Lawler Defends, Shields and Silva Claim Titles at EliteXC 'Unfinished Business'

Robbie Lawler (18-4) left no doubts after his second attempt at a title defense with Scott Smith (13-5), and the organization crowned two new champions, at Saturday's "EliteXC: Unfinished Business" event.

The show, which took place at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif., was the second installment of EliteXC's "Saturday Night Fights" series on CBS.

Much like the first go-around, the latest installment of the nationally televised fight series had a little bit of everything -- including a dominant win for a hometown hero -- for the near-sold-out crowd and the millions more watching at home on network television.

In the night's main event, Lawler and Smith, who fought to an anticlimactic no-contest in May after Smith suffered an inadvertent third-round eye poke, battled through an evenly matched first round. However, Lawler took control in the second.

After an early clinch to start the round, both fighters were bloodied -- Lawler by elbow strikes, and Smith by frequent combinations. Just when the blood looked like it might become an issue and a possible reason for a stoppage, Lawler dropped Smith with punches and then again with a series of knees to the midsection. After the second fall, Lawler pounched on his opponent with follow-up punches and kicks before forcing a TKO stoppage.

The end came at 2:35 of the second round.

For Lawler it was his sixth consecutive fight without a loss and a solid -- though far from significant -- victory to solidy his worldwide top-10 ranking.

SHIELDS, SILVA NEW TITLE-HOLDERS

In the night's unofficial co-main event -- after months of waiting and a few canceled fights -- Jake Shields (21-4-1) finally got his shot at EliteXC's first-ever welterweight title.

And he made the most of it.

What many labeled potential fight-of-the-night material was instead little more than a grappling session gone bad for Nick Thompson (36-10-1). Shields quickly took the fight to the ground, secured the mount position and then locked in a guillotine choke when Thompson tried to escape. Once Shields took the top position and torqued the choke hold, Thompson was forced to tap out.

The stoppage came just 63 seconds into the fight, snapping Thompson's 12-fight win streak. With the victory -- his 10th straigh -- Shields solidified his standing as the world's top non-UFC welterweight. With EliteXC currently light on welterweight talent, Shields said he wants to bring a fight to the UFC and unify the EliteXC and UFC titles.

The UFC, of course, is unlikely to oblige. But Shields once again earned a quality win over a solid opponent.

In the headline bout of the night's Showtime-televised card, and in a fight to determine EliteXC's first-ever heavyweight champion, Antonio "Giant" Silva (11-1) unleashed a brutal combination of punches and knees to TKO Justin Eilers (19-7-1) just 19 seconds into the second round.

After a one-point deduction in the first round for striking his opponent in the back of the head, Silva immediately pounced on Eilers in the second. Eilers couldn't avoid the onslaught and was forced against the cage while Silva rained down more than a dozen unanswered knees and punches, prompting the referee to halt the bout.

Eilers protested the stoppage to no avail while the belt was wrapped around Silva's waist.

On the way to the dressing room, Silva received a hearty congratulations from a possible future opponent: Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson.

Popular Stockton fighter Nick Diaz (18-7) picked apart former King of the Cage champion Thomas Denny (26-17) with a TKO knockout 30 seconds into the second round.

Denny set a frantic early pace and got the better of the exchanges. Diaz, though, shook off the strikes, and as the first round wore on, his punches connected with increasing frequency. Denny was dazed and wobbled by the end of the round, but he was saved by the bell.

Diaz quickly continued the assault in the second and floored Denny with a combination and uppercuts. Raising his right hand in anticipatory celebration with each punch, Diaz popped Denny with a few additional shots to force the stoppage.

With the victory, Diaz is all but assured a rematch with EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons later this year. Diaz has won three straight fights -- all via TKO -- since that initial loss to Noons back in November.

In the night's lone female bout, hard-hitting Cristiane Cyborg (5-0) made a memorable U.S. debut with a dominating win over submission specialist Shayna Baszler (11-5).

Somehow entering the fight an underdog, Cyborg survived her opponent's early submission attempts before slugging her way through the second round. However, after Baszler was dropped with one such exchange, referee Steve Mazzagatti approached the fighters. Cyborg retreated in celebration -- only to be told seconds later that the fight hadn't been stopped. Baszler, slow to her feet, was again forced against the fence and dropped with a barrage of punches.

Mazzagatti mercifully halted the bout at 2:48 of the second round to award Cyborg the TKO victory.