More CBS EliteXC: Unfinished Business Questions?

Question

Why did EliteXC decide to put Jake Shields against somebody who is supposed to take the bar exam in two days?

You know the guy isn't going to be focused and will lose the fight, which he did early in the first round.

Was there some favoring in that fight?

Do you think some of the officials from EliteXC told Scott Smith to do nothing when he was clinched against the cage with Lawler so that Lawler can win the match before 11PM EST?

The last CBS EliteXC event went WAY over time. So, this time they might've wanted to cut it short so that the local news can broadcast on time (or at least close to 11PM EST).

Answer 1

1. Let's quote Thompson on why he took the fight in spite of the Bar exam and leave it at that: "In the end, fighting as the co-main event on CBS against someone like Jake was just too great an opportunity."

2. No, the officials didn't tell Scott Smith to do anything...By his own admission, he cut Lawler and (probably due to his own conditioning) waited for and relied on Herb Dean to stop the fight. However, if you watch the fight, in doing so Lawler softened him up with 3-4 solid bodyshots (undefended/blocked) while Smith continued to look to Herb Dean to stop the fight...Unfortunately for him, Herb Dean was watching those shots and then continued watching as Lawler drilled the multiple knees to the same area, which ultimately dropped Smith and he got his wish to have the fight stopped, just not quite how he planned.

Smith had to learn the hard way that a "lull" in the action isn't when one fighter stops fighting...Lawler already knew it, as did Herb Dean, a solid ref who is also a student of the game.

3. The last EliteXC event went way over time due to the "professional wrestling" style promotion...with many of the fighter introductions lasting longer than their fights. The format for this promotion was to focus on less "fluff" (fewer dancer shots, basic fighter entrances, etc.) and was supposed to follow a fight; commercial; fight; commercial style presentation to remove the fluff & get down to business...I believe they put it as showcasing the fighters as warriors, not professional wrestlers.

Answer 2

This is not boxing...So just stop now with the whole Fixed fight thing...