In breaking down a potential match between Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Loretta Hunt lays out some interesting news regarding the rumored return of ProElite:
As of today, I’ve ascertained enough information to confidently say that an eleventh hour effort is afoot to resurrect Pro Elite. I’m told this new regime includes a mix of a new investor(s) and some of Pro Elite’s old guard, and they have submitted a bid to CBS to take over the promising contract left dormant after the Los Angeles promotion closed its doors in late October. Carano and Santos’ contracts -- not to mention those of Elite champions Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields among others -- could be legally bound to this reincarnated unit. But there’s more.
I don’t think it would be shocking for us to hear that CBS has also been in talks with various other promotions in the last few weeks, the UFC and Strikeforce included. Whoever lands the CBS deal, and I do believe it will be one of these three, will have a substantial leg up in acquiring or increasing its foothold in the industry and offering an attractive platform to Carano, Santos and others looking to ply their trade.
The above information is a little more specific than anything else I've seen regarding the mysterious bidder(s) in the running to take over ProElite. As I've said in the past, I hope that this situation is cleared up in short order, so the fighters that can't fight due to contract issues can return to action. I'm a little nervous about the involvement of "some of ProElite's old guard" considering they didn't do such a bang-up job last time around.
The effort to revive the troubled promotion could all be for naught if the UFC or Strikeforce grabs the CBS deal. That would seem to be the crown jewel in this whole mess.