Even innocent, the management of Elite XC is left facing a very ugly reality: Kimbo Slice the star they banked heavily upon to drive the ratings succeeded in drawing over 4-million CBS viewers; all of whom witnessed the destruction of said star in a mere 14-seconds at the hands of a relatively unknown, last minute challenger; A man with a solid-but-not-stellar skill set; A man with no fan following and limited marketability.

Already deep in the red, Elite XC doesn’t have the time to build up a new star to carry the organization.  Innocent they may be, but doomed nonetheless.

In the end it all works out the same.  Whether management sought to influence the bout or not, Petruzelli’s quick KO of Kimbo was the final nail required to secure the lid on the struggling promotion’s coffin.

In August Ortiz announced that he was about to sign a deal with Affliction Entertainment, an upstart organization with deep pockets, with what he called a “ground-breaking record contract.”

However, Ortiz said Affliction has also recently been ruled out.

As a proven draw in the UFC, Ortiz has been involved in some of the most memorable — and profitable — shows in UFC history. And while the UFC has recently come under fire for forcibly requiring their fighters to sign a binding licensing agreement, Ortiz said he simply wants to earn a piece of the pie his name recognition earns.
…
“The brand of me the last 11 years, the competition I’ve been doing, I feel like I got my ass kicked the last 11 years. I’ve set some historical marks, and now I’ve set some goals for fighters in the future. Myself, I defended my world title five consecutive times. I’ve done a lot in the last 11 years that I think a company needs a name like myself to succeed. And EliteXC may be that company.”