10 Quick Thoughts On Kimbo Slice Joining TUF
by MMAEruption on Jun 2, 2009 2:11 AM EDT
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Gosh darn it I'm exhausted and drunk but the news regarding Kimbo Slice appearing on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter is just boggling my mind right now.
Here are my 10 immediate thoughts:
1) Kimbo Slice + Rashad/Rampage feud + NFL Veterans = Huge Ratings
2) Gary Shaw must be PISSED. He destroyed EliteXC by betting the company on Kimbo Slice, and now Dana White will reap all the benefits of Kimbo's notoriety.
3) Now we know why there is no eliminator round - the UFC wanted to guarantee Kimbo would be on the show.
4) Did the UFC cut Kimbo a special deal? He made some big paydays with EliteXC - I assume the standard TUF contract doesn't apply to him.
5) If Kimbo somehow wins the season, he'll be the next big PPV draw for the company. Either way, he'll be on the TUF finale.
6) The UFC will likely influence the coaches to delay Kimbo's first fight as long as possible to keep people interested in the show.
7) Could Kimbo be the newest member of the Jackson camp? Rashad will likely be bringing those guys in to be his assistant coaches. What can the maestro Greg Jackson do with Kimbo Slice should he end up on Rashad's team?
8) Dana White is officially the master of the calculated freakshow risk. Brock Lesnar has been a huge PPV success and at the very very very least, Kimbo Slice will keep TUF going strong for one more season and guarantee a big fat ratings pop for the finale.
9) With Rampage, Rashad, and now Kimbo, the UFC could make some ratings breakthroughs with the African-American community.
10) There will be 15 other guys hungry to make a name for themselves in the sport. They will all be gunning to fight him - should make life in the TUF house interesting.
Goodnight!
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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I didn’t know UFC was hurting in the African-American community ratings? It’s not hockey, eh. The only black guys I ever hear dismiss MMA have the last name Mayweather.
I definitely think that the UFC hasn't properly cracked this demo
The UFC’s demographic is still majority white males. It’s like mmalogic and some other people stated before – the UFC will remain popular as long as it’s champions remain white. Lyoto is actually a more marketable champion than Rashad to the UFC’s current demo.
I think the UFC is still pretty weak among the minorities (namely black and hispanic).
I dunno
I still think is more a boxing talking point than reality. I see plenty of blacks and hispanics at UFC night in the bar. Not the biggest Chuck and Matt Hughes fans but still a group that loves fights.
I am a part of the demo class Afro-American and I love MMA. But I do feel alone as a lot of my counterparts do not watch or find it the least bit interesting. Also, for every fight I have been to, I always make friends and they have thus far have all been white – not sure if that helps.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
= p
MMA’s growth has been exponential in the Midwest and out West in California. The newest growth has been on the East Coast. Black people in America are mostly situated along the East Coast and the South. So with deeper roots in MMA. Not to mention the huge wrestling base in the Midwest etc. that have fueled a personal investment into the early rule based UFC. So its not suprising that the Midwest and West Coast which is primarily made up of White Americans has made the bulk of the MMA and UFC audience and athletes until the recent explosion of the sport.
Colonel Sanders.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
I am excited about having Kimbo on TUF 10 – I want to see good things happen for him b/c I feel he was taken advantage of and misguided.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
The guy was by far the highest paid fighter in his organization with almost no professional experience coming in, I don’t feel sorry for the guy, he made more money in north american MMA than anyone outside of the UFC or Affliction.
I feel bad for the guy the way MMA fans shit on him, like any of us would have turned down millions of dollars. And he has always been humble about it. He didn’t deserve half the crap he got from the MMA community.
His family, tho, is a different story.
by mythbuster on Jun 2, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The one area where he does deserve some criticism is when he lost and then absolutely disappeared. If he was honest about being a true MMA fighter, then many people (rightly) felt he should have taken efforts to train harder instead of vanishing. This is somewhat explained away by his being on TUF, but I’m still curious as to why we didn’t see him for so damn long.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 3, 2009 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions
EliteXC went out of business. It will be interesting to hear why he has been mostly silent, but could be that he had no offers, or that he decided to train before plunging back into the MMA water. Or maybe he got drunk and wallowed in his money for a while :)
Even if he went train, why be so secret about it? I’m tempted to say he wimped out once he realized he couldn’t make it on his name-brand alone, but I have no direct evidence for this, and joining TUF is a way to re-legitimize his career. I do wish him well – he’s got potential, and I wonder if anyone will talk shit to his face in the house.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 3, 2009 2:06 AM EDT up reply actions
#7-doubtful. Did you think maybe there is someone with connections to Jackson’s on the season already?
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
No idea, but you figure Rashad will bring in some of his fight team, even if it’s only for an episode or two.
Have there been any other confirmations? I know of one guy who is on for sure, but I don’t want to cost him the contracted penalty, lol.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
Dan Marino!
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
MMAjunkie just leaked some names, including a guy from Greg Jackson’s camp:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/6/2/897056/pro-football-players-on-tuf-10#comments
My big question is has he been training alot of as late and who has his training been with? I mean, the show doesn’t air till September, but it is filming now, and he will probably have his first fight within the next week. This is pretty short notice for someone who hasn’t been in the gym all along.
Didn’t Bas say that he stopped training Kimbo because he started drinking again.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
"Freak show"
I’m not sure if an ex-collegiate wrestler and “professional” street fighter are in the same ballpark as the likes of baseball players, cartoon characters and 100+ lb size differences.
I actually think Kimbo would pull more viewers if EXC hadn’t happened.
And as far as there being a unique relationship between Kimbo and TUF, I certainly agree. When someone competes on the show and is able to win one fight they are practically guaranteed a minimum of one more fight with the UFC. And that is just for a run of the mill, non-celebrity. I think Kimbo is going to be handed his first fight so that he can then “win” his contract that is likely already signed for two or three fights. I suspect that even with a loss in his opening TUF fight he will still be brought back for the finale or a UFN.
Dana White on Kimbo’s TUF contract:
“He’s got the same TUF deal. He’s got a contract if he wins the show. If he makes it into the UFC his contract is different, a lot [expletive] different. And it’s a good one. That’s his carrot. If he can do this, he can make some real money.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/TUF-10-Media-Day-Kimbo-has-a-special-contract-w?urn=mma,167631
Sounds like Kimbo may not be getting paid to be on the show but he is competing for a much bigger TUF contract than everyone else is. Dana also stated that Kimbo isn’t getting any special treatment during the show, he’s just another contestant:
“Kimbo is getting zero [expletive] special treatment. And on the flip side, I’m not after Kimbo. Let’s make an example of this guy. Let’s get his ass kicked. He’s a contestant just like everybody else, coming on the show and trying win.”
plenty of TUF fighters have barely any pro experience ahem Amir Sadollah who beat CB Dolloway TWICE to win it……Kimbo’s as good a fighter as any to have on the show. i give him more credit for the bare knuckle bouts he had that went viral than the “records” of a lot of TUF contestants over the years….hell, Corey Hill admitted LYING about his record once on the show simply to get on….then his leg broke in a rare moment of pugilistic karma.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei.
http://theworldsoldestsport.blogspot.com/
by theworldsoldestsport on Jun 15, 2009 12:54 PM EDT reply actions
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