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Attendance woes plague recent EliteXC show

Just 3,701 pay to see Lawler-Smith; 20,000 seat venue next up for October

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By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
updated 2:06 p.m. ET July 30, 2008

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Mike Chiappetta

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EliteXC's sophomore CBS effort sold only 3,701 tickets, according to records released by the California State Athletic Commission.

The show, which was held at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif., did a gate of $268,715. The arena was set up to hold 8,541 fans, but the overall attendance was 6,518 as the promotion gave away 2,817 tickets.

The show featured a main event of middleweight champion Robbie Lawler against challenger Scott Smith. Lawler scored a second-round TKO to retain his belt.

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The news came on the heels of a ratings dip from an average of 4.3 million viewers from the first show to 2.62 million for the most recent effort.

In addition, two of EliteXC's high level executives recently resigned their positions to take consultant roles with the company. Former President Gary Shaw and CEO Doug DeLuca both resigned prior to the Stockton show.

Elite XC has already announced its third CBS show, which will air on October 4 from the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano are scheduled to be among the names on the card as CBS brings back the fighters that contributed to the big rating on their debut show. That show, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., drew 8,033 fans.

The BankAtlantic Center has a capacity of over 20,000. EliteXC is likely hoping for a big local turnout for Slice, who lives in nearby Coral Springs, Fla.

© 2008 NBC Sports.com

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