Kimbo Slice Has Low Hurdle to Clear for Big Reward on The Ultimate Fighter 10
by Nate Wilcox on Sep 8, 2009 9:19 PM EDT
in MMA News
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From Gary Herman, CBS Sports:
"He has a contract if he wins this season," White said when asked about the money Slice will earn, "and it's bigger than everybody else's."
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Just appearing on the program will not be an instant ticket to success for Slice. He has to win at least one fight and show that he is fully willing to "pay his dues" in the sport.
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Now that the new season of the show is about to debut, all eyes will once again be on Kimbo Slice. Due to the ratings bonanza that will accompany his first actual UFC octagon appearance, Slice is getting what many fighters in the sport have not -- a second chance. Plus, Slice will have the advantage of not having to win the Ultimate Fighter tournament to make it to the UFC. He only has to demonstrate he can be somewhat competitive with a lower-level UFC fighter.
It's a cruel hard world out there and the reality is that Kimbo Slice is good for business. Dana White has shrewdly put himself in a no lose position by booking Kimbo on The Ultimate Fighter. At a minimum he will get blockbuster ratings for the early episodes, the longer they can keep him from being exposed, the better. Anyone want to bet that Kimbo won't fight until the third or fourth episode of the show?
And if Kimbo manages to score a win, especially a convincing KTFO win, the Kimbo hype train will begin to choo choo down the tracks.
The UFC has shown every sign of stocking this season of TUF with the highest caliber of fighters that has been seen on the show since the fifth season. That's when they aggressively re-stocked their revived lightweight division with top talent. Those fighters have been mainstays of the 155lb division ever since, including Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Joe Lauzon, Cole Miller, Matt Wiman, and Rob Emerson. Sharing the greatly enlarged spotlight with Kimbo Slice could potentially make stars of several cast members.
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This is a total cheat
I figured that Kimbo would likely get a contract if he did good or not, but to make it this explicit shits on the very premise of The Ultimate Fighter. So Kimbo is the one fighter who doesn’t have to win the tournament, he just has to win one fight?
PS Somebody needs to delete the comment above because that is a spoiler indeed.
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
numerous castmembers
have won contracts while losing the show from Stephan Bonnar on up. I listed six from season five alone and that doesn’t include Manny and Corey Hill who are both still under contract with Zuffa.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
You can go through the whole series...
…and reel of a huge list of names who got contracts without winning!
Quarry, Leben, Swick, Koscheck, Florian…
Jardine, Cummo, Gurgel, Guillard…
Herman, Starnes
etc.
etc.etc.
I finish beers at 1:55.
But it’s never been made explicit going in that a guy has that privelege—it’s always been earned in the Octagon through valor.
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
And none of those guys had anywhere NEAR the level of marketability that Kimbo does, so what exactly is the problem?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
They all sign a contract to start with, they aren’t fighting to win a single contract just a bit better of one than they signed before they started the show. The whole premise of the show is a big joke because most of the guys on it end up in the UFC, still the recognition of winning it is a big deal. I bet there is a chance Roy Nelson has a better than normal deal and wouldn’t be surprised if Marcus Jones has one too, as would of Ishii or Lashley if they had been on it.
Depends on the opponent
Dana and Joe can find SOMEONE Kimbo will beat, if they want to.
Jim Palmer: "I said to Nolan, 'Why do you run every ball out like that?' and he said, 'Why wouldn’t you?' "
Names?
I’ll start:
JUNIE BROWNING (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE).
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
From your keyboard to God's ears...
Jim Palmer: "I said to Nolan, 'Why do you run every ball out like that?' and he said, 'Why wouldn’t you?' "
Dana is going to milk that cow as much as possible, I wouldn’t be surprised to see kimbo lose his very first fight in TUF and still end up in the UFC…
absolutely. I wouldn’t be surprise to see him do something like go 0-3 in the UFC, just so Dana can do the told you so dance.
www.knees2thehead.com
Check it out!!
If he loses his first fight on TUF, he'll probably be first in line as an injury-replacement.
If he loses two fights… well, that worked out okay for Tim Credeur.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
It’s a good thing these exhibition fights don’t count towards one’s record. :)
I love me some Sexyama!
when did they stop doing that?
I remember on one season of TUF that they did in fact go on the record, not sure if it was the first TUF or if it was the one with Serra in it. Can anyone clarify?
I think you're mistaken there
all the TUF fights are exhibitions except for the season enders with the live crowd and the TV coverage.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I don’t think they started that until Gross reported the spoilers on the radio.
I’m pretty sure he got the results from the AC, so they switched to exhibitions to keep them from being reported/counted.
I swear I remember Dana telling the ppl in the TUF house that the fight will go on their records
But I must be going crazy, didn’t sleep much last night :P thanks!
Dana said that on the first season
but an official sanctioned bout has to have its results made public (certainly in Nevada – possibly everywhere), so there was no way they could be official bouts without ruining the show.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
They must be public for...gambling!
Bookies & the like need to be kept informed of who wins what.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Sep 8, 2009 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
pretty sure there were never any exceptions. i think that would be crazy if theyre fights from the show actually went on their records. from what i remember i think keith jardine was matched up against rashad evans in the semi finals of season 2. from what i remember they didnt care for each other then maybe they started training together after the show
Well im 100% sure there were exceptions.
http://boxing.nv.gov/2005Results/UFP%202%20shows.pdf
kthnxbai
i can understand why they arent listed, but they were reported as official fights..
by sadface on Sep 8, 2009 8:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Man, somebody reliable passed on a bunch of spoilers for this season to me and I am pissed! He just blurted them out for no reason and now I’m hoping they aren’t reliable.
I won’t reveal them, but it should be an interesting season.
www.knees2thehead.com
Check it out!!
It’s been really hard to dodge spoilers for this season, i guess due to all the attention it is getting.
dude what a dick. i remember one time we were at my buddies apartment watching a big fight cant remember which but a really dumb friend of mind (who by the way was hammered drunk at the time) ran out of the bathroom with his phone in the air saying shit so and so just said so and so lost or got knocked out. i remember all the rest of us guys just gave him the death stare and talked shit the rest of the night. u can bet no one was his beer pong partner that night heh
I can see why it may not seem fair to the other fighters, but I don’t see this as a big deal. I’ve always been a Kimbo skeptic, and still am. I still question his heart and even his KO ability. However, I’ve got nothing against him. People, for one reason or another, want to see him fight, and he’s gonna give it to them – for a price. I can’t criticize a man for taking charge of his opportunities, because if I had a golden opportunity in front of me, rest assured I’d jump on it.
Also, thanks for removing whatever spoilers that were posted. Seriously, fake or not, I don’t want to read spoilers. So please people, keep all spoilers to yourselves. I am genuinely excited for this season, and look forward to being surprised and entertained!
I love me some Sexyama!
Having Kimbo on the show increases the attention all the other guys are going to get too, he’s helping everyone just by drawing eyeballs (not to mention they are all going to be trying to make their name off him).
Yeah, if I was a fighter on TUF, I’d definitely try to orbit planet Kimbo, cause by now we all know how to get attention on TUF: A) Act like a moron, or B) Kick ass. Kicking Kimbo’s ass on national television? That would be priceless.
I love me some Sexyama!
Beating Kimbo would be huge, plus you probably are guaranteed to stick around until you can at least get a rematch with Kimbo headlining a TUF, or at least being on the main card of something, which is money.
Beating Kimbo would be huge
I guess the only time this wouldn’t be true is for Seth Petruzelli. :) But then, he was already out of the UFC and involved with “stand-gate” which is probably two good reasons for why this win didn’t pan out for Seth.
I love me some Sexyama!
Yeah, admitting the promotion suggested he keep the fight standing was a dumbass move. Just as bad or worse than admitting throwing a fight :) cough Salmon cough
I love me some Sexyama!
Throwing doesn’t equal quitting. The difference is premeditation versus a weakness in character.
by HarryBolsagna on Sep 8, 2009 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Sometimes you quit because you know you can’t win & have absorbed enough punishment (Franklin/MacDonald). It’s not always a weakness (though in Salmon’s case, yeah, it probably was).
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Sep 8, 2009 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions
the real story here is how much ppl have softened up towards Kimbo, given the way every thread during his EXC days were always against the guy, cussing him and what not.
I never had a problem with the guy, they offered him lots of money and he accepted, what was he to do? say no? Everybody was also against the Shaw for trying to milk that cow… To me that was the only marketable person they had. all of the sudden, he’s come over to TUF and he’s basically the face of this new season and ppl don’t have any problems what so ever with Dana’s decision to accept him into the TUF house.
What a difference TUF can do to someone’s image towards MMA fans… just saying :P
I’m proud to say I’ve been on the Kimbo bandwagon since day one.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
me too
never had a problem with the guy, and he seems like a cool and humble guy. very opposite of “criminal” and “bad for mma” as he was being called before.
I never had a problem with him
Just how he was being promoted by the Shaws, which was obviously not his fault.
I finish beers at 1:55.
Kimbo may be street certified but still not MMA certified (lol @ what he make me write). This won’t change until we see him compete with those guys. Even if he loses he only needs to show some heart, to train seriously, and mma fans will be ok with the guy fighting in the octagon. Probably.
You don't look like a Tanaka.
trust me
if he ends up in the UFC, most will not challenge his credibility. that’s just something that comes with being in the UFC (even though I’m aware of the Pride haters and the amount of flack those fighters got). I agree he has lots to prove, but on a personal level, he just seems like a good guy. I just can’t hate on that :P
Does anybody remember the good old days
….when Luke talked about how Kimbo could be the future of MMA?
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Sharing the greatly enlarged spotlight with Kimbo Slice could potentially make stars of several cast members.
exactly what i was thinking. UFC will have a chance to not only bringing more HW’s into there divison to help its growth but bring in HW’s with some fanbase coming with them and make some new stars or people fight fans care about.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
I’ll say this…
Kimbo gets owned first fight… then somehow gets back into the final. I can see it happening.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I could see Roy Nelson somehow coming up with “Food Poisening” and Kimbo is back in the game.
by SouthAlaBamaRampage on Sep 8, 2009 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
or Wes Sims tweeting in the toilet and getting kicked off…
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
If they can get Kimbo in there against Wes Sims, I think Kimbo’s got a pretty solid chance of taking that one.
I am the bastard love child of Junie Browning and Diamond Dave Kaplan.
Haha. Wasn’t really thinking about that – though it’s a great possibility.
I just think Sims is not very talented and can get (T)KO’d pretty easily.
I am the bastard love child of Junie Browning and Diamond Dave Kaplan.
by The_Gaijin on Sep 9, 2009 12:46 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Why all the concern about how the UFC makes money yeah they signed Kimbo it makes sense and Dana said this was the only way he was going to make it into the UFC with all the other fighters on this season I figured people who post on here would be all worked up about it for entirely different reasons
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