Category: Mixed Martial Arts (Page 63 of 64)

Kimbo Slice: The charade is over

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t really follow the MMA. But it’s hard not to know who Kimbo Slice is considering the YouTube.com star actually graced the cover of ESPN the Magazine a few months ago.

I didn’t catch the fight (I was flipping between college football and the latest Cubs’ postseason collapse), but I had to chuckle when I read that Slice was knocked out in just 14 seconds Saturday night by some guy filling in for the inured Ken Shamrock. And as Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports writes, it looks like the Kimbo Slice Show has reached it’s finale.

Kimbo SliceOne simple shot sent Slice to the canvas and from there some guy named Seth Petruzelli needed just 12 punches and 14 seconds to put an end (we hope) to one of the great sporting charades of all time.

It was just a matter of time before Kimbo got exposed. He was little more than a character out of central casting, a bunch of addictive YouTube videos and a lot of insane hype by CBS, which made him a headliner before he made himself a fighter.

He was the Kimbo the Cash Machine, everyone lining up to exploit the lie that this was the baddest man on earth as long as he could walk through hand-picked tomato cans.

Kimbo was KTFO by a guy he absolutely towered over yet was willing to bang with him anyway. Not that Kimbo did any banging. Slice charged him (“He was like a truck,” Petruzelli said) but he never actually landed a punch.

In the end, Kimbo’s hand speed, defense and chin proved incapable against even an average mixed martial artist. Which was pretty much what every hardcore fan had predicted.

Not that CBS didn’t keep up with the Slice willing to fight, “anyone, anywhere, at anytime.” This was a 100 percent true statement if “anyone, anywhere, at anytime” means “no one any good, anywhere, ever.”

Not that I would ever want to go toe to toe with Slice – but what a joke. And is that a M.I.L.F. Hunter T-shirt he’s wearing in that photo? Awesome.

Ken Shamrock reflects on career prior to Elite XC main event fight

Prior to his Elite XC main event fight with Kimbo Slice, MMA legend Ken Shamrock sat down with ESPN Radio in Florida to give a candid interview on his upcoming fight, his career, and his current relationship with his family.

When asked about why was he so talented at promoting his fights, Shamrock responded:

“That’s just me, that’s my character. I find something that irritates me about somebody and I try to dig on them about it. I guess that generates into some good viewing, but it gets me ready for a fight.”

Shamrock went on to add that his training and preparation for this fight have been good, and for the first time in four or five years he will enter the octagon without being hampered by a lingering injury. Shamrock understands he cannot take Slice’s punching ability for granted, because if he gets lazy in his defense it will a short evening for him. Coverage of the Elite XC card begins at 9 PM Saturday on CBS.

Lesnar’s next fight, and the premiere of “The Ultimate Fighter”

Just a couple of news updates for UFC fans:

– Looks like Brock Lesnar will have his next UFC fight in November. It’ll likely be at UFC 91 which will be held in Portland, Oregon. He’s projected to face fellow heavyweight Cheick Kongo.

– For those of you wondering when the new season of “The Ultimate Fighter” premieres, it’ll return on September 17th at 10:00 PM Eastern on Spike TV. The two coaches will be heavyweights Antonio Rodrigo and Frank Mir.

St-Pierre punishes Fitch at UFC 87

Georges St-Pierre was dominant in Saturday’s Welterweight title match against number one contender Jon Fitch. After scoring a knockdown in the first round, St-Pierre didn’t look back, winning every single round handily. It’s clear why he’s considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters that the UFC has to offer. This guy is an amazing athlete, and posesses all the tools to make a tremendous run with the UFC Welterweight Champion. Credit Jon Fitch for going the distance though, the guy took quite a beating but never gave up throughout the fight.

The rest of the card for UFC 87 was solid as well. Brock Lesnar defeated Heath Herring in a bout that solidified Lesnar as a top heavyweight. He made Herring, who’s 6’4”, 250 pounds, look like a child. The most interesting moment in the fight came right after it ended. Lesnar, knowing he had clearly won, taunted Herring by literally pointing and laughing at him. The hometown Lesnar fans loved it. If he had done this in Las Vegas, he would’ve been boo’d out of the building. There’s no room for that crap.

Kenny Florian was also impressive in scoring a victory over Roger Huerta. Florian simply frustrated Huerta by countering anything and everything he threw at him during the fight. Huerta slammed his mouthpiece in disgust as the fight ended. Florian has a bright future in the UFC, that’s for sure.

Overall, it was an excellent UFC pay-per-view. Every fight was entertaining, and that’s pretty rare these days. UFC 88 features Chuck Liddell taking on undefeated light heavyweight Rashad Evans on September 6th.

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