Quote of the Day: Kimbo Slice

by Luke Thomas on May 22, 2008 2:00 PM EDT in News Comment 7 comments

"I still consider myself a baby at this game...Those guys probably know how to run circles around me, but I can bang with the best. And I'm not a one-dimensional fighter anymore. I used to have just a hammer. But now I've got a hammer, a tape measure, a screwdriver, a glue gun. Now I've got some tools in the belt."

-- Kimbo Slice , addressing the MMA fighters who criticize his ability. You have to have ESPN Insiders access to read the story online, but I can tell you it's worth the price of admission.

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... the question is, does he have any idea how to use any of those tools or is he just going to keep on trying to beat people over the head with his hammer, his tape measure, his glue gun …

I’m hoping that Thompson somehow miraculously survives Kimbo’s early shots and gets Kimbo on the mat. Either we’ll get to see if Kimbo actually can do anything more than knock out overmatched cans or we’ll get to see Kimbo get destroyed. Either one would be better than the primetime breakthrough for mma being just another street fight inside a cage, in my opinion.

by Kierkegaard on May 22, 2008 2:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No chance Kimbo can sprawl or defend the takedown, eh?

by Luke Thomas on May 22, 2008 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh he very well might be able to. But so far he hasn’t shown that, because nobody has been able to survive enough of his “hammers” to test it. That’s what I want to see. Can he defend the takedown? Can he sprawl? If so, can he do anything on the ground? Can he avoid a submission? Can he effectively strike from guard? Can he scramble back up? Can he avoid giving up his back in the process of trying to get back up?

I think it’s really unfortunate that the main event for the first primetime broadcast tv event for mma is going to feature Kimbo - who has yet to do anything besides knock out cans - and Collosus - who is only very minimally more challenging and credible on paper than Kimbo’s previous opponents - instead of some really top notch competitors who have earned their stripes. That’s not Kimbo’s fault, and he shouldn’t be bashed for it. Nonetheless, I’m reserving judgment on whether Kimbo can and will be a legitimate mma fighter, and I think Dana White could certainly go about making his point in a far better manner, but so far all Kimbo has really shown us in his fights is that the street fight approach works just as well inside the cage if you can connect with a big punch early against poor competition. If he can show more, that’s great. But I’m not jumping on the bandwagon until he does …

by Kierkegaard on May 22, 2008 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kimbo is one giant question mark as far as I’m concerned, and the only way to answer it is for him to fight. He says one thing, his haters say another. We’ll find out soon enough.

by pud333 on May 22, 2008 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If he keeps winning, we’ll find out sooner rather than later. Everyone should be hoping that Kimbo doesn’t stumble so that they’ll keep upping the level of his competition. If he loses, it’s back to the down filled blanket treatment.

by AJB on May 22, 2008 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good article

I thought this was a good, balanced article, that showed sides of Slice the general public wouldn’t think of simply by taking a look at him. Kimbo’s opponents are probably selected more by his management and the promoters than by him. The promoters drive the machine, so if people dislike him main-eventing May 31, focus on EliteXC…not just Kimbo. He’s working to broaden him game, or use of “tools.”

by dmayeda on May 22, 2008 6:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Kimbo needs to get cracked and recover during a fight before I give him a real chance to leave his mark on mma. His beard, besides helping mold his image, also hides how his jaw is shaped…

by lunedi18 on May 22, 2008 8:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs