Elite XC denies paying Seth Petruzelli to stand in win over Kimbo Slice

by James Iannotti on Oct 7, 2008 11:05 PM EDT Comment 60 comments

jeremy lapen

Quoteworthy:

"Obviously we didn’t pay [Petruzelli] to stand. Kimbo had trained for months to fight a guy who’s fighting on the ground. We don’t care if people stand or take people down or what. It doesn’t matter to us. All we want is an exciting fight."

Elite XC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen says that there is no truth to reports that replacement fighter Seth Petruzelli was paid to stand with Kimbo Slice in this past Saturday's main event at Elite XC: "Heat." He has a solid point about Kimbo having been training for a ground fighter all along in Ken Shamrock. If Elite XC wanted someone to stand with Kimbo, would the promotion have even put him against Shamrock in the first place? Petruzelli is also claiming that he was misquoted on the radio program yesterday when the original story broke, but his comments were hard to misquote -- they seemed to be pretty black and white. Nonetheless, the seed of doubt has been planted, which is just the latest of several big hurdles that the struggling promotion has had to overcome.

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What would you expect them to say? The horse is already out of the barn.

by Muscle Dolphin on Oct 7, 2008 11:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Elite XC is over! R.I.P.

It’s over they will not survive another year!

The UFC is the NFl and XC is XFL.. it’s over!

Kimbo got $500,000 do you think the other fighters are going to say “yeah Kimbo deserves it, he fought hard and gave it all he got, all 14 secs.”

Fighters are going to leave to Japan or they will try very hard to get on an TUF show cause the UFC is all we got.

by mikeybear on Oct 7, 2008 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That much is true. Just look at Junie. He said he really had to get on the TUf try outs because that was his only surefire way to get recognized. Plus, I’m sure not all the fighters have connections with the big camps like Junie so it’s either the TUF or Japan for the fighters…

by The Negation on Oct 8, 2008 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought Junie said he did not have the connections with the big camps, which was why he tried out for TUF.

by chefdaddy on Oct 8, 2008 7:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the show was entertaining. Is anyone really shocked at the allegations? We all know EliteXC is run by scumbags…no surpruise here. i here people are really pissed off about these allegations and some are actually calling it "Fight Fixing’. EliteXC might face lawsuits or charges.

Hopefully, they can get someone with some integrity to clean up the organization instead of that coke head Skala because its cards are getting better and they may continue to grow as long as Affliction keeps lending them some big dawgz!

Bring on alvarez vs. Diaz

by john on Oct 8, 2008 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Amen brother; it’s good to have competition to ufc – especially since EliteXC & likes are able to deliver improving fight cards

Seth is an idiot of course – whether he was “hinted” or not – he should not have run his mouth like that (then again he has learned from the best – DW); he probably now realized that this lil’ comment of his did not run well with EliteXC – therefore screwing his chances for another 6 figure payday.

And to all those dumbasses saying RIP to EliteXC – you are only shooting yourself in the leg – as the competition (affliction etc.) has prompted whity to put up a few more spike tv shows – alas the more competitors Dana has – the more attention he needs to give to the fans

by Anger Jack on Oct 8, 2008 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i agree john, i was just about done with elite, and its hard for me to pass up free mma but i won’t watch fixed shit so i hope this forces them to get rid of a few peole and clean up there act.

by roy on Oct 8, 2008 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This just shows how dumb EliteXC is. They try and fix the fight, and their man loses in 14 seconds. That means they did NOT fix the fight. They simply tried to influence the outcome, not decide/cause the outcome.

by ViolentMike on Oct 8, 2008 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thats true vm it was not a fix but it was dirty and no one wants to see that.

by roy on Oct 8, 2008 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

shocking! i cant believe they just didnt own up to it. lol!

by b.w. on Oct 8, 2008 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If they wanted a stand up war, they should have simply did what Pride did, K-1 rules matches. they did it all the time. MOdifying rules for certain match ups, but they did it in a clean fashion, not this under the table scumbag crap.

by john on Oct 8, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if only they where smart enough, it would have been fair to me short notice fight make it a stand up both would have been fine with that i am sure(and kimbo would still have lost with out this bs).

by roy on Oct 8, 2008 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

even jim rome was ripping into kimbo and saying the hype train is over and they need to find a new poster boy.

by kitsunex on Oct 8, 2008 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

jim rome dosn’t know shit about mma, he just loves the chance to talk shit on something or someone.

by roy on Oct 8, 2008 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly. The Florida commission came out and said there was no misconduct and that they were present for all meetings but all one needs to do is check out the suspicious activity at the weigh-ins.

by NameNotRequired on Oct 7, 2008 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or how about the suspicious activity by Jared Shaw when Kimbo went down! I wanna hear them explain that!

by RedDog on Oct 8, 2008 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

“Suspicious actions” are relative, and the commission will not hear any testimony based on such a broad accusation. Shaw’s animated antics prove nothing other than that he is an immature promoter unable to control his emotions. (His antics also reveal who he has his money behind.)

by Faybio on Oct 8, 2008 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of Skala but let me put this into perspectives you can understand.

Kimbo was the life of EXC, although its hard to swallow for many hardcore fans. He is all that kept EXC alive. Skala just watched his company crash and burn in that fight. To compare it to UFC is just plain simple minded. The UFC doesn’t just depend on Chuck Liddell. As a matter of fact it doesn’t depend on Chuck Liddell at all really. There is so much talent there and so many known names, not to mention years of history behind the company that one fighter losing doesn’t mean much to Dana. Rather the opposite, if a star is beat the person who beat him can become a star. Not the same for EXC, if a star is beat… it was probably by a has been nobody from the UFC.

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Oct 8, 2008 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard this guy in the post fight press conference and all he did was kiss Kimbo’s you know what. Dana White is looking more and more like a professional MMA leader each and everyday. He may swear and act like a jackass sometimes but in the end he respects and loves the sport and would never do anything like what we have seen these past couple of days. I don’t feel bad for Kimbo at all he made close to a million dollars in a year and a half not bad. Considering he will never beat anybody that has a heartbeat.

by Robert on Oct 8, 2008 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

“Petruzelli is also claiming that he was misquoted on the radio program yesterday”

What? I heard the program and the quote is identical.

So maybe he lied about it? Why would he?

EliteXC = busted.

by DirtyML on Oct 7, 2008 11:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I doubt that he lied about it. I guess that it is possible, but he was probably talked to by them. Maybe paid by them to change his story? Or told that he could get a Kimbo rematch in the future but now while he was telling people about that? I’m not sure. Regardless, it was smart for EliteXC to go public about those quotes.

by RyanHobbs on Oct 7, 2008 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kimbo’s 14 secs. < $500,000 = Jared + Gary Shaw = Broke

by mikeybear on Oct 7, 2008 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I personally think Shamrock was going to pull another “buzz” berry type of fight and get KO’ed near instantly, and they were probably going to offer him the same money they offered Seth.

Cat = out of the bag

by DirtyML on Oct 7, 2008 11:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

“the monkeys out of the bottle” pinneapple express anyone?

by brendan on Oct 7, 2008 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL, nice stoner flick!

by The Negation on Oct 8, 2008 1:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

not while he was telling people about that

by RyanHobbs on Oct 7, 2008 11:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Deny, deny, deny. That’s the gameplan.

by UFCAddict on Oct 7, 2008 11:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I respectfully disagree that Shaw had a “solid point about Kimbo having been training for a ground fighter” all along.

I highly doubt Kimbo’s team or EliteXC was threatened by the thought of being taken down by a severely smaller & severely older Shamrock. I think Shamrock was chosen because of his inability to take a punch any longer.

Does anyone think if Shamrock had a winning record over the past 7 years that Kimbo would have been put up against him? They clearly felt that Kimbo would get some legitimacy by beating a ‘legend’ of the sport.

by chuckjbt on Oct 7, 2008 11:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree and i think kimbo thought he was gonna go out there and hit shamrock 1 time and that would be it. he would be undefeated still and take out a “legend”. it was a pefect match for kimbo. elite xc threw shamrock to the wolves and freaked out when he got hurt. maybe they didnt pay seth..but the probably gave him a speech before the fight..

by tuffguy01 on Oct 7, 2008 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damage control 101.

by Psyqo78®™ on Oct 7, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Shaw = broke!

by mikeybear on Oct 7, 2008 11:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

SHOW ME THE CHECK! As was proved in the Randy case.

by WDC on Oct 7, 2008 11:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lol, an exemplary MMA icon right there.

by NameNotRequired on Oct 7, 2008 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shadiest organization EVA.

by SFWEC on Oct 8, 2008 12:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If EliteXC bribed Petruzelli to do stand up then maybe they had the same deal with Shamrock. It would make sense for EliteXC to try to orchestrate a highlight reel knockout to make up for the Busch League event they had last time on CBS. Either Ken or Kimbo getting knocked out would have been a win-win situation for MMA fans. Haha.

by DaneJa!260 on Oct 8, 2008 12:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Excellent point, DaneJa. Shamrock hasn’t been a “ground fighter” for over half a decade, unless you want to count fighting off his back. He has consistently chosen to stand with his opponent, until he gets either punched around or taken down himself. Shamrock is still fighting because he is being paid well to do so. Ken would absolutely be open to the idea of accepting a “bonus” of some sort to stand up with Kimbo. It should be noted than Ken has suggested in past interviews that he took part in “worked” fights early in his career (in Japan). Also, Shamrock performed in the WWE for many years. He knows how to work, and would likely be all ears if Elite XC came to him with a script.

by Faybio on Oct 8, 2008 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does anyone think that maybe taking the fight with Seth within a couple hours could be to blame? Kimbo had plenty of time to prepare for Ken, he knew Kens jaw was getting worse with each fight he takes, and has Bas to train him on Kens ground game. It makes sense that when your money train takes a fight on short notice, you want to give him a decent opportunity to win. Please note that I do not condone this kind of activity but I can see why they did it. Also Seth knew what they were asking of him. He could have either said yes I’ll take a 6 figure number to stand and bang with Kimbo or no I will not. There was no harm in him declining the offer as EXC isn’t going to hold it against him that he didn’t want to trade with a brawler on a couple hours notice. This fight was not fixed however the morale standards of EXC execs does come into question as well as Seth for accepting the deal and on top of that going public about it.

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Oct 8, 2008 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stop hating.

EliteXC has an awesome show coming up on Nov 8th!

Eddie Alvarez vs Nick Diaz!! Woop!

Also, ShoXC this friday! Go Pee Wee!

by Joseph on Oct 8, 2008 12:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

so saying the truth is hating. Wow Censorship lives

by dancumbe on Oct 8, 2008 3:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If there were no censorship we’d have naked fatties on TV!

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Oct 8, 2008 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

heh heh heh naked fatties rule.

by dandeman on Oct 8, 2008 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That’s what you get when you try and baby a guy and make him out to be something he isn’t. All they needed was a little patience. Fight him on undercards where he belongs. Give him beginner fighters, let him lose the fight if it happens. If he’s bound to be a great fighter, he’ll make it, if not, tough loss and go find someone else. Trying to rake in the money right away never works, and now they’re imploding. You just don’t put your payroll on a guy that isn’t that good yet, even if he is a draw.

by dave on Oct 8, 2008 4:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

he’s not bound to be great…he sucks and will always suck.

by rob on Oct 8, 2008 6:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not a Kimbo lover at all. But i’m not a hater like you. Dave’s comment was on the money. He was never given the chance to build his name up in MMA. They just gave it to him from the get go. It was a money grab opportunity for XC. We don’t have any good reason to hate Kimbo. I’m actually holding out hope that he improves over the next couple years. He’s a modest , nice guy that doesn’t talk dumb shit. You can’t hate that.

by DH on Oct 8, 2008 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dave indeed hit the money. I couldn’t agree more. I don’t mind them trying to advertise Kimbo but why not make the guy an undercard fight on a Title fight card. It makes more sense, you are showing Kimbo as an up and still using his draw power to bring in viewers. Let the man fight real opponenets and let the dice fall where they may (continue to feed him below par fighters with weak ground game and decent stand up if you want him to win). Then this is still using Kimbo as a draw and is also showing who your marque fighters are and gives all other fighters more respect for Kimbo in the process. Or you can do what EXC did and promote Kimbo as the greatest fighter of all time, fighting some of the has been greatest fighters of all time who are now all grandpas as the main card.

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Oct 8, 2008 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is a joke….. you dont tell a fighter how to fight, you let them go out there and do their thing. EliteXC is a joke. They wont pay Petruzzi to stand but they will sure pay Bimbo to get knocked out.

by Bassy on Oct 8, 2008 6:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s a bizzare situation. Why would Seth with a great opportunity blow it by mouthing off about a conversation that sounds pretty flakey? Why wouldn’t Shaw not want to express the way he want’s it to go down? I would, and Seth never said he was bribed? This is a beat up if i’ve ever seen one. For me, the knockout was the dodgeieist thing about the situation. It looked like a love tap?

by Rilly on Oct 8, 2008 7:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

c’MON

by Rilly on Oct 8, 2008 7:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

ELite EX should start marketing Gina Carano.. Please no more Kimbo SLice for Main Event status..

Espn: Kimbo..how do you feel fighting Ken Shamrock?

Kimbo: It’s good to put another legend under my belt.

PhilQNY: Yeah Sure…

by PhilQNY on Oct 8, 2008 7:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What are they going to do? Have put all their eggs in Gina’s basket and market her as the main event? ONLY to have Cyborg murder her in the cage? I simply do NOT see Gina beating Cyborg. Santos hits harder and has a better ground game. What does Gina have on her besides a female looking face and some fake boobs???

by ViolentMike on Oct 8, 2008 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nah.. vM they look real.. pardon me.. I love her.. but also agree..that Cyborg.. Ms. Wandy..would tear Gina up. Elite Xc is screwed.

by PhilQNY on Oct 8, 2008 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Personally I thought the whole show was very entertaining. Anything can happen in MMA and that is what makes it so exciting to watch. Yes, the UFC is bomb but I would like to see Elite EX survive. Apparently everyone on this thread watched it, so why all the hate. They may not be the caliber fighters that the UFC has but they are entertaining matches to watch. We need to stop comparing Elite to the UFC. Perhaps make the analogy of college and pro football. I hope Elite is successfull.

by Chainlink on Oct 8, 2008 9:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

“Apparently everyone on this thread watched it, so why all the hate.”

Funniest thing about this whole thing right here.

All the haters are boosting ratings, then saying “Elite XC sucks”….lol.

Elite XC will survive because of these very people.

by introvert on Oct 8, 2008 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I will NEVER complain about a FREE event. If you don’t like it, change the channel, or get a life and get out of the house.

On the other hand, Elite is proving that they are FAR away from being worthy of charging $40 for a PPV event.

by ViolentMike on Oct 8, 2008 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very True Violent Mike, Elite has a long way to go before I throw out 40 dollars. As for Introvert here buddy is a list and thanks to the guys at Fightlinker for providing said list as to Why we as fans are quick to Scream Shenanigans

CREDIT FIGHTLINKER
If you’re wondering why everyone is so ready to believe that EliteXC paid fighters more to stand with Kimbo – and not in an innocent ‘KO bonus’ kind of way – you might not be familiar with the history of sketch that EliteXC has carried with it from the start. So here’s a list of some less than savory moments in EliteXC history:

Fake Ring Girl contest to get Jared Shaw laid

Pulling strings to get Krazy Horse Bennett out of jail so he could fight for them

Allowing Nick Diaz to fight with a staph infection – TWICE

Creating fake weight classes to accommodate specific fighters

Having negative press removed from websites

Replacing Gary Turner with Ricco Rodriguez to fight Antonio Silva two weeks before the fight, and not even bothering to tell Gary

Booking Mike Kyle, who shattered another fighter’s skull with a barrage of illegal strikes and had to be dragged off his victim by several refs

Trying to get Nick Diaz approved by the CSAC with a medical marijuana card.

Consistently booking main events that are mockeries

Jared Shaw yelling for standup that favors Kimbo Slice

Gina Carano never hitting weight

Fucking over Strikeforce by interfering with their contract with Frank Shamrock

Allowing a fight to go on when Nick Diaz came in 9 pounds overweight

Setting up an in-cage riot between the Diaz and Noons family

Lying about the removal of Gary Shaw

Giving Antonio Silva a can for the HW belt,

and then having him test positive for steroids

More mismatches? Say it ain’t so!

Putting out one of the most disgraceful ads in the history of television

Stripping their LW champ over one fight

Gina Carano weigh-in sketch

Jared Shaw showing clear bias for Kimbo Slice again

Let’s not forget the chicanery going on in ProElite and ProElite related companies:

King of the Cage repeatedly booking a white power neo-nazi

ProElite losing 3.5 million dollars on website operations

Ken Shamrock vs Buzz Berry … nuff said

Phil Baroni gets ‘nutted’ on NutsTV

NJAC’s insane behavior during EliteXC’s first CBS show

by dandeman on Oct 8, 2008 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dandeman-

You just knocked out Introvert with one post.

Truth!

by OJR on Oct 8, 2008 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But you still watch…..don’t you?

Truth.

by introvert on Oct 8, 2008 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah Petrozelli lied for no reason.. just came up with it.

by belfort_fan on Oct 8, 2008 5:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

who wants to watch kimbo fight on the ground… of course they paid him to stand up.

by dirtydarkin on Oct 8, 2008 8:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

So here’s a list of some less than savory moments in EliteXC history:

Fake Ring Girl contest to get Jared Shaw laid (like the one UFC did on Spike?)

Pulling strings to get Krazy Horse Bennett out of jail so he could fight for them (why is this bad thing for fight fans or fighters?)

Allowing Nick Diaz to fight with a staph infection – TWICE (Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffen both fought with staph infections)

Creating fake weight classes to accommodate specific fighters (like the UFC did for Tito back in the day?)

Having negative press removed from websites (ever looked at the UFC’s website?)

Replacing Gary Turner with Ricco Rodriguez to fight Antonio Silva two weeks before the fight, and not even bothering to tell Gary (source?)

Booking Mike Kyle, who shattered another fighter’s skull with a barrage of illegal strikes and had to be dragged off his victim by several refs. (would it be better to book a guy who just had a hi speed chase with police and may have possibly caused a woman to have a miscarriage?)

Trying to get Nick Diaz approved by the CSAC with a medical marijuana card. (UFC has many fighters on the payroll who got busted for many different drup related offenses)

Consistently booking main events that are mockeries. (Leben/Bisping….Ortiz/Shamrock 2 and 3….Evans/Salmon…Thomas/Florian…Hughes/Alves…Silva/Irvin…)

Jared Shaw yelling for standup that favors Kimbo Slice. (Although he shouldn’t get that emotional during a fight, he never yelled for a “stand-up”)

Gina Carano never hitting weight (no more Elite XC’s fault than the UFC’s fault for Lutter, Alves (many more) missing weight for their fights)…a title fight too.

Fucking over Strikeforce by interfering with their contract with Frank Shamrock (ya, like the UFC NEVER fucks anyone over, over contract disputes) lol.

Allowing a fight to go on when Nick Diaz came in 9 pounds overweight (Alves fought Hughes….’nuff said)…BTW, the other fighter can say “no”.

Setting up an in-cage riot between the Diaz and Noons family (Like we watch on TUF every week?)

Lying about the removal of Gary Shaw. (Why would they make their in-house business decisions public knowledge? Besides, who cares?)

Giving Antonio Silva a can for the HW belt. (Slim roster. But I suppose Kimo, and that guy with the one boxing glove on, during UFC’s early days were legit…lol)

and then having him test positive for steroids. (Bonnar, Penn, Silvia, many more…)

More mismatches? Say it ain’t so! (1-0 Lesnar vs 10-3 Mir)

Putting out one of the most disgraceful ads in the history of television. (Huh?)

Stripping their LW champ over one fight. (How long should they wait for him?)

Gina Carano weigh-in sketch (sketch?)

Jared Shaw showing clear bias for Kimbo Slice again (Dana, “I hope Lyoto beats Tito”)

Let’s not forget the chicanery going on in ProElite and ProElite related companies:

King of the Cage repeatedly booking a white power neo-nazi (like UFC paying Jeff Monson?)

ProElite losing 3.5 million dollars on website operations (UFC was 40 million in the hole to start…if they had websites back then I’m sure they would have lost some money opertaing that as well)

Ken Shamrock vs Buzz Berry … nuff said (You obviously watched it)

Phil Baroni gets ‘nutted’ on NutsTV (Not sure what this means, but sounds like it has nothing to do with Saturday Night Fights)

NJAC’s insane behavior during EliteXC’s first CBS show (again…not sure what this has to do with EXC)

by introvert on Oct 9, 2008 9:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs