Kimbo and the Carnival
by Zak Woods on Jun 3, 2009 2:00 PM EDT
8 comments
Most of the press surrounding Dana White and the UFC's inclusion of the Kimbo Slice in the upcoming season of TUF has been positive but there are some who see it as nothing more than the UFC acting like the WWE rather than a major sport promotion,
However, the biggest carny act of them all is Kimbo. Despite reportedly getting paid a high-six figure salary to fight Seth Petruzelli, Kimbo Slice is still pulling his "I gotta feed my family" carnival act. In a Dana White YouTube video blog on Tuesday, Slice on camera kept saying how he wanted to prove that he could fight ‘the Mixed Martial Arts style' and how he needed to work to feed his family. The hilarious thing in watching Kimbo is how he continues to push this front and just how many fans continue to buy it. For all the disdain that a lot of MMA fans online have for professional wrestling fans, it sure seems the two audiences have a lot more in common than they really know.
The great irony in watching Dana White six months talk about how Kimbo Slice is bad for MMA is that now he's Kimbo's biggest pusher in the business. All the guys who tried to work with Kimbo Slice to make him into something in MMA (I'm looking at you, Bas Rutten) have to be shaking their heads and laughing at what is going on. Furthermore, what message is being sent by Zuffa to young, up-and-coming MMA fighters? For all the talk about how UFC is a real sport while PRIDE and other promotions were carnival acts, it sure feels like Dana White pulled a page right out of PRIDE's playbook here to help bring some much-needed energy for his reality TV show.
While I don't share Zach Arnold's disdain for Kimbo I understand his perspective.
The UFC's decision is not blatant hypocrisy, since White said that Kimbo would have to compete in TUF for a chance to be in the UFC, but that doesn't mean Kimbo's inclusion hasn't left a bitter taste.
WKR has long been on the side of Kimbo, if there is really such a thing. His status, however false and contrived, creates attention and coverage that MMA doesn't get normally. Right now that is a positive.Just as an example the only time the Columbus Dispatch (where I live) has covered an MMA event, besides the ones attached to the Arnold Classic, was Dream 9 and Jose Canseco being beat up.
The real question we should be asking ourselves is whether or not his inclusion damages the perception of MMA more than it helps marketing of MMA.
[Update: Note by Zak Woods, 06/03/09 2:13 PM EDT ]
A friend of WKR's named Micahel, you may know him as MMA Eruption, brought up a good point saying, "Dana White is officially the master of the calculated freakshow risk."
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The way I see it...
This is a win/win situation for the UFC. If Kimbo wins the show, they have a new heavyweight in their promotion who can pull incredible numbers. If he loses, Dana proves himself to be right and meanwhile takes advantage of all the attention this is getting him and the UFC!
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
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by funnytiger on Jun 3, 2009 2:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I agree
I just want to make sure that as many viewpoints are seen/heard as possible on this issue.
The best part for the UFC is that they don’t have to walk back from any of their previous statements which is a plus anytime you bring in someone that you branded as an enemy.
P.S. I forgot to say welcome to WKR when you joined, so ‘Welcome to WKR!’
watchkalibrun.com
by Zak Woods on Jun 3, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For Zach and others of the same opinion:
I think that one of the things that lots of people overlook in the rush to judge Kimbo is that, if he’s busting his ass and trying to be a legit fighter (that is, training and working to improve his game with a respectable crew), why should he be treated any differently than any other fighter?
Kimbo didn’t force EXC to main event him for no good reason. Kimbo didn’t create the stupidity around his match with Shamrock/Pettruzelli. All Kimbo has done is work his way up to the limelight from a background of backyard fights. Unsavory? Sure. But how many people were rushing up to a young Kimbo and telling him “Hey, don’t do that backyard fight; come and train with us and be a pro fighter!” Probably no one; respectable business people don’t likely hang around in that kind of neighbourhood.
Kimbo carries with him the stigma of unregulated fights and the stench of EXCs death, but it’s an unfair burden to force him to carry. He didn’t create the clusterfuck that was EXC, and he fought in backyards because that was the only option open to him at the time. So, we’re going to permanently write off a guy for doing the best he could in bad situations? I would hope not.
Kimbo comes into TUF with a professional record, level of experience, and combination of talent and raw but developing skills thatwe would expect of any other fighter on the show. Let me repeat that: Kimbo may have been oversold early, but right now he’s finally found his proper level of competition. Rather than ripping on him for essentially trying to take the best advantage of some shite situations, as some people have done, why not just accord Kimbo the same respect that we would any other fighter trying to prove themselves and win a spot in the big dance? Unless Tank Abbot is your dad, I just don’t get the hostility.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Jun 3, 2009 6:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
agreed
I mean if you are a porn bouncer and someone comes to you and says I’ll pay you six figures to fight for me, what are you suppose to do?
Your right it wasn’t kimbo’s fault that he became the center of EliteXC. At the same time the ratings all shot up when Kimbo was fighting.
So we can’t blame him for his prominence but we can try to hold him to high standard.
watchkalibrun.com
by Zak Woods on Jun 3, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s true, we can try to hold him to a high standard. We should do that with every fighter, but especially the most visible. I guess that to me the idea of calling him a canival sideshow, insinuating that he doesn’t even deserve to try on TUF, crosses the line in that it makes the standard impossible to reach. It pre-judges him for things he did before he has the notoriety that he has now, and for things he did under the influence (in the broadest terms) of the Shaws, who are generally regarded as sub-human reptilian creatures in MMA circles. Frankly, if we’re going to hold Kimbo to a higher standard based on the number of eyeballs on him, the UFC is probably the best place for him. They manage the images of their fighters pretty well, they promote them properly (not, for example, as one part of the immortal formula, “Hits and Chicks”), and you KNOW that Dana will not hesitate to dump him if he doesn’t have the skill to cut it. The UFC, for all the crap they get about keeping some guys and cutting others based on business and popularity concerns, doesn’t keep around guys who can’t tough it out at the UFC level.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Jun 3, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well in defense of my title, I was trying to more sum up Arnold’s point and the opposite view to Kimbo’s inclusion.
Also in defense of that label (though it may be unfair) there is a certain carnival quality to a fighter who became popular by being a bouncer for IntheVip.com and fighting guys on youtube.
His professional career consists of beating a former boxer, an old Tank Abott, a questionable referee stoppage and a 13 sec KO loss to Seth Petruzelli. Combine that with standgate and I think it is fairly easy to see a carnival status.
watchkalibrun.com
by Zak Woods on Jun 3, 2009 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No disrespect intended to your title; I was more aiming at Arnold’s characterization.
And you may be right about the remainder. I suppose the thing is that I think it’s too early to make any kind of generalized judgement about him.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Jun 4, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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