I wanted to believe in Kimbo Slice, I really did. I had so much fun at the first fight I guess I wanted to believe that he would be MMA's next big thing. I wanted EliteXC to take over, or at least force UFC to make more of their product available free. But it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
EliteXC had little credibility with hardcore MMA fans, and now it has even less with the rest of the country. Saturday night's debacle smells suspicious even to someone like me who is very reluctant to believe in conspiracy theories ("The only way three men can keep a secret is if two of them are dead" - Ben Franklin).
First, there was Ken Shamrock pulling out of the fight with a cut over his eye he sustained warming up. He had a real cut, which was visible, but it still seemed weird.
After four pretty decent fights, including Gina Carrano winning again and looking good, it was time for Kimbo.
14 seconds later the myth of Kimbo was shattered. He did get hit with one good jab right on the eye which opened a cut and knocked him down. But the rest of Seth Petruzelli's punches all missed. Even when he was on top of Kimbo it looked like he was missing and Kimbo was moving his head and arms enough to defend himself, but the ref immediately jumped it. And after the fight Kimbo didn't even seem to care.
Incredibly strange night, and possibly the last time MMA ever appears on network TV.
Here's the replay of the fight which is actually better than the fast-motion version. Listen to the announcer say "power punches" as Petruzelli misses completely.
11 comments:
What would the "conspiracy" be? Wouldn't they want Kimbo to succeed? Are you saying Shamrock had an ulterior motive?
Also, he wasn't defending himsely...wasn't the stoppage appropriate?
You obviously have never been tagged in the face with a flush right hand because Kimbo was on dream street as soon as Petruzelli landed that first punch. By the way, Petruzelli landed the last 4 punches, the ref was obstructing the tv audience's view and Kimbo's body went limp, causing the stoppage. Bottom line, Kimbo is not a real MMA fighter and Petruzelli is and he's on the low rung of the MMA ladder, and thats what happens when a complete fraud gets in the ring with a real fighter.
I have no idea what the angle may have been, but I know what I saw was not legit.
I would love to see EliteXC merge with Affliction and put Kimbo vs. Fedor on CBS.
Paul, the jab that did him in was to the chin. I think the actual cut came from one of the final few punches.
Anyway, total let down. Yeah, I knew Kimbo would always get schooled by a semi decent guy, but still this was a huge let down. A half cocked jab from a guy standing on one foot wouldn't even have close to the same power as a normal jab. It seems that Kimbo chose a very poor moment to have a glass chin.
Also, how did this get sanctioned? Kimbo is a heavyweight, Petruzelli is a light heavyweight.
BTW, you know Frank Shamrock, the commentator, offered to fight Kimbo, and got denied by the commission, because he was just getting over a broken arm or something like that. That kinda adds to this 'WTF' feeling I have.
Paul, Fedor vs Kimbo would be over in about 10 seconds. I would be kinda cool to see, but it will NEVER happen now.
Sucks that Randy Couture is finally back with UFC, and Fedor signed with Affliction. That fight will never happen now either.
i don't understand what you think "was not legit"?
if anything, they would fix these fights in favor of their big draw, kimbo, not the other way around.
as the poster above said, this is just what happens when a non-trained fighter gets into the ring with someone trained in karate (in this instance).
The Elite XC reminds me of the XFL. It is so many classes below the UFC, and they're trying to make chicken soup out of chicken shit as far as their "stars" go. All you have to do is look at EliteXC's three "big draws" for proof of that. Their whole company was built around Kimbo Slice, an absolute thug off the street. Once he got in the cage with someone who had even the slighest amount of legitimate MMA experience and not some coked up, drunk idiot in a backyard who thinks he can throw a punch, he was destroyed in record time. Their "Heavyweight Champion", Antonio Silva, failed a drug test for steroids on the same night he won the belt, another joke. Lastly, the "poster girl of EliteXC", Gina Carano, can't even make weight for any of her fights, which is the ultimate disrespect in Mixed Martial Arts. (Don't get me wrong, I'd love to roll around in the octagon with Miss Carano for three 5 minute rounds, she's super hot) However, once she fights that Christiane "Cyborg" Santos chick, she's going to lose by KO in round 1, just like Kimbo did. I can't believe I just wrote for this long on such a bad organization. I guess their plan is working to some degree because I'm not the only one paying close attention to the brand. The ratings are actually way up from their last show, and slightly up from their initial Kimbo show. So, I'm sure we're going to get a 4th installment. Kimbo/Fedor???? LOL. Paul, I'd pay to see that, just to see how quickly Kimbo would die in the ring. Fedor is the F'N Truth. He'd be the biggest MMA star ever if he had ever signed with UFC, he's that good.
Paul and Justin, keep up the good work on here, hope all is well.
-Tom Gunn
P.S. How bad is the EliteXC announce team? Gus Johnson, screaming that Kimbo losing was the biggest moment in MMA history almost made me hurl my remote through the tv screen, and Mauro Renallo is the biggest tool in the world with that fake on air voice of his. Just awful.
What up Gunn? I 100% agree about the commentating staff. I'm annoyed by the UFC's Mike Goldberg as well...but he is no where near as annoying as the Elite XC douche squad.
Also...if you think the Elite XC talent is bad...you should have seen the under card fights at the live show Paul and I went to. Worse than you could imagine. Paul, save your breath, I'll say it for you: "...besides Wilson Reiss, who was an awesome 145er"
Lots of things to say:
1) I have no idea what the angle could be here. Maybe Kimbo didn't want to fight anymore, maybe he was in terrible shape and they knew he would get killed so they wanted him to lose to a fighter they could promote as Rocky, instead of a washed up 44-year-old. But if you look at the premature stoppage in Kimbo's first fight, add the unusual circumstances of Shamrock's injury, and top it off with this 14-second fight, you have all the ingredients for a WTF? cocktail.
2) I understand the difference between a trained fighter and Kimbo, but wouldn't a trained fighter dominate Kimbo on the ground, or with a submission Kimbo doesn't know how to defend against? In this case he got hit with a good jab (I know it was setup by a couple kicks) but I can't imagine he hasn't been hit by harder punches than that in the backyard. So unless you're saying Petruzelli's training helped him set up that punch, I don't quite see how his technique evidenced itself in this 10 second fight. And whatever you say about Kimbo, he should be able to take a punch better than that.
3) I didn't say Kimbo could give Fedor a fight, I just said I wanted to see it. But this kind of shows the problem EliteXC has. They have to appeal to hardcore MMA fans, and Joe Six-pack who's never seen a fight before. Therefore someone like Kimbo is a better draw for them than someone like Fedor.
4) It may have been sanctioned because it was put together on Saturday and Petruzelli put on weight after his Friday weigh-in for his light heavy fight. Therefore he was above the light heavyweight limit, but able to fight as a heavyweight.
5) I agree the EliteXC announce team is awful. I think Shamrock is pretty good. I love Gus Johnson but he is miscast here. I actually thought I noticed him playing down his excitement a little, until that knockout of Kimbo when he just couldn't hold it in anymore. But Mauro Ranallo is another story. He is absolutely horrible. First of all he is a complete shill, exaggerating everything to the point of unbelievability. Also it takes him 10 minutes to make point. And he uses cheap broadcasting tools like alliteration. I think he called the ladies' fight a distaff diffication, and I don't even know what that means.
6) Cyborg would kill Gina Carano. Carano is more interested in being a poster-girl for the sport, than a fighter. But at least she won her two fights convincingly. I agree that it is disrespectful to show up overweight but I would have loved to have been at that weigh-in.
ps - We're publishing MMA For Dummies....the author is Frank Shamrock. Let me know if you want a signed copy.....(not)
Fedor is overrated. He hasn't fought any real competition in a long time and won't until he comes to the UFC.
This article implies that they tried to giv Kimbo an unfair advantage by telling Petruzelli not to take him to the ground. Makes it even more pathetic Petruzelli beat Kimbo with punches.
http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=3634858
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