation by broadcasting back-alley fights on in the Internet.
Slice's main event versus James Thompson on the May 31 CBS card scored a 4.1 rating and 6.51 million viewers, the most to ever watch an MMA match in North America. Prior to that fight, the distinction for most watched was held by the Shamrock-Tito Ortiz match on Oct. 10, 2006; the third and final meeting between the two drew 5.7 million viewers and a 9.7 rating among the male 25-34 demographic.
A big rating for Elite XC was key going into the card. The company is hemorrhaging money, having lost roughly $60 million in its brief existence, but a strong showing on Saturday could lead to a purchase by CBS and Showtime to keep the company going.
In other bouts:
- Elite XC welterweight champ Jake Shields (21-4-1) retained his title, submitting Paul Daley (18-8-2) with an armbar at 3:47 of second round.
Shields, who won his 11th fight in a row, patiently tried to get Daley on the mat. When he finally found an opening, it didn't take long to capitalize, locking in a deep armbar and giving Daley no choice but to tap out.
- Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (15-5) knocked out Roy Nelson (13-3) 3:14 into the second round, landing a nasty right hand that put Nelson face down flat on the mat.
- Gina Carano's (7-0) fight on Saturday went a lot more smoothly than her weigh-in on Friday, as the face of women's mixed-martial-arts won an entertaining unanimous decision over Kelly Kobald (16-3-1). Two judges scored it 30-27, while the third had it 29-28.
The match came one day after Carano bared all at her weigh-in. She initially missed the 141-pound weight limit, coming in at 142.75 with only a bra and shorts on. Next, she stripped naked but still weighed in at 142.5 pounds. As recounted by Denny Burkholder of CBSSports.com, Carano had a towel draped over her shoulder on the second weigh-in attempt, and once that was removed, she made weight.
- In the broadcast opener, Benji Radach (19-4) scored a knockout victory over Murilo 'Ninja' Rua (16-9-1) at 2:31 of the second round. Radach took advantage of a Rua stumble, finishing with four unanswered shots on the mat.
Petruzelli gets win of a lifetime after Slice-Shamrock bout cancelled at Elite XC card
Gina Carano, Andrei Arlovski win bouts on undercard
Prior to Saturday night, only the most hardcore mixed-martial-arts fans had any idea who Seth Petruzelli was. That all changed 14 seconds into his showdown with Kimbo Slice at Elite XC: Heat.
Petruzelli (11-4), who was a last-minute replacement for MMA legend Ken Shamrock against Slice (3-1), took advantage of his opportunity of a lifetime. Just second in, he scored with a front kick on an incoming Slice and followed it up with a lightning-quick right hand that knocked Slice to the mat. Realizing he had the much-bigger Slice in trouble, Petruzelli pounced, firing off a dozen unanswered shots before referee Troy Waugh stopped the bout at the 14-second mark.
Petruzelli's previous biggest MMA claim to fame was his appearance on Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Now, however, he has much more to brag about - a win over one of the most recognized MMA fighters in the world, although one whose skill isn't equal to his fame.
Kimbo SliceView Larger Image View Larger Image
Kimbo Slice
Elite XC
"This is what I wanted to do my whole life. This is what I do," Petruzelli said in the ring following the match.
The Petruzelli-Slice bout was in doubt until 40 minutes before the live broadcast began on CBS. According to Yahoo! Sports, Slice's handlers "demanded a considerable amount of extra money to agree to the new opponent."
The anticipated main event between Slice and Shamrock, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall-of-Famer, was called off after Shamrock suffered a cut above his left eye during a light workout on Friday night. Officials were trying Saturday to get Shamrock cleared to fight, but the commission's doctor ruled against it just hours before the broadcast.
The Shamrock-Slice match was likely going to wind up as the most-watched MMA match in North American history. Although neither fighter would rank in anyone's top-50 heavyweights, their mainstream appeal is undeniable - Shamrock became a superstar in the UFC Octagon, while Slice built up his tough-man reputation by broadcasting back-alley fights on in the Internet.
Slice's main event versus James Thompson on the May 31 CBS card scored a 4.1 rating and 6.51 million viewers, the most to ever watch an MMA match in North America. Prior to that fight, the distinction for most watched was held by the Shamrock-Tito Ortiz match on Oct. 10, 2006; the third and final meeting between the two drew 5.7 million viewers and a 9.7 rating among the male 25-34 demographic.
A big rating for Elite XC was key going into the card. The company is hemorrhaging money, having lost roughly $60 million in its brief existence, but a strong showing on Saturday could lead to a purchase by CBS and Showtime to keep the company going.
In other bouts:
- Elite XC welterweight champ Jake Shields (21-4-1) retained his title, submitting Paul Daley (18-8-2) with an armbar at 3:47 of second round.
Shields, who won his 11th fight in a row, patiently tried to get Daley on the mat. When he finally found an opening, it didn't take long to capitalize, locking in a deep armbar and giving Daley no choice but to tap out.
- Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (15-5) knocked out Roy Nelson (13-3) 3:14 into the second round, landing a nasty right hand that put Nelson face down flat on the mat.
- Gina Carano's (7-0) fight on Saturday went a lot more smoothly than her weigh-in on Friday, as the face of women's mixed-martial-arts won an entertaining unanimous decision over Kelly Kobald (16-3-1). Two judges scored it 30-27, while the third had it 29-28.
The match came one day after Carano bared all at her weigh-in. She initially missed the 141-pound weight limit, coming in at 142.75 with only a bra and shorts on. Next, she stripped naked but still weighed in at 142.5 pounds. As recounted by Denny Burkholder of CBSSports.com, Carano had a towel draped over her shoulder on the second weigh-in attempt, and once that was removed, she made weight.
- In the broadcast opener, Benji Radach (19-4) scored a knockout victory over Murilo 'Ninja' Rua (16-9-1) at 2:31 of the second round. Radach took advantage of a Rua stumble, finishing with four unanswered shots on the mat.
If it's smoken it ain't broken
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