EliteXC's Gary Shaw: 'An Early Stoppage Is Never Detrimental to a Fighter's Health'

EliteXC brought mixed martial arts to the masses by televising five fights on CBS Saturday night. But while the show was a ratings success, many MMA fans have criticized it.

Some fans say the fights were stopped too early. Some fans say the main event between Kimbo Slice and James Thompson was more freak show than fight. Some fans say the quality of the action was inferior to the quality of fights that UFC puts out.

So was the EliteXC show good for the sport? I interviewed EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw on Monday, and that was my first question.

The question everyone is asking today is, "Was this good for MMA?" What's your answer?
I think it was terrific for MMA. It did ratings, it showed that there are truly MMA fans out there across the United States. It showed that there are people who might be interested and are inquisitive, and the demographic was through the roof. It proved to the sponsors that it pays to sponsor MMA events, and we saw some very good fights.

Have you spoken to people at CBS, and were they pleased with the ratings?
Yes. They were pleased with the ratings and thrilled with the demographic ratings.

When will you be back on CBS and what will the main event be?
First things first, on June 14 we have a Showtime show in Hawaii. After that I'm waiting on CBS to set the date for the next show and find a place where we want to be in the United States, and then we'll set the card.

Do you have a general idea for the timeframe of the CBS show? A couple of months?
I would think any time between August and October. I know we want to do the Robbie Lawler-Scott Smith fight, we want to finish that up once and for all. Certainly, we want to get Gina Carano back in another tough test.

And who do you think Kimbo Slice might fight next?
I don't know. We've got to talk. It's only two days after the fight. I'll sit down, and we'll talk to Kimbo and his camp.

Gus Johnson called the stoppage of the Kimbo fight "terrible" and "horrendous." Do you agree?
No, I really don't. I watched the match several times. James Thompson's eyes were glassy, his ear was bleeding profusely. I've had a fighter die in the ring in fights I've been associated with, and I care for the health and safety of the fighter. And I'd rather see a stoppage come one punch too soon than one punch too late. The referees did a spectacular job the entire night. Gus Johnson's entitled to his opinion and I respect his opinion, but the referee is right in front of the fighter, is looking in the fighter's eyes, and has a much better viewpoint of whether to stop the fight or let it go.

Do you have an opinion of whether Gus Johnson should continue calling EliteXC fights?
Yes, I think he's terrific. He's a consummate professional.

What did you think of Brett Rogers' post-fight comments?
Look, he's a fighter. He's entitled to say what he wants. That's what makes America great and that's what makes fighters special individuals.

So can we expect to see Kimbo fight Rogers down the road?
Maybe sooner than later. We'll see.

Was the Gina Carano-Kaitlin Young fight stopped prematurely?
No, I don't think anything was stopped prematurely. I thought I said it well before: I'd rather a fight be stopped one punch too fast rather than one punch too slow. Remember this: An early stoppage is never detrimental to a fighter's health, but a late stoppage can be career-ending.

In your assessment, how does the quality of the MMA you put on Saturday night compare to the quality of the UFC 84 show a week earlier?
Well, I didn't watch the 84 show so I can't comment on it. The only thing I can say is that UFC has some fine fighters and some fine fights, and EliteXC has some fine fighters and some fine fights.

Do you expect to offer a contract to Tito Ortiz?
If he wants it he's got it.

Do you have any idea who his opponent might be if he were to sign with EliteXC?
No. Tito's a superstar. We'd sit down with Tito and map out a plan for Tito.

The MMA fight everyone wants to see is Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko. Any chance we'll see that in EliteXC?
I don't have either fighter, so I doubt it. Randy is in a legal battle with UFC. That fight doesn't personally excite me because Fedor hasn't fought anybody of any quality in quite some time.

Aside from Tito, are there any particular fighters you're hoping to sign for future EliteXC shows?
A lot of them. Anybody that is not under contract -- if they're action fighters. I'm not interested in any fighters who want to sit on the mat and have a love fest. A fight for me has got to have action.

And you're satisfied with the level of action that fans got on Saturday night?
Oh yeah, very much so.

Where do you think Kimbo fits in among the top heavyweights in MMA?
I don't know. He's still in the learning process. He needs to work on his cardio a lot more. In his stand-up game, he is probably number one. I don't think on the ground he's in the top 10. As a striker, he's probably number one.

Is the future of MMA on free TV, on cable TV or on pay-per-view?
Free TV, without a doubt. For the best fighters, if they're on free TV for the masses, that's the ultimate.

So you wouldn't do a pay-per-view show? You're set with having all your fights on CBS and Showtime?
We're committed to CBS and Showtime, but the right fight I would do on pay-per-view. I just don't believe in sucking the fans' money out from under them to do pay-per-views that don't belong on pay-per-view.

Are you referring to UFC 85 when you say that?
I don't know who's on UFC's show.

Were you disappointed with the first hour of the broadcast, how it had only about two minutes of action with two quick knockouts?
If you have an electric outage, can you control it? If people want controlled environments, let them watch the WWE.