Kimbo Slice - Next TV Star?
April 1, 2008 by Evil E
CBS is going to broadcast MMA live on Saturday nights in 2008. This could be HUGE.
The CBS Television Network and ProElite Inc. announced a multi-year deal on Thursday that could change the sport of MMA.
Four two-hour Saturday evening Primetime Specials will air live on CBS in 2008. The first show is tentatively scheduled for April 26th, and likely headlined by Kimbo Slice. Read the entire Yahoo! article here.
What the Key People are Saying About the Deal
“Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and a wildly popular entertainment vehicle for upscale, young adult audiences. It’s original programming for Saturday night; it’s live, creating an event atmosphere; and it’s something that hasn’t been seen on network television, until now.”
Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President of CBS Primetime
“This is a pivotal moment for the sport of mixed martial arts now that a major television network plans to broadcast live MMA events during primetime hours.”
Douglas DeLuca, Chief Executive Officer of ProElite
“I don’t know why they didn’t get it. If I had to guess, I’d say that it was Dana White. I don’t know that. I don’t worry about the UFC. If the prom queen wants to go out with me, I don’t ask why she isn’t dating the quarterback. I just show up at 8 p.m. at her door. I’ve said all along I think the UFC is great.
I like the Fertittas and Marc Ratner (UFC Vice President) is like a brother to me. But the problem is no fighter can be bigger than Dana White or the UFC. For us, the fighters will always be the biggest stars.”
Gary Shaw, Promoter of Elite XC
That Last Quote is Intriguing for Several Reasons…
1 - How Did the UFC Not Get this Deal?
Gary Shaw just gave you the man responsible. Dana White is a grade A chump, so it’s no surprise that his ego prevented the UFC from getting the 1st Major Network MMA deal. Last year, there was a lot of talk about HBO and UFC teaming up, but that deal never happened because the UFC wanted full control on the production side.
Showtime is part owner of EliteXC, so they began airing MMA last year. Showtime is also part of the Viacom family, which owns CBS. Their last show on Feb. 16th drew a 1.9 rating on Showtime, or 522,000 viewers. CBS decided to make the commitment, and a deal was struck.
2 - Gary Shaw Knows What He’s Doing
Shaw helped stage the biggest grossing fight in history, Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson. Not a bad choice to be your promoter.
3 - “The Fighters Will Always be the Biggest Stars”
The UFC has done an incredible job of marketing and promoting their “brand,” but not always a great job at building and hyping up their stars. Gary Shaw says things are going to be different for EliteXC. Which fighters will EliteXC be relying on heavily?
3 Fighters Who Could Become Stars in 2008
#1 - Kimbo Slice
I’m assuming most of you know who Kimbo is. If not, here’s ESPN honey Rachel Nichols to introduce you:
ESPN feature, Part 1
ESPN feature, Part 2
Right on Rachel. Kimbo Slice is a combination of Balrog, Clubber Lang, and Bas Rutten. That last person is key because he’s the one training Kimbo. Bas “El Guapo” Rutten is a former King of Pancrase and UFC Heavyweight Champion. He’s also a hilarious dude and the best color commentator out there for MMA.
A lot of people are skeptical of Kimbo, saying he’s just a brawler and that he’d get destroyed by top level fighters. Well, Bas Rutten sure as shit knows how to fight and he continually says that Slice is not only dedicated to becoming the best fighter he can be, but that he picks things up quickly as well. If Bas says that Kimbo is a contender, I’ll believe him. You can search for old fights of his to see how badass he was, but here’s a hilarious instructional clip that actually might come in handy if someone attacks you in a bar.
Bas Rutten - Street Defense (Educational & Hilarious)
#2 - Gina Carano AKA Crush
Yep, the hottie Crush from the new American Gladiators show is an MMA fighter, and a pretty damn good one. She’s a nasty muay thai fighter with a solid 5-0 record. Here is a clip of her in action.
Gina Carano - Fighting in Vegas
#3 - Nick Diaz
If you’ve watched the UFC for awhile, then you know who Nick Diaz is. He reps Stockton, California HARD, he strongly recommends organic food and high quality marijuana, and he doesn’t mind talking shit and backing it up.
Diaz got beat pretty good by KJ Noons in his last fight, but he showed his impressive talent and heart when he fought Takanori Gomi last year. Gomi is a Japanese superstar who is widely considered the #1 fighter in the world at 155 pounds. This is truly an epic battle!
Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Nick Diaz - Highlight Reel
No related posts.
First let me say that you have chosen three great candidates to become household names in the MMA world, however I think that there are a few more additions who might end up being better known than all three.
1. Nate Diaz- The younger brother of Nick, almost a carbon copy of his older brother except for the fact that he is much longer/leaner than nick and uses that to his advantage to confuse and trap opponents with his superior Jiu-Jitsu. He won the reality show T.U.F. due to injury of him opponent but his skills are legit regardless, although this went without much fanfare. His boxing is improving drastically with each fight and his toughness is top notch. I also have to add that he “reps” Stockton hard, in not harder than his big bro.
2. I like the Gina Carano pick because…..well because she is HOT! I would like to add another gorgeous fighter to the list, Kim Couture. She is married to one of the greatest mma fighters of all time, the ageless Randy Couture. She is making her muay tai debut in a few weeks and will soon thereafter make her mma debut, she is a skilled fighter, married to a star, and is a beautiful woman, she is a marketing dream (for mma at least).
3. Kimbo Slice is an intriguing figure to me. Personally I watched all his street fights and am a fan of his toughness, freakish athletic ability, and his love of fighting. However, I think his run at legitimacy in mma is one that will be short lived. His next fight will be very telling because it will likely be aired on cable television with the recent agreement between EliteXC and CBS, his organization could give him a challenge against A REAL fighter (not a senior citizen, journeyman, or a novice in MMA) or they could once again treat him like a side show and exploit his fame and never give him a real test.
I think a better example is Brock Lesnar, who if you haven’t seen him is truly a man amongst boys in the worlds toughest fighting organization when it comes to size, strength, cardio, and overall athletic ability. I am not a fan of fake wrestling and truly couldnt stand to watch Brock move unsuccessfully from wrestling to football….but after watching him nearly dismantle one of the most talented and unheralded heavyweights today (also one of my favorite fighters) Frank Mir, I have reason to suspect he could be a major threat (With some BJJ training, submission defense, and guard work). Brock Lesnar brings his legions of fans from WWE into the sophisticated and REAL world of mma which is a huge boost to the UFC that has taken several public hits over the last few months from fighters that are complaining of low pay and overall “disrespect”. I think Brock with his skill set/good camp, his already massive following, and the nurturing of his career by the UFC (who have millions to gain from his involvement and success) will create success not yet known by mixed martial arts fighters, not to mention the freak show aspect as well.
4. One fighter I would love to see get the fame he deserves in GSP, George “rush”
st. Pierre. He is in my estimation the most skilled fighter in the UFC, he beats whoever he fights at their own game and for the most part looks effortless doing it. His one real hiccup was his loss to Matt Serra, but I think this was one of those freak knock out that are bound to happen from time to time when guys start throwing fists at each others faces with ill-intent, and I believe that his loss has only made him hungrier to be the best in a stacked division. I think that if Dan Henderson loses to Anderson Silva this weekend GSP is the ONLY man that could beat him even though he is a weight division below “spider”.
Love the new site, LOVE that you wrote an MMA article, keep up the good work
Louis - Orlando, FL
Thanks Louis. I wasn’t sure if I had any MMA fans out there. I really got into it after watching Pride - Fedor vs. Cro Cop in 2005.
I’m tired of the UFC trying to control the sport, so I find business moves like this (as well as Mark Cuban’s foray into MMA, which deserves it’s own topic) very intriguing.
You mention some good fighters as well. I told my friends about Nate Diaz after I saw him fight Hermes Franca. They quickly found out about that kid. Nick is more charismatic tho.
Lesnar did look impressive vs. Mir for the first minute. I would love to see him fight Sylvia. His potential (fight-wise and marketing-wise) is high, but I think Kimbo’s is higher because Lesnar seems like a ground n pound you to death guy whereas Kimbo is a knock you the eff out guy. Of course Kimbo isn’t going to fight a top tier guy in ‘08, but if you agree that he still has a lot to learn, then you shouldn’t fault them for that. As for GSP, I love that guy! Fairly Squarely!!!
Kimbo without a doubt has the potential to be a top talent, and I’m tired of the completely irrational reasons his detractors have for saying otherwise.
Not sure if you know, Evil, but Kimbo (aka Kevin Ferguson) is brother to none other than Rhadi Ferguson. Rhadi won the silver medal and four national championships in Judo. He was also a champion college wrestler (and football player and track & field star…so yeah, you could say these boys have talent).
Here’s Rhadi’s website:
http://www.rhadi.com/
Rhadi’s re-invented himself as a strength coach, and is using his Judo resume to go after the newly sprung MMA niche market. Anyway, Rhadi first hooked up with JC Santana who most recently won NSCA Coach of the Year (for the entire, international organization). I don’t know how close Kimbo and Rhadi are, but in addition to training with Bas, Kimbo has access to the finest strength and conditioning advice available in the world.
He’s a raw talent. I don’t think he’d last a round with any of the top 5 guys right now, but he’s on his way.
Also, Gomi is no longer widely considered #1 in the world.
Indeed, Sherdog’s maintaining him up there has nearly incited riot against me and the other mods. But it’s not like we’re not used to that.
Anyway, he stopped being #1 in my mind after he lost to Nick. In my book, you lose to an unranked fighter, you’re no longer #1 (Nick was unranked at the time, having just rattled off three consecutive losses to Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez, and Joe “where IS my head at, Basement Jaxx?” Riggs…and he lost to Karo, as well, just a few fights before that streak).
Not that it matters. BJ Penn is training. Sherk is the only one inhuman enough for me to even conceive of the fight going against Penn, but I wouldn’t predict it.
The Diaz brothers are still a shrewd marketing face. I think whoever is up there is figuring that the future king of the beach is going to control the same Latino fanbase that forms the foundation of boxing, now. Don’t get me wrong, MMA has re-awakened the combat sports fan in the little white suburban heart (go Iceman!). But the thing to remember is that the whatever org sits on top- whether it be the UFC or someone else- that will be only the visible tower of the iceberg. At the end of the day, everything holding that up is a grind. The sport breathes on a grassroots level, and most fighters live shitty lives. As much as I’d like to believe it’s the coming wind, I don’t see America radically re-organizing its class structure for a cage fight.
Oh yeah, and I realize all those losses (for Nick) happened at Welterweight, not Lightweight. I’ve been dealing with that one for a while, so I’m obviously thankful that KJ Noons better explained my point.
Don’t get me wrong, Noons is no chump.
But he’s no top 10er, either.
I don’t think Diaz is good enough to cut it in the UFC WW division, anymore, so this move is better for him than anyone.
Yo Evil E!! Just a quick holla! I love the site man!! And this article is great! Keep it up brotha!!
-Ken
Check this out: a new show (really, it’s more like an internet video blog) called “What Would Kimbo Do?”
I don’t see an embed tag, so here’s the url:
http://www.break.com/index/what-would-kimbo-do.html
There’s also an episode two. If you like the first one, it’ll come up in the video window as a thumbnail after you’re done.
Damn, Fedor-Couture is looking more and more like a real possibility and not just some exercise in masturbatory legal philosophy.
COUTURE/EMELIANENKO FIGHT A POSSIBILITY?
by Ryan Hockensmith
Don’t rule out this match-up just yet.
Don’t consider a UFC fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture dead just yet.
With Couture embroiled in a nasty legal dispute with the UFC and Emelianenko tied to M-1 Global’s MMA franchise, the heavyweight dream matchup has long seemed to be the world’s best bout that would never happen.
Now it could. Apy Echteld, one of Emelianenko’s agents, confirmed what a source close to the situation previously told The Magazine: M-1 Global and Emelianenko will part ways some time in the next week, making the Russian a free agent. Divorce negotiations are ongoing right now, with a formal announcement likely for in the next few days. “Officially, yes, Fedor will be a free agent,” Echteld says.
Of course, the UFC would have to be willing to re-open negotiations with Emelianenko’s management. Previous talks dragged on for almost a year before falling apart amid plenty of name-calling and finger-pointing from both sides. UFC president Dana White was vocal in pinning the blame on Emelianenko’s team, saying he never once spoke or met with the fighter. Would the head of the UFC be willing to enter the Fedor fray again? “Absolutely, 100 percent, in a heartbeat,” says White. “People think he’s the best—I don’t, not even close. But if it’s somehow possible, I would make it happen.”
Reached on Thursday, Echteld was caught off-guard when told that White would be willing to revisit last year’s stalemate. But he echoed the UFC’s willingness to talk and vowed to speak with White as soon as possible. “We’re open to a discussion,” says Echteld. “If everybody is willing to put a little wine in the water, then we have something to work with. There is space for this to happen.”
A fight involving Emelianenko and Couture would also require considerable fence-mending between Couture and the UFC. Couture has cited the UFC’s inability to sign Emelianenko as a key reason for his sudden retirement. And now the two sides are locked in a bitter, months-long battle about the duration and terms of Couture’s UFC deal. Over the past month, the situation has seemed to only be deteriorating. That could change if Emelianenko becomes available.
“I like Randy, I genuinely like to think he’s a good guy,” White says. “As much as we’ve gone back and forth on this, I would sign Fedor and do everything possible to get Randy in the octagon with
him. I’d do anything, because a., it’s a great fight and b., I think Randy would smash Fedor.”
Through his spokesman, Couture declined to comment.
Source:
ESPN the Magazine
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3280383
Whoa, WTF happened to M-1 Global?
The UFC just needs to sack it up and pay these guys $5 million each for the fight, with the winner getting another $5 mill. They could hype it up as the fight of the decade and they’d make a killing on PPV buys.
I like what that agent said: “If everybody is willing to put a little wine in the water, then we have something to work with.” I’ve never heard that “put wine in the water” saying, but I really like it.
That’s all his, I think. It sounded like an epigram from this epigram book I used to have (where I learned saying that, “but I’m from Missouri” is a tactful way of saying, “I think you’re full of shit”, and since I was born in Kansas City, MO, I’m taking that one TO THE MAX), but I googled it several different ways, and nothing came up.
There are journalists/fans over at Sherdog who have speculated M-1 was intended to be a legitimate business. It’s a pretty complicated argument, and I was introduced to the various players as I read it, so I’m not culling a lot off the top of my head. In any case, I guess the main man behind it is one of those businessmen who multiplies his heads inside the gray area of the law like it were a petri dish.
Our one hope for scenario to come true is Mark Cuban. Dana’s a rich man, now, but he’s small potatoes compared to Cuban. Only Cuban’s idiosyncratic enough to spend $10 million on this fight just for his own personal entertainment.
Sounds great! Your blog is one of my most favorite now ;). You have hit the nail on the head, just like you always do.
hey, thanks anil. Did anyone watch the UFC Fight Night yesterday?
Nate Diaz came thru with a big win over that Pellegrino dude who is TOUGH. Pretty classic submission celebration. Classic Diaz brothers. It’s too bad Nick didn’t get to fight recently.
Karo Parisyan vs. Thiago Alves was shaping up to be a great fight. It’s too bad that got stopped so quickly.
I’ve been a fan of Frankie Edgar ever since his epic battle with Tyson Griffin, but I think the guy needs to move down a weight class.
Joe Lauzon is a badass but I’m finally buying into the Kenny Florian hype. Ken-Flo vs. Joe Stevenson next?
FIGHT of the NIGHT = Anthony “Rumble” Johnson absolutely dominating farmboy Tommy Speer. Man, is Johnson a physical specimen or what? 6-2, 170, super cut, quick, and explosive. I think only GSP has a more impressive frame for that weight class. Speer didn’t know what hit him!
Here’s a link to the destruction of Tommy Speer (thanks to AK for sharing this site):
http://www.mmatko.com/tom-speer-vs-anthony-johnson-fight-video-ufc-fight-night-13/
Indeed.
Florian is turning into the lightweight Captain America. The only difference is that Randy’s upset over Sylvia would have been more akin to Florian upsetting Sherk- which he couldn’t. I was kind of curious why Florian was the gambler’s favorite before the fight…now I know why I don’t own any casinos.
I missed the “Rumble” fight. I’ll keep an eye out for him. Thanks for the heads up, E.
Oh, and in case anyone in here hasn’t heard, Fedor will be fighting Sylvia.
Oh, shit, I forgot why I came in here.
Check out this ESPN Mag article on Kimbo by Ben Fowlkes:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ben_fowlkes/05/08/kimbo.slice/index.html
“ESPN’s LZ Granderson likened the image Slice has built for himself to be ‘a cross between Lil’ Wayne and Kunta Kinte — a runaway slave with a mouth full of gold teeth, playing up every single stereotype of an African-American male in exchange for short-lived adoration from a soulless media with ADD’.”
Whaddya think?
That was a good article on Kimbo.
I’m not sure if the man himself has ever been that concerned with building his image. Surely he never dreamed he would be in the position that he is today. Of course, the people surrounding and promoting him are a different story, but I think Kimbo just wants to fight and get paid.
Over 500 people have clicked on this post from a google search ALONE, and it started during the NCAA tournament when CBS began hyping him up. 173 different word variations in fact.
Everything from: “kimbo slice next fight” to “is kimbo slice married” to “kimbo slice ufc” to “george rush st pierre vs kimbo slice” to “why kimbo slice dont get no love.”
Without a doubt, people are interested in Kimbo.
But the Fedor vs. Sylvia card is shaping up to be an incredible display of Heavyweight fighters (Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo AND Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Paul Buentello and Ben Rothwell as well).
And looky here: http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6248&zoneid=2
Elite XC and Dream are joining forces! It looks like the UFC has legit competition after all…
Hah! Gina Carano didn’t make weight (weighed in at 144.5, 140 limit) for her fight this weekend. Supposedly American Gladiators required “Crush” to weigh 150+ for the show. Oops.
Fight’s still happening, but she lost 12% of her purse as a result. Let’s just hope that time on the show won’t affect her performance this weekend.
Gina whooped that other chicks ass…
I don’t know about that kimbo fight. I think it was stopped too early. CBS can’t be scarred of a little blood.
I don’t think CBS was scared of blood. They were scared of Kimbo losing his debut fight! James Thompson kind of threw a wrench in their plans by trying to take Kimbo down repeatedly. I think Thompson was chosen as the opponent in hopes that he would just stand and bang….and eventually fall in convincing fashion. Kimbo gave him a good lickin, but yeah, that was stopped prematurely. I expected Slice’s cardio & conditioning to be much better than it appeared.
Other thoughts on the CBS Elite XC bouts…
-Thumbs down to CBS for scheduling it as a 2 hour time block and then going an extra hour past. I set my recording on Friday and then watched the fights on Sunday. I figured they might go a few minutes past their scheduled time so I set the recording to stop 5 minutes after, but since it went an extra hour I missed the Kimbo fight in its entirety and had to watch it on YouTube instead. Boo!
-The new Street Fighter 4 video game trailer was sweeeet (it’s now in my sidebar). I like how they used “Epic” by Faith No More (one of my favorite Rock Band songs) and I’m completely hyped for the upcoming game now. It looks like good ole Street Fighter 2 pumped up on steroids.
-Gus Johnson did a pretty good announcing job. I’m only familiar with him calling college hoops games so I was skeptical, but I thought he did alright. Overall, I thought CBS did a fairly decent job on the whole production. Some of the stuff was over the top (the C level cheerleading squads?), but that’s too be expected.
-Gina Carano looked pretty tough out there considering she wasn’t on top of her game. It will be nice to see her with time for a full training regimen, but you get the feeling she’s going to be a very busy woman for quite some time. Props to Caitlin Young too, because that women’s fight was incredibly entertaining.
-Brett Rogers and his “BigBlackSecurity.com” squad was the funniest moment of the night. One of the dudes was wearing those oversized plastic party glasses. They all made sure to get plenty of camera time and said some pretty funny things in the background. Ah, now it makes sense. The really big dude is that guy from the show Rob & Big. ONLY IN AMERICA!
http://www.bigblacksecurity.com/default.aspx
that one fight that endedwith the guy getting poked in the eye was pretty good. that sucked how it ended…
..and Kimbo got his ass whoooped to end the 2nd round. he was kicking the guys ass early on but dude just flipped it and beat Kimbo like a rented mule..
Kimbo did rock him in the 3rd. Did that guy punch the ref because he was mad or because he thought he was still fighting Kimbo?
If he thought he was still fighting haulting the fight was the right call 100%
All that fight showed was that Tito and the other UFC fighters were right: Kimbo wouldn’t last a round with a Top 10 fighter right now. I know, he’s new, but even I am displeased with the progress he showed in that fight. Twice he secured a deep guillotine on Thompson and went to his back, and both times he failed to lock his guard. That’s day one guillotine offense.
The Affliction card is insane: probably the most stacked HW card ever. A couple of the old PRIDE Grand Prix tourney nights would compete.
Also, it was announced today Brett Rogers will get his wish: Shaw announced a fight against Kimbo for the future. Rogers is no top 10 HW, but I think Kimbo might have just signed on for his first loss.