MMA Fight Fixing

October 9th, 2008 filed in Fighting

ProElite, a Mixed Martial Arts promoter, has found itself at the center of a possible fight fixing scandal. Last Saturday’s fight between Kimbo Slice and Seth Petruzelli lasted only 14 seconds before it was stopped with a KTFO. Petruzelli, a last-minute replacement, made comments following the stunner that have led many to raise allegations of fight fixing.

Slice, along with Gina Carano, has been one of the main draws for Elite XC, a subsidiary of ProElite. He was scheduled to fight MMA veteran Ken Shamrock, but Shamrock suffered a cut eye. Petruzelli, who was outweighed by 29 pounds, was put in as Slice’s opponent at the last minute.

ESPN.com reports comments by Petruzelli following the fight :

“The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him,” Petruzelli said on “The Monsters in Orlando” show. “They didn’t want me to take him down, let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him.” Petruzelli has since claimed his comment was “misconstrued.” But the damage was too great to simply go away quietly. His words implied that ProElite attempted to influence the fight, causing the issue to mushroom.

The LA Times explains Petruzelli’s comments:

Petruzelli said he was approached by promoters before the bout and encouraged to fight Slice standing up, rather than wrestling him to the mat. That would have played to the strength of Slice, a former street fighter famous for his fights shown on YouTube.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (which oversees the State Boxing Commmission) has opened a preliminary investigation into this matter.

UFC president Dana White explains to ESPN.com how this incident effects the sport :

White says a large television rating won’t matter if it is found that ProElite attempted to influence the Slice-Petruzelli fight. White welcomes the DBPR’s decision. He believes any hint that a promoter influenced how a bout was fought will harm the integrity of mixed martial arts. White added that his organization could also feel the sting.

“The Mandalay Bay and Venetian [casinos] took bets on that fight,” White told ESPN.com. “If you’re a fan of mixed martial arts and you sit down and do all the stats and you’re like ‘man, if this thing goes to the ground, Seth Petruzelli can win this fight, I’m gonna bet on Seth Petruzelli.’

“Then you don’t know the promoters are paying the guy and saying ‘don’t go to the ground?’ That’s criminal. If that was in Las Vegas and the Nevada Athletic Commission had put that fight on, the FBI would be investigating them right now.”

This is not the first time that Kimbo and Elite XC have been accused of fixing a fight. See Bleacher Report and FanHouse for more.