Last year in 2006, Mixed Martial Arts definitely gained a lot of headway in the United States in becoming a legitimate “combat” sport. For those who aren’t aware, several major network companies have recently added MMA to their sports websites (more specifically UFC content). NBC Sports launched their UFC content several weeks ago, and just this week CBS Sportsline followed suit and updated their boxing section to be a “Mixed Martial Arts & Boxing” section. CBS Sportsline even includes fighter rankings from MMAWeekly.com’s website.

The “mainstream” evolution continues this Saturday night as Showtime Network will air the first EliteXC fight card, headlined by Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie. For those with Showtime, you’ll be able to watch the event live, and for those without Showtime, you will be able to stream the undercard live directly from the EliteXC website.

I just want to run through the fight card a little and break down a few of the “bigger” fights.

Main Event

Frank Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie – This is a fight that would have been nice to see several years ago when both fighters were still relevant. Oh yeah, Frank Shamrock will still tell you until he is blue in the face that he is the best in the world; but the truth remains that Frank just hasn’t fought the top level fighters to prove it. This fight with Renzo Gracie is no different. Renzo is a great ambassador for MMA and is an excellent fight, but is well past his prime. As much as I’d love to see Renzo beat Frank, I think Frank unfortunately will win this fight in the end. Winner: Frank Shamrock

Joey Villasenor vs. David Loiseau – This is a fight I’m looking forward to seeing, and should prove to be an excellent matchup. I know that David Loiseau has kind of gotten a diminished reputation since his losses to Franklin and Mike Swick, but I really think that David Loiseau is one of the best Middleweights in the game today. Not the best, but definately he can compete with the best. This fight with Joey Villasenor should be a good one. For those not familiar with Villasenor, he has spent most of his career fighting in King of the Cage and recently had 2 appearances in Pride (a tough split-decision loss to Ryo Chonan that most people think Joey won, and a brutal flying-knee KO loss to Robbie Lawler at Pride 32). Both fighters have good standup and ground games, with Villasenor holding the slight edge in submissions. Should be a good explosive fight. Winner: David Loiseau

Wesley Correira vs. Antonio Silva – Ahhh, good old Cabbage Correira. Once a UFC “star”, Cabbage has most recently spent his time fighting in his native Hawaii with Rumble on the Rock. I’m not sure where Cabbage stands in terms of desire to improve his MMA game and I think that Antonio “Big Foot” Silva will give him a tough challenge if he’s not prepared. Silva comes from K-1 and just recently fought in BodogFIGHT last December. Look for these two to stand and throw some serious punches. This one won’t hit the ground at all. Winner: Antonio Silva

Charles Bennett vs. KJ Noons – KJ Noons is a young, up-and-coming fighter who many think has a good future ahead of him in the MMA world. Charles Bennett is well know for, well, just being himself – “Crazy Horse.” If you’ve never seen Bennett fight in Pride or King of the Cage, you are in for a treat. Don’t blink because you might miss something crazy. Winner: KJ Noons

Mike Pyle vs. Ross Ebanez – Mike Pyle left the International Fight League after the IFL’s first season and took this opportunity to fight with EliteXC. Pyle holds some excellent skills but has never really reached his full potential. Maybe this break from the IFL, where he suffered two losses, is the change he needs. Ross “The Boss” Ebanez is making his jump from fighting mostly with Rumble on the Rock and holds a respectable 14-4 record. This should be a nice technical fight, and look for Pyle to try and gain a quick submission victory. Winner: Mike Pyle