R.I.P. Pro Elite XC...sad day for MMA fans?
Pro Elite XC is dead and I don't think that very many MMA fans will attend the wake. Though they will certainly show up and voice their opinions/glee on the various MMA websites.
$60 million in the hole, poor production, even worse fighter promotion, questionable ethics and (did I mention the $60 million loss?) the end was virtually inevitable and in some ways deserved for Pro Elite XC. The question remains. Who are the big losers?
MMA fans and the developing fighters got a 'foot stomp' on this one. Truly free network (CBS) MMA is gone. MMA of reasonable quality and frequency is lost for Showtime cable subscribers with the demise of ShowXC. Many quality fighters (Alvarez, Rua, Lawler, Smith, Noons, Reis, Silva, Diaz, Villasenor, Santos, Carano, Feijao etc...) are left to scramble due to no fault of their own.
I am also concerned about the mainstream (network) future of MMA as a viable endeavor. Simply put...which network will take the chance and make the necessary significant financial commitment after this debacle? Highly publicized failures of this magnitude do not encourage further/future participation by media moguls who want to keep their jobs.
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