Joining an announced rematch between EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Scott Smith at Unfinished Business on July 26 are Jake Shields and Antonio Silva, each of whom may fight to raise the card's title bouts to three.
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According to EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw, Shields' opponent for the newly created 170-pound title will be determined this week. Potential challengers include International Fight League champion Jay Hieron, former Bodog champ Nick Thompson, or the recently motivated Paul Daley.
Shields was in line to fight Drew Fickett for the vacant title before injuries nixed the bout. If Silva appears on the card (it's not a guarantee that he will, right now) he could face IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, or Robert "Buzz" Berry, who knocked out Ken Shamrock in March.
Unfinished Business, which appears destined for St. Louis, may also feature women's MMA again as Shayna Baszler-Kelly Kobald is being discussed as potential follow-up to the first card's Gina Carano-Kaitlin Young bout.
EliteXC has already started working on lining up an October card with Kimbo Slice, who's expected to fight Brett Rodgers. A rematch between EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons and rival Nick Diaz could also be featured on CBS in the fall.
In addition to the announced CBS fights, Showtime will broadcast several live fights as lead-ins to the events, including a bout pitting impressive featherweight Wilson Reis against Bao Quach or Mark Oshiro.
For having considerably thinner rosters than the UFC, you have to give Elite XC credit for pulling what sound like promising shows together. Most notably, the Kobald - Baszler rematch is intriguing particularly with Kobald going on a recent slide as is a potential showdown between Godoi black belt Wilson Reis and either Quach or Oshiro. On the other hand, a fight between "Buzz" Berry and Antonio Silva shouldn't even be approved by the state athletic commission.
One also has to think the move to St. Louis has much to do with harnessing the strong contingent of amateur wrestling fans in the surrounding Midwest area.
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