"I do believe that Gina is probably the biggest draw that they have in EliteXC," Couture said. "Her pay, I think it was $25,000, I think she deserves more."
Couture then turned to the subject of Carano getting naked for her weigh-in, and she said she didn't understand why the promoters and the Florida Boxing Commission couldn't let Carano weigh-in privately, not in front of a crowd and shielded only by towels.
Couture even went so far as to accuse EliteXC promoter Jared Shaw of attempting to look over the towels to look at Carano naked.
"I feel bad that she had to do that," Couture said. "I think they could have handled it differently. ... She would have much rather had me up there then Jared Shaw -- Skala -- in the background trying to peek over the towel. I thought that was pretty low. Yeah, he's got a little bit of an obsession with Gina Carano, as most guys do. He was trying to sneak a peek. It was ridiculous."
Obviously, that's an extremely serious accusation, but this week, we've had nothing but extremely serious accusations against EliteXC.
MORE MMA:
UFC President Dana White Wants EliteXC Investigated by the FBI
Ken Shamrock Still Wants to Fight Kimbo Slice
EliteXC Rips the Media, Calls Kimbo Slice-Seth Petruzelli Controversy 'Not a Story'
Ref Defends Andrei Arlovski-Roy Nelson Stand-Up
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski Planned for January 24
EliteXCs Wild Night of Fights
Seth Petruzelli celebrates after beating Kimbo Slice by TKO in 14 seconds at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Seth Petruzelli punches Kimbo Slice by TKO in 14 seconds at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Seth Petruzelli punches Kimbo Slice by TKO in 14 seconds at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Seth Petruzelli punches Kimbo Slice by TKO in 14 seconds at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Andrei Arlovski celebrates after beating Roy Nelson at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Andrei Arlovski knees Roy Nelson at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Andrei Arlovski punches Roy Nelson at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Andrei Arlovski punches Roy Nelson at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Roy Nelson punches Andrei Arlovski at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Gina Carano celebrates after beating Kelly Kobold at 'EliteXC: Heat' on Saturday, October 4, 2008, hosted at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Tom Casino, CBS-SHOWTIME
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
10-10-2008 @ 3:02PM
Dave said...
Elite will be gone soon. Bad promotion. Bad fighters. Bad press. How you can hitch your wagon to Kimbo is beyond me. They clearly know nothing about this sport. Its over. NAKED? THEY MADE THIS GIRL GET NAKED IN FRONT OF LOSERS? Ridiculous. I love naked women and Gina would be great to see but I would prefer to take her clothes off myself. This dude Shaw running Elite is a punk. Jumping around like a monkey when his boy got his ass kicked. What a punk.
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10-10-2008 @ 5:46PM
Eric said...
I feel sorry for Gina having to fight in such a questionable organization.
I think they should have cleared all of the "peeping Shaws" off of the stage, and given her people more than towels to cover up with ... she is a hot girl, but I personally don't want to see her in an uncomfortable situation.
As for Kim's comment about weighing in privately, I don't agree with that ... the women fighters talk about equal treatment and weighing in privately would be special treatment. Not to mention that weighing in is part of the fighting process, and the public has had access to weigh-ins at major events for decades.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think it was kinda gross to see her Dad holding one of the towels?
10-10-2008 @ 7:04PM
Shonda said...
May sound weird, but if a male were to hold the towel for me, I'd prefer for it to be a man I trusted like my dad, at least then I'd know that he wouldn't be trying to pull any of that sh*t $kala did.
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10-10-2008 @ 8:33PM
nicole said...
EliteXC is honestly one of the most boring things I've watched. I couldn't believe how much talking was going on...it's kinda like okay lets stop the chit chat and fight already! As for the Gina Carano weigh-in I think they could have had less skeezy people holding up her towels...BUT I dont think it would have been right to let her weigh in privately because that would be special treatment, if the guys can do it so can she. Oh and on a side note whats with the girls pulling hair?!!! I thought we were trying to get away from the typical girl fight stereotypes.
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10-10-2008 @ 8:38PM
Mike said...
Any reason these clowns couldn't weigh the uniform, weigh her dressed (clothed in her uniform), and subtract the difference? Doesn't strike me as rocket science. A nude weigh-in strikes me as a bit of voyerism by dirt-balls.
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10-11-2008 @ 12:16AM
Eric said...
It doesn't work like that ... never has. Athletic commision requires the fighter to make weight without any special circumstances.
I like Gina, but she needs to show more discipline when it comes to cutting weight ... if she did this wouldn't be an issue.
10-10-2008 @ 10:47PM
Alex said...
Boo-hoo! Female sports writers go into male locker rooms with naked athletes everyday all over the world. Who cares that she had to weigh in with towels shielding her. Stop complaining over nothing. Just another female crying exploitation, but it's ok to do it to male athletes.
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10-10-2008 @ 10:21PM
LARRY said...
ALEX is 100% right. Female reporters should similarly be condemned for violating the privacy and human dignity of male athletes. What a vile, SEXIST double standard.
10-11-2008 @ 9:03PM
jmichaelisbell said...
Michael is absolutely correct, as he said, it isn't rocket science to determine the weight of the clothes. Also, if she meets the weight requirement WITH the clothes on, then who in their right mind should care? We are all adults, and she IS an athlete, yet, if there is no damn good reason, for the men or the women, then it is crap. "Reasonable accommodation" is just that--this is not tough for these geniuses to solve.
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10-10-2008 @ 9:28PM
Terri said...
ERIC, I COMMEND YOUR INTEGRITY, IN A WORLD OF MEN WITHOUT HONOR. I, HOWEVER DISAGREE WITH YOUR FUTHER POINT, THAT BEING THAT IF WOMEN WANT "EQUAL" TREATMENT WE HAVE TO GET DOWN AND "DIRTY" WITH THE BOYS. (PUBLIC NUDE WEIGH-IN'S)
A WOMAN SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR HER EQUALITY BY SELLING OUT HER WOMAN HOOD. ALL WE WANTED WAS EQUAL PAY, THE RIGHT TO VOTE, AND ACCESS TO JOBS WE DESERVE. MEN HAVE HAD THIS ALL ALONG. NOW, WOMEN HAVE TO PAY (IE, GIVE-UP) SOMETHING TO BE EQUAL? I LOVE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SEXES. I LOVE A MAN TO HOLD THE DOOR FOR ME. DOES THAT MEAN I DESERVE UNEQUAL PAY? WOMEN STILL HAVE TO BEAR THE CHILDREN AND STILL DEAL WITH THEIR "MONTHLY" NIGHTMARE, ALSO, DEALING WITH UNFAIR STRENGTH ISSUES IN THE WORLD (MEN HARDLY WORRY ABOUT RAPE),CLEARLY, THE WORLD IS NOT FAIR. DO WOMEN HAVE TO PAY FOR EQUALITY TOO?
(UNLIKE MEN, WHO TAKE IT FOR GRANTED)
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10-10-2008 @ 10:21PM
LARRY said...
ALEX and ERIC are both right.What a selfish, SEXIST double standard Terri endorses...Why doesn't Terri similarly condemn female reporters for violating the privacy and human dignity of male athletes?
10-11-2008 @ 12:15AM
Eric said...
I have alot of respect for Gina as a fighter, but If she had properly cut weight for the fight none of this would be an issue. If you read my entire post you would have noticed that I said they should have cleared the stage, and had something better for her to cover up with. Once again, I don't want her to feel uncomfortable, but public weigh-ins are part of the fight game ... it allows the public to see that the fighters meet the weight requirement, and that there is no fraudulent activity.
10-11-2008 @ 12:22AM
Dean said...
Right on T!!!
I am a man and you just made your point perfectly!
10-11-2008 @ 2:31PM
Ken said...
Your "caps lock" button is stuck.
10-10-2008 @ 9:30PM
notherROUND said...
ROFLMAO. This is unreal.
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10-10-2008 @ 9:36PM
erick said...
How can you feel sorry for Gina? Elite is just about the only organization that she could get that kind of exposure from in the first place. You think the UFC has a female division?She's been over hyped because of her looks and has been protected from stiff comp. She's lucky to be getting paid 25K per fight, there's a ton of male fighters who would give an arm and a leg for that "small" amount. Some guys on that card got paid less than a grand to fight. I'm sorry to say it, but women mma is a side show. Gina is over rated, she's got a pretty face and that's why she's so over hyped...period.
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10-10-2008 @ 9:42PM
michealmelvin said...
If a male fighter cant make the weight he gets naked and gets on the scale...why should it be any different for a female fighter.
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10-10-2008 @ 9:49PM
TJ Wayne said...
I love watching MMA and Carano, among others, and have enjoyed Elitexc fight cards. However, when I saw that she got naked to make weight, covered only by towels, in front the media and others, I shook my head. Come on, that NEVER should have happened. Then they used the footage and asked Carano about before her primetime fight and again I shook my head and wondered what the F*** they were doing. No MALE athlete would have EVER done that nor have been asked to. That's the problem.
Another Elitexc decision of question was the recent taking KJ Noons title belt for "not"fighting. He came out and said he made $83,000 in 2 years with Elitexc. A champion is making $300/week takehome when Kimbo got $500,000 for 14 seconds. Kimbo made more for his FIRST fight than KJ's salary for 2 years.That's fair......
Now for Mr.Slice. I give him credit for fighting pro MMA with NO training what-so-ever and I DO enjoy watching him as do many others. No wonder he wasn't to upset about losing with a $500,000 pay day. Elite was over the barrel on that one and Kimbo's camp knew it. They only agreed to the fight for DOUBLE his orginal price of $250,000, thus their delay in taking the fight. Sounds to me like Kimbo has Elite by the balls and knows when to squeeze. Elite seems to have gambled their future on him.....WOW is all I can say. Can he be a great fighter???? Yes, but he needs 2-3 years of training to be able to contend for the Heavyweight belt.
The post fight questions raised about what Petruzelli was told pre-fight and long-standing rumors about fixes in Kimbo's other fights damages EliteXC, true or not. Sound to me like they need to makes some big changes in management, these problems start at the top.
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10-10-2008 @ 9:51PM
JollyRogers said...
Why would anyone want to see her naked?
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10-10-2008 @ 9:54PM
Web said...
ALL men do a nude weigh in, from high school! Whats the difference??
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