From My Blog-
Article- http://mmablog.fightbeat.com/?p=7


<p style="text-align: center" align="left"><img src="http://www.elitexc.com/assets/images/events/sep15/results/sep15_header.jpg" align="absmiddle" height="296" width="590" /></p>
<p align="left">On September 15th, anyone who's looking for a good break from the <strong>UFC</strong> need only tune into Showtime at 10 PM Eastern. <strong>EliteXC</strong> will be presenting Uprising, a card full of big names, &amp; great fights. <strong>Gary Shaw</strong>'s upstart promotion has been turning heads everywhere in the MMA community, &amp; this could be the show that truly does put them over the top.</p>
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<p align="left">Sometimes controversial Boxing promoter Gary Shaw is beginning to learn more &amp; more about building up a fledgling MMA promotion. Shaw has the experience, savvy, &amp; apparent financial backing that it will take to compete with the UFC. In what seems like less than a year; Shaw was able to secure a deal with Showtime, start the MMA equivalent to ShoBox: The Next Generation, acquire the <strong>Cage Rage</strong> organization, brought female MMA to the mainstream, &amp; broke barriers by teaming up with <strong>K1 Hero</strong>'s &amp; <strong>Strikeforce.</strong></p>
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<p align="left">Oh, did I mention on Saturday he'll host possibly the biggest MMA event to ever take place in Hawaii? That's the thing about Shaw that makes me think he'll do what it takes to achieve greatness. He'll break barriers, he'll team up with other organizations, he'll do anything to reach the MMA apex. It's the I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine mentality like teaming up with <strong>ICON Sport</strong> to host this show in Hawaii that is separating EliteXC from the unaccompanied proprietorship that is the UFC.</p>
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<p align="left">He knows how to take the UFC's so called "unwanted" &amp; turn them into a gold mine. When the UFC bought PRIDE, they basically hand picked fighters on a "what can you do for me now" basis. Picking up guys like <strong>Dan Henderson</strong>, <strong>Mirko Cro Cop</strong>, <strong>Wanderlei Silva</strong>, &amp; <strong>"Shogun" Rua</strong>. At the same time, they left guys like "Shogun"'s sometimes underachieving brother, <strong>Murilo "Ninja" Rua</strong> in the dust. They also did little to secure contracts with guys like <strong>"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler</strong>, &amp; <strong>David "The Crow"Loiseau</strong> after they took a few losses.</p>
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<p align="left">But possibly their biggest mistake ever, was allowing a guy like Gary Shaw to get his hands on <strong>Nick Diaz</strong>. Nick Diaz is possibly the most marketable fighter in the world this side of <strong>Quinton "Rampage" Jackson</strong>. He's a young, tough, no nonsense kid from California, &amp; he doesn't care about speaking his mind. Normally I'd say something like, "If used right, he could be huge". But at this point, under the tutelage of a guy who has been around the media giant that is Boxing at it's highest levels, any wishful thinking is almost pointless. There is no point in hoping that Gary Shaw promotes Nick Diaz in a fashion that will make him a superstar. Why? Because he's going to do it anyway. Come back to this article this time next year, &amp; give me my award as the MMA Nostradamus, because I'm telling you, Nick Diaz will be HUGE.</p>
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<p align="left">Nick Diaz returns to the fight game for the first time after a controversial decision by the NSAC to overturn Diaz's February triumph over PRIDE stalwart <strong>Takanori Gomi</strong>. Diaz tested positive not for steroids or a performance enhancing supplement, but for Marijuana. The victory was turned into a No Decision &amp; Diaz has received support from most of the MMA community ever since. Sometimes when fighters are overturned by commissions, people act as if the fight never happened. This is not so with the Diaz &amp; Gomi fight. People will always remember the fight, &amp; anyone who has common sense will see it nothing less than an impressive victory by Nick Diaz.</p>
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<p align="left">Diaz makes his EliteXC debut against <strong>BJ Penn</strong> product <strong>Mike Aina</strong> on the under card of the Honolulu event. Like most of the other fights on the card, it is being billed as <strong>Gracie vs Penn</strong>, as Diaz is a <strong>Cesar Gracie</strong> student. Aina has been in there with some above average competition in UFC golden boy <strong>Roger Huerta</strong>, &amp; IFL fighter <strong>Ryan "The Lion" Schultz</strong>, losing to both by decision. I've yet to see Aina fight, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nij5gEgPQLc" target="_blank">but based on a recent highlight published on YouTube</a>, the guy has some heavy hands, &amp; looks very aggressive. I mean, the guy trains with BJ Penn, so I'd expect nothing less. He seems to have all of the tools to bring out the best in Nick Diaz, &amp; I anticipate some serious fireworks.</p>
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<p align="left">The Main Event at Uprising features MMAWeekly.com's #7 ranked Middleweight <strong>"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler</strong> challenging EliteXC's Middleweight Champion, <strong>Murilo "Ninja" Rua</strong>. This is EliteXC &amp; Rua's first title defense, and I can tell you now, knees &amp; fists will be in abundance. Both fighters love to strike, &amp; both love to throw some unconventional knees.</p>
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<p align="left"><strong>"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler</strong> is often referred to as the "best physical specimen he's ever trained" by <strong>Pat Miletich</strong>. Lawler, who recently made a move to train with Matt Hughes at the newly formed Team Hughes, looks to build off the momentum he has achieved from his recent destruction of <strong>Frank Trigg</strong>. The former UFC &amp; PRIDE veteran has disposed of the likes of <strong>Aaron Riley</strong>, <strong>Chris "Lights Out" Lytle</strong>, <strong>Falaniko Vitale</strong>(twice), and more recently, <strong>"Smokin" Joey Villasenor</strong>.</p>
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<p align="left">Murilo "Ninja" Rua has often been compared to the likes of <strong>Kevin Randleman</strong>, as a guy with endless talent, but one who has always underachieved. When the Chute Box fighter first burst on the scene at PRIDE, everyone thought he was the future of the sport. He got an impressive win over <strong>Daijiro Matsui</strong>, &amp; lost an incredibly close decision to <strong>"Hollywood" Dan Henderson</strong>. He went on to beat <strong>Alex Andrade</strong> by decision in what I often refer to as one of the worst dominations in MMA history. He also was able to beat the legendary <strong>Mario Sperry</strong> in impressive fashion. Then something happened to Rua, he started to lose fights against the top competition, &amp; began to attempt to fluctuate between different weights. He dropped losses to Randleman, <strong>Ricardo Arona</strong>, <strong>Sergei Kharitonov</strong>, <strong>Quinton Jackson</strong>, <strong>Paulo Filho</strong>, &amp; <strong>Dennis Kang</strong>. But finally, out of the shadow of his younger brother &amp; <strong>Wanderlei Silva</strong>, it seems "Ninja" has finally found his place in MMA. He's recently had an impressive victory over <strong>Mark Weir</strong>, defeated <strong>Alex Reid</strong> because of a well defended low kick, &amp; won the EliteXC Middleweight Championship against Joey Villasenor.</p>
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<p align="left">Both "Ninja" &amp; Lawler have something to prove on Saturday, &amp; I look for it to be one hell of a stand up war. I'm not sure who I'd put my money on, but if I had to guess I'd go with Murilo "Ninja" Rua successfully defending his title. Rua has been in there with the best fighters in the world, &amp; he's finally got his hands around a major title, I don't see him letting go very easily.</p>
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<p align="left">Also on the under card is the highly anticipated showdown between BJ Penn trained former UFC veteran <strong>Renato "Charuto" Verissimo</strong> &amp; <a href="http://www.mmaweekly.com" target="_blank">MMAWeekly.com</a>'s #8 ranked Welterweight, Cesar Gracie product, <strong>Jake Shields</strong>. This could be a contender for fight of the night, as Jake Shields attempts to move up the Welterweight ladder, &amp; "Charuto" continues his comeback. "Charuto", is Penn's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor, so you obviously have to respect his ground game. "Charuto" <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Charuto+hughes/video/x1lvxi_matt-hughes-vs-charuto_sport" target="_blank">is often remembered for his controversial decision loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 48</a>. Jake Shields is coming off a plethora of wins over top competition including former UFC Middleweight Champion, <strong>Dave Menne</strong>, top Middleweight &amp; UFC contender, <strong>Yushin Okami</strong>, &amp; WEC Welterweight Champion, <strong>Carlos Condit</strong>.</p>
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<p align="left">The card also includes the current Women's MMA poster girl, <a href="http://www.ugo.com/elitexc/images/fighters/gina_carano.jpg" target="_blank"><strong>Gina Carano</strong></a> in action. The ever popular Carano will test her incredible striking skills against the very tough<strong> Tonya Evinger</strong>. If you've never seen Gina Carano in action, this fight on Saturday is an absolute must see. The first time I saw Carano fight, I was absolutely amazed.</p>
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<p align="left"><strong>Greg Jackson </strong>product, "Smokin" Joe Villasenor will also be doing battle with Killer Bee sensation, <strong>Riki Fukuda</strong>. Fists will fly in this fight, &amp; both guys are looking for a win to move up and possibly challenge for the Middleweight Championship.</p>
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<p align="left">The rest of the under card features a who's who list of <strong>Rumble on the Rock</strong> &amp; ICON Sport veterans, including <strong>Tyson Nam</strong>, <strong>Justin Buchholz</strong>, <strong>Mark Oshiro</strong>, &amp; <strong>Brandon Wolff</strong>. All of which can be seen in action from a live stream off of the <a href="http://www.proelite.com/home" target="_blank">ProElite website</a>.</p>
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<p align="left">Take it how you want it, but EliteXC is coming, &amp; it is here to stay. Gary Shaw is starting to gain all of the tools he needs, &amp; within time, I see EliteXC potentially competing with the UFC for some of the North American market. Tune in Saturday September 15th, it's going to be a show to remember.</p>

EliteXC has a link to this article on their front page. Rep-War Drewlius, War Ninjashoes.
http://www.elitexc.com/

Holy shit bro REPPED to the max....I just went to the fucking EliteXC website and then I saw Ninjashoes.net at the top...everybody rep this guy!!

Damn, way to go Drewlius! Good to see your talent hasnt gone un-noticed. Repd.

Damn, way to go Drewlius! Good to see your talent hasnt gone un-noticed. Repd.

Seriously nobody has even noticed this and it's been posted up here for a bit now...this is a big thing for the shoes:sifone:

MODS MOVE THIS TO THE MMA forum...I know Drewlius probably doesn't want the extra attention but he deserves his props for this

Great job, Drewlius... Repped. Im definitely amped for the fights.

Here are my predictions:

GINA CARANO vs. TONYA EVINGER

In what should surely be an entertaining battle, the "beautiful" Gina Carano faces off against hard-hitting Tonya Evinger. Both fighters have proven to have skills both standing and on the ground and both have displayed the technical abilities to finish fights.
Tonya has proven to be aggressive and tough, but the one question mark is her submission defense. We know she can stand and trade and use her boxing to open up holes in her opponent, but can she keep it on her feet?
Carano has been instrumental in growing the popularity of women's MMA in America. Her acceptance by fans hasn't just been because she has a pretty smile, because she can fight pretty damn well too. She's been out of action since February, as she canceled an appearance at K-1 DYNAMITE due to illness.
PREDICTION: I think this should end up being a nice stand up battle between two very capable women. Gina struggled with cutting weight, so it remains to be seen if she is 100% for the fight. It could very easily go either way, but I think Tonya will catch Gina by the end of it. TONYA EVINGER BY TKO RD 3

JOEY VILLASENOR vs. RIKI FUKUDA

Joey Villasenor returns to the cage following his loss to Ninja in June. The talented fighter from Greg Jackson's team will have quite the task at hand when he takes on Pancrase veteran Riki Tukuda.
Joey has proven that he balanced and he has the ability to stand and trade or use submissions (often chokes) to finish the fights. His problems have usually come at the hands of fantastic fighters like Murilo "Ninja", Lawler, and Ryo Chonan.
Riki Fukuda prides himself on his conditioning and his strength. The 26 year old trains at the famous Killer Bee Academy in Japan which also features such great fighters as Kid Yamamoto and Akira Kikuchi. He has shown the ability to defend against great submission fighters and wrestlers and utilized his striking and GnP to finish opponents.
PREDICTION: In what should be a stand-up battle (at least to start), I look for Fukuda to surprise Joey and eventually take him down. From this position I feel like Riki will be able to use his strength and technique from the top positions to finish the fight, or at least win via decision. RIKI FUKUDA by UD

NICK DIAZ vs. MIKE AINA

In what could very easily become the fight of the night, "Iron" Mike Aina takes on the always edgy Nick Diaz.
Mike Aina hasn't had all the big name fights so this is the biggest fight of his life. That said, he is used to training with some high caliber fighters every day in BJ Penn and "Charuto". Mike has had some problems in the past with fighters who have been able to neutralize his striking, however.
Nick Diaz is always entertaining. It is as simple as that. Whether the guy is doing a radio interview or fighting, you better keep your eyes and ears open. What makes Nick Diaz such a good fighter is the fact that he can use his long limbs and somewhat awkward striking style to keep distance until he can use his superior conditioning to capitalize. We have seen him on multiple occasions "taunting" his opponents when they seem to be fading due to conditioning.
PREDICTION: While it seems hard to believe that two aggressive fighters would go to a decision, it will be hard for either guy to finish his opponent in my opinion. While Diaz has excellent jiu jitsu, Aina is used to fighting great BJJ practitioners daily. I can't see Diaz doing much to Diaz though, and I think Diaz will slowly pick him apart in every which way possible. NICK DIAZ BY UD.

JAKE SHIELDS vs. RENATO "Charuto" VERISSIMO

One of the most underrated fighters in all of mixed martial arts, Jake Shields faces off against a guy who arguably beat the famous Matt Hughes.
Jake Shields is a pure mixed martial artist. The guy is a sweet wrestler with the ability to use his positioning to control opponents and set up submission attempts. Usually Shields seems to look for positioning first, but if his opponent gets complacent, he will throw some solid strikes as well.
Charuto is a very talented fighter who has the technical jiu jitsu to catch his opponents if they are complacent, that said he usually uses his BJJ to defend takedowns or defend himself from his back. As mentioned earlier, Verissimo trains at BJ Penn's Academy in Hawaii. Verissimo has also shown the ability to take opponents down and smash, so Shields will have to be wary if he is put on his back.
PREDICTION: In this fight I think it is very important that either guy gain positioning early. Both guys are very talented, but if Charuto can't get Shields on his back I don't see how he can finish the fight. Shields just seems to be too well rounded of a fighter to lose this one. JAKE SHIELDS BY RNC RD 2

MURILO "Ninja" RUA vs. ROBBIE LAWLER

This title unification bout couldn't mean any more to either one of these determined and focused combatants. In what is seemingly an evenly matched battle, one mistake could cost either fighter.
Ninja Rua has gone through some hard times, but I personally believe he has the talents to be a grade A talent on any given night. A very capable and aggressive striker out of the Chute Boxe academy, Ninja may be wise to depend on his takedowns and jiu jitsu to take the dangerous Lawler out of his element. Ninja looks to be determined as ever and he is certainly in shape for this battle.
"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler is a big fan of Mike Tyson and you can see it when he fights. Robbie is always using his boxing techniques, like head movement and deadly power shots, to capitalize on his opponents mistake. When his opponents least expect it, BAM! fight is over... Robbie wins. Though he recently left Miletich Fighting Systems, he still has years of experience with those top ranked fighters and you can be sure he will be ready for this fight.
PREDICTION: I think Lawler will come out and try to end the fight quickly, but Ninja will survive early on. If he can indeed survive the early onslaught, I believe he will be in good enough shape to remind of us of the young Ninja who never seemed to gas. Ninja will eventually look to get a takedown, where I believe he will have a significant advantage of Robbie. MURILO RUA BY KIMURA RD 4.

WAIT WTF

I JUST WENT TO ELITEXC.COM AND IT CLEARLY SAYS NINJASHOES.NET!!!!!!!!!!!!! UYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

^Indeed it does. And it links to this very page right here for me. Cause I clicked the link and came here. now I am posting :P

Repp Drew very well written

Good stuff man. Very eloquently done.

:popcorn:

amazing I am very impressed and thankful

repped

Wow, thanks for all the good comments bro. I had no idea it even made the EliteXC webpage until just now. Glad I could get some publicity for the shoes. Thanks for all the support fellas'. Please make sure you support my blog, it's in my signature. I'll be sure to always post my articles here to get you guys more publicity.