-- most people will think of when mixed martial arts is mentioned. That's a complete disservice to the St. Pierres, Penns, Fedors and thousands of other professionals who have made their name on their skill and record. Thanks to CBS and EliteXC, Slice was given a shot he did not deserve. Whether he gets it again will depend on ratings, and even then how will a casual audience perceive a fighter they were told was the devil incarnate. This isn't Slice's fault. He is what he is. And he could get better. He trains hard under the tutelage of Bas Rutten, one of the revered names in MMA. But he should not headline cards being marketed to a mass audience. EliteXC has quality fighters. The lightweight title fight on June 14 between K.J. Noons and Yves Edwards is a quality fight. Lawler-Smith, from earlier in the evening, is a fine representation of the highs and lows of an incredible sport. Slice is hype. Little else. EliteXC is not alone in this. UFC has its hyped projects, most notably Brock Lesnar. Give me Lesnar versus Slice and be done with it. (Lesnar wipes the canvas with Slice, by the way.) This sport has too many talented participants to be relegated to a sideshow, and Slice's performance should not quell an interested public, a media willing to cover it, advertisers, sponsors and anyone who's paid the slightest bit of attentions. Now onto real fights, with real champions, offering real performances. (About the fight, James Thompson showed and challenged Slice where he needed to be challenged. But no questions were answered here, not when Slice's guard was wide open to pass against anyone who knew how to do it. And the stoppage by referee Dan Miragliotta was strange, leaving Thompson on his feet as a tiring Slice was trying to take it to him.) An interesting night for MMA. Full Article