Showtime is stepping into the MMA arena in 2007 and is going to do it with a bang. Elite Pro Inc., the company that is producing the fights, have named their league Elite eXtreme Combat (EXC).
They have signed Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie to headline their first show on Feb. 10th, 2007, at 10 PM. This will be broadcast on Showtime for all subscribers to see. The interesting thing is that they are going to stream the undercard fights live and free on their website starting at 8 PM.
Here is their news announcement of the formation of the league as well as their first fight.
Pro Elite, Inc. (PELE.PK) and Showtime Networks Inc. today announced the formation of Elite Xtreme Combat (EliteXC) at a Hollywood press conference. EliteXC will exploit the growing phenomenon of mixed martial arts by staging world-class live events on the premium television network SHOWTIME. The highly-anticipated first event will air live on SHOWTIME on February 10, 2007 (10 p.m. ET/PT) from the DeSoto Civic Center in Mississippi.
"EliteXC is creating new mixed martial art events which will be televised by one of America's strongest premium networks," announced EliteXC CEO Doug DeLuca. "These events will connect with every martial arts enthusiast in America, and ultimately the world. As our strategy rolls out we will provide more and more fighters with an opportunity to compete. We also plan on building an extensive library of content relating to MMA which will attract additional fans to the website and generate future revenues."
The management team at EliteXC is experienced and entrepreneurial. Among them, DeLuca has produced hundreds of hours of network and cable television. Highly regarded boxing promoter Gary Shaw is President of EliteXC Live Events division and Kelly Perdew, "Apprentice 2" Winner and former President of eteamz.com – the largest amateur sports portal in the world – is President of EliteXC.com. Santa Monica Capital, a leading investment firm, is backing the venture.
"Elite Xtreme Combat will bring a new level of excitement to the fight market and Showtime is the ideal partner for us in this growing arena," says President of EliteXC Live Events, Gary Shaw. "Mixed martial arts as a sport is in its infancy and has tremendous potential. We are thrilled to bring such a skilled team of executives and entrepreneurs together to help build what we expect will be the premier provider of MMA events and content."
The main event on SHOWTIME's initial EliteXC telecast will pit MMA legend Frank Shamrock against world-renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu pioneer Renzo Gracie.
"Showtime is proud to be the first premium network to deliver MMA to our subscribers," says Ken Hershman, general manager of sports and event programming, Showtime Networks Inc. "With EliteXC's interactive and online components and a nationwide audience on SHOWTIME, EliteXC is well positioned to fast become the leading organization within the sport of mixed martial arts."
The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecasts is David Dinkins, Jr. with eight-time Emmy Award-winner John Faratzis directing and World Wrestling icon Bill Goldberg serving as color analyst.
In a groundbreaking move for MMA, EliteXC will stream the non-televised undercard fights live online at EliteXC.com (http://www.EliteXC.com).