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By Ryan Rott MMATorch reader Ryan Rott posted the following counterpoint to Jason Bent's column on Kimbo Slice joining the TUF 10 cast. We are posting it on the main listing to give it better exposure for those who may have already read Bent's column and for our App users who don't see the comments area on the website. Everyone, by the way, is encouraged to send us Guest Editorials. We also welcome feedback on live fight events, episodes of TUF, and any articles posted on the site. We will occasionally publish Guest Editorials and Torch Feedback articles on the main listing when we get submissions...)
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I have read Jason Bent's articles for a very long time and always have enjoyed them and rarely disagreed with them.
Your latest column on Kimbo Slice, however, I have to wholeheartedly disagree with. The idea that Kimbo won't fight until last is mere speculation by TUF viewers because that will get a ratings jump. No one from Spike or UFC has confirmed that rumor... although it is likely true. However, as someone led to believe that the coaches pick each fight of the week, it would make sense as to why Kimbo would fight last from a coaches standpoint.
Whoever is coaching Kimbo knows he is a raw fighter with possible potential. Rampage or Rashad would love the opportunity to turn Kimbo "Got knocked out by the pink haired dude" Slice into Kimbo "TUF Winner" Slice.
The opposing coach might feel different and want to prove what Petruzelli proved and pick Kimbo immediately to fight, but that's from a coaching standpoint so Kimbo is not an asset to the opponents. To a fighter with some marketing sense, which both coaches have, they know that everyone on their team will be gunning for Slice. To knockout Slice and go on to win TUF 10 would put a random heavyweight into Poster Boy Griffin light in a second. Everyone is going to be begging coach for a shot at Slice and the coach would have good reason to wait until the last fights to pick his team member most worthy of fighting Slice.
Do I think that Slice fighting last would be the correct marketing move to do? Yes. Do I think Dana and Spike execs are gonna push Rampage and Shad to keep Slice out of the octagon until the ratings get a nice pump? Yes. However, do I think that there is sufficient reason to keep Kimbo fighting last for the coaches who pick the match-ups to cover up that it is a ratings grab? Absolutely. Ratings grab or not, a simple blurb from both Shad and Rampage in their little interview booth can get the viewers off the scent of blatant grab.
Plus, I disagree with you on this being a sorry move for Dana. Dana has always talked shit about Slice, but who hasn't he talked shit about? I'm amazed there aren't any vlogs about cutting Slice's throat from Dana. That's who he is. But he has always said that if Slice ever wanted to fight in the UFC, he had to earn his way their through TUF. Dana is not changing his tune now that Slice is a free agent. He didn't pick him up and put him against a monster like Carwin in the opener of UFC 100 which he could have done. A special one fight contract to have a UFC up and comer destroy him at the biggest UFC card would have been good for Dana.
Instead Dana is keeping his word by saying that if Ferguson wants to be in the UFC he has to go through the house.
It is a win-win for Dana. Slice earns his way in, Dana has a new superstar to market that has earned the title of TUF. Some other heavyweight takes him out, then he has a season with great ratings and was right all along about Slice.
The real risk in it all is for Kimbo. He could have earned one more big payday in a main card match for Strikeforce before turning to big paydays in boxing. Instead, he will earn a 5K bonus for winning a fight on TUF that won't be tailor made for him to win. Without Brownings on the show, we can all hope there will be no literal egg throwing, and know Dana won't be throwing any metaphorical eggs at Slice as opponents. If Kimbo loses, he loses all future MMA paydays, and his boxing paydays fall a notch in amount.
I do have to say one thing about my disappointment in the show. One thing you didn't even touch on was the really blatant move to keep Slice on TV and on TUF. There will be no prelims to get in the house; all 16 heavyweights are in and the viewer will just have to trust that they could have win a fight. This was the blatant rating pump in order to keep the risk of Slice losing in the prelim from happening. This was the season's piss in the fruit bowl moment and it won't even be caught by all the new fans tuning in. Those of us who have watched since Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar beat each others faces in will know that something slimy happened, but it will be swept under the rug very nicely.
The real tragedy isn't that Slice is on TUF, or that he will most likely fight last. The real tragedy is having the format changed to accommodate him, even a little bit.
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