UFC Tries to Steal Thunder From EliteXC's Big CBS Debut

Just in case you've been living the last few months under a rock, EliteXC inked a deal with CBS a while back. CBS and EliteXC will put on something called "CBS Saturday Night Fights", which will feature live EliteXC events on CBS. This deal marks the first time that a major US television network will broadcast a live mixed martial arts event.

The card is stacked with interesting matches. You have arguably the most recognizable female MMA fighter in the world, Gina Carano, taking on Kaitlin Young. You have Robbie Lawler defending his EliteXC middleweight title against Scott Smith. And of course, in the main event, you have Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson taking on James Thompson.

This is a big, big card for EliteXC in terms of establishing themselves as a legitimate contender to the UFC. Dana White, president of the UFC, knows this and will be putting up some pretty strong programming of his own to compete against EliteXC.

The EliteXC card will take place on Saturday, May 31st. The UFC have announced that there will be a "special" two hour block of UFC programming shown on SpikeTV that same evening.

If you are trying to steal some of the EliteXC's thunder, who better to try to do it with than the "Iceman" himself, Chuck Liddell. The UFC will be airing a one hour special called "Ultimate Iceman", followed by a special version of "UFC Unleashed" which will feature highlights from Liddell vs Silva. Hardcore MMA fans will find their ways over to CBS to watch the live event, but the UFC is hoping that casual fans will choose a known commodity in Chuck Liddell.

There is no love-lost between the owners of the UFC and EliteXC. Dana White wants as little competition as possible (for obvious reasons), and airing this block of programming is meant to take away from EliteXC's big debut on CBS as much as possible. Dana White isn't stupid - he knows that EliteXC is in a precarious financial position and that they are banking heavily on a successful CBS debut. CBS President and CEO Les Moonves is already under pressure from Sumner Redstone, executive Chairman of CBS, for making the decision to air EliteXC cards on CBS. White knows this as well, and he knows that any sort of poor ratings would likely result in CBS pulling the plug on the CBS/EliteXC relationship early.

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