Tonight’s EliteXC card features an intriguing mix of heavyweight matchmaking and an assortment of debuts on the main SHOWTIME portion of the card as well as the ProElite.com Internet portion (starts at 7:30 p.m. on ProElite.com) of the show.

Many people are focusing on the night’s main event between Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott, and understandably so, but a heavyweight clash scheduled between Antonio Silva and Ricco Rodriguez is another match that I think is very intriguing.

For Rodriguez, it’s another shot at the big time as he looks to capitalize on the mainstream attention he’s garnering for his involvement in VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab with Doctor Drew.” It seems like Rodriguez is starting to get some headlines, but probably for all the wrong reasons.

To be honest, if I was a promoter, I wouldn’t touch the guy after hearing him re-tell the story about how the moved the body of his girlfriend, thinking she was dead when she was really alive, following an accident in which he was driving while intoxicated (hey, he revealed all of this on national television).

Rodriguez claimed he moved her into the driver’s seat because he had prior convictions on his record and was looking to beat the rap. Yes, instead of seeking medical attention for her his biggest concern was himself. Thankfully, she survived the accident but ended up taking the rap and served time because of it. But hey, if EliteXC has no remorse about promoting Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, why should Ricco be a problem?

As far as the fight itself, tonight’s match will be Silva’s first official heavyweight bout. While he weighed in at 265 pounds against Jonathan Wiezorek at EliteXC: Renegade in November, Wiezorek weighed in over the heavyweight limit so the match was technically a super heavyweight bout.

A lot of people believe Silva is a top ten heavyweight and while I believe he has the ability, he needs to start beating top ten guys before he himself can earn a spot there. While Ricco isn’t top ten these days, he will pose the toughest test of Silva’s young career.

Debuting on tonight’s show will be James Thompson and Scott Smith while Brett Rogers and Yves Edwards will be appearing on SHOWTIME for the first-time.

On the Internet undercard, Eric Bradley and Rafael Feijao are two fighters that have the potential to be fighting on national television in the not too distant future while Mario Rinaldi and Dave Herman are worth watching as well.

In all, tonight’s card before what is expected to be a sellout card has the potential to be an entertaining show from beginning to end. Below is my full preview of the event with predicted outcomes.

1. Lorenzo Borgomeo vs. Mike Bernhard

Borgomeo is Italian and has just two pro fights under his belt. Bernhard doesn’t have much more in the way of pro experience, as he’s just 3-0.

Borgomeo has decent Muay Thai but it will be interesting to see how he fares vs. Bernhard, who is 6’3’’ (tall for a welterweight) and will possess a significant reach advantage.

Where Bernhard will really have the advantage is on the ground, which is ultimately where I feel this bout will be decided.

Predicted Outcome: Bernhard by first round TKO.

2. Eric Bradley vs. Mikey Gomez

Bradley is one of the top members of Team Takedown and if you’ve read my work before, you know that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about team concept its members.

While Jake Rosholt may have the biggest upside of the quartet, Bradley is the guy who intrigues me the most because he wasn’t just an All-American wrestler but also a National Collegiate light heavyweight champion in 2003.

Gomez won’t be intimated by Bradley and sees this fight as an opportunity but Bradley at 170 pounds (he had been competing as a middleweight) is a scary proposition. If the fight goes to the ground we could see an upset because Gomez has the better jiu-jistu. But I don’t see the fight going to the mat.

Predicted Outcome: Bradley by second round TKO.

3. Mario Rinaldi vs. Dave Herman

I’m really looking forward to this match. Both fighters are without question heavyweight prospects.

Herman has picked up the MMA game very quickly having come from a successful amateur wrestling career at the University of Indiana but still has some holes in his standup.

Rinaldi, while very raw, also has a wrestling background. He’ll be giving up some reach here but could be the stronger of the two. I also believe he has a decisive advantage when it comes to the standup game, which is what I believe will prove to be the difference.

Predicted Outcome: Rinaldi by unanimous decision.

4. Jon Kirk vs. Yosmany Cabezas

This will be Kirk’s second fight for EliteXC. He competed on the undercard in Corpus Christi and got caught and lost. Kirk is a much better fighter than he showed in his EliteXC debut and is extremely underrated.

Cabezas and his family left Cuba for Paraguay at an early age. He moved to the United States at the age of 19 to become a fighter. He’s very well-rounded fighter with a solid Judo background.

I think this fight will come down to MMA experience, a category in which Kirk has a big advantage over Cabezas.

Predicted Outcome: Kirk by unanimous decision.

5. Rafael Feijao vs. John Doyle

Doyle took this fight on two weeks notice and I’m not sure he’s in optimum condition. He has a ton of potential but has been very enigmatic thus far into his career. I have a lot of respect for Doyle’s raw strength and toughness but going against Feijao with just a few weeks of preparation is a tall order.

This will be Feijao’s first fight in the light heavyweight division. He looked ripped at the weigh-ins yesterday and I believe he’s handled the cut from heavyweight quite well. Will the cut affect his cardio? We’ll find out tonight.

There are a lot of good prospects on the Internet undercard but Fiejao is probably the brightest of them all. He trains with both Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva (both are here in Miami to support him) and I don’t think it gets much better than that. I just see Feijao being able to push this fight both standing and on the ground.

Predicted Outcome: Feijao by third round TKO.

6. James Thompson vs. Brett Rogers

I have to say, James Thompson is an extremely nice and polite guy. You’d never know by looking at him, because the guy has a very intimidating look and fights like he wants to obliterate his opponent.

I know some very smart, well-informed MMA experts who are counting Thompson out. I can understand why since he’s been knocked out quite a few times and Rogers is a very heavy-handed slugger. However, I don’t agree.

I just believe this is a huge step up in competition for Rogers. He is undefeated but in watching the footage on this guy, I didn’t see a single opponent that was able to push him. I also don’t think there are any heavyweights in his camp that can push him either.

Do not blink because this match isn’t going to last long. It’s real easy to visualize Rogers putting his right cross on Thompson’s chin and ending the fight that way but I think it’s important to remember that while Thompson has been a disappointment on occasion, he’s also been a surprise at times.

Thompson usually performs well outside of the UK and I think tonight’s show will be no different.

Predicted Outcome: Thompson by first round TKO.

7. Yves Edwards vs. Edson Berto

A lot of people are counting Berto out in this one and I do not agree. Look, I am just as big of an Edwards fan as the next guy, but if Berto’s cardio is up to par then he’s definitely going to be able to hold his own.

And while Edwards at one point was considered one of the top lightweights in the world, let’s remember that he was about to hit rock bottom right before his recent career revival.

Both fighters are very similar and are good on the good as well as on the feet. I expect a lot of variety in this match with several momentum changes. When it’s all said and done, this will prove to be fight of the night.

Predicted Outcome: Edwards by unanimous decision.

8. Scott Smith vs. Kyle Noke

This is a chance for Scott Smith to once again assert himself in a big-time MMA promotion. I think EliteXC has plans for Smith and a lot of people are excited by his arrival but they didn’t do him any favors by putting him against Kyle Noke in his first match.

Smith really respects Noke and is not taking him lightly. In fact, he apparently believes that Noke has better Muay Thai technique, which says something considering Smith spent some time recently in Thailand in order to prepare himself for this fight.

Prior to Noke’s win over Seth Kleinbeck, I didn’t consider him to be much more than a counter fighter. I felt he proved me wrong a little bit during the Kleinbeck win this past November at Renegade but I think falling back into his counter style might be the best strategy for him tonight. Smith is very aggressive, in fact, over-aggressive at times. Playing it conservative and waiting for Smith to give him an opening is probably the best way to go.

Predicted Outcome: Noke by unanimous decision.

9. Antonio Silva vs. Ricco Rodriguez

What can you say about Ricco that hasn’t already been said? Ricco is Ricco. Is he in EliteXC because they see him as someone who can be a cornerstone of their heavyweight division? Or is he only in EliteXC because they see him as nothing more than a stepping stone with good name recognition? I don’t know for sure but I tend to think it is the latter as opposed to the former.

I respect Ricco’s ability on the ground but Silva’s ground game is big time as well, we just haven’t seen a lot of it in his fights but I can assure you that it’s there. Will we see it tonight? I am not so sure. I get the feeling that Ricco is going to try and keep it standing and will try to smother Silva with body locks and dirty boxing clinches.

If Ricco can’t slow the tempo down and keep Silva tied up then I can’t envision a scenario in which he survives the first round.

Predicted Outcome: Silva by first round TKO.

10. Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. Tank Abbott

Granted, this match has absolutely no implications on the heavyweight top ten. However, I think it’s going to be a fun fight and I’m very much looking forward to it.

The Bank United Arena should be packed tonight. I was kind of surprised just how big of a deal Kimbo is in Miami. I was at a local mall on Friday night to grab some dinner and saw people walking around with Kimbo shirts.

The crowd is obviously going to be very pro-Kimbo and anti-Tank. That being said, I think at this stage of his career Tank is pretty much numb to non-favorable reactions. Tank appears ready for this fight. People can say what they want about him, but he’s a seasoned pro and is definitely a pioneer in this sport.

I think his wrestling and overall strength is very underrated at times. Might we see some surprises and see this go to the ground? Kimbo fought a puncher in Ray Mercer and wasted little time in that bout trying to put Mercer’s back to the cage. Might he do the same thing here? I don’t think so and I believe that’s because of Tank’s background as a wrestler.

This will be a slugfest. Everyone knows that. The thing that I’ve seen from Kimbo in his videos is that his bio-mechanics as a puncher are fundamentally strong. He simply does a great job of throwing combat and powerful punches from a center-line position.

When it’s all said and done I believe Kimbo’s punches are going to reach Tank before Tank’s punches reach Kimbo.

Predicted Outcome: Kimbo by second round TKO.

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com