From the ashes a new promotion will rise.
Pro Elite, the parent company that once housed the promotion Elite XC, is on its way back and they’ve found a couple of MMA powerhouses to help run the show.
According to sources speaking to MMAWeekly.com on Monday, former ICON owner T. Jay Thompson and former Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou have been brought on board to run the show at Pro Elite.
Additionally, the promotion has targeted a late August date for their return to action, and they are currently scouting locations for the show.
Sources have also indicated that former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is one of a handful of fighters that have been in negotiations to fight for the organization when they return later this year.
During their previous inception, Pro Elite housed several top fighters while also closing a deal to put them on network television appearing on CBS.
The new ownership of the promotion is primarily under Stratus Media Group, which purchased the publicly traded company with intentions of bringing it back and now it appears they have the backbone of their organization lined up.
T. Jay Thompson returns to the MMA scene after working for Pro Elite previously, and he was also the owner of the former Hawaiian promotion ICON Sport. Thompson has a long standing history with MMA, and ran shows on the island for many years before moving on to work for Pro Elite.
Meanwhile, Rich Chou has also been a mainstay of the MMA scene for several years working as a referee as well as behind the scenes at the Hawaiian promotion ‘Rumble on the Rock’. Chou moved on to become the Strikeforce matchmaker before Zuffa purchased the promotion and opted to instill new employees to oversee the operation.
While the new Pro Elite is still working on securing fighters and a location for their first card, one area the could be a prime spot is Hawaii. Both Thompson and Chou have roots there and promotions like ICON and Rumble on the Rock thrived there for several years.
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