I've become enamored with all of the
Kimbo Slice hype.
For those who don't know,
Kimbo Slice is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter who gained experience and notoriety fighting guys on the streets and having the footage posted on YouTube. Eventually he ran out of guys to fight on the streets to fight, so he turned towards professionals. His first two fights were quick and decisive victories, both ending in the first round. He knocked one guy out and the other tapped out in submission. (In MMA pretty much everything goes; all styles of fighting are included, hence the name. Sometimes guys find themselves in situations where the only thing for them to do is tap out or pass out. This is a submission.)
It's a nice story with elements of humble beginnings (about as humble as they can get for a fighter named
Kimbo Slice), stuff the media eats up. The "legend continued" on Saturday during his third fight. He won, but he didn't dominate like he did in his two previous fights. In those fights his opponents were mediocre at best. His opponent for the third fight, James "The Colossus" Thompson, an Englishman from Manchester, was better than anyone Kimbo had fought before. The fight lasted three rounds, ending in a TKO when the referee intervened to end the fight after Kimbo landed a barrage of fierce punches that left Thompson confused.
But haters are going to hate. Many say Slice showed his weakness and the hype is not validated. That may be true, you can judge for yourself, but there is a lot left to be seen before we can come to our ultimate conclusions. It's obvious Kimbo has work to do if he wants to be the best fighter. After the first two rounds Thompson was winning the fight while having his way with Kimbo on the ground for much of the second round. Kimbo has acknowledged as much during his post-fight interview. Kimbo is a menacing standup fighter, but there is the added element of ground fighting he has to overcome in the MMA.
But let's not forget who won the fight. Some might say the referee intervened too early, I say it's a good thing he did. Nothing good was going to come for Thompson by having the fight continue. Kimbo was about to tee off on his skull. Luckily the referee stepped in before he was messed up for good.
I didn't even see the latest fight live. (More interesting about this fight is that it was aired on a major television network, CBS. When was the last time a highly anticipated fight didn't cost $50 on Pay-Per-View? Very cool.) I saw replays on ESPN News showing a guy with a bad case of cauliflower ear being knocked sensless by one of the meanest guys I'd ever seen. After that I did a little research and watched several of his fights (both the sanctioned MMA fights and his street fights) on YouTube and found out the reason for the hype.
Not only is this guy a badass, he was once homeless. He has six kids. He was a star high school football player who didn't play in college but tried out for the
Miami Dolphins. He briefly attended the University of Miami on an academic scholarship. He has scars from Hurricane Andrew. He was a bouncer for a strip club and the bodyguard of a porn production company. He started fighting neighborhood bullies, became an internet sensation, and turned professional. No wonder why people have become interested. It's a hell of a story. Of course people are going to hype it up.
Kimbo Slice and Mixed Martial Arts are changing the way people think about fighting. Both defy tradition and have found success in roundabout ways. Subsequently both have their fair share of critics. Irregardless of whether you love 'em or hate 'em, they are making people talk. That should count for something.
As long as I'm entertained, I'll be watching.
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