EliteXC: Destiny (DVD)
2-disc set
APPROX. 108 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2008 - MPA RATING: NR
" This production is a sport trying to find its feet, something I hope it does before making the leap to CBS later this month.
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The inaugural televised event of the Showtime/ProElite, Inc. partnership, "EliteXC: Destiny" demonstrates a good idea in need of refinement. The revision and polish came in the "EliteXC: Renegade" match up taking place nine months after this event. However, as "the first," "Destiny" and "Renegade" are more alike than different, providing a historical document on the changes made to fight night as well as to the production of the DVD's.
As with "Renegade," this two disc set is strictly for the fans. The title bout, Frank Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie, is a prime example. Both combatants continue a long lineage of championship fighters. Gracie's family is primarily known in fight circles as the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Yet the announcers don't delve into this fact during their cage match. Rather, there are only oblique references to their claim to fame. As for Shamrock, he's been a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter since 1994, racking up an impressive 22-9 record (a whopping 14 fights won by submission, a brutal process).
Much is made about the fight; it's historic and a milestone, something for the ages. Historical context is never given...but maybe it's alright. After all, the people paying to watch the "Destiny" event on Showtime know MMA inside and out. The rest of us should just be content with watching grown men beat each other to a bloody pulp.
In that vein, then, it's a disappointment very little blood is drawn here. In "Renegade," at least two of the fights showcased a blood-spattered mat, gashes and general unpleasantness. "Destiny" is a more sanitized affair. Perhaps it's a symptom of being the first event only one fighter out of the undercard and main event fights becomes bloody (John-David Shackelford on the undercard). There's no Seth Kleinbeck-esque open wound on the brow. Nick Diaz's bloody face is a distant memory. But it in no way means the matches are any less brutal.
Chief among them is the undercard bout between Javier Vazquez and Adriano Nasal. While the announcers make fun of Vazquez's skin tight hot pink trunks, almost as if identifying him as the weaker participant, he and Nasal go the full three rounds trading punches and kicks, grinding each other into submission. The problem? Neither submits, making the cage side judges call the fight in favor of Vazquez.
The other brutal match is Joey Villasenor vs. David Loiseau. Only Villasenor comes out swinging (a fact no lost on the announcers), yet he never lands the knockout blow on Loiseau. To his credit, Loiseau does land punches, but there is nothing behind them. No energy, no real heart. Even without two energized opponents, it still turns into the most compelling fight on the disc, not to mention one of three which goes the full distance.
In an EliteXC first, the third complete fight is between two women: Gina Carano and Julie Kedzie. (A minor caveat: they fight for three rounds of three minutes each, not the five minute rounds given to the men.) Carano's career as an MMA fighter is a perfect 5-0 while Kedzie is a more human 8-7. Their fight is the "nicest" of the bunch. The female angle is played up by everyone involved to a near-nauseating point. By the end of the nearly 25 minute segment, we're left with an overwhelming need to get back to something less historic, less monumental. Compared to the men, Kedzie and Carano seem to merely touch each other. Not until the end of the fight do we see the damage inflicted on Kedzie. Her left eye is black and blue while Carano looks relatively unhurt. (It should be noted Carano portrays Crush on the current version of "American Gladiators.")
Each of the other fights are hit or miss (bad pun, I know), ranging from entertaining to boredom inducing. Case in point is the first match, K.J. Noons vs. Charles Bennett. Noons, you'll remember, won the EliteXC lightweight belt against Nick Diaz in "Renegade" thanks to a controversial doctor's call. Here, he gets schooled by "Krazy Horse" in the quickest main event presented. Krazy Horse is an apt nickname for Bennett: he showcases his microphone hogging skills, not to mention an insufferable streak of arrogance during the post fight interview.
So where does that leave us? A couple minor rules (a doctor can not stop a fight, only the ref; a 15 second warning clock when the fighters are pinned on the ground without advancement; a five minute injury timeout) get modified between "Destiny" and "Renegade." And a better overall production. The first fight on "Renegade" started with no rhyme or reason, just dropping the viewer into the announcers lap. Here, there is an actual opening with fighter intros, making "Destiny" a more streamlined experience. The fights themselves aren't as exciting or entertaining as what will come later. I chalk it up to being the first event of the Showtime and ProElite partnership.
