Joey Villasenor replaces Ninja Rua against Phil Baroni on May 31

by MMAmania.com on Apr 16, 2008 11:38 PM EDT

joey villasenor The same day Elite XC issued a press release that the main card was set for "Saturday Night Fights" on CBS we already have a change in the line up.

Murilo "Ninja" Rua has been scratched for the show at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on May 31 and has been replaced with Joey Villasenor (25-6) who will tangle with Phil Baroni (10-9) in a 185-pound scrap.

No reason was given for the switch.

"Dream Smasher" is on a two-fight win streak since losing to "Ninja" via technical knockout in a bout to determine the first EliteXC middleweight champion back in 2007.

The Greg Jackson-trained fighter most recently knocked out Ryan Jensen in round one during the Strikeforce: "Shamrock vs. Cung Le" show last month.

Baroni, on the other hand, is on a two-fight losing skid. He was stopped by Kala Hose last month in a slugfest, missing out on the Icon Sport middleweight title. The erratic yet charismatic fighter has lost four of his last six fights.

This match up might actually favor Baroni a bit more than a fight with Ninja. "The New York Bad Ass" prefers to brawl and Villasenor is not one to back down. He could have had some real trouble with Ninja's tight Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills.

"Saturday Night Fights" marks the debut of MMA on network television. The two-hour show will air LIVE on CBS from 9 to 11 p.m. ET.

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Well that kind of sucks. Would like to have seen Ninja take Baroni out.

by Toms Bombs on Apr 16, 2008 11:42 PM EDT reply actions

I think we might see baroni get the W again.Its been awhile.

by Joe on Apr 17, 2008 12:33 AM EDT reply actions

I thought he had his last fight. Too bad he gassed and got picked apart.

by Toms Bombs on Apr 17, 2008 12:41 AM EDT reply actions

i was so excited to see ninja fight but this is just BS

by kyle on Apr 17, 2008 1:51 AM EDT reply actions

There’s always some sort of problem with there events. But Villasenor is not a bad replacement.

by JV on Apr 17, 2008 2:21 AM EDT reply actions

Your right.
It seems like there is at least one fight that gets dropped every card! some times more then one fight.
Villasenor isn’t that bad of a replacement, but that is only because Elite does not have that many fighters to choose from, seeing they need to get more depth in every division…Damn I was looking forward to this fight.

by Stagger-Lee on Apr 17, 2008 7:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Damn this is bad news!
I was really looking forward to this fight..Not the best fighters but this one was a shoe-in for being an entertaining bout…

by Stagger-Lee on Apr 17, 2008 7:37 AM EDT reply actions

Yeh, I agree, this is very dissapointing. Ninja was going to school Baroni on the ground, now its just going to be a slugfest. I dont know Why, but Villasenor always rubs me the wrong way.

The original match up of Baroni vs. ninja was very appealing, now……not so much.

Cant complain too much about a free card, so whatever.

by john on Apr 17, 2008 8:24 AM EDT up reply actions

You got that right..I love how I can watch free MMa on TV…that was just a dream 5 years ago..

by Stagger-Lee on Apr 17, 2008 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Your absolutely right about the lack of depth in EliteXC being a big problem when a fighter gets injured. Unlike the UFC, they dont have the luxury of loosing a big name fighter and replacing him with another. The UFC has a HUGE advantage in this department. For example: UFC 79, Serra got hurt and they managed to replace him with GSP on short notice, in a move that made the main event better that what it wa sgoing to originally be. That is a big advantage for the UFC to have over EliteXC (its major competitor in the USA). Until EliteXC gains more depth, big fights are going to be significantly
worse that then the originally booked fight. Injuries are a part of the sport and until they gain more depth in each division, its going to continue to be a problem.

I do however feel that EliteXC is heading in the right direction. They started when the UFC was already established and its not easy to try to compete in the same market as an MMA GIANT like the UFC. Kudos to what Gary Shaw has done. He did as good of a job as could possibly done given the circumstances and what he has had to work with.

by john on Apr 17, 2008 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

First time viewers of MMA are going to think its all about standing and banging.

Kimbo vs James Thompson
Robbie Lawler vs Scott Smith
Phil Baroni vs Joey Villasenior

Those aren’t exactly going to be ground wars, however, they could very well prove to be exciting fights. Hopefully they are not all one sided beatdowns.

by ViolentMike on Apr 17, 2008 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

First Shogun and now Ninja. Hmmmm…is this what happens when you stop taking steroids?

by RealDrew on Apr 17, 2008 11:10 AM EDT reply actions

whahah ninja on steroids??? do you even know who he is dude?!

by onpoint on Apr 19, 2008 6:08 AM EDT up reply actions

its better for elitexc NOT to totally destroy Baroni’s name by giving him ninja. people already say he gases easily and think he’s a scrub. 3 losses in a row would make him look terrible even though Shammy, Hose, and Ninja are all game!! The Hose fight was my fav fight of the year!!

ooooo and this might mean Ninja will get Shammy next instead! elitexc is pretty good with the surprises so I’m not really worried. i hope the “ny badass” gets back to winning ways. he’s better than what his record shows or what people give him credit for.

by kama kaze on Apr 17, 2008 11:44 AM EDT reply actions