DeLuca:
Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for joining.
Really appreciate it. On the heels of, in our opinion, a
very, very successful primetime premiere (May 31 on
CBS), we’re all excited. We wanted to follow right up,
keep the momentum going and come back with another
fantastic mixed martial arts card. I want to thank all
of our athletes who I think are some of the best in the
world. As always, our EliteXC fight team has put
together a world-class card. We have two title fights
that night (on CBS, and a third title fight on
SHOWTIME). We have Nick Diaz against Thomas Denny. We
also come back also with a great female fight (between
Shayna Baszler and Cris Cyborg). So everyone can see
that we're committed to standing behind female MMA.
One of the other
things we're going to do on July 26 that is going to be
a first is that we are going from a lead‑in on SHOWTIME
to CBS. Actually, I wouldn't call it a prefight; it's a
main card on SHOWTIME. MMA fans are getting three hours
of unbelievable fight action that night. This will be
the first time an MMA card goes from an hour on premium
cable right into two hours on primetime network
television. We're excited again about pulling off
another first for EliteXC.
I think it's
important to thank the city of Stockton and The Stockton
Arena. We picked Stockton because it is a great MMA town
and turns out some great MMA fighters. Three of the guys
on the card are either local or in close proximity. You
have Nick Diaz, a Stockton guy, Jake Shields, who is not
too far away in San Francisco and Scott Smith, who lives
near Sacramento. We're expecting a great turnout for,
like I said, a great evening of MMA. The Stockton Arena
is brand‑new, absolutely beautiful. Those in attendance
are in for an exciting evening.
Again, thanks to
all the press on this call. Thanks to all the athletes
for being here. To the press, I want you to know that we
at EliteXC, myself included, are always here for you.
We're a phone call away. Any questions, we're at your
disposal. Thanks for the interest.
Lappen:
Hello, everybody and thank you for being on the call.
I'm going to walk you through the television fights for
the card very quickly, then turn it over to the
fighters, which is the reason for this call.
Starting with the
SHOWTIME bouts, the first bout will be Wilson Reis
against Brian Caraway at 140 pounds. To give you a
little background, Caraway has won seven straight
fights. He actually just won a fight a few weeks ago, on
a Strikeforce card. He's going against Reis, an
undefeated fighter out of Philadelphia, who EliteXC is
very excited about. We believe Wilson is arguably the
best fighter in the world at 140 pounds. He'll be making
his SHOWTIME debut. He's fought on some of our
undercards and just destroyed his opponents. He's got a
tough opponent in Brian, so it should be a great fight.
The second fight
is Rafael Feijao against Travis Galbraith at the
205-pound weight limit. Travis has won four fights in a
row and is the King of the Cage Canadian champion. He is
fighting a guy in Feijao who is, again, another guy who
we would put up against anybody in the world. Feijao is
6‑1. His only loss came when he up‑kicked a guy and was
disqualified for it. He comes out of a camp with
Antonio Nogueira and Anderson Silva. He's just been
devastating everybody we've put him in front of.
Actually we had a very hard time finding an opponent for
him for this fight. Travis was gracious enough to step
up and brave enough to step up. It should be a great
match. But there were a number of fighters we went after
who turned down the fight because they didn't want to
face Feijao.
In the main event
of the SHOWTIME portion of the card, we are having our
first EliteXC heavyweight title fight with Antonio "Big
Foot" Silva taking on Justin Eilers.
We have been
promoting Antonio for a while now as the person that we
think is the best in the world at heavyweight. But he's
got a very, very tough test in Justin Eilers. Justin has
won 10 of his last 11 fights, his only loss coming in a
decision loss to Pedro Rizzo.
The CBS card will
open with Shayna Baszler against Cris Cyborg at 140
pounds. For Shayna, this will be her fourth appearance
for us. She’s fought three previous times on SHOWTIME
and finished off her opponents in the first round every
time. But she's got a very, very, very tough competitor
-- somebody we're very excited about -- Cris Cyborg out
of Brazil. If you haven’t seen her, you're in for a
treat. Cris is one of the most powerful, vicious and
aggressive female fighters in the world. This should be
really, really interesting and should set up very nicely
the winner of this hopefully getting a title shot down
the road.
The main event on
CBS is "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler against Scott "Hands of
Steel" Smith. This is the rematch from our last CBS
event. That fight was an epic fight, turning into one
of the greatest fights ever until it was stopped
prematurely because of a poke in the eye. We wanted to
bring it back and both guys were very excited to redo it
and finally settle the score.
We also have Nick
Diaz taking on Thomas Denny at 160 pounds. Nick is
trying to work his way to get his rematch with EliteXC
lightweight champion KJ Noons. This is a huge step for
Thomas, but he is finally getting his big shot – and on
CBS. This is a fight these guys have been wanting for a
long time. It should be a great one.
Then, for the
EliteXC welterweight title, we have Jake Shields against
Nick Thompson. Nick has won 20 of his last 21 fights,
including 12 in a row. He was the Bodog 170-pound champ
and has been on a terror of late. Jake, who hasn't lost
in almost four years, has won nine in a row and is
ranked in the top five in the world on most ranking
systems. Jake has fought for us numerous times.
Basically we have yet to find anybody that can take Jake
out of the first round. This should be a great battle
between two of the top 170-pounders in the world. We're
very, very, very proud to have this matchup for the
first-ever EliteXC welterweight belt.
Question:
Jake, what are your thoughts on finally getting a shot
at a world title? How is training going? How are you
physically?
Shields:
I couldn't be more excited about this right now. I
think it's awesome. I've been fighting for over eight
years. To finally be fighting for a world title on CBS
is just phenomenal to me. As far as training, I'm in
great shape. I feel the best I've ever felt. I had an
injury (lower back) that messed me up, (but it) got me
more motivated than ever. My training camp is going
great. I'm glad to be fighting in Stockton, which is
only an hour and a half from my hometown. I feel super
excited about my opponent. I'm more excited to be
fighting Nick than Drew Fickett. Unfortunately, that
fell apart. Nick is just somebody I've wanted to fight
for a while. I know he’s wanted to fight me. It's a
perfect time for us to fight, go out there and make this
a true world title fight.
Question:
Nick, what are your thoughts going in?
Thompson: I
basically feel the same way as Jake. Fighting for a
title is only as good as the competition within the
organization. Jake is one of the best in the world. I
feel I'm one of the best in the world. So I'm honored to
fight him for the title. For it to be on CBS is just
icing on the cake. We're both very technical fighters
who are going to show the world what mixed martial arts
is truly about.
Question:
Nick, aren't you following up this fight with your bar
exam?
Thompson:
Two days later I take the bar exam.
DeLuca:
We'll see what happens on both. We're excited to see
you guys fight. Thomas, do you want to say a few words
to everyone?
Denny:
I'd like to give a big thanks to Terry Trebilcock,
Jeremy and J.T. Steele. These guys have all been working
really hard, have always believed in me and brought me
into EliteXC. Man, I'm excited. Nick and I were supposed
to fight three or four times but it just never
materialized -- whether the shows fell apart, the money
wasn’t right, whatever it was. I'm going to fight him
in his own hometown, finally getting to bang and scrap
it out with him. Thanks for the opportunity, guys.
Question:
Jake, do you look at this as sort of home fight for
you? The last time you fought in Stockton was when you
were there for the state wrestling tournament.
Shields:
I definitely think of this as a home fight. I mean,
Stockton is not my exact home, but (it is) pretty much.
Anywhere in northern California is pretty much like
fighting at home. I grew up an hour and a half from
Stockton, in Calaveras and wrestled the state meet in
Stockton. Now I'm an hour and a half the other
direction in San Francisco. I go there, train with the
Diaz boys. It's pretty much ‑‑ I definitely think this
as a home fight for me.
Question:
Do you think that's any advantage? Your dad (Jack)
said most of the town of Mountain Ranch will probably
pack up and head down there.
Shields:
Is it an advantage? I don't know, maybe a small
one. It's always good to be home. I'm used to fighting
away, like in Japan. So it's one of those things; it's
an advantage, but a very small one.
Question:
Jake, do you feel there are distractions because this
is a home game for you?
Shields:
Yeah, exactly. It almost could be looked at as a
negative, too, having all my friends, family, everyone
calling, trying to get tickets, having me arrange
things, helping. I almost prefer taking off and
disappearing. But it is nice to have everyone get to
watch, too.
Question:
You're saying tell everyone to leave you alone?
Shields:
Exactly. Any of my friends listening to the call,
leave me alone. That's not going to happen, though,
'cause all the ones listening to this would already know
that (laughter).
Question:
Doug, what is Gary Shaw's status with this company? Is
July 26 the last show he has with EliteXC?
DeLuca:
I was waiting for one of those questions and the
opportunity to set the record straight. Gary is still
very involved with ProElite. Gary and our team from day
one at ProElite basically took MMA at our company from
ground zero to a huge network success. So, Gary's got a
lot to be proud of in the MMA world. In the process of
doing it, as you can imagine, Gary being from the East
Coast and we being a West Coast company, took a lot of
time from Gary. He was traveling non‑stop. It took a
toll on his boxing business, which is very successful
and it took a toll on his family. To some degree, it
took a toll on his health. We collectively made the
decision that Gary was going to back off a little bit,
kind of take a little bit of a relaxed role as far as
being involved front and center, which is a good thing
for all those three things, for his health, for his
boxing business, and for his family. But Gary is still
very much involved and I still talk to him almost every
day. He's still there. Gary's interest still lies in
EliteXC and ProElite, making it a top organization in
the world. That's the status with Gary.
Question:
Doug, in what capacity is he now working with
EliteXC?
DeLuca:
Gary is still, like I said, majorly involved. I would
say he's more or less consulting in terms of all his
promoter abilities, all his contacts and everything Gary
does. So Gary is kind of behind the scenes with us, kind
of shaping the direction of the company, the way it's
going, pulling the strings in terms of how we're going
to promote, what we're going to do. Again, his
involvement is very much similar to what it's always
been. The difference is, he's not going to be front and
center, doing all the time‑consuming stuff that he's
done in the past.
Question:
Jake and Nick, how do the win streaks impact a fight?
For example, is there additional pressure or how does
that play out?
Shields:
I think it just gives us both extreme confidence.
When you're on a winning streak like I'm on, I just feel
completely confident and unbeatable. I've been running
through people. I mean, I'll let Nick speak for
himself, but I have the feeling he feels the same. We're
two fighters going in there confident, at the top of our
games. Neither one of us feels like we can lose right
now.
Thompson: I
don't really have much else to add, other than what Jake
said. I think for younger guys, winning streaks can be
difficult because if they get in adversity, they're not
used to it. But Jake and I are both veteran fighters.
We're used to adversity and we're also used to winning.
Shields:
We fight good fighters, too. We're not just on these
winning streaks versus no one, which is a big
difference.
Question:
Thomas, what does it mean to you to be on CBS? Could
you explain that feeling?
Denny:
It feels awesome. Obviously it's the biggest stage
I've been on. I've been fighting in this game for nine
years, busting my hump, raising a family and having a
gym and everything else that I do. This is just a real
huge opportunity. I'm glad to be a part of it. It's been
a long time coming.
Question:
Thomas, what is your biggest concern with Nick?
Denny:
My biggest concern with Nick? His hard head
(laughter). The guy, he takes a beating, you know what
I mean? He's a real durable guy. He doesn't care if
he's bleeding and bloody and swollen, he just keeps
coming. I think it's going to make for a really good
fight.
Question:
Thomas, there were some comments attributed to you
regarding Nick's inability to make weight in his last
fights. Do you think fighters feel too much pressure to
fight when their opponent doesn't make weight?
Denny:
I don't know if they feel too much pressure. But, I
mean, it's the rules, man. Rules are rules. They're
meant to be followed. If you sign a contract that says
you're going to weigh 160, you should come in at 160,
not 169. So, I don't know, I just think it's
unprofessional.
Question:
Thomas, what do you think a win over Nick Diaz right
now does for your career?
Denny:
It shoots me to the top, man and hopefully sets me
up for a fight against KJ or Yves (Edwards). I would
love to fight KJ for the belt. That's a lot to ask for.
But, hopefully, I go out and shine like I feel like I
should and maybe I'll get recognized enough to get the
title shot.
Question:
Jake, why did you pick Nick for this fight? Do you
feel your styles match up to make for an exciting fight
and why?
Shields:
Well, I didn't necessarily pick Nick. But I
definitely wanted Nick Thompson because I just felt like
he's at the top of his game and I'm looking to fight the
best. (Plus, he) was quoted saying he wanted to fight
me. Do I think it's an exciting fight? Definitely. We're
both well-rounded. I know I'm going to come out at
Nick, and Nick is going to come at me. Neither one of us
are going to go out and dance around, try to win a
decision. I'm going to go out there and try to finish
him. I know he's going to do the same. I think it
should be a really exciting fight.
Question:
Nick, how are you able to juggle training for a world
title fight and studying for a bar exam?
Thompson:
Very carefully (laughter). I get up in the morning
about 6. I'm at the gym at 6 doing my strength and
conditioning. Then I go straight to class. Then it's
back to the gym. I've got a little break room there. I
study for a couple hours, train again, go home and study
some more.
Question:
Is there a way you can compare what being an MMA
fighter is and becoming a lawyer?
Thompson:
You know, I think there's a lot more similarities than
most people would expect. Just because both of them are
technical chess matches. One, you're using your body,
the other you're using rhetoric. But in either case,
you're picking out a strategy and trying to beat your
opponent (like in a) chess match.
Question:
Jake, what is a normal training day like? Have you
changed it up for this title fight?
Shields:
Normal training day? I mean, my days vary a little
bit depending on the day of the week. But, usually, my
first training session is at 11 or 12. I spar, five,
five‑minute rounds with big gloves, and then I grapple
(for) like 30 minutes. Then I'll go take a little break,
then I'll come back and do either strength and
conditioning or pad work. If I have energy, depending on
how I'm feeling, I'll go hit a run. If I'm too
exhausted, I'll just wait for the last day.
Question:
Jake, has Cesar (Gracie) brought anybody in special to
get you ready for Nick?
Shields:
No, I've been training with the same people – like
Nick Diaz. The only thing that is a little different,
I've been training and sparring with Jon Fitch a little
bit.
Question:
Nick, knowing that Jake is awesome on the ground, do
you have any special tactics you're going to use in this
fight?
Thompson:
Yeah. I'm going to try to avoid being put on the ground
(laughter). I feel comfortable there. I think my
submission skills are decent. My wrestling is decent.
Jake is as good as anybody in the world at taking people
down and submitting them. I definitely don't want to be
there any longer than I have to.
Question:
Nick, have you brought in anybody special to try to
get yourself ready for Jake?
Thompson:
It's going to be hard to find someone that can do
everything as well as Jake. But I've got some guys in my
camp that in their individual areas I think overall can
reproduce what Jake does. I obviously have Sean Sherk in
my camp, guys like that. Have a few black belts. So I'm
just kind of piece-mealing everything together.
Question:
Jake, have you thought about what the impact is going
to be on national TV, what it might mean to you as far
as advertisement dollars?
Shields:
Mostly I just think about the fight. Obviously if
more money comes in, that's great. But I fight because I
love it. Anything that can make me more money, (help me)
make a living doing what I do, it's great.
Question:
Thomas, the postponements notwithstanding, do you
care you're fighting Diaz in his hometown?
Denny:
You know what, it doesn't matter. It's just him and
I when we get in there. Obviously he's going to feel a
little more pressure than I am, because that's all his
friends and fans. They all hate me as it is. So do I
have pressure? Not really. I think if you look at it,
he's going to be the one dealing with a little more
adversity than I am. I'm expecting them to throw bottles
at me, cuss at me, flip me off, everything else. If he
goes out there and loses in front of his hometown, he's
the one that's going to be shunned upon. I feel he has
more pressure than I do.
Question:
Thomas, you were asked about the weight issue
before. Are you going to stand by the fact that if he
doesn't make weight, he's good, too?
Denny:
If he comes in nine pounds overweight, the fight
probably won't happen. It's just ridiculous. I think he
knows and he has something to prove that he is a
professional. So I think he'll come on weight and I
think the fight will happen.
Question:
Thomas, in the buildup of this fight, there's been a
lot of trash talking. Is that just part of the game
when you're fighting, especially when you're fighting a
guy like Nick who likes talking trash? Has it become
something more than that?
Denny:
You know what, a fight's a fight. Any way you look
at it, we're both going to get in there, we're both
going to punch each other in the face and at the end may
the best man win. All the stuff leading up to it is
just all pre-hype fight. I don't know, man. I'm excited.
I don't have anything bad to say about Nick. I think
that, like I said, he's a durable, tough guy. I think
his antics are a little over the top. I think the
flipping people off and cussing everybody out and stuff,
you know, we got kids watching the sport. We're trying
to legitimize the sport. I think it's a little over the
top. At the end of the day, we're going to get in
there, we're going to rock 'em sock 'em robots and may
the best man win.
Question:
Thomas, you have fought a majority of your career at
higher weight classes but have now gone down lower to
fight at lighter weights. How does that affect you?
Denny:
You know, this is more my natural weight class than
anything. I have a weird body shape. I'm 5-foot-9 but I
walk around about 175, 177. That's out of shape. So
usually when fighting at 170, I wouldn't even cut
weight. I would just basically wake up, eat breakfast
and go weigh in. I've always been a real small
170-pounder. But I'm a little too lean and I have a
little too much muscle to make 155. That last five
pounds would kill me. But 160 is a real good natural
weight class for me. I feel healthy. I feel strong. I'm
excited that EliteXC brought it in.
Question: In
the past when you've had animosity against certain
fighters. Does that help or hurt you and how will that
affect you in this fight?
Denny:
Know what -- I'll take being the underdog any day of
the week than being the (favorite). When you're expected
to win and you're expected to perform and you're in
front of all your fans, you have so much more pressure.
Everybody's expecting me to lose. Everybody thinks I
don't even belong in there. Man, I'm excited because
everybody felt I didn't belong in the ring with Tony
Fryklund, that he was going to smoke me. I was an 8‑1
underdog, whatever. I went out there and finished him
in 1 minute and 12 seconds. I love fighting when I'm
the guy who shouldn't even be in there.
Question:
Jake, you're fighting Thompson, the last guy to hold the
Bodog title. You're fighting for the EliteXC title.
What does that mean to you? Do you feel like it's a
unification fight or more of finally about time to fight
for the title?
Shields:
A little of both. It's great finally fighting for a
title. Nick and I both hold different belts. He's the
Bodog champ. I was the Shooto champ, the Rumble on the
Rock champ. So it's nice to have guys who already have
held titles fighting for EliteXC. EliteXC is obviously
one of the biggest if not the biggest show in the world
now. I think it's just an awesome opportunity.
Question:
Nick, do you feel the same?
Thompson:
Yeah, it means a lot to me that Jake held those belts
because, you know, it's going to be a fight of two
champions. I don't think anyone in the world can deny
that the winner of this fight is a world‑class champion.
Question:
Jake, this is your first fight in nine months. Is
that your longest layoff ever?
Shields:
Second longest. I went awhile without fighting a few
years ago. I was doing a bunch of grappling after
fighting at Shooto. Definitely a long layoff, a lot
longer than I would’ve liked. But unfortunately I had
some injuries to deal with. The important thing is I'm
healthy now and ready to fight.
Question:
You suffered a lower back injury?
Shields:
Lower back injury, yes. I was out and wasn't able to
train for three months. That was pretty depressing
considering fighting is what I love to do and how I make
money. I was pretty bummed out. But luckily it got
better. I'm back to 100 percent and now I'm ready to
fight.
Question:
Jake, are you holding back in training at all?
Shields:
No, I've been 100 percent. The back's not going to
be an issue. I was feeling it for a while. When I tried
to train, I would just get hurt again. I found a great,
great doctor that's been working on my back. Even though
it's healthy, I keep working with him at least once a
week. Whenever I start feeling it tense up, I drive
right over there and have him work on all the pain.
Question:
Nick, in a lot of your fights, you've had at
least a pretty decent wrestling and grappling advantage.
Have you kind of tried to change your game plan more for
this fight or are you pretty comfortable wherever the
fight is going to go? How much have you been working on
your standup so you can try to keep the fight on the
feet?
Thompson: I
don't think I've been working my standup any more than
any other area of my game. You know, I just look at the
style matchup and I think the area I have the biggest
strength over Jake is standup. It's still not a huge
advantage. But I think on the ground we're fairly close.
Standup, we're fairly close. But I think I can maybe
use my standup a little more effectively and try to
control the pace of the fight that way.
Question:
Jake, how do you think you match up with him as far
as the standup?
Shields:
I think this fight's a great matchup. I think he's
got good standup. I think my standup might be a little
underrated. But I think Nick definitely has a good
standup and a good ground game, too. So it's not like I
take him down, the fight's over. It's not like he's a
standup guy with no ground. That's why I'm so excited
about this fight. We both can fight anywhere. It's one
of those fights; we might be standing on our feet, we
might be on the ground. We're both going to be able ‑‑
I think we're both adequate wherever the fight goes.
Question:
Thomas, you talked about being the underdog, kind of
being expected to lose. Certainly people are going to
favor Nick but he hasn't looked all that fantastic his
last few fights. Do you expect him to look and be at his
best or do you think maybe he's slipping, not training
as hard as he used to, there are holes in his game you
can take advantage of?
Denny:
Nick said what he has going on. I can't be a judge
of that, so I don’t know. I've seen his last few fights.
I hope he comes at me like he has come in his last few
fights. I think he's looked real slow and sluggish. I'm
definitely going to look at going out and pushing a very
fast, hard pace. I hope he can hang and put on a good
show for the fans.
Question:
Nick, obviously Jake didn't grow up in Stockton, but he
grew up pretty close and went to high school in the
area. Do you think that's an advantage or disadvantage
for you knowing there’s a good chance he's going to be
the fan favorite?
Thompson: I
think there's two sides to that coin. There are
certainly advantages to fighting at home. You know the
area. You don't have to travel. And the fact that you've
got the crowd cheering for you. But there are also
disadvantages. There's pressure. Like Jake was saying,
there's people asking you for tickets, stuff like that.
At the end of the day, it's probably a wash.
Question:
Nick, you talk about wanting to fight Jake straight
up but you also have a great history on the mat. Are you
pretty confident if you have to go down and trade holds
down there, you'll be OK?
Thompson:
Yeah, that's what makes this fight so interesting. One
of us may have a slight edge somewhere, but it's not
enough of an edge. You're not going to see the classic
style matchup of a grappler versus a striker. This is
going to be two fighters that really can fight
anywhere. I'm able to keep on the feet. Jake is more
than adequate on the feet. If it hits the ground, I'm
decent on the ground. It's going to be an interesting
fight wherever it goes.
Question:
Jake, Drew Fickett seemed to imply you did not want
to fight him and backed out of the fight because you
didn't want to fight him. Can you comment on that?
Shields:
I just think that's laughable. I would fight Drew
Fickett any time. The people at EliteXC decided to pull
him. I said I would still fight him after he pulled out
of the fight. The guy pulled out of my fight (and then
fought a week earlier). I'll fight him anytime. If he
wants to fight after this one, I have no problem. I
think he's a great guy, I have nothing against him. I
just think he's a little crazy and not all there, a
little delusional. He thinks you can pull out of a fight
and fight the week before and have the (promoters) not
be mad at him. But like I said, I'll fight him anytime.
It's EliteXC that made the choice to pull him.
Question:
Jeremy, can you weigh in on that?
Lappen:
Jake was more than happy to fight Drew. We're the
ones who pulled him from the card. Drew basically pulled
out of the last fight in Hawaii when he was supposed to
fight Jake, citing a knee injury, then appeared,
actually breaching his contract, by fighting in another
event without clearing it with us. I think it was either
a week before or a week after. I get the feeling, I
don't know for sure, but I think Drew is going through
some pretty serious personal problems. You know, those
around him have been confirming that. He's been
consistently breaching our agreement and taking fights.
I think you saw recently he got in trouble trying to
take another fight, breaching an agreement with another
promoter he had. We didn't feel confident enough that we
could depend on Drew to actually show up for a fight.
We're obviously ecstatic that Nick was available. Nick
Thompson is a more highly regarded fighter, has a great
record. We think this is actually a more title‑worthy
fight. So we're very happy that we were able to put
that on. Drew, if he can clean up his act, is a
terrific fighter as well. I think he's got some
personal issues he needs to solve before he can fight
for us.
DeLuca:
I'd just add to what Jake said, which is Jake has never
turned down a fight that we've put in front of him.
Jake is one of the top in the world. As he said, he's
always eager to fight anyone else that's in his same
class. To Jake's credit, he's never turned down any
fight.
Shields:
It would make no sense to turn down Fickett then ask
for Nick Thompson.
Question:
Doug, can you talk about the long range plans with
CBS?
DeLuca:
Absolutely. You know the plans at the moment. We're
going to do four fights in our calendar year contract.
It started at the end of April, beginning of May. You'll
see another couple fights. That could expand based on
the success of those fights to even more fights. That's
kind of something we mutually agreed upon between CBS
and us. There are options to renew that. So as far as a
commercial deal goes, as far as putting great MMA fights
on primetime, I mean, you're going to see a lot more out
of that. Again, the better fights we put on and the
more that the MMA fans come out and watch, I think the
more fights you're going to see. CBS is a great
partner, as is SHOWTIME. They're very supportive of
MMA. They're very supportive of ProElite and EliteXC.
We're excited to be in business with them. I think
you're going to continue to see big stuff, milestone
things out of us, CBS and SHOWTIME.
We're committed
to growing the great sport of mixed martial arts. I
think in our last telecast on May 31, we gained a lot of
new fans, who had never watched the sport before, as
well as all the hardcore fans. As long as we can keep
growing the fan base for this sport, which is
inevitable, CBS, SHOWTIME and ProElite will have a long
and healthy lasting relationship. I think that's where
it's at.
A big thank you
to our athletes -- some of the best in the world at
EliteXC – for being on this call and for stepping into
that ring. Thank you to all the press today. We're
excited for July 26.
Lappen:
Thank you to the fighters and the media for calling
in. We're very, very proud of this show and this fight
card. I think this is going to showcase world-class
talent. If you look at the fight card and every single
fight at every weight class, we will have people on
display that we would put in against anybody in the
world. These are truly the best fighters in the world.
It should be a great, exciting show. If you're in
Northern California, there's nothing like seeing our
fights live. Come out and buy tickets. If you can't
make it live, watch it on CBS and SHOWTIME. Thanks a
lot.
Shields:
I want to thank everyone at EliteXC for giving me
this huge opportunity to fight for a world title and to
fight on CBS. I've been fighting forever. To have this
opportunity is awesome. Also I think everybody should
make sure to watch this fight. It's going to be a great
fight between Nick and I. I think we're both two of the
top guys at 170 that haven't quite got the proper
exposure and stuff yet. We have a lot to prove on July
26. I just don't see this not being a good fight. I
know I'm going to fight hard. I know Nick's ready,
too. So be ready.
Thompson: I
would just like to reiterate how excited I am to fight
on CBS and especially to fight Jake. We're two of the
best fighters in the world. I think this fight's going
to be the toughest test of either of our careers.
Denny:
Once again, I want to thank everybody for all the
support over the years. Thanks to, like I said, all the
EliteXC guys and CBS. Thanks to Nick Diaz for giving me
this fight. I'm really looking forward to going out
there, showcasing some skills. I've been training my
butt off. I'm going to go out and bring it. I am going
to set a high pace. Then I'm going to get my butt in
the front row and watch Nick and Jake beat the heck out
of each other. I'm really excited for that fight.
