Mixed Martial Arts enthusiasts will tell you that Kimbo Slice, who fought in the featured bout on CBS Saturday, is not one of their sport’s best fighters. They worry that novices got a skewed picture of what MMA offers.
But CBS wasn’t looking for the best fighter. It was looking for the best-known fighter. It was looking for the biggest draw.
The network’s share of men aged 18-34 Saturday jumped an incredible 271%. This means two things: MMA will return to CBS and males 18-34 almost never watch the network on Saturday night.
Kimbo is no technician, as his work on the ground attests. Still, he’s a tough guy to ignore. He has a great punch and an even better name.
I found the fight card less than mesmerizing. But I’ll give it another chance.
If you want to see superior MMA competitors, go to Charlotte Bobcats Arena June 21.
Dale Jr., sans broom
I asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. the best thing about owning his own bar.
“I don’t have to clean up,” he said.
That’s a good answer.
Man, would I love to own a bar. I’d call it something original such as Vodka River.
Top down, windows up
Somebody in The Buzz last week made a short and snappy comment critical of convertible drivers who roll with the top down and the windows up. I admit that I’m one of them. I look for reasons to drive with the top down. That’s the quality that makes driving fun.
Putting up the top is like surrendering. So on cool nights I often roll up the windows and, in extreme cases, crank up the heat. It’s not about how you look. It’s about driving being fun again.
Tom,
I have watched very little mma - some UFC on Spike but not a PPV. I watched the mma on CBS and (just to stir the pot) could not help thinking about boxers vs. these guys. The Lawler title defense was probably the best and all I could think that neither one of those guys could lay hand on a guy like Mayweather. It seems their punching only does two things - 1 - brawlers like Kimbo who can only knock people out or 2 - a means for a guy to get close and take the bout to the mat. Either way it's too close to street fighting, at least the crap CBS brought out. But I don't think I'd ever get into as more than just a spectacle. For me, boxing is still the much more artistic sport.
Posted by: Scottyrock | June 03, 2008 at 10:16 AM
CBS went for ratings and it worked. They will phase in skilled fighters which will lead to more BJJ, wrestling, Judo, etc... The card they had was stacked for knockouts, they expected to draw new fans with knockouts. A truly skilled MMA fighter would own Mayweather. Top MMA against Top Boxer and the boxer only has a "puncher's chance", the MMA fighter has many ways of winning. If anyone wants to catch up on some MMA action, check out HDNet, they have big shows, small shows, and a weekly InsideMMA show that is very good. In fact, I would put a healthy (bad knees) Bas Rutten against any boxer out there today regardless of size.
Posted by: Clint | June 05, 2008 at 04:25 PM
It's natural for pelpoe who don't understand the game of MMA to compare Kimbo to Fedor. Actually, it's a very easy thing to do.For pelpoe who are uneducated, they often hear the name Kimbo Slice. They might have seen his Youtube fights, and believed all the hype surrounding him.As for Fedor, he fought in Pride and Rings back in Japan. Back then, unless you were a ******** fan of MMA, you wouldn't take the time to watch those shows. Now, Fedor has hit America, and has appeared in Strikeforce and Affliction. So, now more pelpoe have seen Fedor fight, but a large chunk of America hasn't.People will compare Kimbo who was on CBS's Strikeforce and The Ultimate Fighter to Fedor, an unknown to the common fans.Those pelpoe haven't seen Fedor take one of the most brutal suplexes, to only kimura Randleman less than a minute later. Those pelpoe haven't seen Fedor stay in the guard and avoid the submissions of one of the best Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu black belts in Nogueira for THIRTY MINUTES.They also didn't see Fedor handing a beatdown to Crocop in the RING, not the CAGE. Fedor was using his boxing well, and putting the stamp on Crocop, an outstanding K1 Muay Thai kickboxer with superb takedown defense. If you never saw those fights, then it would be easy to ask how would Kimbo do against Fedor. For those who know Fedor, you would simply laugh when someone would ask something so obvious.
Posted by: Natalia | February 20, 2013 at 10:18 PM