Matt Hamill is a mammoth of a man when he steps into the Octagon to fight, but with only 5 fights under his belt he’s just a baby in MMA. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While it’s certainly an advantage for Rich Franklin at UFC 88 to have over 5 times more bouts (27) in the can compared to Hamill, it is Hamill’s room for improvement which can brings forth a sizeable element of surprise. There’s always room for improvement in MMA, and if you feel you’ve past that point it may be time to find a new profession. Nonetheless, fighters with under a half dozen fights of experience certainly have loads of areas to work on, and can enter into their next fight as complete revamped mixed martial artists. It was only a few fights ago that Hamill was blocking punches with his face. But then he stared putting up his hands vigilantly, tucking in his chin more, beautifully slipping fists and countering with his own. And then a huge quantum leap of creativity sprung forth in his fight with Michael Bisping. Expected to get annihilated on the feet, it was actually Hamill who was winning much of the stand up battle in the 3 round fight with Bisping. So much so that many fans were outraged at the judges awarding Bisping the decision. Hamill was a completely different fighter and impressed most of the MMA world with his newfound boxing arsenal he put on display that evening in England. It was something nobody including Bisping anticipated, and that element of surprise is a luxury fresh faces on the MMA scene can use to their advantage.

What new tricks will Hamill bring into this battle versus Rich Franklin? It’ll be interesting to see. Sure Franklin definitely is not one to sit back and not learn more about the MMA game, but with 27 fights he has shown much of his arsenal and there’s a whole library of tape to study. But for Hamill, the best footage may still be to come.

 KIMBO SLICE, KEN SHAMROCK, JAKE SHIELDS, PAUL DALEY
 AND GINA CARANO AMONG MMA SUPERSTARS ENTERING THE CAGE
FOR “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” SATURDAY, OCT. 4
 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK  

Undefeated Heavyweight Sensation Kimbo Slice
Faces One of the Sports All-Time Greats, Ken Shamrock (Co-Main Event)

EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields Makes First Title Defense
Against Cage Rage Welterweight Champion and UK Standout, Paul Daley (Co-Main Event)

Undefeated Female MMA Superstar Gina Carano
Faces Toughest Challenge to Date Against Talented Kelly Kobald

Former EliteXC Middleweight Champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua
Takes on Veteran Striker Benji Radach

             LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 — The third installment of CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Bank Atlantic Center, in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 4 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  A four-fight broadcast will feature two main events: undefeated heavyweight sensation Kimbo Slice faces legendary Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields makes his first defense against Cage Rage Welterweight Champion Paul Daley.

            The following is the confirmed lineup for the Oct. 4 CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS:

·         Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock (Heavyweights)

·        Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley (for EliteXC Welterweight title)  

·        Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald (Women’s 140-Pound Weight Class) 

·        Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach (Middleweights)

 KIMBO SLICE VS. KEN SHAMROCK

             Kimbo Slice, of Miami , returns to CBS following his third round TKO over James “Colossus” Thompson on May 31.  Kimbo will be squaring off against Ken Shamrock, of Reno , Nev. , a true MMA legend and one of the biggest draws in the sport.  Known as ”The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” 22 of his 26 wins have come via submission.  

JAKE SHIELDS VS. PAUL DALEY

Jake Shields, of San Francisco , enters the cage with an undefeated streak spanning nearly five years.  A winner of 10 straight, Shields is widely considered one of the best in the world at 170 pounds.  He currently holds the title of EliteXC Welterweight Champion.  Shields’ opponent on Oct. 4 is Paul Daley, of Nottingham , England , a dangerous Muay Thai specialist, who is also the current Cage Rage Welterweight Champion.  Daley has won his last six fights, five by KO. Thirteen of his 18 wins have come by stoppage.     

 GINA CARANO VS. KELLY KOBALD

             Gina Carano, of Las Vegas , will attempt to follow up her impressive second-round TKO over Kaitlin Young on May 31 on CBS when she takes on Kelly Kobald of Minneapolis .  Carano is a skilled Muay Thai specialist with model looks and world-class ability, while Kobald began her career 16-0-1. 

 MURILO “NINJA” RUA VS. BENJI RADACH

             Murilo “Ninja” Rua, of Curitiba , Brazil , is a Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai black belt.  A former EliteXC 185-pound champion, ”Ninja” has won five of his last six, including a first-round TKO over Tony Bonello in June.  His opponent, Benji Radach, of Castle Rock, Wash. , is a heavy-handed veteran who has won five of his last six fights. 

             In one of the evening’s exciting undercard bouts, Brazilian female newcomer, Cristiane Cyborg, who made her U.S. debut on July 26 on CBS, will square off against  Japan ’s Yoko Takahashi.  Highlights from this match will be shown during the CBS broadcast.        

             CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, cageside analysts Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, and reporter Karyn Bryant will return as the “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS” broadcast team.

             CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports. The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr.

             For more information on CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, visit cbssports.com or www.proelite.com.

On August 28, 2005 Fedor Emelianenko and Ricardo Arona defeated Mirko Filipovic and Wanderlei Silva by decision in Pride.

MICHAEL PATT vs. TIM BOETSCH

MATT BROWN vs. DONG HYUN KIM

JASON MACDONALD vs. JASON LAMBERT

RYO CHONAN vs. ROAN CARNEIRO

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008

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