How Much Longer Can Elite XC Survive in MMA?

How much time does Elite XC have left in the MMA industry? Clearly Gary Shaw wants to run the company like a pro wrestling federation, rife with controversy and scripted grudges. it makes you wonder whether he even knows that much about the sport or if he is interested exclusively in the money that could potentially be made by an up-and-coming trend.

From Kimbo Slice to Nick Diaz, EliteXC loves scandal. Kimbo Slice was the streetfighting brawler from Miami who was transformed into a professional fighter and marketed as the next Mike Tyson. So far the investment in Kimbo has probably paid off, but his most recent performance was less than stellar, and he was basically exposed as mostly hype, and now it's a question of whether the hype will last or if it's just a topical fascination.

Recently Elite XC stripped lightweight champion KJ Noons of his championship belt. The reason? They took his belt because he refused to fight a rematch against Nick Diaz, whom he summarily embarrassed in their last fight. The fight was stopped because Nick Diaz was hurt by a brutal cut, and that wasn't the only thing: Noons beat Diaz top to bottom, and Diaz was barely able to land a punch during the two rounds of the fight. Although Diaz did successfully secure a takedown, Noons had no problem escaping from it and then proceeding to pummel him even more before the doctor ended the fight to save Diaz.

Ousting KJ Noons was one of the most brainless decisions made by EliteXC to date. Noons was champion material in every way; he was charismatic, professional, and talented. Everything the face of a champion and representative of the organization should be. But they're throwing him away in favor of the obnoxious and crass Nick Diaz, who will surely be handed the title sometime soon. This move was little surprise as KJ Noons had talked in the past about his disagreements with EliteXC, which were pretty common. He still has a professional boxing contract with the company, which he plans to fulfill.

If EliteXC hopes to survive, and especially if they hope to compete with the premier UFC, they must learn to build fighters who are not just marketable with controversy but who can be respected and admired by the casual MMA audience. UFC, for all its flaws, is pearly white compared to the Elite XC image, an organization which has not been around for very long and may not be around for much longer.