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.

Tickets for a spectacular live event, starting at $25, are available at Ticketmaster locations, by phone at (201) 507-8900, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Prudential Center box office (973) 757-6625. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. ET. The first live fight is at 6:30.

Among the East Coast favorites who will appear in undercard fights presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s live fight division, EliteXC, are Philadelphians Wilson Reis (3-0), Matt Makowski (2-0), Jim Bova (3-0) and Zach Makovsky (3-1), Chris “The Story” Liguori (7-7) of Middleton, N.J., James “Binky” Jones (6-6) of Baltimore, Md., Nick “The Mad Monkey” Serra (4-2) of East Meadow, N.Y., and Andre “Gigetto” Soares (5-1) of Pinebrook, N.J.

Four of the six announced prelim bouts will be streamed live and for free at ProElite.com. Fans also can watch pre- and post-fight interviews on ProElite.com.

“From top to bottom, this fight card is totally stacked,’’ EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw said. “I’m extremely proud of the fights we will be offering to those in the arena and those watching the undercard live on ProElite.com. All the fighters are matched tough.

“For some, this will be their opportunity to watch young, talented, promising fighters who they may not have had the opportunity to see before. It’s always exciting to witness and follow the emergence of new stars. And there are a lot of talented athletes on this show.’’

Kimbo Slice (2-0), Perrine, Fla., will be opposed by England’s James “Colossus’’ Thompson (10-8) in the main event of “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” on the CBS Television Network at 9-11 p.m. ET/PT.

In other televised fights, EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) of St. Louis, by way of Davenport, Iowa, will defend against Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (13-4) of Sacramento, Calif.; Gina Carano (5-0) of Las Vegas, Nev., faces Kaitlin Young (4-1) of Circle Pines, Minn., in a women’s fight at 140 pounds; Phil Baroni (10-9) of Long Island, N.Y., faces Joey Villasenor (25-6) of Albuquerque, N.M. in a 185-pound scrap and Brett Rogers (6-0) of Minneapolis throws down with Jon Murphy (4-2) of Minersville, Pa., in a heavyweight fight.

The Lawler-Smith fight is scheduled for five, 5-minute rounds. The others are slated for three, 5-minute sessions with the exception of Carano-Young, which is set for three, 3-minute rounds (See Fighter Pages below).

The crowd-pleasing Liguori is a one-time middleweight who now competes at 155-160. “I feel awesome at this weight,’’ he said. “I should have been a lightweight my whole career.’’

Liguori, who’s fought some good ones since turning pro in ‘02, will look to regain his winning ways against the promising Bova, who, like Liguori, signed recently with EliteXC.

Bova is a well-rounded fighter and awesome wrestler with excellent technical ability and a seemingly unlimited gas tank. He trains out of the same gym as Murphy in Minersville, Pa.

In his last start, Bova scored a 3:59, first-round submission (rear naked choke) over Mark Getto on Oct. 6, 2007. Bova has won all three of his fights by submission.

The popular Serra, the younger brother of Matt Serra and the second American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under world renowned Renzo Gracie, will be opposed by the up-and-coming Makowski in what will be a top-notch 170-pound scrap.

A submission specialist, all four of Serra’s victories have been via tap out. In his last start, he submitted (armbar) Mike Varner in the second round on June 23, 2007, at Atlantic City.

Serra, whose vast skills and unique style makes for crowd-pleasing scraps, is also known for entertaining cage entrances (he wears a Mad Monkey mask and throw bananas to the crowd). But don’t be fooled by the monkey business. Serra has never been submitted or knocked out, is supremely talented and has a fierce competitive spirit. “I’ll fight anybody,’’ he said.

Makowski, who compiled an outstanding record in Muay Thai, is fundamentally sound, possesses well-rounded skills, terrific cardio and always enters the ring well prepared.

In his most recent outing, the highly regarded Makowski showed a good ground game to go with his striking en route to registering an excellent 4:01, first-round submission (rear naked choke) over Muay Thai specialist Joe Schilling on Jan. 25, 2008, in Atlantic City.

Makowski has yet to be severely challenged in a pro, amateur or Muay Thai fight so it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

The 140-pound Reis, who takes on Justin Robbins, has been totally dominant in his brief career, always appearing to be a class or two above his opponent.

In a fight that got off to a wild start, Reis won his EliteXC debut with a second-round submission (rear naked choke) over Zach Makovsky on Jan. 25, 2008, in Atlantic City.

A fast-rising featherweight who possesses all the right tools, Reis is only 23 but already is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. The world class grappler made Makovsky, a former Division I wrestler and respectable prospect, look pedestrian in what was expected to be a close fight.

Robbins (8-3-1), of St. Louis, has won three of his last four, including an eye-opening 0:47, first-round submission (arm triangle choke) victory over Jeff Hodges on Jan. 26, 2008.

A submission fighter, Robbins holds notable wins over Matt Jaggers and Tristan Yunker.

No stranger to big cards, Jones is putting it together at the right time. He will be seeking his third consecutive victory when he meets unbeaten Calvin Kattar (3-0).

Jones won his last two starts by impressive first-round submission (kimoura). He needed 1:59 to devalue Al Buck on March 7, 2008. The previous Jan. 25 in Atlantic City, Jones won his EliteXC debut by dominating Mark Getto en route to dispatching him at 1:12.

A victory keeps Jones in the thick of what is one of EliteXC’s deepest divisions.

New Hampshire’s Kattar is an exciting, crowd-pleasing, talented wrestler who likes to ground and pound.

In preliminary bouts that will not be streamed at ProElite.com, Makovsky meets Soares at 135 pounds and Mike Groves (0-1) of Philadelphia and Joe Sampieri (0-2) of Manhattan, N.Y., clash in a battle of capable but winless fighters at 155.

Makovsky, who suffered his first loss, to Reis, in his last start, is a former Division I wrestler from Drexel University. His 72 victories rank 18th on the all-time Drexel win list.

Soares has won four in a row, all via first-round stoppage. A Brazilian who’s always ready to fight and brings an aggressive submission style attack to the cage, Soares scored a 0:19, first-round submission (guillotine choke) over Jason Spearman April 18, 2008, in Atlantic City.

The aggressive-minded Groves, who boasts a strong boxing and wrestling background, lost his debut by second-round TKO undefeated Pat McGreal in October 2007.

Sampieri, a Muay Thai coach at Renzo Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu academy in New York, is overdue for a win. He is obviously talented on his feet and is definitely overdue to win one.

The seven undercard fights are scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds.

For more on upcoming EliteXC events check out the MMAFrenzy.com rumors section.