Kimbo Slice Lost. So What?
October 1, 2009 - 2:45 pm by Ryan Phillips
So last night on “The Ultimate Fighter,” internet sensation Kimbo Slice made his highly anticipated debut. He lost to former IFL heavyweight champ Roy “Big Country” Nelson in a second-round stoppage.
Basically Nelson weathered a few huge punches from Slice, got him on his back and laid on top of him while giving him some love taps. Slice, who has virtually no experience fighting from the mat, couldn’t get up or really do any work from his back. Eventually referee Herb Dean stopped the fight and looked disgusted by the performance of both fighters.
On his feet, Slice was impressive, rattling Nelson with some incredibly hard punches. In fact, he may have been close to putting Nelson down early in the second round, but he made a rookie mistake and went for a knee lift while being pushed backwards and ended up on the mat.
Today, virtually every expert is saying that Nelson had the disappointing performance. He basically took Kimbo down, laid on top of him and did just enough work to not be ordered to stand back up.
Some people are saying Kimbo is just a freakshow and good-riddance to him, but clearly the guy has incredible punching power. That can’t be taught. I’m not saying he can be molded into a Brazilian jujitsu master, but if he can learn enough to get off the mat when he’s taken down, he could be a very dangerous fighter.
The UFC has already (allegedly) signed him to a contract, so we should probably assume that this loss hasn’t eliminated him from the Ultimate Fighter competition. He showed enough that if someone gets injured or leaves the house, he’ll definitely be invited back. The show was filmed several months ago, so this has all already happened.
But here’s the larger point: Who cares if he lost?
That was the biggest fight in the history of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Any time Slice comes out to fight in the UFC people will watch because they’ll be curious to see how he does. Even if he never becomes a championship-level guy, Kimbo has the potential to produce spectacular knockouts. Translation: He has the potential to liven up the middle of the often boring UFC fight cards.
Bring him in and let’s see what he can do on a consistent basis. Dana White would be foolish not to. The guy is 35-years-old, he wont be around much longer, so this is the time to jump on his popularity and ride it out.
15 Responses to “Kimbo Slice Lost. So What?”
Yep, everytime he fights, the cash registers will cha-ching. He’ll get a contract no matter what.
By LR. on Oct 1, 2009
“Translation: He has the potential to liven up the middle of the often boring UFC fight cards.”
seriously?? have you been watching the cards ufc has been putting together this year?? uusually boring?? gimme a break.
By Todd on Oct 2, 2009
Todd,
Yeah I have been watching the UFC’s cards this year. Every one of them. And while hardcore MMA fans may like seeing grappling and amazing displays of BJJ, a much wider audience doesn’t want to plop down $50 to watch guys roll around on the ground.
They want to see blood, violence and knockouts. That’s what Slice could bring to the middle of a card. Throw him in there against another stand-up specialist and watch the fireworks.
By Phillips on Oct 2, 2009
This is probably the best article on the subject I have read yet. Really who cares if he lost. everyone (including Roy) knows Kimbo does not have the ground game yet. I’m sure he will learn some defense working with ATT. I just hope they (UFC) don’t put him in before he is ready against a top level guy.
The real fact of the matter is that the guy makes people money.
By Andre on Oct 2, 2009
Kimbo has been in MMA for all most two years and still has no ground game? He had no ideal what to do when Roy got him down. Now six weeks with Rampage is going to change that. I like Kimbo and hope he can get up to speed on the ground game but I kinda fell let down he didn’t look better in his first UFC fight.
By james on Oct 3, 2009
i agree kimbo has no ground game
By jt on Oct 3, 2009
but give him time with att and possibly greg jackson that can change granted in two years you would expect some improvement. but dont forget,mind you i hated how roy nelson approached the fight taking the safe route.he is a bjj black belt with good ground contol and he had 35 pounds on kimbo there are probably plenty of guys who would have struggled on the bottom of roy. kimbo can learn we will see just how bad he wants too…
By jt on Oct 3, 2009
I really don’t understand the hype surrounding Kimbo. He’s doing what a lot of other guys are doing, and he is not that good at it. His fight against Roy Nelson, shows that Kimbo is lacking skills in many areas not just ground game. The UFC needs to keep its focus on true fighters and not those who are just for gimmicks.
By Traci on Oct 4, 2009
I too like Kimbo as a fighter but was very disappointed with his loss on TUF. Aside from the training he was getting with Rampage Jackson, previously he was training initially for MMA with Bas Ruten.I did not expect Kimbo to win that fight because of his lack of ground skills but I expected him to put up a better fight. If he ever does get his ground game together he will definitely be a force to reckon with.
By David on Oct 4, 2009
Alot of ppl are just saying Roy has an “ok” Ground game. PLEASE you must not know much about the guy. Couple years back I watched him put on a fricken BJJ clinic aginst Frank Mir in a BJJ comp. Ya Frank Mir (probably one of the best HVY WT submission grapplers in the UFC) Just stomped the guy. So when he made Kimbo look just alittle bad I would expect that. He should keep KIMBo down and with 35 lbs on Kimbo there was no doubt. What kimbo didn’t do was stop him from passing guard or even shrimp out of guard. I was surprised to see Kimbo look like he had forgotten every ground move ever taught to him, same with his stand up he didnt look the same. He had to be nervous because his fight on CBS vs that big doofy bastard looked 10 times better when he was taken down.
By Leo on Oct 4, 2009
I agree that Kimbo looked good standing up, but does he deserve a contract with the UFC? Probably not. Will he get one? Absolutely. The guy is a ratings magnet and he provides exciting fights, White’s a marketing genius and he knows a money-maker when he sees one. I don’t believe Kimbo will ever be more than he is, a knock-out artist. Everyone talks about how he will eventually get a bit of a ground game but I don’t see him learning more than the ability to get back up off his back. I don’t mean to bad mouth Kimbo, he’s come a long way from his YouTube street fights and his right-hand and ring presence are unmatched in TUF, but you can’t expect him to become more than what he is, especially at his age. I see him coming into the UFC for a few good years of amazingly exciting fights then retiring as one of the most popular fighters out there. As for Roy, he did what he set out to do: beat Kimbo with the least effort possible. Was it exciting? no. Did it make him look good? no. Did he win? effortlessly, and really thats all that matters when it comes to TUF.
By Duncan on Oct 5, 2009
Well said Duncan. However… For me it’s all about respect, I have none for Roys gameplan. Effective yet oh-so-gay.
Kimbo WILL learn some basic takedown defense/ground escapes and then he’ll shine.
By Gaz West on Oct 6, 2009
This is a GREAT observation column, Phillip, and I feel word-4-word, everything you just said is true. I never took MMA, nor the UFC in particularly serious until I started watching Kimbo on You Tube. His punching skills are undescribable. If you’ve seen his backyard brawls at a glance, you just HAVE to stop and watch his awsome power. But as in boxing, and most other full contact sports, AGE and “OVER TIME” body abuse is the sure downfall to every star. The sport needs him, and they better get the cash, and ratings, while he’s still got it!!!
By Corey on Oct 6, 2009
cory you are an idiot
By Anonymous on Oct 9, 2009