Kimbo Slice, Gina Carano Likely to Return to EliteXC on CBS October 4

Dave Meltzer reports today (via Bloody Elbow) that EliteXC and CBS have tentatively agreed on Saturday, October 4 for the date of the third prime time network television mixed martial arts show, with Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano both slated to face as-yet unnamed opponents.

Although EliteXC's show tomorrow night on CBS is expected to suffer a decline in the ratings from May's premier, Kimbo and Carano are EliteXC's two biggest draws, and with both of them on the card together, the card should do a solid rating for CBS.

A big question about this show will be how CBS uses college football as a lead-in for EliteXC. With the Florida-Arkansas game scheduled for that afternoon, EliteXC would love nothing more than to have CBS spend much of the day reminding viewers to stay tuned for MMA, and pairing MMA with college football would be great for MMA's efforts to enter the mainstream. But CBS considers EliteXC part of its entertainment division, not its sports division, and that means there might not be a lot of corporate synergy.