“There's nothing he can do, barring a lucky punch, to beat me. I’ve been wrestling, grappling, fighting -- you name it -- for 20 years. What’s he going to do? There’s nothing about his game that worries me. This is what I love to do. I like to fight. I like it because I can’t go to jail for it." - Tank Abbott

“Tank has a very big mouth. He needs to be careful about what he says. We take a lot of things personal. I just hope I don’t run into him before the fight starts. I want to settle this in the cage.” - Kimbo Slice

Tonight EliteXC card is not only filled with super heavy weight fighters, but it is also a test of those fighters who have become associated with the Showtime partner testing themselves against UFC veterans such as Yves Edwards, Ricco Rodriguez and of most recent Scott Smith.

It seems that no matter how exciting the lighter weight categories are in MMA, it is inevitable that the fans are always drawn to the big men, and that is definitely the type of pile up that tonight’s Elite XC card is promising the fans. This card is a reason to add the super heavyweight category division in MMA organizations.

Ultimate Fighting Championship icon David "Tank" Abbott weighed in on Friday at an always large 263 lbs. while Internet street fighting king Kimbo Slice AKA Kevin Ferguson came in about 30 lbs lighter than his foe weighing in at 234 lbs. Every fighter was able to make weight for this interesting fight card which includes Yves Edwards taking on a real tiger in Edson Berto at welter 160 lbs. also on the main card.

EliteXC's Saturday night "Street Certified" in Coral Gables, Florida includes a five-fight main card that is scheduled to air live on Showtime at 10 p.m. EST. For the hardcore fans, you can view the six-fight preliminary card will be streamed live on ProElite.com.

UFC veterans Scott Smith who was last taken out by Patrick Cote in the Octagon will also be on this card testing himself against Australian Kyle Noke who was last successful against beating and cutting open an M.D. Ricco Rodriguez former heavyweight champ of the Octagon will be testing what is left in him against a very dangerous Antonio Silva whose only MMA loss thus far was a controversial early stoppage against another large man named Eric Pele. Meanwhile another PRIDE veteran The Colossal James Thompson will be taking on another huge man named Brett Rogers who is actually even taller than the Brit.

One thing is for sure, even the fights wind up being in slow motion, big things fall hard, and tonight there will definitely be some thunderous noise at the University of Miami’s Bank United Center. Luckily we can look forward to the lithe striking battle which will set up the main card followed by perhaps another big hitting match up of middleweights. In the end, Kimbo Slice will be fighting for his street credential in his second MMA fight ever, while for the smarmy TV circuit celebrity Tank, it is probably just another pay day, although he may deny that allegation.

'More Populra Than Sliced Bread? Kimbo Gets Long Awaited Showdown With Tank Abbott Feb. 16' - February 9, 2008

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 9, 2008) – Are you ready for some February Fireworks? The Street Fight of the Year will take place inside a cage.

In what will be a thrilling heavyweight brawl and South Florida homecoming, the incredibly popular Kimbo Slice (1-0) of Miami will face hard-hitting David “Tank’’ Abbott (9-13) in the main event of “Street Certified” on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

Tickets for a spectacular 10-bout event, presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s EliteXC, start at $35 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami. Doors open at 7 p.m. The first live fight is at 7:30.

SHOWTIME will televise five fights including the Kimbo-Tank showdown live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), while five non-televised undercard matches will be streamed live on the leading MMA internet site, ProElite.com

“There are a lot of fans who’ve waited a long time for two legendary, slugging fighters who built their reputations as street brawlers before turning to mixed martial arts to get it on, and EliteXC is proud to be the ones who finally were able to make it happen,” EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw said.

“I’d hate for longtime, hardcore MMA fans not to get to see the Kimbo-Tank fight come off. It is going to be as thrilling a fight as one can be for as long as it lasts. It may not be fun for one of the fighters, but, from a fans’ point of view, Kimbo versus Tank was a long time coming and sure will be fun to watch.

“From top to bottom, this card is stacked. All the fights are competitive, non-stop action fights with no clear-cut winners. It is what EliteXC is all about. We expect to sell out the BankUnited Center and look forward to putting on a great show for those in attendance and those tuning in on SHOWTIME.”

Tank is now back in the mainstream of the American MMA.

In addition to Kimbo-Tank, the SHOWTIME telecast will include: Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (9-1), a highly touted Brazilian who lives in Coconut Creek, Fla., and is considered one of the world’s top heavyweights, versus tough contender Ricco Rodriguez (27-7), of Staten Island, N.Y., England's James “The Colossus” Thompson (16-7) battles unbeaten Brett Rogers (7-0) of St. Paul, Minn., in a heavyweight match, Australian Kyle “The Ozzie” Noke (14-3-1), the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter’’ Irwin, meets Scott “Hands Of Stone’’ Smith (14-4), of Sacramento, Calif., in a compelling contest at 185 pounds; and Edson “Little Tiger” Berto (14-4-1), of Tampa, Fla., faces Yves Edwards (32-13-1) of Conroe, Tex., in a scrap at 160 pounds.

A non-televised undercard, which will be streamed live at ProElite.com, will include: Rafael Feijao (4-1), of Brazil, vs. John Doyle (6-2), of Allentown, Pa., at 205 pounds; Mike Bernhard (3-0), of Miami, vs. Lorenzo Borgameo (2-0), of Miami, at 170; Eric Bradley (2-1), of Las Vegas, Nev., vs. Mikey Gomez (6-3), of Orlando, Fla., at 170; Mario Rinaldi (6-2), of Miami, vs. Dave Herman (9-0) of Indiana at 265; and Jon Kirk (10-2), of Houston, vs. Yosmany Cabezas (4-0), of Tampa, Fla., at 185 pounds.

For Kimbo (http://kimboslice.proelite.com), the back-yard brawling street fighter and Internet superstar legend formerly known as Kevin Ferguson, his second MMA start will be a home game.

“I’m looking forward to fighting in Miami, but I just like to fight,” said Kimbo, a natural athlete and star football player in high school. “With these hands I can part the sea. With these hands I feed the family.”

Kimbo grew up bashing the neighborhood bullies in Perrine, Fla., near Miami, which may help explain why he brings the same fervor and edge-of-your-seat anticipation into a cage as Mike Tyson brought to the ring in professional boxing.

Yet, if one can get past the mean, scary, intimidating looks, Kimbo is truly a shy, brutally-honest, funny, marketable man and devout father of six. “I am what I am,” said Kimbo, 33, who was offered an academic scholarship to the University of Miami.

“I’ve learned a lot. There is a time and place for everything.’’

Kimbo, whose YouTube video-taped fights have been downloaded millions of times and made him one of the most popular, widely-recognized figures in the history of the Internet, made a successful transition from Street To Elite by scoring a smashing, electrifying 19-second, first-round knockout over Bo Cantrell in his MMA debut on Nov. 10, 2007, at Corpus Christi, Tex., on SHOWTIME.

Ever since his loss against Eric Pele in Bodog Fight, Antonio Silva is 2-0 in Elite XC.

Kimbo possesses excellent striking skills. He is a well-conditioned power puncher who comes to war. Yet his ground game is underrated -- he just didn’t get the chance to illustrate it during his abbreviated match against Cantrell.

“It’s all good,” said Kimbo, who’s going from the small screen of a computer to the big screen of television for a second time. “But I hope I get a chance to show more of my overall skills in this fight, but you never know. At some point, you’ll see I have a ground game to go along with my standup.’’

A sign of the times, perhaps, Kimbo could be the first superstar athlete to get his start in any professional sport after making a name for himself via the Internet. Outside the cage his career has been on the rise since his memorable EliteXC and SHOWTIME fight, and he is more in demand than ever.

Kimbo was on Jimmy Kimmel Live in early February and ESPN’s “E:60” featured him on a program that aired in December. In an interview during the ESPN segment, Tito Ortiz downplayed Kimbo’s ability, which prompted Shaw to call out Ortiz.

“Any time someone talks either on TV or to a reporter and demeans a fighter or says ‘let's bring it on,’ I'm willing to do the fight,’’ said Shaw, who’s also one of the leading boxing promoters in the world. “Kimbo would get into the cage with Tito Ortiz any day and would probably knock him out.’’
Ortiz or not, Kimbo is a legitimate force to be reckoned with in ‘08. His goal is to become EliteXC world heavyweight champ. “I have dedicated myself to this and train very hard,’’ he said. “When the time comes to fight for the title, I’ll be ready. You know, though, I feel ready now. I’ll fight anybody.’’

Tank (http://tankabbott.proelite.com) hails from Surf City (Huntington Beach, Calif.), but he is no beach boy. In fact, this rough, tough dude does not ride waves -- he makes them. Throughout his career, fans either loved him or detested him because of the reckless way he would attack an opponent or the disdain he would show toward them.

A bad boy with hands that could crush any foe, Tank is a notorious trash-talker that fights with a fury and intensity that has made him an MMA mainstay for many years. No stranger to the big stage or fighting in an opponent’s backyard, the experienced veteran will empty his tank and give it all he's got.

His nickname tells all: Like a tank, Abbott is designed to engage enemies head-on, using direct two-fisted fire from, in his case, his fists. Be assured a guy that can bench press 600 pounds and competes with a total disregard for his opponents will not respect a fighter with one fight -- no matter his reputation.

A true icon of MMA and one of the individuals who helped usher the sport into the mainstream, Abbott does not pull punches – or words – and has long claimed he could put a beating on the massive Slice. Now, a fighter known for being very blunt and telling it like it is will get his opportunity.
“If Kimbo thinks he’s just going to come in and overwhelm me, throw a few punches and knock me out, he is dead wrong,’’ said Tank, who is infamous for his 'fight anyone anywhere mentality' and has called out Kimbo numerous times. “People think I’ll be gassed after a few punches and just fall down.
“Everyone is in for a big surprise. This is going to be a fun night for everybody, but especially for me. I’m looking forward to Feb. 16. Once I land – and I will land – you will see what I’m talking about.
Some may say the free swinging Tank possesses more name value than game value these days, but he certainly doesn’t lack confidence. “Watch the YouTube star go down the tubes,’’ the striker supreme said. “I don’t respect anybody in the cage. On Feb. 16, watch the way the Kimbo crumbles.’’

'Kimbo Slice & Tank Abbott Gary Shaw To Hold Media Conference Call Wed. January 16, at 4PM ET/1PM PT' - Jan. 14th, 2008

WHO: Legendary Internet Street Fighter And MMA Superstar Kimbo Slice
Exciting, Hard-Hitting MMA Bad Boy Tank Abbott
EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw

WHAT: Kimbo, Tank and Shaw will discuss “EliteXC Presents STREET CERTIFIED:
Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott’’ -- and the entire EliteXC Mixed Martial Arts mega-
event on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami on
SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

In what figures to be a slugfest for as long as it lasts, Kimbo, of Perrine, Fla., and
Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., will clash in a highly anticipated main event on
a card that also will feature one of the world’s top heavyweights, Antonio “Big
Foot’’ Silva, of Coconut Grove, Fla. In other bouts, highly regarded British
heavyweight James "The Colossus" Thompson faces unbeaten Brett Rogers
of Minneapolis, Edson Berto, of Tampa, Fla., meets Yves Edwards of Conroe,
Tex., and Australian Kyle “KO’’ Noke, the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile
Hunter’’ Irwin, takes on Scott Smith, of Sacramento, Calif. Charles “Krazy Horse’’ Bennett, of Ocala, Fla., who owns a knockout victory over EliteXC 160-pound world champion KJ Noons, will be opposed by a foe to be announced in a top, non-televised undercard match.

Tickets for a spectacular 10-bout event start at $35 and are available at all
Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box
Office at the University of Miami.

ACCESS #: (888) 446-5348 (United States)
(913) 338-9600 (International)
Ask for SHOWTIME Conference Call
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008
4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
CONTACTS: SHOWTIME – Chris DeBlasio/Ivy Moon, (212) 708-1633/7319
BZA/ELITEXC – Dan Clavadetscher/John Beyrooty, (818) 462-5602/5601

EliteXC’s “Street Certified”

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Bank United Center at the University of Miami

Coral Gables, Florida

Main Card -
SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT)

Kevin Ferguson (234) vs. David Abbott (263)

Antonio Silva (259.75) vs. Ricco Rodriguez (262.75)

Scott Smith (184) vs. Kyle Noke (184.75)

Yves Edwards (160) vs. Edson Berto (158.25)

James Thompson (253) vs. Brett Rogers (264)

Preliminary Card

Rafael Feijao (204.5) vs. John Doyle (203.25)

Jon Kirk (183) vs. Yosmany Cabezas (184.25)

Mario Rinaldi (260.5) vs. Dave Herman (242.5)

Eric Bradley (169.75) vs. Mikey Gomez (170)

Lorenzo Borgameo (170) vs. Mike Bernhard (169.5)

Moyses Gabin (203.75) vs. Jirka Hlavaty (210)