Well, I can't say I'm surprised. No casual MMA fan is going to walk away from watching that impressed with Kimbo Slice, Roy Nelson, or MMA fights in general.
On the bright side, they will probably think Kimbo is a pretty cool person and might want to keep watching just to see how his story plays out.
UFC was smart to edit in a teaser that a Kimbo teammate might drop out due to health problems, putting Kimbo in a position to be brought back for another first round opportunity.
Longtime MMA fans won't be surprised by how the fight went, with Nelson having enough experience to fend off an early KO and then taking Kimbo down, where he was defenseless to do anything except get pelted on top of his head over and over until the ref had no choice but to stop the fight.
Nelson might be the new Tim Sylvia, the guy who wins in mediocre fashion against an overrated opponent and then acts like he's Fedor or GSP.
Credit Dana White for not going overboard in talking up what a great fight that was. In fact, he probably earned some points with viewers for mocking Nelson's celebration and punching style.
Kimbo was protected, and you can tell they want to milk more ratings out of his name and ideally a PPV or Spike TV live card fight in the future. Kimbo came across as a compelling enough person that you'd want to root for that there will be interest in seeing him develop as a fighter.
Kimbo certainly came across as someone eager and capable of getting better, but at 35 years old, is he too old to get good enough in all areas he needs to in order to ever be relevant outside of being a novelty mid-card gimmick attraction, everything White criticized him for being when he wasn't UFC property.
It's a mixed bag for TUF. I'm curious to find out the rating for this week's show, and equally eager to see how it holds up next week. Unlike last week, we didn't find out this week who's fighting next week.
(Please vote in our poll asking for your impression of the Kimbo-Nelson fight. Return to our Main Listing for a selection of a variety of articles on this episode of The Ultimate Fighter.)
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I don't think there should be any discouragement for Nelson's performance.
He stopped Kimbo, dominated him on the ground, pretty much with ease. He
did it with the least bit of effort and danger possible, because this
fight, is only the first for him, in a series to get a contract, exposure,
and a long term place in the UFC.
Good move for Nelson. If it wasn't exciting for you, then maybe you wanted
to see Kimbo vs. more Elite XC props under suspicious circumstances.
Hoggie Dan
01 Oct 2009, 08:16
The best fight of this whole show is going to be when Rampage takes on that
door.
...and probably the door will have more stamina and offense than any of the
windbags featured on the show.
Are these seriously the best fighters Dana and crew could find to expose a
new audience to the MMA product?
Dee Edwards
01 Oct 2009, 08:37
In my honest opinion, I think that fight really made both Nelson and Kimbo
look especially foolish, especially Kimbo. I say that because the
impression that Kimbo is only a one-dimensional fighter was really proven
true in that fight, especially when Nelson took him to the ground and
pounded on him relentlessly until the ref stopped the fight. But I
sincerely hope Kimbo gets another chance, as suggested by the teaser for
next week, because I want to see how he develops as a fighter and how he
adapts to the UFC style, which could really prove his critics wrong.
Boles
01 Oct 2009, 10:41
Nelson did the bare minimum necessary to win, which is smart because his
second round fight happens in a matter of days, not weeks.
Muff Daddy
01 Oct 2009, 15:11
What a load of crap. That fat piece of crap big country couldnt hold
Kimbo's jock in a real fight. I know MMA is about more then just standing
up fighing but my god like Rampage said there wasn't anyone who could get
that fat ass off of them. He wasn't even hitting Kimbo that hard for the
ref to stop it. He was hitting him on the top of the head the hardest part
of the body. He was probably hurting his fists more then Kimbo's head. I
think it was all a set up to make Kimbo look weak so that Ass Hat Dana
White could say see I told you so. The ref who stopped the fight should be
fired for stopping it.
John
01 Oct 2009, 19:45
Muff Daddy, I've always wondered what people like you mean by "real fight".
Is there something Kimbo was prohibited from doing here? MMA is a sport
based on fighting, and clearly Nelson wasn't even trying hard when he took
him out.
I've never seen so much bashing for a fighter who won. He beat him with
relative ease. He forced Kimbo to get close to him, and took him out. What
more could Kimbo have done?
As for Keller's take on things, you have to ask yourself as a human being,
how hard did you really want Nelson to hit a defenseless Kimbo. Kimbo
offered nothing on the ground, no need to hurt him, and Nelso was clearly
playing it safe because his next fight was in a few days.
Muff Daddy
01 Oct 2009, 20:22
Very Simple John If you had a 260 pound fat ass sitting on your chest im
pretty sure you couldnt do anything either. That in my opinion is not a
fight thats a guy who is terrified to stand up and fight like a man. All
this get on the ground and lay there like a little bitch is pathetic. It
isnt an art form. It isnt a fight. It isnt fun to watch. Like it or not
people like a story thats interesting and believe me fat boy isnt
interesting. If Kimbo doesn't get back into the mix the ratings will drop
in half. All you hardcore MMA fans may think that fight was the greatest
thing ever but for the casual fan it was stupid. The build up was huge and
we tune in to watch and we get a 260 pound fat ass laying on top of Kimbo
for 9 out of the 10 minute fight. Sure makes me want to tune in again.
As for Kimbo getting hurt I guess you havent seen some of his Youtube
fights the man can take a ton of punishment and keep on fighting. Go watch
the beating he took against the cop. I bet he was laughing at those punches
last night.
John
02 Oct 2009, 00:11
Oh, I see, you just hate fighting on the ground, and don't think that is a
fight. If they were to fight on the street, what would Kimbo have done
exactly? Maybe you just don't like Mixed Martial Arts, and would prefer to
watch boxing, if you truly believe that is "fighting like a man" because
the whole premise of MMA is being able to fight anywhere, whether it be on
your back or on your feet. That IS the concept of a real fight as well,
which is why real fights contain clinches and scrambling for positioning.
Also, I don't get WHY Roy Nelson has to hurt Kimbo if he already got him in
a defenseless position? They were roomates. He didn't need to hurt him to
win that fight. He'd already won realistically by virtue of getting him in
that crucifix. He couldn't fight back. How does hitting someone HARDER in
the face help winning when you've already got them in that position,
dishing out unanswered punches?
