EliteXC in a pioneering postion.

Coming off last weekend' s great UFC 84 pay per view, the amazing train keeps rolling through this weekend with Saturday's EliteXC's prime time network debut on CBS and Sunday's WEC 34, headlined by Urijah Faber defending his featherweight belt against Jens Pulver on the Versus Channel.

EliteXC has the honor of being the first MMA organization to ever fight in prime time on network television. EXC will be the first introduction to MMA for thousands of viewers. The superior UFC should have been the first group to have this opportunity, however networks were never able to come to a working agreement with UFC president Dana White. The UFC wanted to hang on to production control of the broadcasts, and the networks wanted to do things there way. While they were fighting it out EliteXC was able to slide in between and score the landmark deal with CBS.

EXC upstaging UFC is the equivalent of Arena Football being the first league to broadcast on TV, even though the NFL is the far better product.

Quality aside, another issue with EXC getting all of this mainstream coverage has been the national exposure being given to Kimbo Slice. UFC has always fought to market their athletes as well educated, respectful gentlemen who do not fit the stereotypes people would first associate with those who fight inside a cage for a living. Kimbo Slice on the other hand fits all the stereotypes uneducated sports fans would give to MMA fighters. He looks and talks like a thug, and made a name for himself by beating people up in street fights with his bare hands. Like it or not, he will now be the national face of MMA, due to all of the advertising coming from CBS. In my eyes, this is a negative and will hurt the sport's image.

However, Kimbo aside, EliteXC does have a fantastic opportunity to validate female MMA fighters with its scheduled bout of Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young. Young is talented, but Carano is the potential super star in the making. Carano is beautiful and has the combat skills to match. If the dice roll the right way, she has a chance to be viewed at the same level as Danica Patrick. This fight has the chance to truly elevate Carano as a huge star in the sports world. Hopefully Carano will come through and win the most important women's fight in MMA history.