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SHOWTIME SPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE
October 31, 2007
The America Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi, Texas, will rock like it never has before when Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, presents "EliteXC: Renegade''Saturday, Nov. 10, on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
An excellent main event will feature an EliteXC world title fight in a brand new weight class - 160 pounds -- between talented, crowd-pleasing Nick Diaz (15-6) and exciting, hard-hitting KJ Noons (5-2).
In other televised bouts, Kimbo will make his EliteXC debut against an opponent to be announced and world-ranked welterweight Jake Shields will face Mike Pyle. A fifth fight will be announced in the near future.
Tickets in all price ranges, starting at $25, are available at the American Bank Center Box Office and all TicketMaster locations. They also may be obtained at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (361) 881-8499. Any ticket buyer may purchase a $50 VIP Package Upgrade, which includes VIP parking and post-fight party at the American Bank Center.
The fights are scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds. The event will begin at 7 p.m. CT. Doors open at 6 o'clock.
GARY SHAW: Hello, everyone. Thank you very much. We're very excited about this card in Corpus Christi on November 10th on SHOWTIME. I don't want to waste a lot of time. Happy to have KJ Noons on this call and Jake Shields, "The American Dream," and now our new signee, Kimbo Slice. And we're really excited about this fight. And it's a coming-out party for Kimbo. It's an opportunity for KJ Noons to fight Nick Diaz and walk away with a belt. At this time I'd also like to let everybody know that we're going to start some new weight classes at EliteXC. And let me just give you the run-down from bottom to top. We'll have a 140 weight class, 150, 160, 170, 185, 205. And then, of course, 205 to 265, and then 265 is our super weight and above. I want to tell you the reason that I believe very much in the safety, health and welfare of the fighters. I'm very concerned in the mixed martial arts world about this cutting of drastic amounts of weight, not only the week of, but the night before and almost the day of. And I want to get some weight classes so the fighters can fit much better into certain weight classes, have the opportunity to fight for world titles without endangering their health. That's simply the reason why we're opening up these weight classes. And I've always believed that it's not just about the heavy weights, the big boys, that both in boxing and mixed martial arts, the light guys can really light it up as well. Without further ado, I'd like to open it up, John, to questions, maybe let Kimbo, KJ and Jake Shields make an opening statement and let's go right to the questions.
Q. Kimbo, what are your thoughts about your first fight for EliteXC on November 10th and entering into the world of MMA?
KIMBO SLICE: Do I have to press a button to talk or ask a question? Go ahead, say that again now.
Q. What are your thoughts on joining EliteXC and making your debut for EliteXC on November 10th and your transition into MMA?
KIMBO SLICE: I'm glad about it. I thank God you guys were able to come through and snatch me up, man, because for a minute you know what I'm saying everything was shut down, kind of upset for a minute that I wasn't going to get a chance to fight. That hard training, that hard work, you know what I'm saying, that I put into it, I wasn't able to bang -- it was kind of depressing for me. And Payne's brother came through and those guys, we had a great relationships, a great conversation. And I thank God for those guys, man, because I'm excited about it. I'm ready to fight.
Q. Jake.
JAKE SHIELDS: Excited to be fighting for Elite again, training really hard. I think he's a great opponent. I'm ready to go out there and fight.
Q. Can you talk about your thoughts on fighting Nick Diaz on November 10th?
JAKE SHIELDS: Like I said, he's the number one guy in the world. He beat Gomi. And I'm getting an opportunity to face the number one guy in the world for a title with EliteXC. I'm excited and I've been training really hard and I'm ready to definitely make this a fight of the night, fight of the month, whatever, I'm ready to mix it up with Nick.
Q. Gary, can you explain to me a little bit of how you go about working your title fights and why Nick Diaz and Noons were picked for this title fight and why in the welterweight division what was originally supposed to be a title fight between Shields and Pyle is now not?
GARY SHAW: Sure, I'll be more than happy. Let me take the KJ/Diaz fight first. I believe both are deserving of a title in our organization. Diaz did beat Gomi, and at that time Gomi was considered the best in the world. And I believe that Nick showed it. He came back. He had a real tough fight against Mike Aina in Hawaii. He came out victorious. KJ Noons was someone that we had a confidence in. He obviously walked into a big, I guess it was a right hand, I'm not sure myself, against "Krazy Horse," and then came in and upset Edson Berto who everybody thought was going to be the actual first titleholder in EliteXC in that weight class. So we felt that both fighters are up for the challenge. We would be proud of either fighter to wear our belt. And we believe that they are some of the best fighters in the world. As far as Jake Shields and Mike Pyle, he didn't want to fight for the belt. We gave him the opportunity. He's unhappy. He did take the opportunity. Jake was willing to fight anybody. Everybody knows that Jake is the top one, two, or three in the world. There's no question about it. And he's showing everybody how exciting he is, and he comes to fight. God bless him. And I think that fighters that come to fight and are willing to fight anybody should get that opportunity. And even though that this probably will be our last fight with Mike Pyle, you know, we're interested in putting on the best fights. So whether someone wants to stay with us or not stay with us we'll still give everybody the opportunity.
Q. Then with your first showing Destiny that was on SHOWTIME, and then you did the joint effort with Strike Force which was on Pay Per View, now the Renegade will be on SHOWTIME again as well as Uprising was. Are we going to be looking at all EliteXC events on SHOWTIME or are there still going to be pay per views mixed in?
GARY SHAW: There will be some pay per views mixed in when we feel there's something that warrants taking money out of the customer's pocket. But my job is to try to give the MMA fans as much product and great product as we can without them having to shell out 34.95 and 49.95, et cetera. So, yes, we will have some pay per views, but we'll have plenty of shows on SHOWTIME this year, this coming year, in 2008, and some will be ShowXCs. Some will be EliteXC. And some will be pay per views, and we even may have something really big and special as well in 2008. I'd like to take this opportunity to say that Kimbo's point had fallen out through a shoulder injury. We tried all the way through Monday to get him medically well. We don't want to put anybody in a fight that is not medically able to fight. So that "The Rhino", Kimbo's hunt for "The Rhino" will have to wait for another day. But we have now signed Bo Cantrell to the fight and Bo will be Kimbo's opponent.
Q. Gary, are you going to be creating belts for each one of these weight classes that you just announced?
GARY SHAW: Yes. Why? Are you selling belts?
Q. And so is it going to just go by an event; do you have an idea as to who you want fighting for the 140 weight class and 150 and 160, or has that not been worked out yet?
GARY SHAW: No, let me tell you how it works. We don't sit around a table and decide, okay, let's make this guy the champion or whatever. I want to see that we get the best fights that when we present someone with a belt that they're truly worthy of a belt. And I feel Jake Shields, I want to get him into a title fight. I feel he's worthy of wearing our belt. I feel that KJ or Nick Diaz is worthy of wearing our belt. I thought Ninja Rua did a great job against Joey Villasenor, and he came back and gave up the belt. So when Robbie, I'm very proud for him to be walking around with an EliteXC belt. So every weight class will have a belt. Eventually after a few fights, if I believe what I know to be true, Kimbo will be fighting for one of our belts as well. Although he's a legend on YouTube, he's trained very hard with Bas Rutten and I think he's going to surprise everybody as well. So I want to present the best fights. I want to present guys that are championship caliber. I just don't want to give out a belt to give out a belt.
Q. Would you ever consider doing something like Strike Force is doing next month and the IFL, kind of a Grand Prix type of tournament, one-night or two-night event to crown a champion?
GARY SHAW: The answer to that is absolutely yes. We have spoken about it. The fact that the IFL or Strike Force is doing it will not preclude us from doing it. I hope they have a great night. I hope they have great fights, because the better it is, the better it helps all MMA.
Q. All the Canadian MMA fans out there are dying to know where was Moro Rinalo this past Friday? Is he still going to be doing ShowXC events?
GARY SHAW: Yes he will. He'll be on the next one.
Q. Was that just a one-time thing that he was not involved in that one?
GARY SHAW: Yes that is correct.
Q. Pro Elite showing the Randy Couture with Randy hopes to trying to secure him once his contract expires in nine months?
GARY SHAW: That's a good question. Let me take that in pieces. The fact that we streamed it live, that's what proelite.com does. We stream events live. That was absolutely an event. And we stream fights live from other organizations other than ours. So proelite.com are trying to do things that aren't done in the MMA world. That's a huge expense to us as a company but I think as time goes on it will be good for MMA and what's good for MMA will be good for Pro Elite and EliteXC. That's the first part. As far as Randy Couture goes, I don't tortiously interfere with anybody's contract until I know for sure Randy is out of his contract I will not approach him. But believe me, this organization would welcome Randy Couture of any facet we do either as a fighter or as a consultant or an announcer or anything else. He has a home here. But I would definitely not tortiously interfere with an ongoing contract.
Q. Does the fact that the Pyle/Shields fight is not for a title anymore, does that have anything to do with Jake Shields's comments that he was potentially looking at fighting in the UFC once his contract expires?
GARY SHAW: No, what happened with Jake -- he was -- the USC actually captured him. And he was tied -- he had his hands tied behind his back on his chair. And he was blind folded and they were doing that water torture. But thank God he broke free and that's over.
Q. Have you signed him to a new deal or what's the situation with that?
GARY SHAW: We're currently working on it with Jake. I have Jake's on the phone. He can answer for himself. We love Jake. I have a world of respect for him. He knows that. And I have that respect whether he's with us or he wouldn't be with us. I'm hopeful there's no problems with Jake Shields, but he can certainly answer that for himself.
Q. Jake?
JAKE SHIELDS: I'm very happy, been treated very well. And my manager is finalizing everything, working it out. Letting him deal with it. Certainly at this point I'm very happy with them. I'll wait until everything is finalized to say for sure. But everything is good right now.
Q. Kimbo, initially I'm curious to hear about going from the backyard fights now training with Bas Rutten in terms of sport quality, but it's a huge jump and I'm interested in what aspect of your training has improved working with Bas?
KIMBO SLICE: Every aspect of my training has improved. My whole life has improved. I don't even smoke no more. I haven't had sex in four months. I haven't had a drink of a cocktail in almost five, six months. So I'm pretty pure and I'm backed up and I'm ready to fight. You know what I'm saying? So my focus is on point. I'm accurate. I know how to use my power. My wind is outstanding. I'm ready. I'm ready for anything coming my way. My ground work is superb. I'm an all-around fighter. I'm all-around. I'm no longer one-dimensional I'm not going to stand there and bang, I'm prepared for anything coming my way. Working with Bas, that's like, man, he's like the Jimmie Johnson of NFL, the Madden of NFL. He's the best of the best. And Bas, he's not light. When he trains, he trains hard. And he's very prompt on what he does. And he's a great guy. And in order for me to even be on that level with him, you know what I'm saying, it speaks a lot for my training and my characteristics because Bas really is a terrible guy. He would not waste the time if he felt like I was just trying to become a fighter. He's telling you straight up.
Q. You were talking about things you improved. How did your fight and your win over Mercer either prove that to you that you had gotten to that level or how did respect for yourself in terms of sports fighter change after your first win?
GARY SHAW: I think we lost him for a second.
Q. KJ, I want to know how you plan to overcome Diaz's experience factor in the ring?
KJ NOONS: If you look at my MMA record, I'm sure it's only got me as 5-2 actually I'm 4-1. I only have five MMA fights. But when you look at MMA, it's mixed martial arts, I've got nine pro boxing fights and 14 pro kick boxing and Moritai fights. So I have probably 26, 27, 28 pro fights. Do the math. I've got more ring experience than Nick. Granted, Nick has fought in more shows, obviously better, bigger names and better opponents. But as far as ring experience, I'm right up there to get ready for this fight. I haven't got as much TV time or as much as exposure as Nick but I definitely have the ring experience and technique and skill.
Q. Kimbo, what's your ultimate goal in this sport now that you're taking this big challenge on here?
KIMBO SLICE: I hope I don't sound too ghetto, but you gotta remember, you have to bear with me. I just came off the streets yesterday. So I'm on a paper chase. I'm after the dog signs. So I'll fight anybody. I'm in a contract right now, so whoever is coming my way, man, I'm ready to fight, you know what I'm saying? And getting a title is the ultimate, ultimate reason for all of us doing this. To get a nice payday and have that belt around our waist to consider ourselves a true champion. And that's what it's about with me, man. I'm a professional now in my life and I'm taking this thing serious, man. A guy put me in an arm bar, you gotta break that &*@! off. I'm not just tapping out. I don't know what tapping out is. I'm after something. I want to prove something. Sometimes I just get tears in my eyes when &*@! don't work out, when I can't get a fight. But I want that belt around my waist like everybody else. I'm hungry for it. I'm really hungry for it. I'm not just -- I'm after this.
Q. Were you able to find out if it's still going to be possible for you to fight Tank at all?
KIMBO SLICE: I'll fight Tank anywhere we don't even have to do it in the ring, we can do it in the backyard, parking lot. I'm cool with it. But the big payday is doing it in the ring, that's cool. I'm EliteXC, those are my guys, whatever they've got set up for me, you know what I'm saying, I'm ready for whatever. Tank want to do it, get him to sign and we'll do it.
Q. Gary, I was wondering if you were going to attempt to get some sort of athletic commission recognition for the new weight classes? Obviously you can make fights at whatever weights you want to. But are you going to take it to any athletic commissions and try to get it recognized?
GARY SHAW: Yeah, look, I don't have to legally, they'll sanction whatever weight classes we put in. But I'm a former regulator myself. And as a former regulator, I know there will be no problems getting the commissions to go along. I'm sure they'll be all for it. They're not for this drastic weight cutting, where people wind up in the hospital. We had that problem on our ShowXC fight on Saturday night. It's unfair to the other fighter who trained so hard for a fight and suddenly doesn't have a fight because the other guy basically drained themselves so much that he winds up in a hospital. That was all the proof I needed Friday night that EliteXC is right to care about the whole safety and welfare of our fighters. So I don't think there will be a problem with the commissions.
Q. Do you have a timetable?
GARY SHAW: To go to them?
Q. To take it to the commissions?
GARY SHAW: Oh, within the next 30 days.
Q. Do you have a name? The post, I was looking at it on line, it says World Title Fight, are you going to call the 160 pound division like a super light weight division or keep it at 160?
GARY SHAW: No, 160 will be light weight.
Q. That's your light weight division?
GARY SHAW: Yes, it is.
Q. Wondered if KJ could talk a little bit about, you fought at 155. Is 160 your preferred weight to fight at? Has it made a difference in the way you train and your preparation for the fight?
KJ NOONS: Yeah, at 160 is definitely an easier weight for me to cut to. 55, you know, obviously I've got my sights set on the 54 class for boxing and 55 for MMA. I walk around at like 175 without training. It's really hard to cut 20 pounds when I don't have a lot of weight to cut. So I'm really happy with the weight class being at 160. Because at 160 I'm cutting weight the fight is a week and a half out, it's still hard for me to get to. So I'm real happy with the 160. I think people will be pretty surprised how big I'm at at 160.
Q. Kimbo, on fight day you talked about your life's changed, your training has changed, obviously. Is there a difference in your attitude when you're preparing for a fight and the way you're getting mentally prepared? Is there a difference in how you enter an arena versus how you've entered a backyard for a fight in the past?
KIMBO SLICE: In a backyard fight I used to enter those things high. I was smoking me a butt before I go out and fight. Definitely it's different. It's not the same. It's not the same. I'm focused. I know something's coming. I know these guys that are fighting me, professionals. I know they're for sure of their game. So I gotta bring my A game. Yeah, there is a difference, a major difference.
Q. Kimbo, how the Ray Mercer fight has helped you gain initial experience or has proved to you how far you've come on the ground, what do you take away from the Ray Mercer bought?
KIMBO SLICE: I have ground gained and I know when to use it, know when to get -- I know how to get out of a position. I'm trained to be in every position wherever possible. And these guys coming in like Bruce Lee or ninja type &*@!. I learned a lot. And it showed in that fight. The fight lasted a minute and 12. I did a combination of everything, you know, knees, elbows. I threw hands and we did some ground work. It was a short fight, but everyone was able to see that, hey, man this cat's for real, you know?
Q. What was it about that fight that made you want to stick around at MMA?
KIMBO SLICE: That it was a legitimate fight and that I get paid.
Q. Mr. Shaw, I was wondering if there was any certain fighters you were looking to get for the new super heavy weight division?
GARY SHAW: You mean specific fighters? There are fighters out there that qualify to be world champions, if they qualify to be on SHOWTIME television, then we have an interest in them. If you know them, just call us or e-mail 'em.
Q. Kimbo, would you feel better fighting in the heavy weight division or would you rather make the move up to the super heavy weight division?
KIMBO SLICE: I can make a move to super heavy weight division. It all depends on my guy's that's training me, you're a fighter you can fight anybody. You guys toss me around a little bit. Put me in super heavy, put me in heavy. You make that decision for me. But I'm here to fight.
GARY SHAW: What Kimbo is saying is the mentality of a real fighter. And I'm really happy to hear Kimbo say these things. We didn't rehearse them. But that's what real fighters are made out of. When Tyson was at his best, that was Mike Tyson. They don't care who they fight. They don't care what weight, what height, southpaw, orthodox, they're there to fight. Those are true professionals. So I haven't spoke to Kimbo yet. But eventually I'd like to sit down with him. I'd like to possibly even take him like I did KJ and put him into a boxing ring. I do believe Kimbo has the ability to be the heavy weight world champion in boxing, as I do believe that he has the ability and under Bas to be the world champion in MMA in probably several weight classes. So let's take it one step at a time, but when Kimbo's talking, you're talking to someone with a fighter's mentality. And that is 70% of the game before you ever get in.
Q. Kimbo other than Bas Rutten, is there anybody noteworthy you're training with?
KIMBO SLICE: Randy Khatami, Shawn Tompkins and my ground guy, Eric Shotenaur. I can't forget Hector. Hector Pina, a little short Mexican dude. He's a little &*@! but he knows how to throw hands in. He's a good trainer, damn good trainer.
Q. If EliteXC brought him in, would you fight Sean "The Cannon" Gannon again?
KIMBO SLICE: I'll fight him -- yeah, I damn sure would.
Q. Kimbo, when the fight was first set up with Ray Mercer and it was all the advertising, the street fighter and all this, I know there were a lot of people that have been in mixed martial arts for a while at first didn't take you very seriously. But when it came at your training with someone like Bas Rutten and you mentioned Shawn Tompkins and these other guys, people saw the fight they're starting to take you seriously as a professional fighter. What level do you think you are at at this point in terms of being a professional mixed martial arts fighter?
KIMBO SLICE: Can't compare myself really to any of the other guys on the level. But personally the level I think I'm on, I'm on a level that I've never been on, you know what I'm saying? Because I just recently stepped into the game and like I said I'm training with Bas. Yes, he hits hard, but I don't go down and stay down. I go down and get back up and I say show me how to do this. So if there was a level, I would say I'm almost at the top of my game. But I will know more where I am depending how well I do in these fights. That's how I will compare that. I can't speak for everybody else and what they think about me, you know what I'm saying. I can't say I care much about it. But you're going to have some -- you're going to have some people that love you. And it's all good. It's all good.
Q. There have been some reports that you are related to Roddy Ferguson, the Olympic Judo player, is there any truth to that?
KIMBO SLICE: I don't want to put the guy out there or make him like whatever, but I've never really met him. And I guess by us having the same last names, people kind of think we're related. But I would like to meet him and if he's as good as everyone says he is on the ground, I can benefit from it. Can't hurt me. I wouldn't mind meeting him and learning, whatever, wrestling with him, rolling around with him.
Q. KJ, Nick is known as somebody obviously more as a grappler, the fight with Gomi is something that people will remember for a long time. You're coming primarily from a boxing background. It's not going to be hard to figure out that he's going to want to get that fight to the ground. Can you tell us where your ground game is at this point and also how you see you could stop him from taking it to the ground?
KJ NOONS: I've been working with a lot of guys that do college wrestling. I've been working on Ju Jitsu for quite a long time now but Nick it's pretty obvious he'll want to take it to the ground. But he's got -- I've got stripes on him. He's got great stand-up. And I don't think he's going to be -- I don't think he's really going to want to take it to the ground at first. I think he'll want to test the waters. I think he's got good stand-up. And hopefully we'll bang it out. He's still with Gomi and Robby Lawler and some of the best. And those are a whole weight class and a half bigger than me, so why wouldn't he want to stand with a smaller guy like me? I might have a lot of skill and stand-up, but I think he's willing to test the water. And I think nobody wants to be a Ju Jitsu champ. You want to be a Ju Jitsu champ, go do Grappos or Abu Dahbi. Come November 10th, it's the title for a fight. So let's get in there and fight.
Q. Jake, can you tell us what your longer term plans are? I know you can't overlook anybody. That's obvious. But in this situation, what you look forward to doing in 2008 in terms of title fights and that type of thing?
JAKE SHIELDS: Obviously I want to get a title. First of all, I've got to do Mike Pyles, he's a very good fighter. I'm looking at it one fight at a time. He's very good and I'm preparing for that, get through him. Hopefully I'll fight for a title, see who Elite throws at me. I'm willing to fight whoever. If I win the title, I hold the title, I'd be willing to go up and fight 85s.
Q. Gary, could you repeat the weight classes again?
GARY SHAW: 140, 150, 160, 175 -- 170, 185, 205. 265.
Q. So to confirm there's going to be a 170 and a 175?
GARY SHAW: No. I apologize. 170, 185.
Q. Kimbo just mentioned he'd be open to fighting Shawn Gannon again. Is that something you'd be interested in making happen?
GARY SHAW: I want to make the best fights we can make for Kimbo. If that's one of the best fights out there, if there are revenge fights for him, if there are Tank Abbott fights for him, if there are Faydor fights for him, whatever is out there, we will move him along as his skill level moves and we'll fight anyone. Anybody that knows my reputation in sports knows that when you sign with me, you gotta be willing to fight. I don't baby my fighters. I believe in my fighters. So, yes, there's nobody that we won't fight, with any of these guys, with KJ, with Jake, with Kimbo.
Q. The Fight Network reported earlier this week that Yves Edwards and Antonio Silva will be on the card for November 10th. Is that report correct?
GARY SHAW: Antonio Silva right now we're getting cleared by the commission, and that's the most up-to-date I can give you on Antonio Silva.
Q. Is it true that Yves Edwards is going to be involved as well?
GARY SHAW: Yes.
Q. And in regards to the 170-point division, you mentioned the possibility of adding a title to 170. Mike Pyle might not be involved past this card. Outside of Jake, who else do you feel like you have in the welterweight division that you feel is a strong fighter?
GARY SHAW: When you say "we have," as you know, Sam, the one thing EliteXC is willing to do is to fight any fighter from any organization. So it's not just within our organization, although Paul Daley over at Cage Rage is a spectacular fighter, but there may be someone in the IFL. Everyone knows I'm very friendly with Jay Larkin. He's like a brother to me. I have long, long history with him. Don't have a long history with Scott Cocker, not sure he would consider me a brother, unless we were in the street. Kimbo knows what I'm talking about. So maybe there's a Strike Force fighter out there. It could be anybody. It could be someone from K-1. It could be someone from Spirit MC. There's not a fighter that we won't bring and put on SHOWTIME. And let me tell you, Jake Shields, I believe he's the number one fighter in the world. So we'll make that challenge.
Q. Kimbo, do you feel having been so dominant and intimidating in your fighting career up until this point, do you feel it was a humbling experience when you first started rolling around with a guy like Bas?
KIMBO SLICE: I've never considered myself to be what you just said, blah, blah, blah, but I've always been humbled. I'm humble with my kids and my girl, and I'm humble with my friends. I have a humble spirit by nature. Fighting just allows me to really be the way I probably would normally feel on the regular, you know what I mean? But I came into this experience with Bas like a sponge, not like I needed to be tamed or humbled or anything like that. When I'm working with Bas and those guys and Randy and Shawn and Alex, I'm a sponge. I'm a human sponge.
Q. KJ, conventional wisdom before the Berto fight would suggest him bringing you to the ground being relentless would be deep water for you. You proved that not to be the case. What lessons have you taken away from the fight with Edson that will help you against a guy like Diaz who is that relentless?
KJ NOONS: Like I said before, I'm very confident in my Ju Jitsu and wrestling. I just tend to want to stand. I like to fight. I like to fight people that like to fight, and I like to finish the fight. So no disrespect to great Ju Jitsu people but that stuff is just really boring to me. I'm definitely a crowd-pleaser fighter. And I'm coming there to fight. And the Edson Berto fight I could have probably done more things on the ground. I wanted to stand up, not because I had the advantage, just because I wanted to fight.
Q. Gary, you mentioned Faydor. What is your impression of that organization M-1 and the fact I don't think they have a TV deal right now, how hard are you going to push to get him involved in some kind of fight with your organization?
GARY SHAW: That's a good question. I believe Faydor may be the best heavy weight out there in the world today. I have a lot of respect for him. I have a world of respect for Monte Cox. And my same answer. We'd like to work with anybody, when you say pushing hard, I push harder to work with Monte and Faydor than I might push to work with someone else. But we'd love to feature Faydor and work with him and work with M-1, and I wish them all the success. My party line is the same since last October. The better we make MMA, the better fights we put on TV, the better it is for the sport, the more the sport grows the better it is for my fighters and my company.
Q. Randy Couture is a big name out there. There's a back-and-forth with him and UFC. You guys at Pro Elite streamed his press conference. Have you had talks with him, anything going on behind the scenes with Randy Couture to try to get him when he's free from UFC to fight under your umbrella?
GARY SHAW: Good question. If there's something behind the scenes, I'm a promoter, so for sure I wouldn't tell you. But putting my own personal hat on and trying to be honest, there's nothing going on behind the scenes. I think I said earlier that Pro Elite does a great job of streaming events and fights and live events. That was an opportunity they got to put it on. I have a world of respect for Randy Couture. He's welcome into my organization any time he wants, as an ambassador, as a fighter, as an announcer, referee, whatever he wants to do. I think he's a legend. But I would not tortiously interfere with the UFC's contract. Would I love to have Randy? Absolutely. Would I love to have Randy and Kimbo in the ring? You bet I would. But until that time comes, I stay on the party line. Everybody's welcome to fight for EliteXC but we do not tortiously interfere with any contract that any fighter has with another organization.
Q. On the battle that's been waged the last two weeks with UFC and Couture, what's your impression of the way it's been handled, and with such a fighting background have you encountered this a lot where money becomes a gigantic issue in the world of fighting?
GARY SHAW: Here's my statement. You can quote me on this. It's not about the money, it's about the money. (Laughter) so, look, my statement is that Randy in his mind is entitled to something or whatever and I don't know what his contract says. And as promoters, the UFC are entitled to keep the contract that they have in good faith in place. That being said, Dana White thinks he owns the sport. He doesn't own the sport. He works with the UFC. They have some of the finest fighters in the world. They've put on some great fights. But they don't own every great fighter and they don't own every great fight. So I don't want to get in the middle of the Fratitas or Mark Radner who is a personal friend of mine and Randy Couture. I don't know the actual facts. I only know what I've listened to on the stream and what I read on some of the sites; and I guess if there's a real beef, then the best place to have that real beef is in a court of law. You bring out your contracts and then the judge looks at the contracts; and then if there's a breach, the fighter wins. If there's not a breach, the promoter wins. It's as simple as that. The rest of this is just nonsense.
Q. Let me get your expertise on one final thing. From your knowledge of contracts, what's more likely that there are more fights left on this contract or it's a time contract? What kind of deals do you do? Do you fight contracts or do you have length of deal where the deal is over in a certain amount of time, year, two years, in this case Couture saying it's done in nine months, and UFC saying it's done in two fights?
GARY SHAW: You're asking me to make a statement on a contract that I haven't seen. But we have contracts that are both time and within a number of fights. And that's generally how I do my boxing contracts is generally how I do my MMA contracts. I try to be fair to the fighter. If they're great fighters, obviously I want to keep them as long as I can. Do I think they should get paid? Yes. I don't know what his Pay Per View deal was. I don't know what fights are included in the contract. I mean sometimes you could do a contract that says you do so many fights on television and then so many on Pay Per View. The Pay Per View may not fall into the timetable of the others. So it's hard for me to say. There's a lot of ways you could breach. Maybe they didn't pay him everything they're supposed to pay him from his Pay Per View revenue. I don't know. So I'm not going to sit here and say UFC's wrong. I'm not going to sit here and say Randy Couture is wrong. Obviously they're unhappy with each other right now. To me the best way is either make up and kiss and make up and make friends or you go to a court of law and let the court of law judge who is right and then he's either stuck with the UFC or he's a free agent. If he's a free agent, I'll send a limo for him.
Q. Just wanted to ask Gary about a fighter that hasn't appeared in a little while and who has a home up here in Canada by the name of David Loiseau, and to see what was going on in terms of maybe working with David. I know he said he's wanting to get involved in the promotion side of things and maybe tag teaming up with you guys bringing an event to Canada which is something that has not been able to happen with some of the major MMA companies. Just want to know if that was a possibility or anything that might have been discussed with you guys over the last little while, Gary.
GARY SHAW: I haven't had that discussion but I'll be more than happy to do a fight with David Loiseau in Canada. If it makes sense, it makes dollars, and I'm always for that. So I'd love to promote in Canada. I used to represent Arturo Gati, sound familiar, with the Canadian market and Canadian fans and they're great fans. And I did some work up in the Molson Center and anywhere in Canada. I'd love to do something with David Loiseau. My phones are open. The doors are open and would love to do it.
Q. Kimbo, going into the fight you were originally supposed to be fighting, geez, I can't remember, he just broke his clavicle. But now you've got Bo Cantrell coming out. Is your strategy going to change a little bit or are you just going to go in and roll with the punches?
KIMBO SLICE: I was expecting to fight that big Rhino. Now that I'm not fighting him, I'll continue to (indiscernible) I train to fight. To be honest with you, I think (indiscernible) I'm prepared to fight anybody. So I'm just expecting to fight.
Q. Gary, I'd like to ask about your interest in some of the heavy weights that are available such as Josh Barnett and if that exists?
GARY SHAW: Very interested in Josh Barnett. Great guy. Had him in Hawaii as our guest.
Q. Are you going to talk to him now to see if we can secure something?
GARY SHAW: Sure, let me put on my promoter hat. I have no comment.
Q. Okay. Let's talk about another question. With the recent announcement of M-1 Global promoting events with Faydor and I know you would like to work with other companies, is that something you'd be interested in doing?
GARY SHAW: Yes, very, very interested. Love Monte Cox. Think he's a great guy. Would love to do work with Monte and Faydor.
Q. To increase the depth of the light weight division you have a guy by the name of Chris Horodecki who you have a good relationship with through the IFL, I assume. So that's something that you would be looking to bring in him?
GARY SHAW: Yes. Someone like, it would be a welcome addition. I don't know what his contract is with the IFL. And once again I want to tell you Jay Larkin is a personal friend of mine. Above and beyond that, I will not tortiously interfere with any contract that any fighter has.
Q. Kimbo, what is your current weight?
GARY SHAW: I think his weight right now is around 170. He wants to fight Jake Shields.
JAKE SHIELDS: I'll fight him at heavy.
Q. Jake, Gary brought up a guy by the name of Paul Daley, we've all seen he's been impressive in both his fights in strike force the and Cage Rage. What's your opinion of Paul Daley?
JAKE SHIELDS: He's a talented fighter. I think he'll be easy. He doesn't have the ground game. I think I'll put him down in the first round.
Q. Is there anybody that's out there that's available to you that you have a great deal of interest in fighting?
JAKE SHIELDS: I'm just trying to get through Mike Pyle. I think he's one of the better guys out there available to me. I'm trying to get through that one. And from there take it from there, see who is Elite's talking to and I'm sure we can find someone good to bring in.
Q. Any prediction on how that fight is going to end up?
JAKE SHIELDS: I think it's going to be a tough fight. I think I'll end up TKOing or submitting him in the second or third round.
Q. Kimbo, what are you weighing these days?
KIMBO SLICE: Like I said, when I'm training every day, my weight goes between 225 to 235. And if I just take a couple of days off, I blow back over, right back up to 250.
Q. What do you think is a good fighting weight for you?
KIMBO SLICE: I like 235. 235, I like 235. Not too far from 240. But 235 is decent.
Q. Gary, as someone with unique experience across the board, what do you think of the overall landscape of both box and mixed martial arts right now and what can you say in general about the entire future of the fight industry right now.
GARY SHAW: That's a good question. I think there's room for both. I've always felt that way. Boxing was here before I got on earth. And it will be here when I leave. I think they are attracting different demographics right now. People really like the mixed martial arts. They like the fact that it's wrestling. They like the fact that it's a bit of street fighting. And they like the fact that it's highly skilled within the mixed martial arts field. And it's very fast. The fights are fast. They're stopped quickly. There's a lot of action. There's a great in-arena experience. There's something to be learned by boxing from the mixed martial arts events, whether it's the dancing girls that we travel with or just the high, what I call high energy, high octane. So I think mixed martial arts hasn't even started to boom yet. You haven't seen it all over. It's not Olympic sport. But when it gets that way, when we could do a true world cup, when we can do true world championships and Dana white comes off his high horse and the fighters at UFC decide they want to be true world champions and fight other champions, then you will see the sport really emerge. For those of you that don't remember or are younger than me there was something called the AFL. And nobody thought it would make it. And it finally had something called the Super Bowl which was actually the AFL against the NFL. That really is what my hope is for mixed martial arts that we will all go out there, take a page from the boxing book, promoters working with promoters to go promote events, that the fighters truly become world champions, the fighters get paid really handsomely and the sport grows. For boxing, I think it will stay around. Even though I don't represent Floyd Mayweather, Jr. But his fight against Ricky Hatton from England is going to be a terrific fight and one that I'm looking for. And I'm not promoting it. But whether I am or not, I believe that there are fights out there that are great fights and good fights and the same with mixed martial arts. I think the one thing that we have to be careful of in mixed martial arts is what happened to boxing. And that is where we put on what I perceive as miss matches, where the red corner before it ever began you knew the red corner wins all the time. The one great thing about mixed martial arts through the time that I had been involved is that I've seen real fights. And fighters willing to fight each other. And taking a loss is not catastrophic like it is in boxing. As long as we put on real fights and the Kimbos and the KJ Noonses and the Jake Shields of the world just say bring it on, then that's what we need. But if we're going to start putting on fights that aren't what I call legitimate, meaning mismatches, putting them on Pay Per View, charging the fans 34 or 49.95, then mixed martial arts will be in trouble. But right now I see a bright future for mixed martial arts. And I see boxing will take a page and this year we've put on some great fights in boxing, some that I've been involved in like Marquez Vasquez and a lot that I have not been involved in. But, nevertheless, I always root for someone else's show because the better it is for boxing, the better it is for me. The better it is for mixed martial arts and the better it is for Pro Elite.
Q. What do you think about the discrepancy between the paydays and is there anything that EliteXC is really trying to make possible that you can bridge that gap there?
GARY SHAW: Truthfully, I don't think there is a discrepancy. I think that people believe that. But trust me, there's not a discrepancy that you all think there is. Fighters that are starting out that are getting paid a thousand or two thousand a fight are no different than an undercard boxer and the fighters that are Pay Per View that make it to that level that are being paid a million plus is there's no discrepancy. Remember one thing. In order to make the gigantic dollars, then you need two fighters. One fighter doesn't make a fight. And the only two fighters that I know that have ever been able to put all the butts in the seats by themselves is Mike Tyson and De La Hoya. And they're very few and far between. Most other fights need both sides to make the fight, to make the huge fight. So De La Hoya and Mayweather did huge Pay Per View numbers but it took both fighters, it took more of a street guy in Mayweather and more of a cross-over in De La Hoya. So you need that as well in the mixed martial arts. But I don't think that there's the discrepancy that you all think there might be out there. I think -- I think there's some bad info out there.
Q. KJ, Nick Diaz is mostly known as a really rare fighter with his striking and ground work. Are you confident about your ability to both stand and go to the ground with him?
KJ NOONS: Again, do I have confidence to go to the ground? Yeah, I've been drilling a lot of wrestling, a lot of Ju Jitsu. I've been doing it for years now and for this camp I got a really good camp going on. I've been training my butt off hours every day so I don't know how much more I'll have to train to get ready for it. But come November 10th I'm going to be ready for everything, because Nick Diaz brings a well rounded all around game, striking, clinch, wrestling, submission. He's a great all around fighter.
Q. Gary, are you going to be looking to bring any professional boxers in to try to be MMA fighters?
GARY SHAW: The answer is yes, if they really want to be an MMA fighter and they're qualified. It can't just be someone that can punch, because part of the game is, as you know, on the ground. But are there fighters out there that I would love to cross over, you betcha.
Q. Gary, you have a couple of fighters in MMA with Gary Dray and Munchin Corbray?
GARY SHAW: That's true. And Kimbo is going to be another one. Jeremy Williams is another boxer that's crossed over. And Kimbo's going to be the first MMA fighter to ever be the heavy weight champion of the world in boxing. And they'll walk out with two belts, an MMA and a boxing belt and that's the same thing that KJ Noons is going to.
Q. Gary, in all this discussion about working with other organizations, you know that the structure of the organizations, the promotional companies in mixed martial arts is so different from boxing whereas in boxing you do it every week. You work with another promoter. Be it title fights or smaller fights, whereas in mixed martial arts, it generally is more like WWE, where they don't work with anybody. Can you tell something -- is there any plan to get something larger going, not just on a one-on-one basis, because everybody wants to work with Faydor, but is there some discussion amongst some of the promoters to do something that wasn't done in boxing to create some kind of central group like an NFL or something. You mentioned the AFL when they merged with the NFL they had the new NFL. Is there any discussion among MMA promoters to do something like that?
GARY SHAW: Good question. First of all, I believe everybody will work on everyone except Dana White and the UFC. When you say the organizations, there's only one out there that refuses to work with anyone. The others will all work. Personally I wanted to wait a while and put in my time and have people believe I'm serious about MMA, that I'm not just a cross-over boxing promoter. And I think I've achieved that. I think I've put a great team together at EliteXC to implement the vision. And I think we will be sitting down with other organizations about getting some type of formation of working together and maybe putting up that one world title bought that I was talking about that would either be a Grand Prix title or World Cup like in soccer but something that everybody can strive for. And that's a dream of mine and hopefully it will be implemented. I can't give you a timetable.
Q. On the Internet there have been a lot of reports about what the usual UFC contract is for fighters in the organization. Have you looked at any of those articles or any of those reports and can you comment on what kind of provisions, particularly with exclusivity, they require in their contracts?
GARY SHAW: I have not -- I don't go by -- I don't mean it in a disrespectful way -- I don't go by what I read on the Internet or in the newspaper, because if I did I'd wind up hating myself. There's enough Gary Shaw haters out there I know I'd walk around depressed. I know you know me. I don't take that to heart. I don't know what the UFC contract is. I haven't seen it. I know Monte Cox knows what they are. He's had fighters there. I know Jeremy Lapin, held of our fight operations, was an agent and knows what the UFC contracts have in them. But it would be wrong for me to comment on their contract as I've not personally looked at one that's current.
Q. Hopefully somebody will get you a copy of that. Because what I saw were very onerous provisions in terms of exclusivity and after even you quit or resign there's a pretty long period where you can't really do much of anything. And I don't know how that stuff would even stand up in court. But even whether they do stand up in court or not, it just seems that it ties the fighters down in a very one-sided manner.
GARY SHAW: Again, I don't know what their contract says, but when a fighter signs a contract they need to live by the contract. When the promoter signs the contract, the promoter's gotta live by the contract. The only thing I'll say is we have taken our fighters and if there's an opportunity to fight outside of EliteXC and we believe it's right for the fighter, we allow it. And the answer is Nick Diaz, when he beat Gomi, was under contract to EliteXC. But we gave him that opportunity. He proved it. And now look at what's happened? Turns around and it helps KJ Noons who is now going to get the opportunity to fight Nick Diaz, who beat Gomi. So we try to do the best we can for our fighters.
Q. Gary, something you just said, when Diaz beat Gomi, he was under contract with EliteXC?
GARY SHAW: Yes.
Q. And also the Kimbo/Slice boxing career, when do you foresee that beginning?
GARY SHAW: When do I see it beginning? When I sit down man to man with Kimbo, tell him some of the visions I have for him and hear his reaction. I've never had the discussion. He's hearing it for the first time on this call. He may not have any interest in being the heavy weight world champion or in boxing, and I would respect that. So to answer your question directly, after I sit down with Kimbo, man to man, street to street, then I'll have a better answer for you.
Q. The last time we heard from Frank Shamrock before his fight with Phil Baroni, there seemed to be an interest in a Shamrock versus Shamrock fight, him against Ken. Have there been any fights of a brother versus brother fight?
GARY SHAW: Yeah, I talked to my team all about it. I would love to do brother versus brother. To me if I could do that and maybe get in some other brother acts, maybe I could talk JD Pettit into fighting BJ. I'd like to do it. It would be great promotion. Call it Brotherly Love Final Chapter.
KJ NOONS: I've got a couple of brothers, maybe we can get one of those going.
GARY SHAW: There you go. Any of these fighters that have a brother, so I'd love to do it. On a serious note, yes, I think Ken Shamrock and frank Shamrock would be a huge promotion.
Q. Have you spoken to Ken about fighting for EliteXC?
GARY SHAW: You want Gary Shaw or the promoter. Who are you asking the question to? The promoter has no comment.
Q. My final question is about November 10th on HBO. There's going to be the Cotto/Mosley fight, do you find that it's trying to take away from the boxing audience? Are mixed martial arts fans and boxing fans in your mind the same kind of fan or do you not concern yourself when your event is on the same night as a big boxing Pay Per View?
GARY SHAW: Great question. Number one, when we scheduled, we didn't have HBO scheduled. That's the first answer to your question. Am I concerned? Sure, you split an audience and there's no question that Cotto with Mosley is a great great fight. I used to represent Mosley. But I think that the mixed martial arts audience is different than the boxing audience. For sure it's a much lower demographic. So will it hurt one or the other? I don't know, but we have to go forward with our show. It's free on SHOWTIME. And the fights that we have, you know, Kimbo's a legend and Jake and Mike and KJ and Nick, I'm proud to put on those fights. I can't wait. I have some guys sitting around the conference table from my team. I whispered to them before I think we have a great card. I'm excited about it. It's not just putting on fights to put on fights. But would I like it if there was no HBO show, would HBO like it if there was no SHOWTIME show, absolutely.
Q. From a personal standpoint can you discuss or describe the high points and low points of your involvement with mixed martial arts?
GARY SHAW: That's a heavy-duty question. Nobody's ever asked that. Normally I'm pretty quick, because I could anticipate your questions. The high point and low points. One of the low points I think was the show we did in June with FEG where we kind of lost control of it. And wasn't happy with the product, wasn't happy with the production. And I thought it was a real bad co-promotion. So if you ask me low point, I mean to me that was the low point because I like to be proud of what we put on. As far as high points, yeah, there are several. I had a high and a low one the same night. On February 10th our first show ever in Mississippi was a huge high that we pulled it off with Frank and Enzo Gracie. And the low point was when I looked at that dragon they were walking out of. So when we make mistakes, I stand up and say we made mistakes. That dragon sucked. We slayed it and left it in Mississippi. But I've had other high points. Getting Cage Rage and King of the Cage and Icon and Spirit MC and becoming a truly global brand has been the high point. Putting the team together that supports me, you guys all ask me the questions, but there's a great team behind me. There's a high point for me every day. Having some of the fighters that we have, and I'm not saying it because they're on. I honestly believe that Jake Shields may be the best fighter in his weight class in the world. And KJ and to be proud to represent guys like that.
KIMBO SLICE: What about me what about me?
GARY SHAW: I thought our Icon fight was a great production in Hawaii, probably the biggest production ever that size. The deal that we did with SHOWTIME was huge. And that's a high point. And then I gotta tell you, not because he's on, even though he said what about me, I thought that when we came up with the idea of signing Kimbo and we believed in it, it wasn't just, well, should we? Everybody, when we said Kimbo, it was how do we get him. And we were very careful how we did it and I can tell you now that I put two people on a plane with a check in their hand and we had a stealth kind of meeting, and I was back and forth on the phone with them. And we were all holding our breath because I honestly believe that Kimbo could be maybe the biggest star ever in the history--I know that's a mouthful-- of MMA and only time will tell. I can do so much as a promoter, and the fighters have to do so much as a fighter. But he is a heavy weight. He's unique in that he's had his career on the Internet. He's got more unique visits than any other fighter ever on the Internet. I think it's over ten million. I may stand to be corrected. And the fact that he's a fighter now that is taking his profession has become now his profession rather than smoking a joint and going into someone's backyard, he's now taking it serious. He's training with Bas, and only time will tell. You know I once said something, and I stick by it. And the last line of the speech is Kimbo's story is still untold. And we'll know and we'll come back and you guys will either say, hey, Gary you and your team were brilliant for signing Kimbo or it was a circus or a show. I don't think so. Anybody that will get on a conference call and say you could break my arm in an arm bar, I ain't tapping out, that's someone that I want to see. That was Mike Tyson. That's the Tyson I knew. That's the Evander Holyfield I knew in boxing. So highs and lows, I've had a lot of them. I've had a lot of good days and believe me I've had my share of really bad days. But that's the job of a promoter and at the end of the day I have to live and die by the fighters that we sign, the fighters that we believe in, the fights that we put on. I think we give great matches. We really try hard. It's not red corner, blue corner, okay, let this guy win. And I think Jake can speak to it and KJ can speak to it. We try to get them the best fights. They know it's not here's a set-up for you. And I respect these guys. That's why I want them to wear our belts because they're willing to fight anybody we want them to fight. A lot of people thought Edson Berto was going to have a easy day with KJ Noons coming off the "Krazy Horse" fight. So I try to do my best. My team tries to do their best. Hopefully my good days outnumber my bad days. I can guarantee you when my bad days outnumber my good days someone else will be on this conference call. I thank you for your question. It was very deep and I appreciate it.
Q. Jake, you've of won nine or ten in a row, winning your fights rather easy, you say. Who is out there that you want to fight?
JAKE SHIELDS: I just want to fight the best guys, so whoever those top guys are to fight. Obviously if anyone I believe it would be Saint Pierre. But unfortunately at this moment he's not with Elite. I'm trying to get through the Mike Pyle fight and then worry about who you get after that.
Q. Closing thoughts on this fight and just in general?
JAKE SHIELDS: Just I'm just training hard. I'm excited for it. I think Mike Pyle is a well rounded guy, watching his fights. Good Ju Jitsu, good stand-up. Makes an interesting fight. Not somebody I'll just run through. But I'm training my hardest. I'm going to try to go out there and put him away.
Q. KJ, can you just I'm sure you've addressed this several times before, but how much of the win over Berto do for your confidence and what kind of weight was lifted off your shoulders especially coming off the fight with "Krazy Horse"?
KJ NOONS: It was great for me because I got to go almost through all three rounds and I got to show people that I do have skill and that I am a serious fighter. And the other fact, too, is a lot of people probably didn't know but I broke my left hand the first left hook I threw in the first round, the first minute. And I fought all the way through those three rounds still with a broken hand. And I still won. And I just have that mentality that I want to go in there and I want to win. And come November 10th it's going to be a great fight for me. It's a great opportunity. I've got everything to gain. Nothing to lose. I'm fighting the toughest guy in the world. I just hope Nick brings his best because I'm going to bring mine on November 10th.
Q. Kimbo, can we just get some closing thoughts on your fight on November 10th and just your closing thoughts in general. Personal question, how did you get the name Kimbo Slice?
KIMBO SLICE: Kimbo has been my name all my life. Slice was given to me by fans off the Internet. I accept it. It was cool. After the first fight I had with Big D in the backyard I guess by the left hook I threw and I caught him and sliced the bottom of his eye, and I guess broke his whatever that's called by his eye. His eyeball came a couple inches down, almost out of his head. They branded me with that name. Ever since then Slice has been part of the name. I kind of -- I have the domain, so I accepted Slice. As far as my fight with this guy coming up, I don't know anything about him. I left that up to my trainers to do their homework. And we're going into the gym and prepare for this guy like I did with Tank and with "The Rhino". I never like to watch too much -- I don't even like to watch hardly any footage on the guys I'm fighting because he fought that guy that way doesn't mean I'm going to put it in my head for him to come up and fight me the same way. So I'm just preparing for his style and his type of fight and I'm ready.
Q. Ten million downloads on YouTube and other various Internet websites, it's beyond astounding. How would you describe your love affair with your fans and vice versa? Is it indeed a love affair? I know you pay attention, right?
KIMBO SLICE: You know, I'm down with you. I just bought a computer earlier this year and I bought a laptop on my birthday, February, when I turned 33. But you know those fans, them some crazy people. And they're my type of people, you know what I'm saying. We didn't just -- I didn't just capture the hearts of the people from the streets. White, black, Chinese, Australian, we caught people all over the world, old, white, old, young. Middle aged, we caught everybody. Male, female, kids we caught everyone's attention from it. And these are the same people that's going to follow me and my career with EliteXC. They really are going to follow me. I get so many questions on YouTube. I get so many questions on MySpace. Even back in our main office in Miami people call up all the time asking questions about the fight. I just turn them on, I turn them all to EliteXC and SHOWTIME. Hopefully we'll have a good relationship with these guys and I get to do what I do.
GARY SHAW: First of all, some may have misunderstood Kimbo. He's 23 and he's looking forward to a long, long career. So I just wanted to clear that up. On a serious note, I do want to say one thing about EliteXC. We were the first organization to really go into women's mixed martial arts. And we did it with Gina Carano. We felt we had someone special, and we stood by her. We've made her a star. She is a star. On Friday night on ShowXC we featured Shana Basler, someone else who I know is going to be a huge star, and we'll build to a fight between both girls. We said all along that we're going to do lower weights as well. So we are really trying, and I want the writers and the press to understand we're really trying to expand the sport. So give credit where credit is due. We also have probably the largest library in the world of mixed martial arts between EliteXC, Icon, Rumble World, King of the Cage, Cage Rage, Spirit MC; and now we have Kimbo. We have a huge addition to our library and everything else. So I thank Kimbo. I thank Jake Shields. I thank KJ Noons for being on this call with us. My team that's around me right now, I thank you all very much.
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