EliteXC: Heat

EliteXC: Heat was the third and final EliteXC show to be featured on CBS and marked the return of fighters Jake Shields, Gina Carano, and Kimbo Slice. Shamrock took the fight after seeing Slice's previous fight against James Thompson. The EliteXC vice-president, Jared Shaw, wanted Slice to fight Brett Rogers but agreed to the fight with Shamrock, as a fight with Shamrock could have potentially raised television ratings. Shamrock's brother Frank, who was there as a commentator for CBS, offered himself as a replacement and showed paperwork that he was still registered as a fighter with the California State Athletic Commission, and would even throw the match for Slice. However, Slice rejected the change. The show also included a co-promoted heavyweight bout with Affliction Entertainment, which featured former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski facing the last and only reigning IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson. Arlovski and Nelson were loaned to EliteXC for the fight by Affliction Entertainment. Their fight was added to the card 10 days before the event, and other fights were not dropped from the card to make way for it. A women's featherweight fight between Carano and Kelly Kobald was also arranged. == Pre-fight ==

During their pre-fight weigh-ins, Shields and Daley got involved in a fight. Shields' coach Cesar Gracie claimed it started with Daley trash talking. For the women's featherweight bout, both fighters missed the 140 pound weight limit: Kobald weighed in at 141 pounds, and Carano at 142.75. In response, Carano stripped naked and tried again but she still missed weight at 142.5 pounds; During Shamrock and Slice's weigh-in, Slice turned to leave when Shamrock shoved him in the back. Both fighters brawled for a few minutes with Shamrock constantly telling Slice "Don’t turn your back on me." == Results ==

After the event, Petruzelli claimed that he was asked by the promoters to not take Slice to the ground and stay standing in exchange for money. The rationale was that Slice was stronger on his feet, though Petruzelli later claimed his words had been misconstrued and that he was just looking for a "Knockout of the Night" bonus. Dana White, the promoter of the rival Ultimate Fighting Championship, called it fight tampering and said "That's fucking illegal." The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation opened an investigation into EliteXC as a result of the allegations, though it resisted White's call for the FBI to get involved and opening a criminal investigation. EliteXC was viewed as having set its brand around Slice. His quick loss was viewed to have damaged its product. At the time, the company was losing $55 million. The Slice incident led to Showtime Networks, who were looking to purchase a majority stake in the company, pulling out of negotiations. As a result, EliteXC folded on 21 October 2008. During the first round of the Arlovski–Nelson fight, Nelson attained side-control and attempted a kimura lock on Arlovski. However, after 39 seconds on the ground, the referee ordered both fighters to stand up. The referee received criticism for the move, with MMA commentators stating they felt he acted too quickly and alleged it to be part of EliteXC's preference for stand-up fighting. The referee later explained that he did it because he felt that Nelson was not being active enough in trying to advance position or go for a submission. == Salaries ==

EliteXC: Heat disclosed a fighter payroll totalling $1,318,000. • Seth Petruzelli ($50,000) def. Kimbo Slice ($500,000) • Jake Shields ($50,000) def. Paul Daley ($12,000) • Andrei Arlovski ($500,000) def. Roy Nelson ($80,000) • Gina Carano ($25,000) def. Kelly Kobold ($6,000) • Benji Radach ($30,000) def. Murilo Rua ($35,000) • Cris Cyborg ($8,000) def. Yoko Takahashi ($2,000) • Conor Heun ($5,000) def. Edson Berto ($5,000) • Mikey Gomez ($4,000) def. Lorenzo Borgomeo ($1,500) • Nicolae Curry ($1,500) def. Jorge Boechat ($1,000) • Bryan Hamade ($1,000) def. David Gomez ($1,000) == See also ==