EliteXC Heavyweight Sensation, Kimbo Slice, Will Headline an Exciting Night of Mixed Martial Arts

THE FIRST "CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON SATURDAY, MAY 31, ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler will Defend His Title Against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith

LOS ANGELES— CBS and ProElite, Inc. today announced that the first live prime time mixed martial arts event will be broadcast Saturday, May 31 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

"We're excited to introduce broadcast television viewers to America's fastest growing sport with this prime time event," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. "EliteXC is putting together a lineup card that showcases the unique personalities, world-class athleticism, and raw power and emotion that characterizes mixed martial arts."

Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler will put his title on the line against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith in a middleweight championship bout. EliteXC heavyweight phenom, Kimbo Slice, will also participate in the May 31 event along with other stars from mixed martial arts. Additional matchups will be announced at a later date.

PHOTO COURTESY TOM CASINO SHOWTIME NETWORKS; Vernon Forrest and Kimbo Slice


"I am very happy for the highly trained fighters, who will finally get the kind of exposure they deserve, and, of course, the viewers, who will get the opportunity to learn that MMA is truly a sport that requires an abundance of skills, both mentally and physically," said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President.

CBS and ProElite, Inc., a Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and media company that produces world class mixed martial arts (MMA) events, announced last month they were teaming up to bring MMA to a major broadcast television network for the first time. CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite's live fight division, EliteXC, as two-hour live primetime specials.

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. with Bob Dunphy directing.

For additional information visit www.proelite.com

“THE LAW” AND ORDER: LINDLAND SEEKS OREGON STATEHOUSE SEAT MMA Star, Team Quest Coach Running for State Representative in House District 52

NEW YORK and PORTLAND, Ore.,– Mixed martial arts star and Olympic silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland has launched a campaign for the vacated Oregon State Representative seat in District 52 in the upcoming election. Lindland, 37, a silver medalist in wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, and again at the 2001 World Championships, owns the Team Quest Training Center in Portland and is the coach of the camp’s International Fight League entry. Lindland says that like many small business owners in Oregon, he felt the crunch of a struggling local economy that he felt was only being worsened by the state’s political leadership, and decided to try to make a difference in his first foray into politics. “For years the solution has been to raise taxes,” says Lindland, who will run as a Republican candidate. “That doesn’t promote growth from businesses. It doesn’t encourage businesses to bring jobs here. We should be seeing Oregon businesses expand and hire more people, but we aren’t, and that’s because of the burden placed on business owners. “I have been blessed with much success in my athletic career and have done well in business,” he added. “However, the blessings I have enjoyed have come largely as a result of hard work, dedication, and discipline. I have always believed that if a man or woman works hard and works smart, and if government does not get in the way too much, then there is no limit to your potential success.” Before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Lindland filed and won a lawsuit to ensure that his spot on the U.S. Wrestling team wasn’t unfairly given away due to a scoring error. For more information on the campaign, interested parties can visit www.MattForOregon.com. About the IFLInternational Fight League™ (IFL) has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv. -- IFL --www.ifl.tv* Catch the IFL on FSN Saturdays at midnight and LIVE on HDNet on May 16