Elite XC ratings on CBS down with 'Unfinished Business' July 26

by James Iannotti on Jul 28, 2008 9:57 AM EDT

elitexc cbs saturday night fights
As expected, the ratings for Elite XC's second installment of "Saturday Night Fights" on CBS were down from the inaugural show on May 31. Without Kimbo Slice's drawing power, Gary Shaw's over-the-top promoter shtick and with the initial appeal of the whole thing having worn off for some, record numbers were not expected.

And according to TVByTheNumbers.com, that's exactly what happened this time around.

In fact, the final rating is estimated to be right around a 2.0 and somewhere between 2.5 to 3 million viewers, which is down about 40 percent from May 31. However, it's certainly not a complete failure. As mentioned before, the initial numbers weren't expected to be duplicated and it was hard for CBS and Elite XC officials to estimate what would be a success or a failure as far as the ratings went.

It's probably safe to say both parties would have liked to have seen higher numbers, but things could have been much worse. "Unfinished Business" did leave us with reasons to believe Elite XC can still be a success.

That's because the event in itself was a success.

The show improved by leaps and bounds as far as production and credibility goes. Hopefully for Elite XC, that will lead to more viewers the next time out because there is a lot riding on that October 4 event in Ft. Lauderdale.

In deed, this is a make-or-break event for Elite XC as far as the CBS deal goes.

Having said that, CBS will likely not look for record numbers on October 4, but there certainly has to be an improvement. Elite XC needs to prove to CBS that it can pull in consistent numbers and draw that key demographic.

If the promotion can do that then maybe we'll see an extension signed or perhaps even a more lucrative deal with a rival network. However, if Elite XC can't prove that to CBS then who knows what would happen to Elite XC.

As of right now, it appears that there is a lot riding on the broad shoulders of Kimbo Slice on October 4. More than usual.

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Comments

This is just sad news! They finally got it right, they toned down the circus antics and emphasized the fights, but because Kimbo wasnt on the card, NO 1 watched it!

Very sad!

Many of you can Hate on Kimbo all u want, putthisproves that maybe u shold be appreciating the publicity that he gives to MMA.
He isnt a top 20 HW, but he sure as hell gets people to watch mma. THANK YOU KIMBO!

Hopefully his presence on the October card will get people to tune in again. In a perfect world they will tune in to watch Kimbo, but leave impressed with the other fighters on the card and mma in general.

by john on Jul 28, 2008 10:15 AM EDT reply actions

i agree with that kimbo comment though he’s a big draw to retards who think they’re street fighters

by randy murders on Jul 28, 2008 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions

True. I think that besides Kimbo’s wide shoulders, this card also rides on Gina’s large breasts. haha

by naturalshadow on Jul 28, 2008 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree that Kimbo is a draw, but like Randy Murders said he is a draw to “retards who think they’re street fighters” as well as a bunch of ignorant wannabe gangster street thugs, and I do stress ignorant. That base can and will never appreciate a good technical fight between a Damian Maia and Dean Lister (Im just giving an example of two good jiu jitsu guys) or any other quality fighters with technical skills. These same people will jump off the Kimbo and MMA bandwagon once Kimbo gets his inevitable losses against real competition. And remember, in the un-EliteXC event that featured Kimbo the numbers were high because the event was on free TV. If Kimbo were to fight on PPV, I’m willing to bet the numbers would be less than Afflictions debut PPV numbers. This quote from the movie “Se7en”, in my opinion, sums up Kimbo best:

“You’re no messiah. You’re a movie of the week. You’re a fucking t-shirt, at best.”

by the_mexicutioner on Jul 28, 2008 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions

correct thread:
MONDAY MORNING CONVERSATION WITH KEVIN:
Goo lead in Mike! I for one absolutely enjoyed the hell out of saturday night fights! It actually had me upset that I cancelled showtime last month (my cable bill was 350). Chris Cyborg is going to destroy Gina, but her jaw line and facial features as well as body suggest that some time in her life she has taken some type of performance enhancing drugs. Jake Shields has been calliing out and saying he wants to fight GSP for months, so I don’t necessarily think it’s Shaw. The fact that Cung Le has been calling out Anderson Silva and shields GSP, as well as Shaw saying he’d put GSP on CBS, and promote the UFC while doing so, as well as from what I’ve heard is that they ARE talking about a Le/Silva matchup, leads me to believe that Dana may be one step closer to stomping out competition the old fashioned way…BEATDOWN!
Diaz looked great too, I’ve heard from a guy who trains with him that he hits like a HW, but where does the power come from? Those "slow motion" looping punches look like they couldn’t hurt my 6 year old, then you see the guys head snapping back…wow! How bout Diaz/BJ?
The main event went how it should’ve gone the fist time, Lawler/Shamrock is an ok fight, but shamrock will man handle Lawler, I’d much rather see a lawler/diaz rematch!
if they could put together: Le/silva, GSP/shields and Diaz/BJ, I would bust one in my pants. 3 of my favorite fighters on one card.
One thing I did notice is the arena was kinda empty, and the shots of Stockton they took were at like 5 in the morning. one of those shots were taken at "HOOKER CENTRAL" but there were none out yet! I was hangin out bbqing in east side (oakyville) yesterday, and we drove downtown…it didn’t lok like how elite portrayed it!
Lastly, Batman was Great!

by kevin doesn't know shit on Jul 28, 2008 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions

I disagree Mexicutioner, I think if they keep feeding kimbo ppl that he’ll beat on paper and keeps winning, his fans will become true MMA fans by the time they give kimbo real competition. That’s just my thought, the ppl that want to see kimbo fight right now may become true fans with time, which is why I really love EliteXC because they have the potential to become something huge in the future, if they can keep CBS happy, we should all be happy. True MMA fans should all be behind EXC, I just don’t understand why so many want to see it fail. It’s great exposure of the sport and we should all be happy…

by linx on Jul 28, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t agree. The vast majority of people who watch Mimbo want to see something along the lines of his backyard street fight garbage. They are the ones who get mad when a fight goes to the ground because it’s “boring” and who don’t understand what’s going on in a fight unless somebody is bleeding and/or unconscious. And I don’t see how the succes of anything with Scumbag Shaw’s fingerprints all over it can be good for MMA as a whole. That fat piece of crap has never been about anything other than his own bottom line.

by PW on Jul 28, 2008 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

seriously though PW, how do you know what his fans are like? Do you think the extra 1.5 million ppl that tuned in to watch him on CBS were a bunch of thugs? on a second note, half the stadium in the UFC’s events boos once the fight hits the ground and ppl start trying to work submission. Just saying.

by linx on Jul 28, 2008 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions

I think that anybody that is not a fan of grappling in MMA should be mandated to watch Miguel Torres vs Yoshiro Maeda. I have been watching MMA for years, and that was one of the best fights I’ve ever seen.

by ViolentMike on Jul 28, 2008 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions

As a Bjj guy i love seeing a technical ground battle. The thing about grappling is that I believe you really have to do it to appreciate it. It is really not a flashy art but seeing someone with an active guard(miguell torres) and understaning what theyre going for provides me with some edge of my seat action. That being said, I have no stand up experience but can appreciate a technical striker(even Machida).

by EarthFirst! on Jul 28, 2008 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions

earth, I’m no fighter, in fact I’ve become a couch potato over the years (need to get back to the gym ASAP!), but I love all parts of the game, including the ground part. it also makes me get off my seat cheering and screaming (specially when I watch big nog fight). People don’t need to be athletes to understand and appreciate the ground game, just look at MMA in japan, you got 50 thousand ppl in a stadium that understands the ground game and will freak out once someone pulls a tricky submission.

by linx on Jul 28, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t say all Mimbo’s fans are thugs, just that they only want a fast, violent highlight-reel KO and not necessarily a good, competitive match. That’s just a short attention span mixed with a little bloodlust, not thuggery. And I stand behind everything I said about Scumbag Shaw.

by PW on Jul 28, 2008 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

One if Kimbo’s largest demgraphics is guys that sit at desks all day and watch videos at break.com. Many of the guys in my office know who Kimbo is and want to watch him fight. They could care less about the UFC but are always asking me “so when is Kimbo gonna fight again”.

It kind of sucks that he is the only MMA that they care about but hey, I’ll take what I can get. At least it’s a start.

by DonnyG on Jul 28, 2008 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions

lol,you guys hear Nick in post event press conference. he says he thanks denny for giving it his all and “you owe yourself a little more than coming out in pink, but whatever” this guy isn’t dumb, he just tells you what he thinks and thats it!

by kevin doesn't know shit on Jul 28, 2008 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I will say the actually production value of the show was fine. The fights were still lacking though. I have a feeling that the people who watched this one might not be tuning into the next one.

I will watch it just because I like MMA. I will hope they have some good fights but I am not really expecting much. Really I rather see 2 guys I have never heard of put on a good fight, then see one well known fighter destroy some poor guy.

Here is hoping they get their match making together and get some balanced fights. These one sides affairs are getting old.

by NorthStar on Jul 28, 2008 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh yeah……….but wait………..i didn’t see one commercial for this event. I still watched it because I like fighting but if that is not your thing than you wouldnt of even heard about the event.

by dtrain on Jul 28, 2008 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

don’t forget lasttime gina was on the card,and most people just wanted to tune it and see what it was about and it probably made them say “this is just like wrestling” with all that BS

by randy murders on Jul 28, 2008 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

actually, IMO, Carano’s fight was a WAR! It made me appreciate more than her looks.

by chefdaddy on Jul 28, 2008 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Gina’s fights have been the best thing about EliteXC so far.

If I had it my way, I would make Gina vs. Cyborg THE MAIN EVENT of the October fight card and I would have it be a title matchj= and I would want to see them fight 5 minute rounds instead of 3.

Gina vs. Cyborg may be the fight of the year!

by john on Jul 28, 2008 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Good idea!

by chefdaddy on Jul 28, 2008 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Did you notice right when the Mauro was saying something to the effect of “The girls want to fight 5 min rounds like the men, and they should, because they can.” He said this right at the end of the first round, or at the beginning of the second (dont remember). Then Shayna Bayslor comes out of her corner breathing like she has a lung missing from cancer, asthma, and a hole in her windpipe, all while standing on top of the Rocky Mountains after running a marathon.

In otherwords, she was very winded after just 3 mins with Cyborg, and most of that time, she was laying flat on her back.

Cyborg is a straight up SCARY woman in the cage. She REALLY knows how to throw a power punch. Gina’s punches are very loopy and she doesn’t always make a fist. Cyborg looks like a dude when she fights! Her power shots were thrown right down the pipe and on the money. Did you see the muscles in her back as she attacked Bayzlor?

Gina is worried. If she’s not, I would question whether or not she had a pulse.

I’m with John, have Carano vs Cyborg be the main event instead of Kimbo vs Tupperware’s cousin.

by ViolentMike on Jul 28, 2008 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions

tuppawares Cousin….LMAO! Thats the comment of the day so far!

by john on Jul 28, 2008 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions

my wife has competed (not that you care and for those who didn’t know), she says that 3 minute rounds are a life time for the women…then says in the same breathe that if women want to compete in the big time, they should do 5 min. rounds!

by kevin doesn't know shit on Jul 28, 2008 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions

VM, I enjoyed the fights this weekend..EXC looks like they got rid of the stupid dancers, singers and pretty much the whole WWFish feel they had the 1st crack on CBS..

I like the idea of having pre-fights on TV..I hope the UFC follows suit..But 4 fight just isn’t enough..They really should have had one more fight booked for the main card..

The fights turned out pretty good..I really liked the Cyborg fight..That chick is straight nasty..Gina will have her hands full, no doubt.
Diaz is still looking different, and I hope he snaps out of it soon, because he is still winning and he is bound to be in a title fight sooner, then later..He needs to get his shit together..

I usually dont like to see fights end so early on account of a choke, but thats Ceaser Gracie JJ 101..I am SOOOO glad Shields is finally WW champ..

All around not to shabby of a fight-night!!(for a minor org)

-“TupperWare’s cousin”..lol..The name “TupperWare” lives on..

by Stagger-Lee on Jul 28, 2008 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

I have a feeling Cyborg.. would tear up Gina.. But Im in love with Gina.. Her face is divine. Why? I’m wit her and Cyborg being the main event..There fight is worth main event statis.. Everyone that knows MMA ..wants to see this fight.. but why? is her face going to get touched up. I’m going to tight at Cyborg.

by PhilQNY on Jul 28, 2008 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions

kevin, those few minutes are a lifetime even when you’re in great shape, it just depends on how you train. I played soccer 3 seasons a year and wrestled for the other. NEITHER left me in shape for the other! After soccer, my body was primed for 90 minutes of running, leaving me tired for the three 2 minute explosive rounds of wrestling. And after Wrestling, my body wasn’t ready for 90 minutes of running! lol. I was sh*t out of luck no matter what.

Phil, a lot of people think Cyborg would tear Gina up! I just don’t know, Carano proved she’s more than just good looks in her last fight. But Cyborg hits like Mac truck, Gina would have to use those front kicks to keep her away and hope chris didn’t catch one and take her down for some g ’n p.

by chefdaddy on Jul 28, 2008 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Gina is definitely the more technical fighter. I agree that she needs to use her front kicks to keep Cyborg off of her, but Chris has got some killer abs… the front kicks might just bounce off. I’m not sure if Cyborg is man, machine, or woman. I’m also not sure if Gina can cut to 140 to make it a TITle shot.

by UFCAddict on Jul 28, 2008 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Gina’s fight was excelent and one of the best fights on the card. The women on the last card had a good fight too. The only problem I see with the women fights are the 3 min. rounds. I think Gina and Cyborg will be a great fight. It ought to be atleast a co-main event. I just hope Cyborg doesn’t mess Gina up, man she was looking hot when they were interviewing her. P.S. They need to check Cyborgs cup and make sure its not a man. If its not a man, she def. has juiced at some point!

by brac on Jul 28, 2008 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

I think they should stick with the 3 minute rounds. I haven’t seen a womens fight go the distance so it doesn’t seem like they really need it to be extended any longer. If the division starts getting some better depth then I think they could consider 5 minute rounds

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Jul 28, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

i agree, the problem is you can’t change the rule for just gina and cyborg or i would agree on 5 minute rounds the good thing about 3 min rounds if the fight sucks or one of the gitls is getting worked the fight is over quicker

by roy on Jul 28, 2008 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

of course you can Roy, every time gina doesn’t make weight, they change it. prett soon it will be a 155 womens weight class, it keeps creeping up!

by kevin doesn't know shit on Jul 28, 2008 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions

if they can then they should but only for her and the top girl fighters, because honestly i don’t want to watch a 5 min or 5 round girl fight, unless they are as skilled as these two.

by roy on Jul 28, 2008 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree, Saturday’s fights were good, I didn’t see the entire show, I watch UFC 84, but I got to see Nick Diaz, WOW he’s one of the best in the division, I think Dana has to get him back in the UFC. The main event was good also too bad Smith couldn’t finish the fight when he had the chance.

In their first show, Gina’s fight was a great fight, Too bad it was stop early. Kimbo is not a good fighter, I’m not impress and I’m not looking forward to another of his fights, I agree with you Randy “he’s a big draw to retards”.

by Diego on Jul 28, 2008 11:02 AM EDT reply actions

Nick’s fights are awsome but I think he is too much of a loose cannon for Dana.

by Fokman on Jul 28, 2008 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

VM, I enjoyed the fights this weekend..EXC looks like they got rid of the stupid dancers, singers and pretty much the whole WWFish feel they had the 1st crack on CBS..

I like the idea of having pre-fights on TV..I hope the UFC follows suit..But 4 fight just isn’t enough..They really should have had one more fight booked for the main card..

All around not to shabby of a fight-night!!(for a minor org)

by Stagger-Lee on Jul 28, 2008 11:11 AM EDT reply actions

Speaking of which….

I know that you all noticed those giant puddles of blood splattered all over the canvas, right?

I watched the beginning portion of the card on Showtime, and that blood was already there PRIOR to thier first bout featuring Wilson Reis.

My guess would be that it came from the Drew Montgomery vs Brandon Tarn fight which ended due to cut at the end of Round 3.

Has anyone seen David Douglas and his 12 second KO?

by ViolentMike on Jul 28, 2008 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah, I almost forgot about that..I am going to look right now…I havn’t watched either..

by Stagger-Lee on Jul 28, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions

No i didnt see that fight, but my brother and I were both wondering where that puddle of blood came from….No idea!

I would like to see Tim Sylvia vs. Bigfoot!

by john on Jul 28, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I was wondering about the blood too! I thought maybe Elite just couldn’t afford a new mat. lol

by chefdaddy on Jul 28, 2008 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I read a brief fight recap on Sherdog. The blood was from Montgomery-Tarn fight. One of them got a nasty cut that had blood covering his face and torso. Then the other one got a cut on top of his head that ended up having the fight stopped. So basically both guys had potenitally fight-ending cuts.

by PW on Jul 28, 2008 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

elite xc is completely useless, to have a guy like scott smith headline the show says it all,

but i really like the fact that they are the only organization showing some interest in women mma

by shamo84 on Jul 28, 2008 11:54 AM EDT reply actions

Gina is gonna make a lot of money in Elite. She is one of hottest chicks on the planet. I believe she will end up being their only star once Kimbo finally loses.

Ditto on the loving females.

Rob Dib
http://www.break-your-face.com

by Rob Dib on Jul 28, 2008 12:24 PM EDT reply actions

The absent Gary Shaw is not the reason ratings were down. Kimbo and Gina are great draws, but I think the ratings would have been higher for the 2nd show if the first show hadn’t been so cheesy.

by dem1an on Jul 28, 2008 4:30 PM EDT reply actions