Kimbo Slice, Seth Petruzelli Rematch Possible for K-1 Dynamite! on NYE

by Kid Nate on Oct 30, 2008 10:35 AM EDT in News Comment 11 comments

The Florida Sun-Sentinel reported this paragraph:

(Kimbo Slice) may fight on the DREAM K-1 New Year's Eve show in Japan, possibly a rematch with Petruzelli.

Which naturally set off a firestorm of speculation in the MMA blogosphere.

Michael David Smith points out an interesting angle on the American biz impact of such a matchup:

Neither Kimbo nor Petruzelli is a big name in Japan, but a fight between the two of them would be a big draw for HDNet, which has the American TV rights and might be willing to pay more to get Kimbo-Petruzelli 2 on its network.

The problem, of course, is that there's no reason at all to believe that the result of a second Kimbo-Petruzelli fight would be any different from the first: Petruzelli, who unlike Kimbo is actually a skilled martial artist, would likely knock Kimbo out easily, again. Still, it would be a quick KO that would draw a big audience.

Zack Arnold of course has a more sinister take:

If you recall, Petruzelli was telling Orlando media after his fight with Kimbo Slice that he had received an offer to fight in Japan.

As far as Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli having any drawing power in Japan… you could dip Seth Petruzelli in glue, drag him through Fort Knox, and he wouldn’t draw a single dollar. Kimbo, on the other hand, could draw very well in Japan. However, putting him in a re-match against Petruzelli is a stupid idea… unless, of course, K-1 paid off Petruzelli to take a dive in the fight. Why not.

And Tracy Morgan has an entirely different take on Kimbo on the Conan O'Brian show (HT AOL Fanhouse):

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i could watch tracy morgan read the phonebook

funniest dude.

by woooburn on Oct 30, 2008 10:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Conan had no idea why that made me cry...

Tracy noted that Conan had no idea who Kimbo was…and then just improvised…classic.

Wags

by DocWagner on Oct 30, 2008 10:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn’t laugh until “He’s my biological father” that was pretty good.

by ChillMike on Oct 30, 2008 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not Petruzelli

Kimbo versus a returning Genki Sudo.

by Brett Jones on Oct 30, 2008 11:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Genki by Butterbean-esque heel hook.

by Luke Thomas on Oct 30, 2008 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kimbo vs. Bob Sapp?

Is he still fighting? I think the Japanese would love that, even if he loses to Petruzelli again.

by the exit on Oct 30, 2008 11:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Kimbo vs Petruzelli is a bad idea.

Tracy Morgan, however, is always good.

by pud333 on Oct 30, 2008 11:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Give the guy another chance. He trained for one guy and a couple of hours before the match you throw a another dude at him. Kimbo was visibly nervous before the fight. Everybody deserves a second chance. Let him train for Seth and see what happens. If Seth knocks him out, subs him, or wins by decision, then we can close this chapter.

by Akorn on Oct 30, 2008 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

We can close the chapter right now. It’s not as though Seth Petruzelli was facing different circumstances than Kimbo. He, too, was scheduled to face a different opponent with a different skill set and found himself against a new opponent on last minute notice.

Except, in Petruzelli’s case, he went from facing a guy in his weight class to facing a guy who had a good 30lbs. on him and from an undercard, non-televised match to the main event spotlight. “No pressure, kid, but can you have a good enough fight so that CBS buys our company and saves our industry from becoming a monopoly?”

by Brett Jones on Oct 30, 2008 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

YES!!!!

This is the kind of fight I imagine the Japanese fans would absolutely love! Like someone else mentioned, matching up Kimbo vs. the beloved Bob Sapp would also probably get some good ratings in Japan.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens if Kimbo actually prepares to fight Petruzelli… I would honestly have no problem watching the fight again.

Oh, and what kind of drugs was Tracy Morgan taking when he was on the show last night? I remember sitting there confused and disoriented from listening to that interview! :)

by Randomus on Oct 30, 2008 3:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs