Kimbo Slice vs. Sean Gannon Rematch Likely on CBS

by Kid Nate on Aug 20, 2008 4:40 PM EDT in News Comment 44 comments

Josh Gross is reporting that Sean Gannon is leading the pack to face Kimbo Slice on the October 4th EliteXC card on CBS:

Three names keep popping up as the next opponent for Kimbo Slice on Oct. 4: Brett Rogers, Ken Shamrock and ... wait for it ... Sean Gannon.
...

And so, that leaves Gannon, a Boston police officer who defeated Slice in the most famous of the Miami street brawler's underground fight videos. If you'll recall, the UFC tried to capitalize on the YouTube-famed fight by signing Gannon in 2005, but Branden Lee Hinkle pounded him out in less than a round. Since then, Gannon has sat on the sidelines flirting with a big payday and a chance to rematch Slice on a larger stage.

CBS would be the largest.

At this point, unfortunately, signs are pointing to Gannon. The story works for CBS -- it's an easy sell and Kimbo shouldn't face much of a threat. It's perfect all around. That is, unless you think circus fights have no place in MMA, particularly in front of six million viewers.

I've put the original Kimbo vs Gannon fight in the full entry for both of you who've never seen it.

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And let the hilarity ensue!!

Say what you will about Kimbo, but he has vastly improved since then. Stamina, striking, explosion, all much improved.

I love the count out to 100, lol.

Prediction….Kimbo by brutal KO :17 Round 1.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Aug 20, 2008 4:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hi

I’m one of the guys who had never seen the video. LMAO indeed.

Thanks for that, and God please dont let this rematch happen. What a waste.

by xFenixKnightx on Aug 20, 2008 4:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The result will be different....

If Kimbo has learned how not to gas. Seriously, Gannon looked like the “Baby Ruth” guy from Goonies after that.

by Jiiri on Aug 20, 2008 4:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They should just do this. Easy story to sell that can allow them to remind people of Kimbo’s roots.

Gross’s point about why they should do Rogers-Kimbo…I like Josh, but god, if he ran EliteXC it would be dead. The idea of risking Kimbo’s aura when he’s the only star of a company in dire position is ridiculous.

Rogers-Silva headlining EliteXC ppv would be like a 10 buy show.

by Michael Rome on Aug 20, 2008 5:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Does promoting the sequel entail promoting the original fight? If CBS showed even a tiny clip of that mess, it would be pretty disasterous. Okay, I don’t mean to be one of those “bad for the sport”, chicken littles who thinks the sky is falling on MMA because of a little Brock here and a little Kimbo there. I just don’t see how Gannon can be promoted as a legit fighter or his history with Kimbo.

by Jaydoggydog on Aug 20, 2008 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So you would rather Elitexc survive by turning it into a freakshow to attract viewers. You would rather see the freakshow angle than athletes giving it all they have and leaving it in the cage?? Or you want to watch Kimbo fight old men, out of shape guys that coudlnt win 5 or 10 years ago??

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I doubt Michael prefers freak shows to legitimate MMA. I believe the point he’s making is that in order to survive, EXC must put on freak shows.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Aug 20, 2008 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Obviously I prefer legitimate MMA. It’s not like they have a real choice right now. Their back is against the wall: if they want to survive, they NEED a good rating. They need stars. They can’t afford Ortiz, so they need to turn elsewhere and get a freakshow for a low amount of money.

by Michael Rome on Aug 20, 2008 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"EliteXC... would be dead"

That may be a foregone conclusion, Michael.

by AJB on Aug 20, 2008 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kimbos Vag

What a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If Kimbo is such a tough guy how about a tough opponent! Hes to scared to fight Rogers!!!!!!!!!!! Damn Sissy should be beggin to fight Rogers so he can prove himself!

by tritonv8 on Aug 20, 2008 5:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Be easy

by Luke Thomas on Aug 20, 2008 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

disgusted

This is not mma. Why not go to the street and find a mean looking HW which you can feed OLD or MUCH OLDER, OUT OF SHAPE, lesser athletes to him. Would that be fun??

Sure it would be a spectacle, exactly what Kimbo and ELite XC is. Gannon is how old? fought how many times??

I hear that Dan Severn is turning 60 soon, why dont they go and see if Severn will fight kimbo

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 5:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Check your sources...

Dan Severn just turned 50 and he is 3-1 so far in 2008.

by Chris Nelson on Aug 20, 2008 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You never heard of sarcasm?????????

Was meant to say that the older and more recognized you are the better chance you will get the call to fight, I mean collect a payday with Kimbo.

So, you are going be pushing for a Severn/Kimbo fight? Sure Severn is a pioneer of the sport, but when Pedro kicked him a couple of times, some 7 or 8 years ago that was the well past Severn’s prime in the sport

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

just turned 50 over 3 years ago

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Severn’s probably a bad matchup for Ferguson. :-D

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Aug 20, 2008 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

True Severn may be able to lay on him for 15 minutes….that is with Jared shaw screaming like a litte girl for a restart on the feet after 5 seconds on the mat

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Saying!

by Chris Nelson on Aug 20, 2008 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

EliteXC is in need of a big, wait, a colossal viewership. We shouldn’t be surprised with whatever ends up happening. They already have a good match up for Carano with an opponent who’s talking some good smack; they should have Noons-Diaz, and we’ll see what happens with Slice.

by dmayeda on Aug 20, 2008 5:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I can only hope that Elitexc is done after this event….Then the UFC can scoop up Kimbo just to force him to fight 2 or 3 UFC HWs. We can only dream. Now thats a freakshow I would watch

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 5:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is a mockery of MMA…

Imagine a guy who is a street basketball player… he plays one on one games for money.

One day a white came in and beat him. This white guy couldnt make it in the NBA .. he was trounced.

Now Imagine CBS saying lets put these two guys on primetime…

Is it a spectacle… sure. Is it sport? NO.

This is why Japanese MMA is dying… Spectacles or circus are fads – people tire of it.

People watch NBA all the time because it’s a sport. You can only stomach the globe trotters once or twice.

by mmalogic on Aug 20, 2008 5:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good analogy. That is why I cant even beleive there are people more concerned about EliteXC gaining viewers adn watching this spectacle than seeing great fights between 2 hungry fighters

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And it gives MMA in general a horrible name. There will be “NEW” viewers that are goign to be able to see this as a marketing gimmick and NOT 2 athletes out there competing

I am not a professional fighter, nor an amateur……but I have the notion of mma and fighters as people that train and work harder than any athlete. Their work eithic is second to none……I could go on and on….Having some big scary looking guy fights much older and weaker opponents is just insulting. Jsut for a payday is insulting to all that haev sacrificed in this sport

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is the product that EliteXC wants you to pay $40 for!

by cyph on Aug 20, 2008 6:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, the sad thing is that there are people that want to see freakshows or mismatches like that. they are a new group of fans, they are not your traditional mma fans….
there will be the birth of a new sport, a cross or hybrid of WWE and MMA and we will have EliteXC to thank

by fightfan on Aug 20, 2008 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the new breed of fans are exclusively the ones who want to see freakshows and squash matches. That’s always been there to a certain extent. I mean, look at some of the matches we’ve seen in Japan where they have arguably the most knowledgable, involved MMA fans anywhere.

I’d say that the problem is that there’s now enough of a fan base in North America that you can put on freakshow matches and a significant chunk of people will watch. There isn’t necessarily a greater proportion of the fan base that falls into that category; just more overall as the fan base has grown.

Oh, and I’ll say that there’s also a likelihood that people who like freakshows will shell out money for just about anything. It’s the hardcores that like competitive matches that are cheap. (How many people on here have looked at a UFC PPV lineup and said, “Ugh, I’m not paying for that”? Yep, me too. The people who like freakshows, whether new or long time fans, rarely say that.)

by AJB on Aug 20, 2008 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shaw already said that if Gannon would take the fight for $100,000 the fight would have already been made but that Gannon wants $250,000 because if he takes the fight he will have to give up his current job.

Are you telling me they can’t find a more worthy active fighter that is willing to fight for less than that?

Plus how do you have Gannon promote the fight in interviews?

“Well I’m a cop that fought Kimbo in what was probably an illegal street fight 5 years ago and then I thought I would try it for real in the UFC and Brandon Lee Hinkle put such a beating on me that I haven’t fought since.”

Anyway however long ago it was. Having Gannon do interviews for the fight and for him to try and promote the fight like he is a worthy competitor would be a joke.

Spend the money on a worthy fighter that deserves the spot or spend half the money on a worthy fighter and save half to help keep EliteXC running for another couple hours before they go out of business.

Here is a link to those comments about Gannon wanting $250,000 just in case you need to see it to believe it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3493996

by mattman73 on Aug 20, 2008 8:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This news certainly doesn’t get me excited, but I understand that EXC has to do something to generate some buzz. I don’t know how well they can market this, but there is a back story. It’s doubtful that a Kimbo/Gannon fight will do much, if any, damage to the sport of MMA. For better or worse this is what EXC is. They’ve got some good fighters, but most of these fighters aren’t well known. They ought to put Diaz/Noons on this card as well. I feel like it’s too late for the promotion, but they might as well go down firing.

by Cannon Jacques on Aug 20, 2008 8:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Bleeeech! What a joke. Of course, people will tune in to watch—just like people can’t stop gawking at a car wreck. Why don’t they just put Kimbo in a cage with 50 midget muay thai fighters? THAT would be pure entertainment!

by scuzxbucket on Aug 20, 2008 9:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What in the hell?

They are going to get such a big draw for this ridiculous crap. Kimbo isn’t a professional athlete he’s a thug.

Rob Dib
http://www.prowrestling-gear.com

by Rob Dib on Aug 20, 2008 9:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I honestly don’t see what the plan is for Elite in regards to Kimbo. Do they think he’ll be good enough to beat Rogers or Silva eventually? I’m not saying it could never happen, but how long is that going to take? Is Elite still going to be around?

I don’t know what a match with Gannon, Shamrock, or a can would really prove at this point. If he looks great, no one will care because the opponent is unskilled/old/a can. If the fight looks anything like the Thompson fight, he’ll lose whatever is left of his aura as a monster.

I think they should just feed him to Rogers and let the winner fight Bigfoot on the PPV. They are going to have a tough time getting people interested in a PPV, but Kimbo or the guy who beat Kimbo taking on a giant Brazillian might generate some interest.

by Phildo on Aug 20, 2008 9:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No, it definitely won’t generate interest. Kimbo isn’t established enough for that to work, especially against a non draw like Silva.

I don’t think there’s a “plan” with Kimbo, right now the plan is just to convince CBS to support them financially by doing well in October. If you’re going to feed Kimbo to someone, feed him to an up and coming guy with potential stardom (read: not Rogers), or at least to a well known guy like an Ortiz so you can take advantage of it and do Tito vs. Frank on PPV.

by Michael Rome on Aug 20, 2008 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gannon is hella slow. Kimbo is probably pushing this to happen, he knows he needs to keep up whatever cred he has so that when elitexc crumbles the UFC can pick him up, and feed him to Lesnar for some good money.

by IHateMMA on Aug 20, 2008 11:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I still think it’ll be Ken Shamrock or Don Frye in the end.

by Michael Rome on Aug 20, 2008 11:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope it’s Don Frye. I might actually have to tune in to see that.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Aug 21, 2008 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That video'd fight was simply God-awful

It’s amazing this is the guy EXC pinned their hopes to.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Aug 20, 2008 11:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You a hater misterjonez

by Phildo on Aug 21, 2008 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Probably

I fall into the category of Kimbo-hater, yes. Probably.

I just find it kind of dumbfounding that an organization as large as EXC would make this guy their poster-child. Gina I can understand. But Kimbo? I just don’t ‘get’ it.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Aug 21, 2008 3:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s ok, I’m a hater too, I just like saying that.

Whatever becomes of Elite, You a hater and don’t be scared homie will always remind me of the good times they had and what could have been.

by Phildo on Aug 21, 2008 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I always thought they’d use him on the undercard to hype KJ and Gina, but the media chose their darling.

by asa on Aug 21, 2008 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Slice/Gannon Fight

I saw this fight a couple of years ago and it was a straight out brawl! That Gannon dude took everything Slice hit him with and stood there like Dolph Lundgren in Rocky. I do not know if Gannon has improved his game but he is more than tough enough to stand and bang with him as he put Slice on his ass more than once in that fight.

by dnevil001 on Aug 21, 2008 9:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs