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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

SECOND PRIMETIME "CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" TO BE BROADCAST JULY 26 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Courtesy of ProElite, Inc.:

In a Rematch of their Recent Controversial Title Fight on CBS, EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler will defend against Scott Smith, while Jake Shields squares off against Nick Thompson for the vacant EliteXC Welterweight Belt, Live from The Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif.

CBS to Broadcast Four Fights (Including Two Title Fights) From 9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT; Showtime to Telecast Lead-In Fights Live from 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, June 24 — CBS and EliteXC today announced the next CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. on Saturday, July 26 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.The four-fight broadcast will be highlighted by the much anticipated rematch between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith for the EliteXC Middleweight Title.

The exciting night of MMA action begins with three live fights on SHOWTIME (8:00-9:00 PT, ET/PT) including an EliteXC Heavyweight Championship match featuring Antonio “Big Foot” Silva.

“On theheels of ourgreat success on the first CBS event, we are very excited about coming right back and presenting another world classnight of mixed martial arts. It's these kinds of high-level fights that continually build the sport and introduce new fans to it. With an hour on SHOWTIME and two more on CBS, fans and viewers are in for another entertaining, memorable evening,” said Doug DeLuca, Executive Chairman, ProElite, Inc.

In a rematch of their exciting, controversial first fight on May 31 on CBS, Lawler, the EliteXC middleweightchampion from St. Louis by way of Davenport, Iowa, will put his title on the line once again against hard-hitting challenger Smith of Elk Grove, Calif. Their last meeting, a fight that many called the fight of the night, ended in controversy when doctors called the fight after Smith caught an unintentional finger in the eye late in the third round. Smith claimed he was ready to continue, but the fight was stopped and declared a no contest.

In a second world title fight,two of the sports’ most talented welterweights will collide whenSan Francisco's Jake Shields, who has won nine in a row,gets his long awaited shot at a world title when he squares offagainst Nick Thompson of Minneapolis, Minn.,who has won 12 straight and20 of his last21 fights,for the vacant EliteXC 170-pound belt.

The world title fights are scheduled forfive, five-minute rounds.

Hometown favorite Nick Diaz of Stockton, Calif.will faceThomas “Wildman” Denny of Hesperia, Calif.The talented Diaz, who will be seeking his third victory in three months, needs a win to stay in the hunt for a potential rematch with ElliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons. Denny, a winner in four of his last five fights, is coming off a first-round disqualification victory over the highly regarded Malaipet on March 21, 2008.

The remaining primetime match-ups for the CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on July 26 will be announced at a later date.

CBS's inaugural mixed martial arts broadcast on May 31, 2008 dominated its time period in all key young men and young adult demographics. The total viewership increased throughout the night, peaking at 6.51m viewers for the Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson fight. The entire broadcast (9:00-11:51 PM) averaged a 3.0/06 with 4.85m viewers.

The intense nature of the contests and the theatrical elements of its live events have made mixed martial arts one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the U.S. Over the last several years, the genre has seen tremendous growth in popularity, especially among the coveted 18-34 demographic.

Mixed martial arts is a sport evolved from a number of ancient combat disciplines including judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling and kickboxing. World-class athletes engage in hand-to-hand combat in a ring—both caged and traditional—and must adapt their fighting style to fit their opponent. The wide variety of styles and techniques make every event an unpredictable spectacle.

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

To learn more about fighters, click below to access their proelite.com webpage:
Robbie Lawler
Scott Smith
Nick Diaz
Thomas Denny
Jake Shields
Nick Thompson
Antonio Silva

* * *
CBS Press Contacts:

Mitch Graham
323-575-2415
mitch.graham@tvc.cbs.com

Kelli Raftery
212-975-3163
kraftery@cbs.com

CBS Photo Contacts:

Gaye Ann Bruno
323-575-2796
gayeann.bruno@tvc.cbs.com

Paula Breck
212-975-3811
pjbreck@cbs.com

Showtime Sports Contact:

Chris DeBlasio
212-708-1633
chris.deblasio@showtime.net

ProElite, Inc. Contact:

PondelWilkinson Inc.
Evan Pondel
310-279-5980
epondel@pondel.com

EliteXC Contact:

Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.
John Beyrooty
562-233-7477
Johnnybey@aol.com