Canadian David Loiseau front and centre on new Elite XC MMA circuit
Published: Friday, February 9, 2007 | 7:00 PM ET
Canadian Press: NEIL DAVIDSON
(CP) - A new mixed martial arts circuit debuts Saturday night as the EliteXC Destiny card takes place in Southaven, Miss., with Montreal middleweight David (The Crow) Loiseau on the card and Frank Shamrock-Renzo Gracie headlining.
Elite Xtreme Combat shows will air on Showtime in the U.S. and The Fight Network in Canada (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET).
In departures from the MMA norm, Elite is showing five undercard bouts for free over the Internet (www.ProElite.com, 7 p.m. ET). Plus there is a women's fight on the card, pitting Gina (Conviction) Carano against Julie Kedzie.
Elite XC president Gary Shaw, a veteran boxing promoter, expects a crowd of some 7,000 at the DeSoto Civic Center, home of the Central Hockey League's Memphis RiverKings, for the 10-fight card.
Shaw says a new player on the MMA scene can only help the sport.
"In the end the fan will be the winner," he said Friday from Southaven.
"It's like if you go to Burger King and that's your favourite, you shouldn't be upset that McDonald's is across the street. It's going to keep Burger King on its toes. . . . I just think it's an absolute win-win for the fans - and the fighters, because now they have somewhere else to go and sell their trade."
It's worked for Loiseau, who fought for the UFC title last March only to have his UFC contract cancelled one fight later.
Elite has a three-year deal with Showtime and Shaw expects to put on six cards this year, eight to 10 in 2008 and 10 to 14 in 2009.
Fighters will be signed to multiple-fight contracts, but Shaw says they will allowed to compete on other circuits as long as Elite approves their choice of opponents.
Asked if other organizations will free up their fighters in the same manner, Shaw replied: "Probably not, but I would hope so."
Gracie is coming off a Dec. 29 win in the International Fight League over Canadian Carlos Newton.
In other action, Loiseau takes on Joey Villasenor and hard-headed heavyweight Wesley (Cabbage) Correira meets Antonio Silva
The rules are the same as the UFC, although the action takes place in a round cage rather than the Octagon. The only difference is referees will issue a warning if fighters are inactive on the ground and then give them 15 seconds to get busy or else he'll stand them up.
Shaw says MMA is appealing to a generation that grew up with computers, the Internet and video games.
"This is like a live Mortal Kombat," he said.
Shaw says his wife is one of the many women who have been caught up in watching MMA.
"I do a lot of fights on TV and sometimes she doesn't even watch me," he said.
He also believes women's MMA will catch on, explaining both women on his card are easy on the eyes and "both can really fight."
"It could steal the show," he said.
"For men, who obviously like to look at pretty women, it's a win-win. And for women who like to be represented by women, this is a win-win."
Carano is the daughter of Glenn Carano, who was backup to Roger Staubach and Danny White on the Dallas Cowboys from 1977 to 1983. He also played in the USFL and later served on the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Shaw said he chose Southaven because he had promoted fights like Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis in Memphis, just 15 minutes away. MMA is not sanctioned in Tennessee.
Commentary will be handled by Canadian Mauro Ranallo, a veteran of announcing Pride MMA shows, former pro wrestler Bill Goldberg and Jay Glazer, who works on Fox NFL broadcasts.
Notes: Elite's next card is slated for May 5. Shaw says Elite XC may hold a title fight either then or the card after ... UFC light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz is set to make an appearance in next Friday's episode of NUMB3RS on CBS. Ortiz plays an MMA fighter.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
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