What If Thompson Ruins The Party?
by Michael Rome on May 26, 2008 3:12 AM EDT
in MMA News
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PrintListening to the Elite XC Kimbo-Thompson press conference, it was amusing to me how Thompson got like 2-3 questions and the rest of the time was Kimbo and Gary Shaw. Thompson is a complete afterthought in the promotion of this fight, but it sounds like he is taking it very seriously:
...I know they think I’ll be a perfect opponent for Kimbo, that I’ll come in, look scary, then get knocked out… but this doesn’t bother me at all as it’s such a massive chance to put me back on track in the biggest possible way!
...With me loosing my last two fights I can see why people might not have a massive amount of confidence in me, but I’m truly shocked by the amount of people that have bought into the “Kimbo hype.”
...Honestly, I think the best weapon against a guy like Kimbo is an all round MMA game.
That last line tells me a lot. He didn't come out and say it, but Thompson may be looking to test Kimbo's ground game very early. We're all used to seeing Thompson just get KO'ed quickly lately, but when you consider the opportunity being given to a guy that got smashed in his last two fights, you have to believe he will take it very seriously.
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errr
does thompson HAVE an all-around MMA game? he’s got two wins by (non-strikes) submission, five years ago. other than that it’s been bangin’. i’d say thompson is exactly the same as kimbo now. the difference is that kimbo’s changed over a five-year period, and thompson hasn’t.
-- I've misplaced my pants.
There was an interview...
...a while back where Thompson talked a lot about a) his cardio and b) his all-around game. To hear him tell it, he’s responded to all those gong-and-dash complaints by finally taking his training seriously. It seems that like many of the big names who didn’t quite make it, he’s never really had the training camps and resources to prepare for a fight, and now he does. We could see a whole new Debt Collector if any of that is true.
And I think that could be kind of awesome. The interview, which I can’t seem to find now, really impressed the hell out of me with his candor, sense of humor, and intelligence. I know it sounds crazy, but if he beats Kimbo, I could be swayed into being a Thompson fan.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
Thompson is a banger but he is going to prove to be too much for Kimbo. This match up is actually going to prove to be very entertaining for those who enjoy the striking aspect of MMA. I will watch this fight.
I'll be back to add more in the next twenty-four...unless, by some mishap, someone K.O s FEDOR.
We'll see:
I actually don’t think it matters too much at this point: Kimbo is nearly a household name. I know I’ll be in the minority, but I think people like the mystique of Kimbo enough that a loss doesn’t damage him in terms of marketability. At least not so much that it will damage him in any meaningful way in the long term. I don’t even think it really hurts EliteXC, to be honest. I think a case could even be made that it helps Kimbo a bit, since it’ll take all the pressure off of him and allow him to be openly what he is: a powerful striker who is working on getting the other dimensions of his MMA game up to par. I like to think that even for the casual fan, they know this isn’t boxing: we don’t expect to see guys with 35-0 records.
I agree that if Kimbo loses at this stage in the game it could be devastating and do irreperable damage to his career. But the problem with Thompson is that a) he isn’t likely to submit anyone, b) he doesn’t have good positional control to keep Kimbo pinned to the floor and c) even when he performs well early on, he can still be baited into swinging later. He’s a sucker for the slugfest and I don’t see him having the poise to control himself.
No Big Deal...
Because in his statements about being close to having a HW title bout, thus crowning their first HW champion, Shaw mentioned Thompson as one of the contenders.
So if an up and coming fighter gets beat by a contender, it shouldn’t have that big of an effect, right?
Seriously, a former mid level fighter who is on a terrible streak the last couple of years, beating their biggest draw, would be devastating to EXC, imo. If for no other reason, than they have hitched their wagon to Kimbo and Gina and not so much everyone else on their roster. I know the hot girl fighter and the polarizing slugger are the most compelling stories, but Silva and Shields are their best fighters and if you market like that, you are taking a big risk. However, i see Kimbo winning, so the point is probably mute. And yes I know it is “moot”, just every time I type it I see sitcoms in my head, lol.
Shaw is so full of it when he markets his fighters, but if i didn’t know better, I would buy into it, so you can’t fault him one bit.
On a side note, anyone see the Kimbo commercial with his mom? Kind of “cute”, but damn, they look identical, lol. If you shaved her head and gave her a beard, they would be identical.
And I’m not bashing Thompson, Kimbo or his Mom, just observation.
"They said you was hung!!"
"And they was RIGHT!"
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