MMA Analytics 02.18.08: Street Certified Recap and Analysis

Posted by Leland Roling on 02.18.2008

Kimbo didn't add anything to his legacy as a brawler, but he crushed Tank Abbott easily for a win at Street Certified on Saturday. We'll look at his win and the rest of the card in this edition of MMA Analytics.

EliteXC: Street Certified gave us the weekend mixed martial arts fix that many fans needed. The event did produce one of the largest gates for EliteXC, and it looked to solidify EliteXC's presence in the Miami market. It provided some fantastic knockouts and great matchups, but it ultimately proved little as far as the potential of some of the better fighters within the promotion. Kimbo Slice continued his smart upbringing into MMA with a win over Tank Abbott. Antonio Silva narrowly defeated Ricco Rodriguez and showed some weaknesses in his game that lead many to believing he may not be all that he's cracked up to be. Let's dig deeper into both of those matchups and the rest of the card.

Kimbo crushes Tank, doesn't provide much more insight on his potential

Well, Kimbo Slice is now 2-0 with 2 wins over a couple of guys who really weren't expected to win. People bought into the Tank hype, but seeing Tank in his previous few fights didn't offer any hope for fans who wanted the Kimbo hype to end. Tank took blow after blow from Kimbo Slice, and Kimbo's quick and heavy blows were too much for Abbott. Another easy victory for Kimbo, and as an added bonus, he managed to increase the gate for EliteXC in only his second fight. Putting Kimbo in his home state against an opponent with a name was a genius move by EliteXC's marketing brass.

Unfortunately for hardcore fans who really want to see Kimbo tested, it'll be awhile. If he can draw the crowd he was able to pull in with this event, it's no doubt that EliteXC will find brawlers for Kimbo to fight in the cage in order to cash in on his popularity. I am, however, interested in seeing Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice for one reason alone. Shamrock could potentially put Kimbo to the floor and win via some sort leg lock or kneebar. He has only recently tried to KO/TKO opponents, and it would be wise for him to put Kimbo to the floor to test him. If that fight doesn't materialize, I'd imagine some more "can" brawlers are in line to pad the EliteXC pocketbook.

Antonio Silva narrowly defeats Ricco, shows some weaknesses

This was one of the better fights of the evening for a couple of reasons. First, it was a chance to see where Ricco Rodriguez stood as far as his technical skills are concerned. He's recently been stating that he had been looking to shed the pounds and get back into the game competitively. His weight loss wasn't there on Saturday, but that was probably because Silva comes in at 265 and looks lean and sculpted. Ricco's strategy was likely to make Silva work for the takedowns.

Ricco did manage to look much crisper in his style during the fight. He wasn't leaving himself open for the counter, and his ground and pound was at least effective in scoring points to win the rounds. Unfortunately for Ricco, he was dominated in the second round of the fight, and the third was arguably Silva's round due to the first few exchanges.

Silva's potential was on display in this battle. We wanted to see if he could hang with a veteran fighter with some solid credentials, and for the most part, he was able to do that. The glaring weakness in his game was his ground game. On his back, he was unable to mount any sort of defense. His guard was low on Ricco's back, and he didn't offer any danger to Ricco with submission attempts. It may very well have been his MCL tear that hurt his chances on the ground, but his guard was very inactive. It's a part of his game that needs to change dramatically if he wants to have a shot at any of the big names coming out of the UFC.

Smith, Edwards, and Rogers all win in impressive victories

Brett Rogers impressively nullified James Thompson's takedown attempts and then stiffly put two combinations on Thompson's chin to end the fight. Although Rogers has never competed in amateur wrestling, he's trained enough to show us that he can use it to stop the big men from putting him to the ground. A good win for Rogers, but Thompson once again proved that he just isn't cut out for this sport. His chin is far too weak to withstand a striker like Rogers.

Yves Edwards continued his winning streak with a highlight reel win over Edson Berto. He was able to keep Berto at bay with his leg locked in a single leg takedown attempt. While his leg was grasped by Berto, Yves put a knee from his other leg directly into Berto's face, putting Berto to the floor and ending the fight instantly. An unbelievable move from a resurgent Yves Edwards. Keep an eye on Edwards, especially now that he's moved to American Top Team.

Scott Smith continues to baffle me. His power is something that the UFC has always coveted as far as adding entertainment to any fight. The UFC decided to pass on him though, and someone else's garbage has turned into another promotion's treasure. Smith's heavy hands took awhile to get started, but he stuck Kyle Noke dead center on the chin early in the second to put him away. Noke's reach was a factor in the first round, but Smith was able to gauge his range for the second. A solid win for Smith in his debut with EliteXC.

Other action...

Rafael Feijao won his matchup with John Doyle via an explosive TKO in the first round. In his corner, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva both stood. What a corner to have for a non-UFC event.

Dave Herman maintained his undefeated streak and improved to 10-0 with a dominating performance over Mario Rinaldi. His knee strikes were devastating Rinaldi for most of the fight with only Rinaldi's early kick in the first round doing much damage to Herman. Another up-and-coming heavyweight for EliteXC to matchup with their other talent in the division.

Eric Bradley from Team Takedown defeated Mikey Gomez in their matchup. Although Bradley only won via decision, his takedowns and wrestling ability were dominating. My only concern for many of the Team Takedown fighters is that superior jiu-jitsu may become a problem later on when they begin taking on better talent.

Final thoughts

Kimbo Slice won't be tested any time soon. Shamrock is a stiff test for his takedown defense, but Ken has typically tried to knock opponents out instead of sticking to his submission wrestling. If that fight doesn't happen, EliteXC will continue to feed Kimbo brawlers who will lose. Kimbo has awesome striking power, but his ground game must be tested before getting into any talk regarding his stance among the elite. Submitting Ray Mercer isn't a test, it's a joke. It'll be interesting to see who Kimbo gets next, but undoubtedly, we will all be watching him for he does have the spark for excitement.

Antonio Silva was once coined as the big man with great speed and footwork. He still seems to have that when he's healthy. He was once said to possibly be the danger to Fedor in the future, but after last night's performance, I'd rule that out easily. On his back, he's mediocre at best. His striking can be devastating though, and his knee strikes are surprisingly quick for a big man. He should be back into form after his knee heals.

Smith and Edwards are fighters to be excited about for EliteXC. Smith provides big excitement In his heavy hands. Edwards has reemerged as a force and could be on his way to bigger and better things in the future. Lawler was hinted as being Smith's next opponent, and Edwards could be meeting KJ Noons for a title shot.

Although EliteXC doesn't have particularly great talent or a good production, they still produce exciting fights. Kimbo is a mainstay in the promotion that will continue to make them money. Fighting washed up "cans" or one dimensional fighters willing to strike with him will most assuredly keep him in his winning ways. Antonio Silva had a lackluster performance, but his torn MCL could be the cause. His next fight will likely determine his worth in the overall picture of the Heavyweight division in the world.

Overall, EliteXC's production needs to get rid of the dancers and hip-hop trend. It isn't helping the production values at all, and they could stand to improve them considerably. Their commentating hasn't been top-notch, but it isn't horrible. Quadros has some knowledge of the British MMA scene, and it helps with Cage Rage fighters moving to EliteXC. Goldberg is their main weakness, especially when he stumbles over analysis frequently. I'm not a huge fan of Shaw publicly stating that he is creating matchups for marketability purposes rather than quality, but I see his point. It'd be nice to see some fights that truly impact rankings.

Leland Roling is the editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com