 PDG STAFF EliteXC: Street Certified Review Last night EliteXC aired Street Certified live on Showtime! and preliminary bouts on ProElite.com. The card featured internet brawler Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson against MMA brawling legend David “Tank” Abbott, rising heavyweight contender Antonio Silva against former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez, UFC vets Yves Edwards and Scott Smith, and PRIDE and Cage Rage veteran James Thompson.
Slice Stops Tank In the main event Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson ended David “Tank” Abbott’s night early, winning by knockout in only forty-three seconds. Initially “Tank” attempted a takedown, but upon failing to change the fight’s setting, began exchanging hands with the notorious street fighter. “Slice” landed punch after punch, rocking “Tank” until the referee jumped in – but the fight wasn’t over. Ferguson was landing shots to the back of Abbott’s head, and a brief stop was called and a warning given. Once the fight was officially restarted it was all Ferguson. Abbott struggled to find his range while “Slice” landed punches, sending the former UFC fighter to the mat, face first. Is Slice Legit? Since his exhibition debut against former boxing champion Ray Mercer, fans have been asking whether or not “Kimbo Slice” is a legit mixed martial arts fighter. His trainer, Bas Rutten, seems to think so. But what have we truly seen in his MMA career? He possesses technical boxing, a willingness to step outside of his boxing roots, and good power. But that is not all. In his first professional bout he ended Bo Cantrell’s night early with strikes – but Cantrell is hardly a noteworthy opponent and many go so far as to claim that Cantrell took a dive. In last night’s fight, aside from power, nothing significant was proven. “Tank” has won only once in his last nine fights – which span ten years! Additionally, none of his wins are entirely notable – save one knockout over Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. This is not to say that Ferguson is not a legitimate fighter, only time will tell. At the same time, however, it would be unrealistic to expect him to step in with seasoned veterans currently, such as Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, or Mirko “Cro Cop”. 
Silva Edges Out Rodriguez The heavily hyped American Top Team giant known as Antonio Silva squeaked by former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez to win by split decision. Silva, known for his incredible size, speed, and agility had previously only lost once by knockout, but had finished all of his fights. Rodriguez on the other hand was known more for looking like Jabba the Hutt and eating cupcakes. Throughout the fight Silva was unable to find his range, but he controlled the stand-up. Rodriguez secured a few takedowns but little was done once on the ground. The most action took place while Silva was on top on the ground, raining down hammer fists and elbows. Following the fight, Silva claimed he tore his MCL two weeks prior, and apologized for his performance. Silva picked up the W however, in his most challenging test to date. 
Smith KO’s Noke UFC veteran and The Ultimate Fighter 4 competitor Scott Smith made his EXC debut against highly-regarded Australian fighter Kyle Noke in a contest at middleweight. Smith stopped Noke with a knockout only seven seconds into the second round, but on paper lost the opening stanza. Throughout the first round Noke picked apart Smith with his jab, and an occasional hook, but nothing significant materialized. In a lackluster first round the two threw tentatively without much incident. 
Edwards Scores KO of the Night In PDG’s Knockout of the Night, UFC and PRIDE veteran Yves Edwards stopped Edson Berto inside the first round. In one of the most exciting fights of the night, Berto let his hands go, striking accurately, while Edwards returned fire and threw kicks and knees. Following some action on the mat, the two returned to their feet. Berto grabbed hold of Edward’s right leg and worked for a takedown at the end of the round, but that’s where things ended. Edwards, knowing the round was about to end, threw a knee to Berto’s face – not worrying about being taken down. The calculated risk paid off, and Berto dropped to the canvas at 4:56. 
Rogers Spoils Thompson’s U.S. Debut Fan favorite Cage Rage and PRIDE veteran James “The Colossus” Thompson lost in his EXC and U.S. debut to Brett Rogers. Rogers, who entered the fight undefeated in five bouts, had previously ended all of his fights with strikes. Thompson entered following a knockout loss to Neil Grove. In typical Thompson fashion, “The Colossus” bull-rushed Rogers, but instead of banging the Brit looked for the takedown. After keeping the fight standing, Rogers let his hands go and eventually dropped the international star, winning at 2:24 of round one.  Preliminary Results: Rafael Feijao def. John Doyle - TKO - R1, 2:17 Yosmany Cabezas def. Jon Kirk - Submission (rear naked choke) - R2, 0:58 Dave Herman def. Mario Rinaldi - TKO (strikes) - R3, 0:33 Eric Bradley def. Mikey Gomez - Decision (unanimous) - R3, 5:00 Mike Bernhard def. Lorenzo Borgameo - Submission (triangle choke) - R2, 4:11 Moyses Gabin def. Jirka Hlavaty - TKO - R1, 2:32
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