Petruzelli backs off controversial comments about Kimbo fight

Fresh off a TKO victory over Kimbo Slice on Saturday night, Seth "The Silverback" Petruzelli is backing off comments he made in a radio interview that have caused a stir on MMA blogs and websites.

Petruzelli beat Slice on Oct. 4. (EliteXC)

Petruzelli called in to 104.1 FM in Orlando, Fla. during the Monsters in the Morning show on Monday. In answering a question about his strategy for facing Slice, Petruzelli implied that there may have been a financial enticement by EliteXC for him to stand up and throw strikes with Slice, rather than take the fight to the ground, where Slice is less experienced.

"I knew I would do all right with him actually standing up," Petruzelli said on the radio show. "The promoters kinda hinted to me, and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him. They didn't want me to take him down. Let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to stand up and try to punch him."

After audio from the interview popped up on various blogs and stirred up questions about what exactly Petruzelli was told by EliteXC officials, Petruzelli denied that he was offered any incentive to fight Slice on his feet. In comments published by Sam Caplan at FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Petruzelli attempted to clear the air.

"What was meant to be said was that I wanted to keep the fight standing for myself because I knew that was what the crowd, the promoters, and everyone wanted to see because that's more exciting than just taking someone to the ground," he was quoted as saying. "That was my thing only. I wanted to keep it exciting so I decided to keep it standing. It had nothing to do with anybody else. That was all me."

Caplan also reported that Petruzelli flatly replied "No" when pressed about whether any EliteXC official offered him a financial incentive to keep the fight off the mat.

"Look, even the UFC gives knockout bonuses," he was quoted as saying in Caplan's story. "Everyone gives knockout bonuses. There's knockout bonuses, submission bonuses, all sorts of bonuses."

At each UFC event, the promotion awards bonus money for best fight, best knockout, and best submission. The winners -- and the amount of the bonus -- are disclosed by the UFC after the event. However, in a practice first brought to light by UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture last year and subsequently confirmed by president Dana White, the UFC also gives out undisclosed bonuses to various fighters at their discretion. Those bonuses are not reported to the commission, nor does the UFC reveal the amounts of the totals or the names of the recipients.

It is widely believed that many top-tier fighters earn more than their contracted salaries, particularly if their fight ends up being one of the most exciting on the card.

It is unclear whether EliteXC follows the same practice of offering undisclosed bonuses, or if that made up the difference between what Petruzelli told the radio hosts he earned for the fight -- "in the six figure range," according to Petruzelli -- and his officially disclosed salary of $35,000 base salary plus a $15,000 win bonus, for a total of just $50,000.

When first asked by the radio hosts about his strategy against Kimbo Slice, Petruzelli said he planned to use push kicks to establish distance, and then take Slice down. He then said his awkward style has given him success against strikers in the past, so he was confident he could beat Slice standing up.

Yahoo! sports reported Monday evening that EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw denied telling Petruzelli that he had to fight Kimbo on his feet.