“People ask me if the fight should have been stopped at the end in the second round, I say YES because those are the rules, it should have been stopped because Kimbo didn’t do anything to improve his situation. But I think what made the ref NOT do it was the fact that Kimbo was giving his thumbs up the whole time to let the referee know that he was OK. This was the refs decission, not Kimbo’s.”

“El Guapo” also commented on Kimbo’s mistakes inside the cage, but still looks toward a bright future for the former Miami street fighter:

“He also didn’t close his guard a few times and he should have done that. In round two he had James in a guillotine choke but didn’t close his guard, that was too bad because Thompson escaped exactly how I showed Kimbo that you should escape when your opponent doesn’t close his guard, but you learn from your mistakes so that won’t happen again either.

…So I have to say that I am very happy with this fight and his performance and that this fight made him WAY stronger for next time. When you get caught in training by something, whether it’s a submission or strike, you learn from that, but there is nothing like learning it the hard way in a fight…They say “fatigue makes cowards out of man”, well, that wasn’t the case with Kimbo, he kept on fighting, his technique got less because of it and people will now judge him on that, but that’s OK, he will be a different kind of animal next time.”

Rutten closed by stressing that this was only Kimbo’s fourth MMA fight, and that he is still just a “little guy trying to learn the game.”

Key Men Demos Soar in Final 21 Minutes: 4.1 in Men 18-34, 4.0 in Men 18-49, 4.3 in Men 25-54

Ratings for the final 51 minutes of CBS’s inaugural CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS mixed martial arts broadcast (11:00-11:51 PM, ET/PT), which were unavailable Sunday, delivered an average audience of 6.12 million viewers, according to updated Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Saturday, May 31.

The audience peaked at 6.51 million viewers from 11:30-11:51 PM which featured the night’s main event—Kimbo Slice’s victory over James Thompson.

Among key men demographics, the broadcast peaked from 11:30-11:51 PM with a 4.1 rating in men 18-34, 4.0 rating in men 18-49 and 4.3 rating in men 25-54.

The addition of the final 51 minutes lifted ratings for the entire broadcast. CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS (S) (9:00-11:51 PM) delivered a 3.0/06 with 4.85m viewers, 2.2/07 in both adults 25-54 and adults 18-49, 2.3/09 in adults 18-34, 3.1/09 in men 25-54, 3.0/10 in men 18-49 and 3.2/12 in men 18-34. In the 9:00-11:00 PM time slot, CBS was first in the adults and men demographics, second in both households and viewers.

Compared to CBS’s 9:00-11:00 PM regularly scheduled programming on Saturday during the 2007-08 season, CBS was up +16% in adults 25-54 (from 1.9/05), +57% in adults 18-49 (from 1.4/04), +156% in adults 18-34 (from 0.9/03), +121% in men 25-54 (from 1.4/04), +173% in men 18-49 (from 1.1/03) and +357% in men 18-34 (from 0.7/03).

CBS also saw half-hour gains in viewers, adult and men demographics throughout the broadcast:

Adults Men     Adults Men     Adults  Men     Viewers

25-54   25-54   18-49   18-49   18-34   18-34

9 PM                1.4       1.9       1.4       1.9       1.5       2.1       3.38m

9:30 PM          1.6       2.2       1.6       2.2       1.7       2.4       3.66m

10 PM              2.2       3.0       2.1       2.6       2.1       3.0       4.68m

10:30 PM         2.6       3.6       2.5       3.5       2.7       3.8       5.53m

11 PM             2.8      3.8       2.6       3.6       2.7       3.8        5.84m

11:30 PM          3.1      4.3       3.0       4.0       3.1       4.1        6.51m

SHOWTIME will rebroadcast the event on Friday, June 13 (11:00 PM, ET/PT).

“My left cheek and area surrounding the eye are looking pretty ugly today, but there was no major damage. Though it may have looked like it on tv, I never actually had an open wound. What you didn’t see was that the doctor actually cleared me to fight the third round but the commission said ‘no.’ I wanted to continue, my corner wanted to continue. The cut likely would have opened in the third but it was under the eye.

If I had to guess, I would say that they didn’t want the visual of a woman with a bloody face on CBS. They also chose not to do a post fight interview with me or to include me in the post fight news conference and after party. I think the reason for that was my beat up appearance after the fight because I was not seriously injured and was completely coherent. I am very disappointed about that but cant help but wonder how people would have responded to that, as stupid as it is.”

All I have to say is, I knew it. But its not like I’m the only one. Of course you have to imagine most anybody watching that bout found it funny that there was no post fight with the “injured” Young, or mention of what specifically the doctors concern was over her. If airing MMA on CBS means manipulating outcomes just to keep pretty faces and marketing figures on the screen, then they might as well just call it professional wrestling and ditch the MMA concept all together. If EliteXC continues to air on CBS, I can only hope that they learn from their mistakes and mishandling of a now tainted product.

At this point in time it’s rather safe to say EliteXC and MMA proved its worth on Saturday and, despite controversial finishes and questionable production, earned more network television time. The promotion’s next network television event is expected to take place in the late-summer or early-fall. A rematch from Saturday’s event, a championship bout between title-holder Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith which ended in a no contest, will likely headline the fight card while Kimbo Slice would likely also be in action at the event.

The complete press release announcing the impressive ratings is after the jump…

THE INAUGURAL “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT LEADS THE NETWORK TO DEMOGRAPHIC VICTORY AND SIGNIFICANT TIME PERIOD GROWTH

CBS Places First in Key Young Adult and Men Demographics with Triple Digit Percentage Increases Versus the Network’s Season Average on Saturday

National Ratings for the Highest Rated Part of the Broadcast—Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson —which Did Not Air Until 11:30 PM, Will Not be Available Until Tuesday

Local Markets Show Ratings Surge in Final Quarter-Hour

The inaugural CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS mixed martial arts event, live from Newark N.J., led the Network to demographic victory and significant time period growth among all key young adult and young men demographics from 9:00-11:00 PM, according to preliminary Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Saturday, May 31.

The 9:00-11:00PM portion of CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS (2.7/05, 4.30m) was first in adults 25-54 (1.9/06), adults 18-49 (1.9/06), adults 18-34 (1.9/07), men 25-54 (2.6/08), men 18-49 (2.5/08) and men 18-34 (2.6/10).

Editors Note: Preliminary national ratings for Saturday night only include the 9:00-11:00 PM prime time portion of the broadcast and do not include the highest rated part of the telecast–Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson–which didn’t air until 11:30 PM. Full program ratings will not be available until Tuesday.

Also, CBS programming was pre-empted in approximately 5% of the country due to coverage of the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon.

The broadcast posted increases in every half-hour in key adult and men demographics:

Adults  Men     Adults  Men     Adults  Men

18-34   18-34   18-49   18-49   25-54   25-54

9PM                1.4       1.7       1.4       1.7       1.5       1.8

9:30PM           1.5       2.1       1.6       2.0       1.6       2.2

10PM              2.1       3.0       2.1       2.8       2.1       2.9

1030PM          2.5       3.6       2.4       3.4       2.5       3.4

Compared to the 9:00-11:00PM regularly scheduled programming during the 2007-08 season, CBS was up +36% in adults 18-49 (from 1.4/04), +111% in adults 18-34 (from 0.9/03), +86% in men 25-54 (from 1.4/04), +127% in men 18-49 (from 1.1/03), +271% in men 18-34 (from 0.7/03).

In the 54 metered local markets, the broadcast gained in every half-hour, beginning with a 2.4/5 from 9:00-9:30 PM and peaking at a 4.7/10 from 11:30-11:45 PM during the Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson main event.

Half-hour by half-hour ratings in the 54 metered markets.

• 9:00-9:30PM – 2.4 / 5
• 9:30-10:00PM – 2.5 / 5
• 10:00-10:30PM – 3.2 / 6
• 10:30-11:00PM – 3.7 / 7
• 11:00 – 11:30PM – 4.0 / 8
• 11:30 – 11:45PM – 4.7 / 10

The Top 10 markets from 11:30-11:45 PM (featuring Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson)

1. Oklahoma City/KWTV 11.1/18
2. Nashville/WTVF 10.3/19
3. New Orleans/WWL 9.7/15
4. Memphis/WREG 8.4/14
5. Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville/WSPA 8.0/15
6. Las Vegas/KLAS 7.5/15
7. Tulsa/KOTV 7.3/13
8. Miami/WFOR 7.3/12
9. Los Angeles/KCBS 7.2/17
10. St Louis/KMOV 7.1/13

SHOWTIME will rebroadcast last night’s event on Friday, June 13 (11:00 PM, ET/PT).

The thing is, in mixed martial arts you have to let fighters take a bit of damage before calling the fight. Gees that sounds barbaric and awful. But its really not, and even the most noob of MMA aficionados knows it- because that is just how the sport is played. Regardless of who is watching and what they might think, the nature of the MMA beast cannot be tampered with without having some serious backlash from all avenues of the fight community. In my opinion, all televised bouts save for maybe Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor were absolutely stopped prematurely. Was a fix in? Doubtful. But were the referees (cough Dan Miragliotta cough) instructed to step in before anything too gory or “morally horrifying” could happen? Oh yes. That is my contention and I’m sticking to it after watching the broadcast over and over again on my DVR.

The most suspicious of matches stopped last night was the heavyweight headliner Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson. The question I now ask is, was the bout stopped simply because Thompson’s ear looked uncomfortably sanguinary for network America? Or because EliteXC (Gary Shaw, cough) really did attempt to do everything possible short of a fix to help Kimbo cruise back into victory lane.

First, let me just state that I would never suggest that MMA get taken off of network airwaves. It’s such a huge step in the right direction for the sport and I will always be there to watch (or at least DVR) some free mixed martial arts. That being said, here is my official like/dislike list for EliteXC-CBS Saturday Night Fights.

Dislike: Frank Shamrock, who was very good during the fight commentary, seemed very awkward and robot-like when talking into the camera. At some point I was expecting him to say “I am currently reading copy from a tele-prompter, please look at my face.”

Dislike: Mauro Ranallo. I know Mauro has over a decade of MMA calling under his belt, but it doesn’t make his antics any more tolerable. Occasionally I will get a kick out of a Mauro zinger, but generally I think he either needs to tone it down or go back to calling professional wrestling.

Dislike: The gratuitous dancers. Yes, EliteXC, they are hot and it always helps to have eye candy when your audience is primarily male ages 16-34. However these ladies bring little, if nothing to the entertainment table and are still an unnecessary feature. Why not save the money you would spend on the dancers and maybe next year you wont have to file for bankruptcy.

Dislike: The ongoing mention of the phrase “This is Mixed Martial Arts” or “Well this is MMA you know.” We get it. There just might be some people out there watching who do not know what MMA is all about, and they just might not understand as much about the sport as some. But to keep stating “well, this is MMA” after every takedown or submission attempt is just annoying. When I watch football I don’t hear John Madden chime in after someone intercepts a pass “Well this is football you know, anything can happen Pat!”

Dislike: From a broadcast angle, I did not enjoy the two commercial breaks I was forced to endure before finally getting to the fights. I think CBS spent a little too much time introducing the show while forgetting that above all else, viewers are tuning in to watch fights. Not packages or montages, but fights. Lets keep them the focus of the program.

Dislike: Gus Johnson did not speak with the loser in certain bouts, namely Kaitlin Young or James Thompson. What in the world is that about? Would it not be helpful to get their take on the fight? I mean gee whiz, Thompson looked awfully sour and even took a semi-shot at the referee upon the stoppage, don’t you think we might want to hear what he has to say? Especially since Kimbo was gassed out and could hardly mutter a word with Gus. Give me a break.

Like: I found it very cool that on national television, the announcing team had no issue liberally mentioning the UFC or fighters in the UFC. See Dana, its not the worst thing in the world to acknowledge that another brand exists.

Like: Gus Johnson. Thank the lord, Bill Goldberg was replaced by someone competent for the big show. Johnson was spot on and did not seem to show much weakness regarding MMA knowledge. Way to go, Gus.

Like: Not breaking for commercial between rounds. Definitely a smart move, I don’t think I have to explain how annoying it is to have to sit through ad’s for second rate local MMA schools when I’m trying to watch a real MMA fight.

Like: The pre-fight packages. They look to have some legitimate production value and I enjoyed the little sparring sequences thrown in.

Like: Though it definitely felt a bit cheesy, I still liked how Gary Shaw got on the mic and stated that both Smith and Lawler would be getting their fight bonuses. Smart move on Shaw’s part to help create a positive public image of himself.

The fights:

I will try to keep this brief. As I said earlier I think almost all of the fights were questionably stopped, starting with:

Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy

Rogers put Murphy to the canvas but was not given the opportunity to go in for the kill. Was Murphy completely K.O.’d when he fell? Perhaps, but…

Of course it’s doubtful, but Murphy could have caught Rogers in a submission from the bottom if in fact Rogers were allowed to continue attacking. Yes it is extremely unlikely, but that’s what those extra seconds are for. Look at a few of Minotauro Nogueira’s fights. How many times has he looked to be down for the count before going on to survive a decision or even secure a sub?

Joey Villasenor vs. Phil Baroni

Probably the least questionable bout of the evening. However once again I feel that Baroni should have been given a few more seconds to try to defend himself. Yes, Villasenor was brutalizing Baroni but lets let the man lose without a doubt, okay? Is that too much to ask? I’m all for fighters safety but in the words of Frank and Mauro “This is Mixed Martial Arts People!”

Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young

Carano probably would have won her fight as well even if it weren’t stopped after the second round. BUT, what about this fight stopping cut of Kaitlin Young’s? Was it not responding to coagulant? Was it obstructing an eye? Did Kaitlin herself say that she could not continue? Because to me the cut looked okay and Kaitlin seemed game. Of course it’s difficult to tell since the camera did not show any footage of Young’s face once the bout was called, nor was she spoken to in the post fight. Maybe CBS just didn’t want a female fighter to continue and look a mess, even though she would be willing to do so. I give credit to Gina for kicking ass, but her victory is still just a bit tainted in my opinion. I’m also kind of waiting for Kaitlin Young to come out and say that the stop was B.S.

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith-middleweight championship bout

Why was this fight not the main event? I don’t know. Okay I do, and that’s because of the attraction that is Kimbo Slice which EliteXC feels the need to spotlight. But I still disagree with not making Lawler-Smith the main event since they were the only championship fight on the card, not to mention that Smith and Lawler are much better fighters than Slice and Thompson.

As for the stop, well you can almost blame Scott Smith for not lying to the doctor, and twice stating that he could not see out of his right eye. Scott assumed he would get the five minutes to regain some vision, and was painfully denied. So what did happen to the five minute to recovery rule? Is that no longer in play? All I can say is way to delay another title fight and disappoint fans, EliteXC.

Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson

What did we learn from this fight? Well for one, Kimbo Slice is not the wrecking machine some would have you believe he is. Kimbo is in fact highly inexperienced and seriously susceptible to cardio crash. James Thompson proved that even if you aren’t that great of a fighter in general, if you are bigger and can get Kimbo to the ground, you can keep him there and hurt him.

I am going to come right out and say it. James Thompson got robbed. Not so much when the fight was called, but when he was forced to stand up from the ground position where he had Slice. I couldn’t believe referee Dan Miragliotta actually stated twice “nothing happening, I’m going to stand you up.” Whoa there Dan, but there was actually a hell of a lot happening, and you know it. Problem is the guy EliteXC wanted to win was on the receiving end of some ground and pound and likely would not have survived very long in that position. Inside any other cage or ring in the world, and Thompson would have been allowed to continue his ground domination of Kimbo…but not on Saturday night. Now Kimbo was able to roll out and reverse once or twice, but as soon as he started to get winded and battered there was no way he was going to shake off Thompson’s top control.

As for the end of the fight, I couldn’t agree more with those who think Kimbo didn’t earn the victory. Sure Thompson could have been out on his feet after absorbing those unanswered Kimbo blows, and sure his ear looked about ready to fall off. Problem is Thompson was still standing, moving, and willing to engage.

Bottom line: Thompson still had some fight left in him when the fight was stopped. Not to mention that Kimbo was gassing so hard by this point that his punches weren’t landing nearly as hard as they were in the beginning of the fight. Would Kimbo have knocked Thompson to the canvas if Miragliotta didn’t step in when he did? Once again it’s entirely possible, but because we were not able to find out what could have been if only a few more moments were allowed to pass, the victory remains far from cemented for one Kimbo Slice.

The Final Word:

Kimbo truly was broken last night. He gassed, got outclassed on the ground, and was proven to be a fighter with much to learn, as he did humbly state in the post fight. Try as they might, I don’t think EliteXC will be able to cover the fact that Kimbo got pretty much beat down by a not so great mixed martial artist. I truly believe that Kimbo has the potential to be a great fighter, but that doesn’t mean that EliteXC should tailor-make victories for him either. Good effort Kimbo, shame on you EliteXC.

In the main event, former internet street fighter turned mixed martial artist Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson was tested by journeyman James “The Colossus” Thompson but secured his third professional victory via a controversial early third-round technical knockout. Slice battered his opponent with several powerful combinations in their opening frames but Thompson was ahead on the majority of the judges’ scorecards heading into the final round after taking Slice down multiple times and pounding on the popular, albeit controversial, heavyweight.

After narrowly surviving the opening rounds, in which he was thoroughly tested on the ground, Slice bloodied his opponents ear before connecting with a series of blows that referee Dan Miragliotta deemed enough to halt the bout in favor of Ferguson. Thompson, who was never dropped to the canvas during the series of blows, showed his frustrations with the decision by pushing Miragliotta away while Slice, winded, recovered while laying on the mat. Replays of the controversial stoppage showed Slice landing a series of unanswered blows that sent Thomson staggering when the fight was called, though many wonder why Slice wasn’t given the opportunity to finish off his foe.

The co-main event EliteXC middleweight championship bout between current champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Scott Smith ended in a no contest after Lawler accidentally eye gouged Smith during an exchange. Because it was a championship fight and had not gone three complete rounds an judge’s decision could not be rendered and the fight was declared a no contest. The first-ever network MMA championship bout appeared to be history in the making. Lawler won round one of the back-and-forth bout with agressive striking that nearly finished off his opponent. After recovering between rounds, the pair fought a memorable stand-up second round that appeared to be mere moments away from being stopped in both fighter’s favor on multiple occasions. The bloodied pair were patched up between rounds and went toe-to-toe to start the third but Lawler accidentally poked Smith in the eye midway through the round and the fight was halted.

A doctor examined Smith’s injury and declared him unable to continue, ruling the championship bout a no contest. Smith protested the ruling, stating he wanted the full five minutes typically granted to recover from accidental injuries but it was not be had and the first-ever network MMA title fight was over in very controversial fashion.

Both fighters expressed their disappointment in the ruling and praised the other’s performance during the post-fight interview while EliteXC President Gary Shaw announced that the pair would immediately rematch, likely at EliteXC’s next CBS show later this year, and that both would be receiving their win bonus.

In the night’s only female MMA fight, the face of women’s MMA, Gina Carano, emerged victorious over Kaitlin Young despite failing to make weight one day earlier and having little time to prepare for the main card bout. The pair fought a closely-contested opening round before the still-undefeated Carano battered Young for the better part of the second before attempting to finish her off via rear naked choke just before the bell. Though Carono couldn’t finish her opponent with the submission the doctor quickly called the fight due to a likely broken nose and swollen eye suffered by Young.

In other main card action “The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni was quickly defeated via first-round TKO by Joey Villasenor while Brett Rogers opened up the televised main card with an early first round TKO of Jon Murphy.

At the post fight press conference, Rogers heavily criticized Slice’s performance in the main event which resulted in an altercation between the pair that nearly turned physical. Though the situation was eventually resolved a Slice-Rogers matchup could be part of EliteXC’s next network television broadcast later this year.

Though the debut event opened with the fireworks many had hoped for, it will be the controversial finishes to many of the main card fights that will live on as the legacy of the sport’s first ever network television event.

ELITEXC “PRIMETIME” OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Kimbo Slice def. James Thompson via TKO – Round 3, 0:38
• Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith – No Contest
  EliteXC Middleweight Championship
• Gina Carano def. Kaitlin Young via TKO – Round 2, 5:00
• Joey Villasenor def. Phil Baroni via TKO – Round 1, 1:11
• Brett Rogers def. Jon Murphy via TKO – Round 1, 1:01
• Chris Liguori def. Jim Bova via TKO – Round 2, 4:31
• Carlton Haselrig def. Carlos Moreno via TKO – Round 1, 5:00
• Matt Makowski def. Nick Serra via TKO – Round 2, 3:57
• Wilson Reis def. Justin Robbins via submission – Round 1, 4:06
• James Jones def. Calvin Kattar via submission – Round 1, 4:49
• Zach Makovsky def. Andre Soares via unanimous decision

* – Lawler-Smith was ruled a no contest due an accidental eye gouge by Lawler. Because it was a championship bout and it had not gone three rounds a judge’s decision could not be rendered and thus the bout was ruled a no contest and Lawler retained the EliteXC middleweight title. Gary Shaw announced after the decision was rendered that Lawler and Smith will rematch for the title at a future event and, due to their performances and the controversial ending, both fighters will receive their win bonuses.

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MMAFrenzy.com will have live results of the main card beginning at 9pm ET so stop by tomorrow evening for a night of commentary and discussion.

The weigh-ins went off without a problem except for one notable exception: The most popular fighter in women’s MMA, Gina Carano, failed to make weight for her main card bout against Kaitlin Young. Instead of Carano attempting to drop the additional weight, a portion of her fight purse will be given to Young and the bout will continue as scheduled.

Don’t forget to stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow for LIVE EliteXC “Primetime” coverage.

OFFICIAL ELITEXC “PRIMETIME” WEIGH-IN RESULTS

• HWT: Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (235.5) vs. James Thompson (257)
• 185: Champion Robbie Lawler (184.5) vs. Scott Smith (184.5)
  EliteXC Middleweight Championship
• 140: Gina Carano (144.5) vs. Kaitlin Young (140.5)
• 185: Phil Baroni (185) vs. Joey Villasenor (184.5)
• HWT: Jon Murphy (260.5) vs. Brett Rogers (263.5)
• HWT: Carlton Haselrig (263) vs. Carlos Moreno (261)
• 160: Jim Bova (160.5) vs. Chris Liguori (161)
• 170: Matt Makowski (171) vs. Nick Serra (167)
• 140: Wilson Reis (140.5) vs. Justin Robbins (140.5)
• 155: James “Binky” Jones (154.5) vs. Calvin Kattar (155.5)
• 135: Zach Makovsky (135) vs. Andre Soares (134)
• 135: Mike Groves (154) vs. Joe Sampieri (155)