David Mayeda ponders the question of why Kimbo Slice is a bigger media figure than MMA talent with significantly better credentials. More than that, actually, Mayeda essentially tackles who the fighters are, what the represent, what they do outside of the sport, how they carry themselves, what statements they make and beyond. He overtly states he doesn't blame Slice for his own hype - that belongs to Shaw and EliteXC - but he does reach this conclusion:

It's a reasonable sentiment, but ultimately represents the worldview of a very narrow segment of the population that watches MMA.

Travis Lutter, and to a lesser extent Jay Larkin, said it best: MMA fans suck. I know that's a cheap generalization, so let me unpack it a little.

There is a distinct blue collar tone to the overwhelming number of UFC/MMA fans in America. That doesn't necessarily imply those blue collar fans aren't interested in the finer points of the sport including an understanding of in-depth technique, but it most certainly doesn't rule it out either. More importantly, what's become clear in the wake of UFC rivals (EliteXC notwithstanding...yet) slowly dying out is that the UFC product - and less the sport - carries the day. The layers of appreciation for the typical fan of MMA (i.e. the UFC) certainly go beyond the entertainment of violence, but don't extend very far into appreciation for technique, philanthropic virtues or the normal metrics reserved to judge athletes in other sports. It's a sad reality, but a huge chunk of the sport's fanbase is there for story line entertainment, violence, some athleticism, and an enormous amount of vicarious heroism. Booing, for them, is perfectly acceptable. Sure they came to see athletes, but they came to see athletes duke it out and present a display as jarring as their imagination takes them. They did not come to appreciate the finer subtlties of MMA fight sport.

Mayeda's worldview is perfectly reasonable to the sort of fan who reads this site or others like it. I don't accurately have a grasp on what separates the different types of fan, although suffice to say, I can usually tell very quickly which one is which. To us, though, Kimbo Slice is an intriguing figure and one worthy of attention. But that attention shouldn't come at the expense or ahead of fighters who are truly at the upper echelon of the sport. To us, what's intriguing is violence, story line and entertainment. In that sense, we are no different than any other fan. But the premium we place on the exercise of talent in as granular a form as we can comprehend far exceeds what the typical fan is even prepared to offer.

Putting Kimbo Slice on the main event of EliteXC's CBS show makes perfect sense. For better or worse, his name and aura - with all of it's flaws - is going to put asses in seats and eyeballs on the television screen. His all but certain knockout over James Thompson will compensate for any lack of technical prowess to the typical fan in attendance or watching on television. Whether he'll convert folks who weren't fans before is a matter yet to be seen, but he'll absolutely "feed the machine".