Bodog Beat

Soon you'll be able to watch great fights like Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. David "Tank" Abbott on a major TV network. (Video from kimbo-fights.com)

Mixed martial arts is coming to major network television.

ProElite Inc., parent company of the EliteXC and ShoXC, has signed a multi-year deal with CBS to broadcast four, two hour MMA events per year on Saturday nights during primetime.

The deal means that EliteXC fighters like Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (2-0-0) will soon be appearing alongside CBS shows like The Amazing Race, CSI: Miami and New Adventures of Old Christine.

"It’s the single biggest thing to ever happen to mixed martial arts," EliteXC president Gary Shaw tells The Fight Network. "This is spectacular news for EliteXC, but I really believe this is beyond spectacular news for mixed martial arts. It’s a huge jump for us. It shows that we’re for real."

The first EliteXC show on CBS could come as early as April, with Slice headlining a show in either Atlantic City or Newark, N.J.

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