Denny Burkholder

We're kicking things off with James Thompson vs. Brett Rogers.

Round 1: Thompson sprinted across the cage as soon as the bell rang and went for a takedown. Thompson tried for several minutes to get Rogers down until Rogers got enough distance to throw a nice knee strike, and a few punches later, Thompson was on the mat and the fight was over.


Winner: Brett Rogers def. James Thompson via TKO due to strikes at  2:24 of Round 1.

Rogers improves to 8-0 overall and hands Thompson a loss in Thompson's very first U.S. fight.

Undercard fights have concluded with about 40 minutes before the Showtime bouts start.

Undercard results:

-- Rafael Feijao def. John Doyle via TKO due to strikes at 2:17 of Round 1.
-- Yosmany Cabezas def. Jon Kirk via submission to a rear naked choke at 58 seconds of Round 2.
-- Dave "Pee Wee" Herman def. Mario Renaldi via TKO due to strikes at 33 seconds of Round 3.
-- Eric Bradley def. Mikey Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds.
-- Lorenzo Borgameo def. Mike Bernhard via submission to a triangle choke at 4:11 of Round 2.
-- Moyses Gabin def. Jirka Hlavaty via TKO due to a cut at 2:32 of Round 1.

Feijao was cornered by not one, but two UFC titleholders: Middleweight champion Anderson Silva and heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Both were formally introduced to the audience during the fighter intros.

More to come when the fights resume...

I'm sitting cageside in Coral Gables, Florida. The Kimbo vs. Tank undercard is in progress. I'll be doing round-by-round live blogs for all of the main card fights, so refresh this blog periodically for the latest, including results of the undercard.

More in a few...

This Saturday, MMA legend David "Tank" Abbott pops up yet again, this time facing Kimbo Slice for EliteXC.

How exactly does a 42-year-old guy with a 9-13 record waltz right into the main event of a televised card? I can answer that question in two ways:

1) The same way a former street fighter with a 2-0 record can, and
2) Because the promoters believe people will pay to see it.

Tank Abbott has name recognition. He also has a resumé full of memorable actions. Sometimes it's as simple as Abbott running his mouth in a postfight interview, insulting his opponent, the fans, or the interviewer. Other times, he leaves his mark in the cage.

Abbott is the guy who began the UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1996 by lifting Cal Worsham over his head and trying to literally throw him out of the Octagon. Later in the same show, he knocked out Steve Nelmark with a right hand, with Nelmark folding up like an accordion in one of the UFC's most famous KOs.

Then again, Tank also loses fights regularly. He's only fought four times in the past four years, and he lost the last three of those bouts. He hasn't won a fight since he knocked out Wesley "Cabbage" Correira in Rumble on the Rock in 2005.

Here's the thing, though: Win or lose, Tank usually makes for good TV. When Tank Abbott fights, there is a chance that you'll see or hear something you'll never forget. That's why he continues to main event shows. It's a big part of his legend. For an MMA group like EliteXC to survive, they must be able to sell tickets and attract a TV audience. Love him or hate him, people are drawn to the Tank Abbott spectacle.

If there are no ticket sales, there will be no profit, and -- sooner or later -- no more MMA promotion. When you look at it that way, it's easier to accept Abbott's lingering presence in the game. For sure, Abbott is interested in the paycheck. But let's not fool ourselves: Abbott's not the only guy making money off his extended career. To pretend it's a one-way street and that Tank is the only person cashing in would be short-sighted and naive to the way the fight business operates.

There could be dozens of heavyweight fighters out there that are in better condition and have better skills than Abbott. Most of those men, if not all of them, are younger and have greater upside. A lot of them have a better win-loss percentage. But they don't sell tickets. That's not entirely their fault, but it's reality.

Given that Tank Abbott is a 42-year-old fighter on a three-fight skid, some have criticized EliteXC for protecting Kimbo Slice and lining up easy wins for him.

When you consider that Kimbo has only fought professionally twice -- against an underwhelming pair of challengers -- what makes anyone think Kimbo Slice is qualified to fight a legit contender yet? If anything, Kimbo vs. Tank is a good test of Kimbo's progress. We all know how Tank Abbott will try to win: He's a headhunter. He's going to swing until he connects.

Which means if Tank succeeds, we'll find out about Kimbo's chin. It also presents Kimbo with the chance to try out his submission repertoire (or lack thereof) against a fighter who is probably not going to try to outclass him in that area.

For Kimbo, this fight is an opportunity to see where his MMA skills are, without looking too foolish if the verdict isn't good. If he loses, it'll probably be via strikes -- and despite Abbott's losing streak, there is no shame in a rookie fighter getting KOed by Tank. Especially a rookie fighter who has yet to absorb any measurable punishment in his post-YouTube fight career.

It probably won't be long. It definitely won't be pretty. But Kimbo vs. Tank is a pretty even fight, and a worthy main event. For better or worse, it will draw a crowd.

(Edit: Dave Meltzer at WrestlingObserver.com now reports that the Bank United Center is virtually sold out two days before the fight, which means nearly 7,000 paying customers agree that Kimbo vs. Tank is something worth seeing.)

Isn't that the point?

The main event is here, as Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fight for the interim UFC heavyweight title.


Round 1: The stand and trade with nobody landing much. Sylvia finally drops Nog to the mat with a punch and rushes in to ground and pound. Nog looks and acts badly hurt but he's still with it, and controlling Sylvia in the guard. Sylvia gets out of the guard and makes Nog stand back up, wisely. Nog looks wobbly. Sylvia staggers him with another punch and Nog sinks to the mat. They're standing again and Nog is slowly looking more coherent. This man is notorious for recovering from big shots. Nog is cut from all the punches. Nog finishes the round by taking Tim Sylvia down. Sylvia 10-9, but Nog showed at the end that he's not finished yet.

Round 2: Sylvia stuffs a takedown attempt. They're trading and Sylvia's landing more, but no big shots yet. That reach advantage is a killer. Nog with another takedown attempt, not even close to succeeding. Nog grabs a single leg and fights hard for the takedown, but gets stuffed again. Sylvia with a nice right uppercut. Nog lands a left hook. Mike Goldberg reminds viewers that neither man has ever been knocked out. The round ends and I have it 10-9 Sylvia again, but a lot less action in this round. Still, Nog couldn't take Sylvia down and Sylvia has a slight edge in striking.

Round 3: Nog with an inside leg kick and Sylvia counters with a punch. Nog pulls guard on Sylvia. Nog sweeps Sylvia and takes side control. Nog with a guillotine choke and Sylvia taps out. New UFC interim champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. PRIDE fans everywhere shed a tear of joy.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Tim Sylvia via submission to a guillotine choke at 1:28 of Round 3.