There's no universal impression of Kimbo's defeat-- there will be those fans, casual and otherwise, that no longer tune in to his fights on Saturday nights. That night is already pretty important real estate for the 18-35 year old male demo to begin with. Quite frankly, EXC is more in danger of the casual fan averting his/her eyes than the hardcore. I, for one, will watch ANY MMA that is on free tv, and I realize there are many of you that are like-minded.

For me, Kimbo's loss was an affirmation. I have been saying for a long time that this guy is not a mixed martial artist and I've loathed EXC to pump him up as such. I've been indignant at his handlers, who have made him fight sub-standard, unqualified and washed out competition and then billed him as progressive, over-powering and adaptive beyond his years of training. I could not have been any happier to see him taken to task on Saturday night; a supposed modern day Goliath, though David only struck him with a grape in a sling (on one foot, no less). Will I stop watching him? No, of course not. I will continue to watch in the hopes that he is beaten again. I've been validated; it's too late to hope he improves when this is what I wanted all along. But yes, I will continue to watch. After Saturday's program, I care enough about EXC to give them my viewership to support the likes of Benji Radach, Antonio Silva, Gina Carrano and (to a suddenly lesser extent, but I digress) Jake Shields. I just wish it were those mixed martial artists I could be cracking my most important beer for at 9:45-10:00, with all the fervor and anticipation that is associated with the main event. Not some glass-jawed, over-hyped, glove-handled, former street fighter who has been improperly and deceptively marketed as a bastion of our growing sport.

Give us back our flag and go dwell on the undercard..