I mentioned this last night on Any Given Saturday, but I’ll reiterate it again: as good as I think EliteXC’s show will be next Saturday, one has to acknowledge they’ve got their work cut out for them in light of how good last night’s UFC 84 event was. UFC 84 is almost everything one could hope for in an event minus a super stellar main event. The Penn vs. Sherk fight was very good, but it was no Rizzo vs. Couture. Sherk looked stoic and Penn looked brilliant, but the fight was quaffable, not transcendent.
And the UFC 84 event overall had quite a bit going for it: a title shot, exciting up and comers, international prospects, “The Ultimate Fighter” veterans, significance, contrasting styles, superstars, knockouts, submissions, and more. Even if the fights at “EliteXC: Primetime” are excellent fights, the significance of the event – aside from its status on CBS – isn’t nearly as meaningful as what we saw last night. Part of that isn’t their fault and more a product of their status as the new kid on the block. But Dana White has the ace in the hole here. He’s the one who can say to the press and curious new fans that his league is the one where there’s action and there’s action that matters.
Kimbo Slice had better deliver.
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