Kimbo Slice Likely to Fight at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale
Despite losing to Roy Nelson last night on The Ultimate Fighter 10, Kimbo Slice will get another opportunity to fight in the UFC, with MMAjunkie reporting today that Slice is likely to fight at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on December 5 in Las Vegas.
Earlier this week, Slice confirmed he was training for a December bout with American Top Team, but said he’d likely be fighting at UFC 107 (December 12 – Memphis, Tennessee), not the TUF 10 Finale. It now appears, however, that the popular heavyweight will instead return to action at the Spike TV-televised event.
What’s not yet clear is whether Slice re-enters the tournament, as was teased at the end of last night’s episode, and makes a run to the finals or whether the UFC was simply impressed by his skills and drawing power and has booked him to make his official UFC debut on the card.
For the latest Kimbo Slice news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
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Of course he is.
Not only is the guy “good business”, but thru his words and behavior he’s revealed himself to be not only a humble man, but legitimately interested in becoming a MMA fighter, and not just some Internet sensation or pitchman-of-the-month.
I wish him continued success in our sport, which should speak volumes considering as how a month ago I was tearing the guy a new one for “soiling our sport” with his “truckstop YouTube fist-fighting”.
Sometimes its good to be wrong, not that it happens to me all that much when we’re talking MMA…
I was always intrigued by Kimbo, but never really started to like him until that woman interviewed him just before his fight with Seth Petrizulli. Do you guys remember that? You could tell that he was a beleaguered man at that point (with the change in opponent and all), and it seemed as though he was, all of a sudden, a man completely out of his element. For anyone with a grasp of what it takes to step into a closed cage and the mindset that you have to be in, it was obvious that that night would not turn out well for Kimbo.
Getting knocked out in less than 14 seconds isn’t why I started liking him, it was a few minutes later when he made no excuses and held his head high. Forrest Griffin, an ex-champ, could take a lesson or two in humility from this guy.
The most shocking thing to me, is when I actually snapped at my wife last night when she said ‘Kimbo Sucks’ at the end of the first round! I guess I’m not only a Kimbo fan now, but I’m actually a Kimbo defender now as well.
There is more than a little truthto what you say as it relates to Forrest Griffin.
If memory serves, Slice’s comments after his flash KO was something like, “the guy [Petruzelli] was a man and stepped up and took a fight not at his weight. I respect that, and what it is is what it is, and thats whats up. Peace.”
And he walked, not ran, to the back.
Lesson to be learned indeed…
Griffin’s problem is not lack of humility, but the opposite it’s lack of self respect. Judging from what I’ve seen out of Griffin lately, he honestly does not like himself.
yeah, you can bet it contained the old “it is what it is” or “know what i’m sayin?’ lol.
Getting ko’d by Silva is nothing to be embarrassed about, I guess Forrest’s ego couldn’t handle it.
Hey, if defending Fedor makes me a ‘Fedorian’, does defending Kimbo make me a ‘Kimbodian”?
I see what you’re saying, Justin, and I thought someone would bring that up, but I’ve always found Griffen’s self deprecation to be more like veiled arrogance.
I see where you’re coming from, but your subconscious can be programmed by the things you say, so even if he didn’t believe it at first, as much self deprecation as he does, he probably believes it now.
’twas why the wise man sayeth;
“Self-deprecation is poison for thy soul…”
or some sh!t, like that.
i would like to see kimbo fight roy again in the finale maybe…… that would be awesome!
I have a 12 year old neighbor that wants to be a “cagefighter”, so maybe the UFC should pick him up on this new welfare program. Who cares if Kimbo wants to be a MMA fighter. He’s not yet and shouldn’t be in the UFC until he is. But, wait the UFC can make money on him, OK, sign him for the rest of his career. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ At least the priorities are right, Dana. Best (money making) fighters on earth all in the UFC cage.
I’ve said this many times before, but it always bears re-posting when someone comments on Dana White and/or the UFC negatively.
Now first let me be glass clear and admit that I’ve probably demonized the guy as much as canonized him at this site, but the immutable fact remains that without Dana White, good or bad, we not only wouldn’t be having this “conversation”, but in all likelihood this website wouldn’t exist in its current form.
Keep that in mind when you comment on the UFC in general, and Dana White specifically. Without them, you’d still be sneaking off to some truckstop or trailer park to see 2 NHB guys go hog-wild, IF you even knew the sport existed…
why would you release him and allow Strikeforce to pick up another powerful marketing chip?
Results and skills aren’t all that matters here why else would the UFC keep a few fighters that are 1-4(Chuckie) and 1-5(Wandi) in their last few fights. I will concede they are better fighters than Kimbo but marketing wise they’re pretty close.
Or pick up a fighter that is 11-9 with a losing record in the UFC that Strikeforce just cut? (Baroni)
I knew Kimbo win or lose would get another shot to fight in the UFC, Dana White see’s himm and see’s more money and ratings, i hope he can work on his ground game because that’s pretty much what’s messing him up is hi poor ground game.
If Kimbo just rode his reputation through his time on TUF and didn’t do the work, or showed little to no interest in getting better, I’d bet dollars to donuts that Dana would kick him to curb in no time, publicly smack talking him the whole way.
The fact is that Kimbo has proven to everyone, including his number one de-rider, Dana, that he has a Trojan-like work ethic and is a decent human being, has played a major role in him getting another shot with the bigs.
The ratings and star power is just the icing on the cake for Dana (who is starting to look like he is eating too much cake, lately).
Or Pinkberry.
Agree with you Buzz, and that’s why Dana would give Kimbo all the chances in the world. The guy wants to fight, train, learn, jiu jitsu, wrestle, muay thai, boxe and all that! You can’t let go a give with that flame in his eyes and in his mind.
That’s why everyone on the show seems to change his mind about Kimbo. He gained a lot of respect since episode 1. You remeber? When he entered the room for the first time? Other fighters were like: “f*** him, f*** this guy”. Now everybody’s like: “I repect Kimbo so much for his work ethic!”
I would, like Dana is, totally give Kimbo another chance because IMO, he totally deserves it.
American Top Team should do a lot for his ground game.
I was thinking that maybe because Kimbo is “coming late to the [MMA] party”, maybe if he had more generalized training, like they do for Vale Tudo, he might develop a bit quicker than with a top talent camp like ATT.
This sounds like a job for Marco Ruas…
How about CRO Cop vs. Kimbo… or Dan Evensen… hell even a heath hearing… as long as heath dont have his in-haler…
Mirko versus Kimbo has its possibilities IMO…
I called this before the show even started. Man after seeing Kimbo on TUF I, like a lot of people have gained much deserved respect for the man. It’s about what sells these days as we all know and if you didn’t notice Kimbo sells. I hope he can somehow get the dam ground game figured out in a hurry cause if not, soon people will jump back on him about not being a REAL MMA fighter and only a street brawler. Yes, ATT will help but I’m not sure at this age if he will have time to learn all the things guys have to offer on the ground.
Oh and phat boy was FAR from impressive if you ask me.
Hearing vs Kimbo would be a great fight.
I agree Kimbo was is still out of his element on the ground, but you got to like how humble he is through the whole show he has never spouted off or said anything that could be taken wrong. I really didn’t like Kimbo before this show but watching him has really changed my opinion on him. This guys work ethic is off the charts which garners respect in my mind, so many guys come in out of shape, not ready to work but here comes this huge name and not only does he not say anything he just works his tail off. If anything i’ve lost more interest in Big Country over his spouting off to Dana and everyone than anything. I was looking more forward to seeing what Big Country could do before the season but now i find myself being a Kimbo defender. Hopefully training at ATT will do him a world of good.
Herring, you mean?
Does anyone know if he’s even alive after that beating he took? I truly believe ANYONE who fights Kimbo regardless of their skill set on the ground will undoubtedly take it to the mat.
Last I read Heath Herring was taking some time away from the sport to let some nagging injureis heal and try his hand at acting, but Justipedia might have something more specific…
First and foremost, this is a business. Dana White is a business man and with his vision and business sense, has helped make MMA what it is today. I applaud his efforts and all he has done for the sport.
With that being said, in my opinion he has to be the biggest hypocrite in all of MMA. I am sorry but TUF 10 is not your regular TUF. It’s a showcase for Kimbo Slice and little to nothing more. This was clearly proven in the latest episode with continued and further hype around future Kimbo appearances on the show, upcoming bouts, sponsorships, etc. This is now the Kimbo show. Who cares who eventually wins the tournament because really it does not matter at this point. The first 3 fights have been nothing short of brutal to watch, but yet again, it does not matter. The UFC, through their Ultimate Fighter Reality show are no different than the company Dana bad mouthed for so many months, who did a much similar showcase of Kimbo Slice.
I have no beef with this either. Viewers, sponsors, PPV buys, record attendance…. in the end it’s all about money and to make more money you need more people becoming interested and buying the product. If people are interested in watching Kimbo Slice’s attempt at making it as a true Mixed Martial Artist, than great!
However, here is what irks me. Dana tried and successfully helped with the demise of EliteXC, and other competitive MMA promotions. What was Dana’s reasoning for bad mouthing EliteXC? Because they were pushing and promoting a street fighter as the focal point of their events and as Dana said, he’s not a mixed martial artist. He doesn’t belong here. This is what is wrong with our sport. He’s giving our viewer the wrong idea of what MMA is…. etc… Well Dana, HELLO???? You are doing the exact same thing with Kimbo now. Yes, it has started off with TUF, the so called gateway into the UFC, but it will now lead to Ultimate Fighter Finales, Ultimate Fight Nights and finally UFC pay-per-views. Whether he wins or loses so far doesn’t seem to matter. What’s next Dana, will you find some fighters to stand with him so it doesn’t go to the ground again? hmmmmm…… where have I heard that before?
Dana White is doing no different than EliteXC did with Kimbo. Only now Dana is trying to paint a much different picture of Kimbo because it’s profiting him and his organization. Kimbo is no longer a street fighting thug who makes our sport look bad. He’s a man who came from the streets, fighting his way through life and is proud and determined to make it in the sport. He’s a role model and a hero who was not given an easy road. He is what MMA is all about. Guts, grit, determination, blood, sweat and tears!!!
If that isn’t hypocrisy than I don’t know what is.
I’m all for Kimbo and hope he does well. But does he deserve PPV main card status, TUF finales and all the hype he is receiving on the show? Well it depends, are you looking to make money or let the fighters who deserve to be there, be there? Dana says he is doing what’s best for the sport on a global scale… but Dana isn’t dumb. Dana is doing what is best for himself and the UFC. Period.
Its completely different from what EliteXC did. They had Kimbo headlining cards over legit fighters with drawing power, and were billing him as the greatest striker in MMA. They were also talking about how he was the next big thing and would tear through the HW division. Dana White put Kimbo on TUF, a show that has seen 0-0 fighters win the season, and become heavily promoted fighters, regardless of if they were deserving (Sodallah), and has made no such claims as far as Kimbo being the best Striker in MMA, or the next big thing. In fact Dana has said all along, Kimbo is a guy looking to prove himself.
Read my response to white_boy on the matter of Dana bashing…
hasent dana always said, “i dont care if you win, its about putting on an exciting show.” well if you go from danas view, kimbo won.. his stand up was powerfu, movement was quick for a heavyweight,(unlike lumbering roy) and he rocked roy with a few of those shots. its like foy said,you can be slapping someone in the face and get the fight stopped for not intelligently defending yourself.. imho, roy won that fight by way of cheeseburger….
Yeah, I agree. Even after Herb stopped the fight, Kimbo was up and completely unfazed by Roy’s assault. He was simply stuck underneath a skilled fat guy.
Cheers to Kimbo for at least trying to use the cage as leverage to bounce Roy off of him in the first round.
However, jeers to Kimbo for allowing himself to be re-crucified in the second round.
I also think that his coaches bear some of that blame, no?
Most definitely, Jcohl. When you know your boy is in the worst possible position for his style of fight, you gotta be all over that as a vocal cornerman. I wonder how much time they spent on the Crucifix position during training? I don’t remember seeing much. Roy spent a good 15 20 seconds trying to trap Kimbo’s right arm with his knee. Cornerman has to be all over that.
Hey, did you notice in the first round how vocal Rampage was? He was shouting clear and concise instruction to Kimbo, unlike what he was doing for Wagner. I was impressed by the fact that when he said, “Good, now double up that jab”, Kimbo immediately doubled up the jab. When he said “move to the left” Kimbo immediately started stepping to the left.
Right now, Kimbo’s best asset is his coach-ability.
It’s so funny , not a long time ago people where saying give Kimbo somebody with good ground game and he is going to loose. Now you can hear give him some standup fighter and he might win. People so quick to judge and so fast to forget
Seriously now, no excuses, Kimbo is way out of his league in MMA. It was embarrassingly apparent. Kimbo should go do the circus fight with Mike Tyson and make some money before all his credibility is lost. Tough man, yes, hard worker, apparently. Good even average MMA fighter? Not even in the time zone.
Kimbo Slice, the first MMA fighter to be noogied into a TKO.
Yeah, instead of working to get better and acknowledging his weak points he should just quit and go soak up pay days doing freak show fights in Japan.
The fact that he is not doing that, is the very reason that he has garnered the respect of many on this website. Perhaps you should pin your arms down and lay a 260lbs keg on your chest and see how well you deal with it.
I’m guessing you didn’t notice that Kimbo was surprisingly close to finishing Roy early in the second round. Only Roy would say otherwise.
Kimbo Slice made a better showing of himself than Abe Wagner, who was allegedly a skilled BJJ guy and had [I think] almost as many MMA fights as Kimbo.and I don’t recall anyone suggesting that he debase himself with a “circus fight with Mike Tyson”, so why should Kimbo?
Kimbo has said himself he wants the fight with Mike Tyson several times… Look it up. I didn’t come up with the fight idea he did. I would still call it an absolute circus fight. If you think that would be anything other than a circus fight, well we will have to disagree. (shakes head)
BTW, You don’t get to a serious MMA level ground game in a even a few years. Kimbo is very old to be starting. The black belt guys have been working all their lives on ground game.
The Kimbo “excuse club” comments are getting kind of even more embarrassing frankly. Yep, Roy Nelson is big but so are most guys in the division – Kimbo didn’t even try to excape. All he did was throw a couple hay makers. Did you even see Nelson just push his arm through the headlock and take control? That is something no high school wrestler would allow.
By the way Nelson is fat, Rashad has bad breath, whatever…
Rampage/Kimbo fans don’t seem to have anything but insults and excuses. I’m not particularly a Nelson fan either but give the guy credit instead of more Kimbo excuses. Kimbo was way out of his league.
I agree that any fight with Mike Tyson circa 2009 is a “circus fight”, but I’m trying to give Kimbo Slice a fair shake here after really ripping into him at this site on many, many occasions.
It was my boy marvelknight4 that convinced me to give the guy a chance, and see past the EliteXC nonsense and the Internet hype, and take him at his word that he’s trying to become a more “legitimate” combat sportsman.
As far as impressions, Nelson made far less of an impression on me, and more importantly Dana White, than Kimbo Slice did.
Nelson is a former IFL HW champion, submission grappler, and Gracie BJJ blackbelt, so the expectations for a stellar performance were higher than they were for a man who used to make his living kicking people’s a$$es on YouTube.
Both in terms of MMA attitude and MMA aptitude, Kimbo Slice is leaving a more favorable impression with the majority of fans and again more importantly, his prospective boss, while Nelson pranced around the cage like he just KTFO’ed Fedor at some SAMBO temple in Russia and simultaneously tried ordering his supper from the sponsor’s menu.
I really, really hate to break this down to these trollistic terms, but on its most basic level, to date in TUF we have:
Kimbo = pass
Nelson = FAIL
In spite of opinions and fight outcomes to the contrary…
Kimbo controlled the stand-up quiet well. And you don’t accomplish that by ‘throwing a few hay makers’. If he wasn’t doing well on his feet, Nelson would have kept it standing like he said he would. Even his corner was telling him to shoot immediately at the start of the second round.
Slice lost to a better fighter. You can’t dispute that, but what you can dispute is the impression that each fighter left with their performance.
To be clear, I have no argument with Roy Nelson being catagorized as the better fighter, because he is.
However thats not always what TUF is about.
Fighting is a major component, but there are some other criteria that Dana White looks for, particualrly in the guys that don’t with the contract outright.
Kimbo clearly lost the FIGHT to Nelson, however he’s winning the “war”, so to speak, of getting onto Dana’s good side.
Impressions are everything in a one-man show like the UFC, and I’m pretty sure that Kimbo’s coachability, humility, earnestness, and solid work ethic are making a better impression on Dana than Nelson’s egotism and lackluster Octagon pefromance, not to mention his near-”uncaochability”.
If neither Nelson nor Slice win the contract, I’d bet a hundo with pretty much anyone that Kimbo would be signed for a fight before Nelson, and thats BEFORE the announcement…
That there is what you call ‘hitting the nail on the head’.
I hear he is training at ATT in Florida. Not a bad place to go and brush up your skills lol. They must have like half of the UFCs roster training at their gym now.
I know it seems that way.
There are maybe 4 or 5 camps that have 90% of the UFC roster, and they would be ATT, AKA, Greg Jackson’s, Xtreme Couture, and Team Quest [Portland and Temecula].
Apologies if I’ve forgotten somebody…
BlackHouse