What Now for "Kimbo Slice" and Gina Carano?

Dave Meltzer broke the story earlier today that the Elite XC promotion had folded, and the story has now been confirmed by various sources.

This news can't be shocking to anyone, especially considering how fast the promotion was burning through money. Meltzer reports that the promotion lost around $55 million dollars during its two years of operation, and that Elite XC didn't even have the funds to put on its last show. The CBS actually funded the show that was headlined by "Kimbo Slice" / Petruzelli, as the promotion was out of funds.

The final nail in the coffin for the promotion was the tainted fight between Petruzelli and "Slice". Apparently CBS was on the verge of purchasing Elite XC, as they were happy with the ratings and the future potential for the company. The ensuing scandal in the aftermath of the "Kimbo Slice" / Seth Petruzelli main event caused the media giant to pull the plug on their offer, and Elite XC was forced to shutter their operations soon after that.

The real "nail in the coffin" was Ken Shamrock pulling out of the main event and Petruzelli taking his place. If Shamrock fights in the main event and loses, then "Kimbo Slice" doesn't have his credibility as a fighter completely shattered and Elite XC very likely gets purchased by CBS. But instead, Shamrock re-opens a cut in his head and can't fight, and Petruzelli goes on to annihilate "Slice."

CBS is apparently very interested in airing MMA programming on their network, so there will no doubt be negotiations between the network and Affliction or the UFC (or both). The UFC will be asking for quite a bit more, but they do have the superior product.

A number of fighters from Elite XC, including Jake Shields, will likely end up in the UFC over the next few months.

The future for fighters such as Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and Gina Carano are much more murky.

Carano is becoming a major star, however Dana White has consistently stated that he doesn't want women fighters in his promotion. I would expect her to end up with the Affliction promotion, especially if they end up on the CBS network.

Ferguson will NOT go to the UFC (they wouldn't have him under any circumstances) and he likely won't go to Affliction. I see "Kimbo Slice" fighting on smaller regional shows, trying to regain some of his lost credibility.

All in all, this news is not a surprise. It just goes to show exactly how hard it is to run a successful mixed martial arts promotion. The UFC's near-monopoly is secure for a long time to come.

Source: Elite XC Down for the Count

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