I just checked out an article on MMAJunkie.com about trouble in the Elite XC promotion, centering around a war of words between EXC vice-president Jared Shaw and manager of EXC lightweight champion KJ Noons, Mark Dion.

The gist of the problem is that Shaw wants to promote a second meeting between Noons and UFC vet Nick Diaz on CBS with Noons' world title at stake. As much as I regard Shaw as a guy who only got his job because his daddy ran the company, I have to agree with him here as, thanks to the prior antics of Diaz and his brother Nate (footage of which EXC is stupefyingly refusing to air because it's "bad for the sport"), the Diaz/Noons matchup is easily the most marketable one that EXC could make that doesn't involve its top stars Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano.

However, Dion thinks otherwise, apparently stating that since Diaz has fallen to Noons once already, it is not in Noons' best interest to fight Diaz again. Instead, Dion feels that former bodogFIGHT champion Eddie Alvarez is the true #1 contender, and that Eddie should be KJ's next opponent. I spoke with Eddie himself about this development, and even he seemed baffled about why he'd be considered a #1 contender when he's only fought once in EXC, beating lower-tier fighter Ross Ebanez.

This is a prime example of the brain-damaged logic that led to the demise of Bodog, IFL, and scores of other MMA promotions. I have all but given up hope that promoters will eventually learn that it's NOT about "making the best fights", it's about showcasing the most marketable fighters and matchups. You would have thought that EXC would already know this since they've correctly built their company around Kimbo Slice even though his career is still in its infancy. But just like TNA wrestling, they take one step forward and then five steps back, taking the attitude that they'd rather please a handful of internet-dwelling purists as opposed to millions and millions of neophyte fans.

It still amazes me that so much money can be controlled by people this stupid, and this unwilling to learn from the mistakes of others. I am seriously running out of hope that there will be a North American promotion outside of UFC that consistently gets it right.