Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on December 14, 2006.[1] It was headquartered in Los Angeles.
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| OTC Pink: PELE | |
| Founded | November 13, 2006 |
| Founder | Showtime Networks, ProElite |
| Defunct | October 20, 2008 |
| Fate | Folded |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | William Kelly President & Chief Operating Officer, Chairman, Paul Feller, Glenn Golenberg, Douglas De Luca, Lloyd Bryan Molander |
| Parent | ProElite |
The partnership to form EliteXC was announced on November 13, 2006.[2] The first major event occurred February 10, 2007, at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi. Fighters Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie fought in the main event. Also debuting on this card was Charles Bennett, K. J. Noons, Mike Pyle and Antônio Silva.
In early 2008, EliteXC had reached an agreement with CBS to broadcast EliteXC shows on prime time. The arrangement was that CBS would broadcast EliteXC specials every other month on Saturday nights.[3] CBS aired only three events in 2008, on May 31, July 26, and October 4.
EliteXC events
editThis is a list of events held and scheduled by Elite Xtreme Combat (EliteXC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. The first event took place in February 2007. The list includes three events that EliteXC co-promoted (Dynamite!! USA, Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni, and Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le) with other MMA organizations. Two events were shown initially on pay-per-view, while the others aired on the Showtime cable network or on CBS.
ShoXC
editOn July 11, 2007, it was announced that Proelite.com and Showtime would produce a new series titled ShoXC.[4] The monthly shows featured up-and-coming MMA talent, similar to Showtime's ShoBox boxing events. The first took place on July 27, 2007. The first event was co-promoted with King of the Cage and was also known as KOTC: Undisputed.
Partnership with Cage Rage
editOn September 7, 2007, ProElite, Inc. announced that they had officially acquired British MMA organization Cage Rage Championships. EliteXC and Cage Rage Championships planned numerous joint ventures together, beginning with Cage Rage 23.[5]
Partnership with DREAM
editOn May 10, 2008, EliteXC announced a working partnership with Japanese promotion Dream. The two groups intended to share fighters (Eddie Alvarez, Jason Miller and Nick Diaz have already participated in Dream events) and eventually co-promote shows.[6]
Co-promoting with Affliction
editOn September 24, 2008, EliteXC announced a working partnership with rival US promotion Affliction. Affliction offered Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson for the EliteXC: Heat card on CBS.[7] In addition, Affliction heavily promoted their line through commercials on the show. It was hoped that the two companies would survive a rocky financial situation long enough to co-promote fights again in the future.
Controversy and closing of EliteXC
editOn October 4, 2008, at EliteXC: Heat, EliteXC's biggest ratings draw Kimbo Slice was knocked out just 14 seconds into his bout with Seth Petruzelli. Petruzelli served as a last-minute replacement for MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock, who got injured on the day of the fight and was unable to compete. The unexpected outcome of this fight drew a great deal of attention, and subsequent comments by Petruzelli that he was offered a monetary bonus to employ certain techniques during the fight (comments he later recanted and obfuscated), raised the question of undue influence by EliteXC representatives in fights. Significant debt incurred by parent company Pro Elite with no investors or buyers showing interest[8] caused the subsequent cancellation of the November 8, 2008, event. Combined with the Florida State Athletic Commission launching an investigation into the Slice/Petruzelli fight, Pro Elite announced on October 20, 2008, that they would cease operations.
Weight classes
edit| Weight class name | Upper limit |
|---|---|
| Bantamweight | 140 lb (63.5 kg) |
| Featherweight | 150 lb (68.0 kg) |
| Lightweight | 160 lb (72.6 kg) |
| Welterweight | 170 lb (77.1 kg) |
| Middleweight | 190 lb (86.2 kg) |
| Light Heavyweight | 210 lb (95.3 kg) |
| Heavyweight | No weight limit |
EliteXC champions
editHeavyweight Championship
edit- Weight limit: Unlimited
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Antônio Silvadef. Justin Eilers |
EliteXC: Unfinished Business Stockton, California, US |
July 26, 2008 |
Middleweight Championship
edit- Weight limit: 190 lb (86.2 kg; 13.6 st)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murilo Rua def. Joey Villasenor |
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni San Jose, California, US |
June 22, 2007 | |
| 2 |  Robbie Lawler |
EliteXC: Uprising Honolulu, Hawaii, US |
September 15, 2007 |
NC vs. Scott Smith at EliteXC: Primetime on May 31, 2008 in Newark, New Jersey, US |
Welterweight Championship
edit- Weight limit: 170 lb (77.1 kg; 12.1 st)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Shields def. Nick Thompson |
EliteXC: Unfinished Business Stockton, California, US |
July 26, 2008 |
1. def. Paul Daley at EliteXC: Heat on Oct 4, 2008 in Sunrise, Florida, US |
Lightweight Championship
edit- Weight limit: 160 lb (72.6 kg; 11.4 st)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. J. Noons def. Nick Diaz |
EliteXC: Renegade Corpus Christi, Texas, US |
November 10, 2007 |
1. def. Yves Edwards at EliteXC: Return of the King on Jun 14, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii, US |
| Noons was stripped of the title on September 19, 2008 by EliteXC | ||||
Bantamweight Championship
edit- Weight limit: 140 lb (63.5 kg; 10.0 st)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilson Reis def. Abel Cullum |
ShoXC 8 Santa Ynez, California, US |
September 26, 2008 |
Women's division
editSee also
edit- Mixed Martial Arts
- List of current mixed martial arts champions
- List of Bellator MMA champions
- List of Invicta FC champions
- List of ONE Championship champions
- List of Pride champions
- List of PFL champions
- List of Strikeforce champions
- List of UFC champions
- List of WEC champions
- Mixed martial arts weight classes
Footnotes
edit- ^ Press Release, Pro Elite launches Elite Xtreme combat on showtime[permanent dead link], EliteXC. [Last retrieved January 7, 2007]
- ^ SHOWTIME to Televise MMA, Sherdog.com. (Last retrieved January 7, 2007). Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "EliteXC expected to announce deal with CBS". MMA Junkie. 2008-02-27. Archived from the original on 2008-03-02. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ^ The Fight Network :: All fights all the time :: Get it on!
- ^ "MMA Weekly – Your #1 Source for Daily MMA News, Interviews, Multimedia, and More: – Pro Elite acquires Cage Rage Championships". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
- ^ "Pro Elite & Dream announce partnership". MMAWeekly. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^ "Andrei Arlovski vs Roy Nelson at Elite XC on CBS". MMAWeekly. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ Reports: EliteXC tells employees, fighters it's out of business