Kimbo Slice on TUF: Great Move for the UFC, But What About for Kimbo?

The biggest news to come out in the last 24 hours or so is that Kimbo Slice will apparently be on the roster of the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, trying to fight his way to a UFC contract.  With apologies to news that EA Sports will be making an MMA video game in 2010, the revelation that Kevin Ferguson will actually take Dana White’s offer to get into the UFC the hard way is a very surprising one.  Why is that?  Well, consider the following…

First of all, this is a guy who was making a couple hundred thousand dollars per fight not too long ago, before (ironically enough) a former TUF cast member knocked him out with what was almost a phantom punch at what would prove to be EliteXC’s last show.  When he was at the height of his fame (if you would call it that), Dana White scoffed at him and said the only way that Kimbo would get into the UFC is by fighting his way in on TUF.  At the time, we all had a good laugh at the possibility of that happening, since Kimbo was already making about twice per fight what he would make for the first few years of his UFC career if he won the show.

Second of all, Kimbo’s love for MMA never appeared to be that great, anyway.  Kimbo was a former backyard boxer who only really seemed to take to MMA because it offered him a better chance at instant stardom than boxing in dingy bingo halls for $500 per fight.  MMA’s fan base is generally younger and more internet-savvy than boxing’s, and also more intrigued by the prospect of a street fighter whose fight videos are now infamous giving their sport a try.

In recent months, Kimbo was supposedly thinking about going to a full-time career in boxing, which honestly seemed to be a smart move.  Sure, he would have to compete a much better breed of stand-up fighter when facing a pro boxer, but he would also be eliminating the possibility of losing fights due to his lack of wrestling and jiu-jitsu experience.  He wouldn’t have to deal with pesky leg kicks, a complicated ground game, or being put on his back and beat up by a better grappler.

Perhaps the boxing world was less receptive to Kimbo Slice than he thought they would be?  That seems to be the only real possibility for this development.  After all, it is unlikely that Kimbo would fight on “The Ultimate Fighter” for a fraction of what he used to make per fight just because he wants to prove that he’s a “real fighter”.  He would only do so if his other options simply weren’t that great.  And with EliteXC now gone and Kimbo sporting a blemish on his record that appeared before millions of eyes, Kimbo’s options probably weren’t that appealing.

I’m not surprised at all that Dana White would have Kimbo Slice on “The Ultimate Fighter”.  It’s consistent with what White said all along; that Kimbo would only get into the UFC by going on the show, like so many other inexperienced fighters have done.  Also, the move is a no-brainer for White, who will have the most-anticipated season of the show in years on his hands now.  Between the brewing feud between the charismatic Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans, and now the participation of the infamous street brawler and EliteXC poster boy Kimbo Slice, White will be expecting excellent ratings for next fall’s season, and he will probably get them.

As for Kimbo’s chances of doing well on the show, it’s hard to be too optimistic.  Kimbo’s ground game may have improved since the last time we saw him, but probably not by enough to thwart some of the better grapplers that will be on the show.  His loss to Seth Petruzelli also hinted at another possible issue: a suspect chin.  Although Kimbo’s placement on the show is actually very appropriate, given his experience level, it will doubtlessly prove to be a challenge for him.

Of course, Kimbo, like so many other TUF veterans, will not need to win the show to get into the UFC.  He will have to win at least a couple of fights, though, or he will risk being cast aside as a MMA trivia answer for good.  With fighters having to win a fight to even get into the house now, can you imagine if Kimbo fails to even do that?  It will also be intriguing to watch, because you can bet that the other fighters in the house will all want to be the one to beat Kimbo on Spike TV.

It’s funny that this news is leaking right after I suggested some ways to keep TUF fresh after nearly ten seasons.  One way that I missed: sign a street fighting “legend” that will polarize both fighters and fans.  Whether Kimbo will be able to succeed on the show or not is one thing.  The sure thing is that I, and many others out there, will be tuning in to find out.

by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Dana White, Rashad Evans, UFC