The Tailgate Blog

For me, tailgating and MMA go hand-in-hand. I have been a huge fan for years. In case you have been under a rock, there is a big MMA fight tonight. The Internet bare-knuckled superstar Kimbo Slice (3-0) is entering the cage live on CBS from 9-11pm. The fight tonight between Kimbo and James “The Colossus” Thompson (14-8) will not go the distance. Kimbo is -600 on the betting lines which means Thompson will probably take a visit to the hospital later this evening.

The rest of the undercard is rather intriguing in its own right. For you American Gladiator fans, Gina “Crush” Carano (5-2) is taking on Katlin Young (4-1). Two hot girls fighting MMA? Someone has been screening my dreams.

We also have “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) and Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (13-4). Both these guys have plenty of MMA experience and it should be a great match up. Finally, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni (10-9) is taking on Joey Villasenor (25-6). Once again, two fighters with a ton of experience and EliteXC put them together.

This is a huge step for EliteXC. They have a major network on a Saturday night with some big names. Dana White of the UFC can’t be happy about the fact that a competing entity was able to sweet talk CBS while he is stuck on Spike TV. Likewise, Spike TV must hate the fact a major network is starting to take interest in MMA. UFC is their darling and they wouldn’t want them to go anywhere.

EliteXC and CBS seem to be on to something here. They are also providing LIVE streaming starting at 7PM tonight, so Internet fans can see all the action and even the undercard. Kudos to EliteXC and CBS. I hope they do it right. However, I am a bit skeptical after I heard that Busta Rhymes will be performing during primetime. I like Busta, but wtf is he doing at an MMA match?