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The future of Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is crystal clear in the eyes of MMA scholars. Kimbo is now 2-0 in the world of MMA after defeating David “Tank” Abbott by KO in the first round. Tank was a perfect match up for Kimbo in that they are both brawlers that like to bang.
The only problem is that Tank looked to be out of gas. It's one thing to have Tank go into a fight with complete brute force and win. It doesn't matter how sloppy his game is if he walks out with a win. I don't know if it's because his age has finally caught up with him, but he can no longer rely on his brute force. The Tank / Kimbo fight clearly showed a lack of technique on Tank's part. It wouldn't surprise me if Tank went into this fight thinking this would be his last major pay day in MMA.
Kimbo won the fight and probably looked unstoppable to the Joe Sixpack viewer. After all, he knocked another big guy out in the first round. But here's the deal folks, you put Kimbo up against another heavyweight with a solid ground game and the outcome won't be pretty. Kimbo would get stomped. He knows it, his trainers know it, and EliteXC knows it. Here's the question: How much money does EliteXC want to make off of Kimbo? Place Kimbo in the same ring as a brawler/banger and you've got a main event with ratings galore. The first time you put Kimbo up against an opponent with a solid wrestling or jujitsu background and it won't even be a fight. Kimbo gets RNC'd….. the end. The Internet fighting mystique around Kimbo will instantaneously vanish along with the hype and the main event draw. Everyone involved knows this and that is why it would be crazy to put Kimbo up against anyone that isn't a simple banger. It's all about the money. One of the EliteXC announcers said it best after the fight, Kimbo “puts asses in the seats.”
Kimbo's hype and sudden rise has many similarities to Houston Alexander's story. I think most MMA fans can remember the deafening hype surrounding Houston after the fight with Keith Jardine. Houston had another first round stoppage and it was against a man that just came off of a win against Chuck Liddell. I remember after the fight with Jardine, there were posts all over Sherdog's forum stating that Houston was the future in his weight division. The hype was ridiculous. The man hadn't even been tested on the ground, and people were claiming that Houston was the next UFC champion. Then one day Houston gets submitted. The End. The hype immediately dissipated and it was like Houston's accomplishments never existed. Why? The hole in his game was revealed for everyone to see. The Houston Alexander Forumula: take him to the ground.
Anyone who understands MMA knows that Kimbo would most likely get destroyed if matched against a well rounded MMA heavyweight opponent. Once that happens, you can kiss the money and the main event draw… good bye. |
NewLuna
