Much like the rest of American industry, MMA is staring disaster right in the face.

EliteXC is facing a preliminary investigation of influencing the outcome of the Seth Petruzelli-Kimbo Slice fight, ESPN.com reported on Thursday.

The investigation stemmed from comments Petruzelli made to an Orlando, Fla., radio station shortly after the fight. Petruzelli told Monsters in the Morning, "The promoters kind of 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 try to stand up and punch with him."

Petruzelli was a late replacement for Slice’s original opponent, Ken Shamrock, who was forced to pull out after suffering a gash under his left eye that required stitches.

Petruzelli stepped into the main event slot and knocked out Slice in just 14 seconds.

EliteXC head of fight operations Jeremy Lappen told ESPN.com, "We were not trying to protect Kimbo. He had been training to fight a guy in Shamrock who has a better ground game than Seth. If we were trying to protect Kimbo we would have sent him home. We put him in a dangerous fight."

But EliteXC consultant Gary Shaw told The Los Angeles Times he wouldn't hesitate to tell a fighter, "'We're looking for a stand-up fight.' You're not asking him to throw a fight. You're talking about a fan-friendly fight, not about protecting Kimbo."