This Saturday night, EliteXC returns to basic cable with the second chapter of CBS Saturday Night Fights.

I am particularly looking forward to seeing how EliteXC hypes up the forthcoming KJ Noons/Nick Diaz fight. I am curious to see whether EliteXC will promote the hell out of the altercation that occurred between the Diaz brothers and the Noons family on Showtime, or ignore it. I have a feeling they are going to hype it as much as they can; I certainly hope that they do. I can see it now. Numerous shots of KJ sitting in the crowd while Nick Diaz completely dismantle Thomas Denny. Maybe show a few Highlight reel shots of the altercation that happened on the last Showtime card. Get the basic cable fans familiar with both fighters, and set the title fight rematch up for CBS/EliteXC Saturday Night Fights #3.

The first installment of the show left a lot of hardcore MMA fans yearning for more out of EliteXC. This card is pretty solid,though, and should provide be a pretty nice balance for MMA hard cores and newcomers alike.

Here are my thoughts and predictions for the card.

-Nick Diaz vs. Thomas “Wildman” Denny
After the brothers Diaz got into one of MMA’s most notorious melees with the Noons family, this is a must fight win for Diaz if he wishes to get his shot at Noons EliteXC lightweight title. The fans want to see this fight badly, especially after we saw Diaz lose by cut in the first bout.

Denny is an experienced veteran in the MMA game, but he doesn’t throw anything that Diaz hasn’t seen before, and he isn’t going to pose much of a problem to Diaz on the ground. Then again, who does?

A fire has been lit under Nick Diaz. Diaz wants KJ Noons badly, and he has to plow through Thomas Denny to get there.

I don’t think he will have much of a problem doing so. KJ, watch out. Nick Diaz is coming.

My Prediction: Nick Diaz – KO/TKO Round 2

-Shayna Baszler vs. Cristiane Cyborg – Female MMA
The women competitors in MMA rarely dissapoint when they step in the cage. The fights are always action packed, and I think this fight will be pretty good..

This fight pits the submission specialist Shayna Baszler against the relative MMA newcomer Cristiane Cyborg. Cyborg trains with the highly touted Chute Box academy, and has 3 TKO’s to her credit. Still, I think she is going to have a tough time dealing with Baszler. Baszler is 9-4 and has won every single fight by submission. In her last fight, she submitted Keiko Tamai with a twister, a submission that is more rare in MMA then the gogoplata. Cyborg Santos has not fought since November of 2006, and I think cage rust will play a factor in her bout with Baszler. Baszler will try to take her to the ground and work her submissions from there.

My Prediction: Shayna Baszler – Submission: Choke – Round 1

-Jake Shields vs. Nick “The GOAT” Thompson
I am looking forward to this fight. Jake Shields is one of the best welterweights in the world, and Nick Thompson is right behind him. Nick “The GOAT” Thompson is an MMA veteran with 46 fights to his credit. He has a pretty good KO to submission ratio and has only gone to a decision 5 times in his MMA career.

Unfortunately for Thompson, Jake Shields is too hot right now. Shields has drawn a lot of criticism for winning a greater part of his fights by decision, but he is riding a nine fight win streak and is really taking it to his opponents lately. Despite the fact that he is finishing his opponents, I don’t think he will finish off Thompson. I think Shields has the tools to take him to a decision and continue to work his way up the ranks as top-tier welterweight.

My Prediction: Jake Shields – Unanimous Decision

-Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
The last time these guys met, they fight was stopped unceremoniously when Scott Smith was accidentally poked in the eye by Lawler. The fight was pretty good up until that point, and I personally think that Smith was getting the better of Lawler after round 1. Scott Smith was a 3-1 underdog in the last match, but something tells me the odds will be a little closer this time. Lawler is still the favorite in this match, but I think Scott Smith is going to pull this off. He took a really good beating last time and still out conditioned Lawler in the later rounds of the fight. Lawler’s hands were low and Smith took advantage of that. Smith can absorb a lot of punishment, and dish it out just as hard.

I don’t think Lawler has the gas in his tank to make it past round 3 with Smith, and I think this time we will see a definite finish, and a new EliteXC middleweight champion.

My Prediction: Scott Smith – TKO/KO Round 4

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