411’s Countdown to Elite XC-Uprising: Ninja vs. Lawler Report

Posted by Larry Csonka on 09.01.2007

The big hype for the September 15th showdown on Showtime!

Countdown to Elite XC-Uprising: Ninja vs. Lawler Report

On September 15th Elite XC-Uprising will be live from Hawaii headlined by XC Middleweight Champion Nina Rua vs. ICON Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler.

**Also on the card**:
*Jake Shields vs. Renato "Charuto" Verissimo*
*Mike Aina vs. Nick Diaz*
*Gina Carano vs. Tonya Evinger*
*Joey Villasenor vs. Riki Fukuda*

-For the show the normal cast of characters to break down the event join us: Loretta Hunt, Bill Goldberg, Gary Shaw, Stephen Quaddros and others.

ELITE XC MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE BOUT - Ninja Rua vs. Robbie Lawler:

-Both fighters have a lot of experience behind them from the Milletich and Chutebox camps. Both guys are aggressive and the fight should be intense. Goldberg says Ninja is a passionate fighter, always fighting for Brazil, his school and his family. He feels his gym is the best in the world and he goes out to prove that every time. Ninja always trains with his brother SHOGUN. Ninja says they train together, corner each other and he feels it is an advantage because they always help each other when they need it.

-We get clips of Rua vs. Joey Villasenor for the Elite XC Middleweight Title. All of the commentators say that Rua was on a mission and we see Rua dropping Joey Villasenor and capturing the title in round two. Gary Shaw says it was a great emotional moment and it made the belt important. Rua says he is the champion and will defend it with his life.

-Lawler says he is coming hard and coming to knock him out. We see clips of Lawler as the panel talks him up. He is tough and has great KO power. Lawler says you have to train hard and have the proper instincts. He trains in Iowa and with Pat Milletich. He plans to back off Rua and them dominate him. Two weeks ago Lawler opened up his own gym and training facility. We see Lawler capture the ICON Middleweight title.

-Lawler is looking to build from his past and take out a top fighter to prove himself. It is Brazil vs. the USA and Milletich vs. Chutebox to prove the top Middleweight in the world.

Nick Diaz vs. "Iron" Mike Aina:

-We see Nick Diaz chilling in Stockton California. He is from Gracie Jiu Jitsu ad talks about his gangster past in high school. His mom put him in karate as a kid to help him get structure. He only does what he wants to do, which is why he fights. He never wanted to do Homework in school; he wanted to do Jiu Jitsu. Cesar Gracie says he is a prodigy as far as GJJ goes. We see Diaz doing some kind of Iron Man/Triathlon deal. Nick says he trains harder than anyone and the triathlons help that. He is an endurance athlete. Goldberg says he has a jaded past and he does have a chip on his shoulder, but he brings confidence to the fight and that is a major plus for him. He has been with the Gracie camp for 8-years. He recently defeated Gomi with the Gogoplata in what was hyped as a fight of the year candidate. They admit to his suspension from the Marijuana test failure.

-Aina says this is a huge jump in opponent for him, but he feels he needs this. He looks at MMA as modern day gladiators. He knows is he beats Diaz that he is a made man in MMA. Aina is 8-5-1 and trains with BJ Penn. Aina watches a lot of film on Diaz. Shaw says this is huge, Diaz beat Gomi; who was the man and if Aina beats Diaz, then HE is the man. We see some impressive clips of Aina. Aina says Diaz is probably looking past him and he shouldn't. Nate Diaz says Nick is pissed and has been training harder than ever. Cesar talks to Nick and says Aina will come with everything because this is the fight of his life and Diaz cannot look past him. Cesar is a smart man.

Jake Shields vs. Renato "Charuto" Verissimo:

-We see Jake Shields running on the beach. He wants to be a success so he can spend a lot of time with his daughter. They build sandcastles. Shields is coming off of a win over Ido Pariente at the K1 LA Show. He used to get into fights every weekend and got away from that lifestyle. Being a father is important to him, she helped him focus his life and he is thankful for that. He then found Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Cesar Gracie. Cesar loves Jake and says he wished he had more fighters like him. He is honored to train under the Gracie banner and loves training with Nick Diaz and they help each other a lot. Shields puts over Diaz huge. Diaz says Shields could be unstoppable at Welterweight. Goldberg says he is top 10 easy. Shields wants to keep collecting titles and be considered the best in his weight class.

-Verissimo trains under Penn with Aina. He lost to Hughes and Trigg and is looking to re-launch his career with a win over Shields. Verissimo puts over Shields as a tough opponent. He feels like it will be fighting himself. Verissimo has the credentials and wants to honor BJ Penn's gym. He and Aina have been working hard together to battle Shield and Diaz, because it is Penn vs. Gracie in that aspect. They feel training together usually and for this same card is a huge advantage because it pushes them to another level. Shields has respect for Verissimo, but he is on a huge win streak and wants to keep that going.

-We get a wrap up hype video for the show.


Remember to join 411 for our LIVE Elite XC-Uprising Coverage, on Saturday September 15th!