From MMANews.com:

Perhaps the most interesting bit of information from this mess deals with the contracts of ProElite's fighters. One of the managers I talked to said Elite might not be able to free fighters right away as CBS might have a right to the contracts. The network had a promissory note with Elite which didn't get paid. Like a lien on property, their only assets to collect are the fight contracts. This contradicts suggestions on Tuesday that fighters under contract to ProElite before it went belly up would likely be free and clear to negotiate with other promoters.

I have read that CBS & Showtime officials have discussed treating these fighters like they treat boxers and having periodic cards with fighters of their choice. If they have control over these fighters' contracts then that may not be a bad thing as we will still get to see shows on both networks. However, this does put the fighters in limbo. I'd love to see CBS & Showtime go forward with the pieces left over from Pro Elite. Give the promotion a new name and a whole new package with different production and announcers and help erase the sour taste left in people's mouths from the Pro Elite fiasco.

From MMAPayout.com

The Company advised CBS that it was unable to deliver the Sunrise Event ordered by CBS for October 2008 under the current terms of the Agreement.

Accordingly, the Company and CBS agreed to amend the Agreement whereby CBS would assume all expenses for the event and receive all revenue from the event. CBS advanced the estimated event costs according to an agreed upon budget in order for the Company to pay expenses related to the event. Additionally, the Company and CBS waived mutual exclusivity under the Agreement for the Sunrise Event.

EliteXC seems to only have benefited from the exposure, since all the revenue went to CBS. So, that definitely will not help the fledgling company. Things don't look good for EliteXC. It has definitely been a rough couple of months for the promotion.

If you're in South Florida on Wednesday and you've got time to kill, EliteXC is holding its final press conference in advance of this weekend's third CBS card. According to a press release, all the fighters on the card will be at the press conference, which is open to the public. Here are the details:

WHO/WHAT:

The CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS fighters and those appearing on the undercard will participate in the FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE before the big event, Saturday, Oct. 4, at the BankAtlantic Center at Sunrise, Fla.

WHERE:

Chairman's Club at BankAtlantic Center
1 Panther Parkway; Sunrise, Fla. 33323

WHEN:

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008; 2 p.m. ET

(All bouts are 3 x 5-minutes unless otherwise stated. The first fighter is the red corner, the second is the blue corner.)

Undercard:

• 160 lbs: Jorge Boechat (3-2) vs. Nicolae Cury (Debut)
• 140 lbs: David Gomez (Debut) vs. Brett Jackowski (1-0)
• 170 lbs: Mickey Gomez (7-4) vs. Lorenzo Borgomeo (4-0)
• 205 lbs: Aaron Rosa (11-2) vs. Seth "The Silverback" Petruzelli (9-4)
• 160 lbs: Edson "Little Tiger" Berto (14-5-1) vs. Conor Heun (7-2)
• 148 lbs: Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (5-0) vs. Yoko Takahashi (13-9) (3 x 3 minutes)

CBS Bouts:

• 185 lbs: Murilo "Ninja" Rua (16-8-1) vs. Benji Radach (18-4)
• 140 lbs: Gina "Conviction" Carano (6-0) vs. Kelly Kobold (16-2-1) (3 x 3 minutes)
• 265 lbs: Andrei Arlovski (14-5) vs. Roy "Big Country" Nelson (13-2)
• 170 lbs Title: Jake Shields (21-4-1) vs. Paul "Semtex" Daley (18-6-2) (5 x 5 minutes)

Main Event:

• 265 lbs: Kimbo Slice (3-0) vs. Ken Shamrock (26-13-2)

Note that Andrei Arlovksi is the FightTicker.com #5 heavyweight in the world and Jake Shields is the FightTicker.com #3 welterweight in the world.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 — CBS, EliteXC, and Trump’s Affliction Entertainment jointly announced today that a fifth fight has been added to the lineup for CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS on Saturday, Oct. 4 featuring top-ranked MMA heavyweights Andrei Arlovski against the last reigning IFL heavyweight champion Roy “Big Country” Nelson.

Arlovski, who was originally slated to fight in the main event of the Oct. 11 Affliction card, is the No. 4 ranked heavyweight in the world, according to MMAWEEKLY.com. A native of Belarus, Arlovski was last seen ending Ben Rothwell’s 13-fight winning streak during the inaugural "Affliction Banned" show, which was held on July 19, 2008. Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion and currently has a record of 13-5.

Roy "Big Country" Nelson has made a name for himself with impressive knock outs, a remarkable ground game and stellar submissions. He was the IFL’s last reigning heavyweight champion and currently holds an impressive record of 13-2. Training with Ken Shamrock’s legendary fight camp, the Lion’s Den, Nelson stands at 6'0" and weighs approximately 250 pounds.

"This is yet another testament to EliteXC’s willingness to work with other MMA promotions to bring the best possible fights to the broadest possible audience," said Jeremy Lappen, head of the Live Fight Division of EliteXC. "Special thanks to the hard working team at Affliction and of course our partners at CBS and Showtime."

Michael Cohen, Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization and Chief Operating Officer of Affliction Entertainment, added, "Mr. Trump and the Affliction Entertainment group are honored to be working alongside CBS, Showtime and EliteXC. It is without question that this event will exceed everyone’s expectations and will continue to uphold Affliction’s promise to promote the best fights for the benefit of the fans."

From NYPost.com:

"EliteXC: Primetime" debuted on CBS last May. It was greeted with some controversy since the no-holds-barred fighting has been available only on pay-per-view and cable TV.

Rumors have also resurfaced that CBS is once again in talks with UFC - the first and better-known of the competing fight leagues - to take over the timeslot.

Sherdog.com is reporting that Benji Radach will fight Murilo "Ninja" Rua on the October 4th EliteXC card.

MMAWeekly.com has a report in which EliteXC VP Jared Shaw implies that either EliteXC lightweight champ KJ Noons or Noons' management is ducking a rematch against arch-rival Nick Diaz.