Mostapha Al Turk, who makes his UFC debut against Cheick Kongo at UFC 92, spoke with MMAWeekly.com about the demise of ProElite and subsequently, Cage Rage.
"It's always sad to see any organization sort of come to their knees. But hey, you know, there's not one person or one organization that's bigger than the sport itself. And where as one door closes, another one opens for anybody," said the former Cage Rage British heavyweight titleholder. "I'm disappointed to see that happen for Cage Rage and EliteXC, but hey, life carries on.
"Cage Rage, they're a great bunch of guys. A very professional organization. I've got nothing bad to say about the guys that ran Cage Rage and the time I've had at Cage Rage, nothing bad what so ever really. It's all been positive," added Al Turk.
"It was the main show in the U.K., so it had a massive fan base. It was huge in the U.K."
EliteXC executive JT Steele informed the Nevada State Atheltic Commission on Tuesday of "the unfortunate confirmation that the November 8, 2008 EliteXC event will be canceled. It is with great regret that I must also inform you that ProElite, Inc. will be closing our operation today."
There had been some speculation that ProElite may run out the week, but it looks like that's not going to happen, not that it made any difference to the parties involved anyway.
It's a little early to tell how the closing of ProElite will effect the various fighters and promotions involved, most of them are spending a considerable amount of time today - and probably in the coming days - either on the phone with or in the offices of their lawyers trying to determine what their options are.
King of the Cage and Cage Rage have both gone on record to MMAWeekly saying that they will persevere, although it is unclear in what form or fashion.
Jake Shields told MMAWeekly on Tuesday that he is hoping to be set free from his contract and not be a part of the liquidation of ProElite's assets, as he'd like to fight against as soon as possible and has his sights set on the UFC.
To all of the people who are now out of a job due to ProElite, Inc. (EliteXC, King of the Cage, ICON Sport, Cage Rage, etc.) closing its doors, it's surely not a humorous subject. The bungling of the way the company was run, driving it into bankruptcy, affects a huge chunk of MMA history, as well as its future.
There are now hundreds of fighters looking for work. But British fighter James Thompson, who suffered a controversial loss at the hands of Kimbo Slice when they met in the first CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, tried to inject a little humor into the situation.
For people using the Facebook social networking site, there is a feature called "What are you doing right now?" that lets you send out a blast to all of your Facebook friends, basically just telling them whatever you want at that moment.
Thompson on Tuesday morning sent out the following "What are you doing right now?" blast:
"James Thompson is out of a job (will fight for food)."
Here's hoping that Thompson and the other fighters that were under contract through ProElite's various entities are able to break free and find work sooner rather than later.
Not too many of today's newer fans probably remember who Lee Murray is, but his name came up on Friday when UFC president Dana White addressed fans in the U.K.
A little background... Murray was a once promising British mixed martial artist with a professional record of 8-2-1. He holds wins over fighters such as Jose Pele Landi-Jons and, at UFC 46, Jorge Rivera.
Asked about Murray facing Anderson Silva again - Murray lost to Anderson in a Cage Rage bout in 2004, which was Murray's most recent MMA action - White told the crowd, while he is definitely a tough guy "fighting Anderson Silva is the least of his problems."
That's probably putting it mildly. To most MMA fans - and UFC fans in particular - Murray is probably most famous for a brawl with former UFC star Tito Ortiz outside of a bar in England after UFC 38. Tito denies the incident happened, but Murray and others say that the Brit dropped Tito during their fight before fleeing the scene.
What White was more likely referring to though is Murray's more recent legal troubles. He is currently in a Moroccan prison for his involvement in the largest cash heist in British history... 53 million pounds!
Less than two weeks ago The Sun newspaper in the U.K. reported that Murray and his partner, Paul Allen, were named in court as the masterminds behind the heist. Allen is being held in the U.K., but Murray is still in a Moroccan jail cell because he is actually a Moroccan citizen and a judge there has yet to determine if he can be extradited to the U.K. to face up to the alleged crime.
Below is his 2004 Cage Rage fight with Anderson Silva. The fight is broken up into three parts, thus the reason for three videos below.
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