From bare knuckle street fighter to UFC, Kimbo Slice has arrived

AP/Rich Schultz

America’s most famous street fighter is finally back in the limelight again after suffering a devastating fourteen second knockout loss at the hands of Seth Petruzelli in October of last year. The loss crushed the indestructible myth and aura that pervaded the promotion of Slice and also led to the complete financial collapse of EliteXC as a promotional company. EliteXC put all of its eggs into the Kimbo Slice basket and lost big time when the public face of its organization failed to live up to the massive amount of hype surrounding him.

Kimbo now finds himself fighting for his MMA life, as he participates on The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s reality show “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” which matches a group of MMA fighters, with the winner guaranteed a contract with the UFC. His presence on this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter” has already had a significant impact on both the UFC and cable network SPIKE TV which televises the series, setting a ratings record in week one and turning in strong numbers for week two.

Next week’s episode featuring Kimbo Slice versus Roy Nelson will certainly draw another record audience for the show. Although still considered a newbie in the sport of MMA, ratings success for Slice is not new. His Youtube videos showing him in bare knuckle street fights on the Internet have garnered millions of viewers alone, and his appearances on EliteXC promoted fight cards televised by Showtime Networks and CBS drew millions of more eyeballs.

Based on the record viewer ship of “The Ultimate Fighter” this season, Kimbo Slice has not lost his magic to draw attention to himself and those who back him. But the questions remain, just how good is he and does it even matter?

Well, based on his sensational Youtube videos that matched him against other street fighters, the man resembled the next coming of Mike Tyson. They were raw, violent, uncut and bare knuckle, resonating with anyone who believes credibility on the streets is important. Let’s face it. It is one thing fighting with gloved hands in a controlled environment but quite another going at it on the streets against some tough guy with limited or no rules at all.

Those videos struck a core with fans and made Kimbo Slice a star before even signing a contract with a promoter. Although he hasn’t dominated as a professional fighter, Kimbo Slice has cultivated a very solid following based on the unpredictability of his performances. As a professional, he knocked out Bo Cantrell and David “Tank” Abbott in very little time at all, went life and death with journeyman James Thompson, then gets KO’d by Seth Petruzelli in fourteen seconds. Even as a street fighter, he was mowing down guys left and right but then inexplicably lost a bare knuckle brawl to former Boston police officer Sean Gannon.
 

So when it comes to Kimbo Slice, nobody ever knows what to expect, but based on UFC President Dana White’s most recent comments as reported by the L.A. Times, he must have performed well enough on “The Ultimate Fighter,” given all of its episodes have been prerecorded with the exception of the finals.

 “Are you going to see Kimbo Slice fight again in the UFC? Yes,” White was quoted as saying in the Times article. When asked if his decision was based on Kimbo’s popularity, Dana White responded, “No, never. The ratings do not influence our decision. The guy can either fight or not.” This is a lot coming from a man who ridiculed Kimbo Slice as being a total joke as recently as last year. Also, according to the L.A. Times, UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashard Evans are also said to be very impressed by what they have witnessed from the former street fighter. Kimbo, welcome to the UFC!

For more info: Please visit www.ufc.com, www.XLFights.com, www.spike.com or www.latimes.com