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By: Bjorn Hansen, MMATorch Columnist
Matt Matrione versus Kimbo Slice: Dana’s No P.T. Barnum
Why on earth would Dana cut ratings magnet Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson? To build brand equity of course. Dana may claim to like Kimbo, but he really made an example out of him.
No hardcore fan really ever gave Kimbo a serious shot. But a lot youtube surfers may unwittingly have thought otherwise. The Kimbo Slice Experiment accomplished the following: a) it showed that what’s going on inside UFC cages is infinitely superior to whatever is going on in the streets, and b) Kimbo’s not good enough to win the UFC’s novice reality TV show, nor defeat a one-fight professional.
Let’s all collectively accept it: Kimbo’s just not an elite fighter.
Clearly, he’s subpar for the UFC. Yet, perhaps he’s just par for Strikeforce’s course. Kimbo wants to make a living for his family and fans want to see him in fascinating and competitive fights. Strikeforce fits Kimbo and fans better.
Most importantly, Dana never put on a P.T. Barnum hat; Kimbo never partook in any freak shows under the Zuffa banner. A certain simpleton once believed this was in which Dana was headed, in order to sabotage Strikeforce: Nashville. I was wrong.
He used Kimbo as a promotional bluff, never a circus act. He gave him a fair shot, and swift exit. Just like any other inadequate fighter. To the UFC there is no such thing as an 'indispensable' fighter, and that’s a good thing.
Josh Koscheck versus Paul Daley: Good Bloody Riddance!
Unfortunately, what took place after the fight was more riveting than the actual fight. Daley landed a despicable sucker punch to the face of an unsuspecting Koscheck. He outright lied to Dana immediately after, claiming he “didn’t hear the bell.” I’m surprised he didn’t just kick him in the sac. After what I saw that night, I wouldn’t put it past the Bruising Brit.
Without batting an eye, Dana banished him —for life. Good Bloody Riddance. I couldn’t agree more. By being Dana the Draconian, he saves face for Zuffa and dually deals Daley’s next promoter an ugly public relations mess.
Cl(ass) Act
Josh did, after the fight, what Josh does best: act a fool, and play an ass. The crowd turned from booing Daley loudly for his cowardly stupidity, to booing even louder when listening to Josh’s discourteous rant.
Savvy promotion from Josh, if you ask me. If Canada harbors any animosity, they will most likely tune into TUF 12, and/or purchase the end-of-season championship bout.
It’s ironic that Chuck Liddell is one of Josh’s mentors, because he’s much more like Tito Ortiz. People love to hate Josh, and conversely adore Georges. St. Pierre. The two fighters are very polarizing from a personality perspective. If the fans have already elected Georges as the hero, why not put yourself in the line of fire, and play the villain to the utmost while laughing your way to the bank?
Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida versus Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: A Dragon Beheaded
One dominant era came to a concussive conclusion, while another reemerged from dormancy. Shogun’s calculated aggressive attack overwhelmed the former champion, Lyoto Machida, sending him into senseless oblivion.
Fans were shocked to see Machida with a split lip in his last fight. Imagine their dismay witnessing Lyoto’s sleeping head ricochet off the matt with each of Rua’s finishing blows. The man got beaten to a pulp. I guess you can say Rua cracked the Machida code.
This was officially Lyoto’s first ever defeat in mixed martial arts. Will others be able to follow suit now that a blueprint to victory is available? Will other fighters be able to follow Rua’s method, or is it unique to Shogun’s style and ability? Only time will tell.
There aren’t many available big name light-heavyweights now for Machida (considering Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is Lyoto’s Black House teammate). Forrest recently pulled out of fighting “Lil Nog” at UFC 114. Back in rare form, Shogun invalidated Griffin’s previous victory over him. If you ask me, I think Forrest Griffin seems like a natural pairing for Machida.
A Tale of Two Champions
As for Shogun…
Why not have Anderson Silva face the winner of Rashad Evans/Rampage Jackson before getting a shot at the light heavyweight throne? Silva’s last three fights at 185 lb. haven’t exactly been glamorous. Are two fights before a title-shot too much to ask for? If he gets past Chael Sonnen’s blathering mouth at UFC 117, Dana should “make this right”, as he promised he would.
Rampage hasn’t made many new fans over the last year. His untimely cancellation of his hometown fight against Rashad, coupled with his childish antics in TUF 10 has caused some to pine for his obliteration on May 29. If that doesn’t happen, Rampage versus Anderson could actually get fans rooting again for another Anderson-esque annihilation. If that were to hold true, it would open the door to a potentially legendary superfight enhanced by a hint of clubhouse retribution: Mauricio Rua versus Anderson Silva.
The two most murderous Muay Thai practitioners in MMA; Two Brazilian Champions at the top of their game.
One can only hope for its fruition.
Questions? Comments? Email me at Bjorn.Hansen@fiu.edu or follow me on Twitter @BjornHansenMMA
RELATED STORY: UFC 113 RESULTS: Penick's live on-going coverage of Machida vs. Shogun II event: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]
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