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The parent company of the EliteXC mixed martial arts circuit is closing its doors for good, according to multiple reports.
Sherdog.com reported that according to T.J. Thompson, an executive at ProElite Inc., he was informed that the company would close for good this week and would file for bankruptcy protection. And Sports Illustrated, on its Web site, reported that ProElite told its employees and fighters on Monday that it was shutting down, effective immediately, according to multiple sources.
Sherdog also reported that according to numerous sources, an EliteXC card scheduled for Nov. 8 in Reno, Nev., has been canceled. According to the report, Joey Villasenor, who was scheduled to fight Robbie Lawler for the circuit's middleweight title on the card, was informed Monday it had been scrubbed.
ProElite did not return calls seeking comment, according to the reports.
Reports: EliteXC tells employees, fighters it's out of business....
Reports: EliteXC tells employees, fighters it's out of business
Hopkins dominates Pavlik in middleweight bout
By TOM CANAVAN
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Bernard Hopkins gave Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson and a first loss that he will never forget.
The 43-year-old Hopkins used lightning quick combinations and a cagey, near-perfect defense to embarrass and confuse Pavlik in a 12-round non-title bout Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.
Hopkins, who dominated the middleweight class for a decade, made the 26-year-old Pavlik — the WBC and WBO middleweight champion — look slow and powerless in fighting at 170 pounds, 10 pounds over his weight class.
"I think this was my best performance, better than (Antonio) Tarver, better than (Felix) Trinidad, better than Oscar (De La Hoya), better than my 21 defenses," Hopkins said. "I am extremely happy."
Hopkins received winning scores of 119-106 from judge Alan Rubenstein, 117-109 from Barbara Perez and 118-108 from Steve Weisfeld.
Hopkins dominates Pavlik in middleweight bout....
Questions persist about Kimbo Slice-Seth Petruzelli fight
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
The mixed martial arts world is abuzz by post-fight comments made by Seth Petruzelli, the little-known, last-minute replacement on CBS' national broadcast of Elite XC fights Saturday who needed only 14 seconds to knock out popular heavyweight Kimbo Slice.
On Monday, while speaking to a Florida radio station about his stunning victory over Elite XC's biggest star, Petruzelli said he was approached by promoters before the bout and encouraged to fight Slice standing up, rather than wrestling him to the mat. That would have played to the strength of Slice, a former street fighter famous for his fights shown on YouTube.
Questions persist about Kimbo Slice-Seth Petruzelli fight....
Petruzelli cuts through Slice in less than a round
By Franklin McNeil
SUNRISE, Fla. -- For the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, heavyweight Kimbo Slice tasted defeat. The loss, however, did not come against the man he was originally scheduled to face.
Ken Shamrock was unable to fight due to a cut over his left eye sustained during a workout earlier in the day. When Shamrock was deemed unfit to fight, Seth Petruzelli stepped in to replace him.
The decision turned out to be the right one for Petruzelli, who needed just 14 seconds to put a blemish on Slice's record. Petruzelli was scheduled to fight light heavyweight Aaron Rosa, but quickly accepted the shot at Slice.
Petruzelli cuts through Slice in less than a round....
Shamrock won't fight against Kimbo
by John Pollock, The Fight Network
Ken Shamrock will not be fighting on Saturday after being scheduled to face off against Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson in the Heavyweight main event in Sunrise, Fla.
Instead, Ferguson will fight Seth Petruzelli.
Shamrock won't fight against Kimbo....
