My Take On MMA 8.27.08: Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice

Posted by Larry Csonka on 08.27.2008

Prepare the stones MMA traditionalists, because I like this…



Introduction:
Welcome back to another edition of My Take on MMA! With there being a rare break in the plethora of MMA shows we had in August, I was set to chill and wait until UFC 88 to bring another edition of the column to you the readers. But on Tuesday news broke that Elite was planning on announcing the main event for their next CBS show. That main event is planned to be "Internet Sensation" Kimbo Slice vs. "MMA Legend" Ken Shamrock. Right away message boards around the Internet as well as 411's own comment section were flooded with opinions on the fight. Most hate it, most think it's a joke but as for me, I like it, I like it a lot. Here are some talking points in regards to what could and likely will be Elite's biggest fight to date.



Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock~!:

Kimbo is a Bum: The biggest complaint I hear about Kimbo Slice is that he's a bum. He's not a real fighter. He's a thug. He ruins MMA by association. I am more of a Kimbo supporter than about anyone around here, but even I have had bad words to say about him. Back in May, after Kimbo's last fight I stated: " A big problem they have now is that a man with no chin, pretty terrible wrestling, rather horrible jiu-jitsu, and no conditioning totally exposed the "Internet Phenom" and man that they were pushing as their big deal. And the live crowd knew it as they boo'd Kimbo's post fight comments. Here are my suggestions for Kimbo's next two opponents. Butterbean, Ken Shamrock or Bo Cantrell…in a mask." Wow, who knew I would be so right? Seriously, I didn't think they'd actually pull the Ken Shamrock card. While traditional MMA fans may have a problem accepting Kimbo Slice, I think he is a lock to get casual fans. Also, the reason I don't see him as a bum is this. He's not some street fighter that walked in and is just fighting and not learning the sport. He is properly training with BAS FN RUTTEN, a man almost every loves and respects for one reason or another. That's why I don't have an issue with him in MMA. Kimbo doesn't ruin the image of MMA, idiots running three way MMA fights are what can ruin MMA.

Ken is a Can: At this stage of his career it is hard to argue this one. Ken is 44 years old, in 2005 Franklin and Sakuraba easily handled him, in the first round. In 2006 he was humbled two times by Tito Ortiz, in the first round. And in 2008 Robert "BUZZ" Berry humiliated him, again in the first round. Ken may be a legend, he may have been at one time one of the first true superstars of the industry and he may be a draw, but labeling Ken Shamrock as a serious competitor and or threat to someone in 2008 is a bit ridiculous. All he has left is his name at this point and apparently that is for sale, not that I am judging. If someone would pay me tons of cash for my name, I'd likely take it.

Kimbo is a Draw: People don't like to hear this because they don't like Kimbo. They think he taints MMA because he didn't start off as a legit fighter, but the fact of the matter is this; he puts asses in the seats and in front of the TV. FACT: Kimbo Slice's fight with Tank Abbot is the highest rated Elite show to ever air on Showtime. FACT: Kimbo Slice was the reason that Elite XC drew their first sell out crowd. FACT: Kimbo Slice was the reason the first CBS show did well in the ratings with a constant increase (up to 6.5 million viewers). This was bigger than Shamrock vs. Ortiz, and bigger than Henderson vs. Jackson. Bottom line, he is the reason people tuned in and that isn't a bad thing. Let me give you a wrestling analogy that 99% of you will hate, since it has to do with wrestling. I was a HUGE Ricky Steamboat fan. The man was awesome and I would always watch for a guy like him. BUT, Steamboat DIDN'T bring in the crowds or the PPV buyers, Hulk Hogan did. I hate to say it, but the awesome 1989 series of matches between Flair and Steamboat did shitty business overall. For all of the MMA traditionalists bitching that they should push Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler and other "real MMA stars," you need to have an audience in order to push them. Kimbo is Hulk Hogan, he puts the asses in the seats. Jake Shields is Ricky Steamboat; he gives them a reason to stay. It's simple.

Ken was a Draw…: And he may very well still be one. I really don't think that many can argue the fact that Ken was a draw. The season he and Tito coached did strong ratings, and the PPV that came from that drew 775,000 buys against Tito for their second fight. The third fight, a rematch on Spike TV drew 5.9 million viewers at the peak. Granted Tito was a big part of that, but it takes two to draw like that. I have to say that there is a part of me that think she can be a draw again. There is a group of MMA fans that desperately want Shamrock to defeat Kimbo and destroy the aura around this guy. There is a group of fans that love Kimbo and want to see him defeat another "MMA legend." I also think that there is a portion of the wrestling fan base that doesn't fit into either that will remember Shamrock from his wrestling days (I get questions about him all the time) and will tune in too see this fight. I think that this fight has the possibility to eclipse the peak of 6.5 million viewers that Elite did for Kimbo's last fight.

Kimbo Winning the Fight is a Win for Elite: Kimbo winning this fight is not only a win for Elite, but right now I think it is a must. As much as they need to draw a good rating and make money, they also need to solidify the heavyweight division. I will say here what I said in today's fact or fiction column, and that is this. Elite picked the athlete, the "real MMA fighter" to be their first heavyweight division and he got popped for a veterinary steroid. They have no real heavyweight division as we speak, and they are losing money so they have no choice but to turn to Kimbo Slice. While the MMA message boards want to fawn over the "pure sport" of it all, pure sport isn't paying the bills. Sup IFL? Elite just lost their golden giant, they are losing money and the prescription to fix this ailment is NOT more cowbell, but Kimbo Slice. Bottom line, if they don't make money they don't stay in business. And I stand by that. They need something, anything to get people to tune into their product. Kimbo draws interest, he draws ratings and he makes money.

Ken Winning the Fight is a Win for Elite: While it would be much better for Kimbo to get a highlight reel knockout by destroying an MMA legend, it actually would not be the WORST thing for Ken to win. If Ken Shamrock somehow pulls off the win, Elite then has a story and two possible BIG time fights. First of all you get that Rocky style story, much like Randy Couture. But this is bigger due to Ken's losing streak. They could play that up big time. As for the fights, the way I see it there would be two big fights they could get out of the Ken victory. The first is obviously a rematch with Kimbo Slice. If Ken pulls off the victory, which most feel would be a miracle, there would be money in the rematch I feel. Bas had trouble with Shamrock, which we'll discuss next, and they could really play off of that. The second, and this is the one Elite REALLY wants and could be put on their first PPV is Shamrock vs. Shamrock. Elite really wants to do the Frank Shamrock vs. Ken Shamrock fight, but with Ken's losing streak (including the HORRIBLE loss to Berry) and Frank's loss to Cung Le, many thought it to be a dead issue. But if Ken can somehow manage to win, the fight has life again and with Frank's ability to hype fights, I see dollar signs. MANY BUYS!

The Bas Factor/Fight Promotion: As I was putting this together, former 411 writer Ryan Mancuso made an excellent point that I know I completely overlooked, and I bet most MMA fans and Elite will overlook and that is the Bas Rutten Factor. Bas only has 4 loses in his MMA career, and three of them have come at the hands of Frank and Ken Shamrock. Bas lost to Frank on 1994, but got revenge in 1995 when he defeated Frank. But Ken was the anomaly for Bas. Ken defeated him in 1994 and 1995, in Pancrase and by submission both times. Now as we all know Bas is the mentor, head trainer, the GURU working with Kimbo Slice. If Elite is smart, and they want to add some extra into the promotion of this fight, this is something that they could and should play off of. They need to run interview clips on the Elite website, they need to beg Showtime for a 30-minute special to hype the show and the need to do it fast.

How will the Fight go?: As for the fight, I think I feel like most. As mentioned Ken has been (T)KO'd in the first round for FIVE straight fights. I really don't see him surviving the first round with Kimbo, due to his punching power. Ken's only hope is to take Kimbo to the ground and try for a submission. But he'd have to wear Kimbo down and hope he gets tired like he did in his last fight. Ken hasn't looked competitive though, and unless the planets align properly and a piano drops on Kimbo, I just don't see ken winning here. As of today I look for a quick KO of Shamrock and the Kimbo express to keep rolling.


My Take On:
Elite XC is a promotion that is in trouble. They have lost so much money in a sort time that they may as well be the "TNA" of MMA. They had a good debut on CBS ratings wise, and peaked with the HUGE 6.5 million viewers. But the second special, while a much better show in terms of quality fights and show layout, lost nearly half of the viewers from the first special. They have two shows left on their CBS deal, and they need a ratings success with this October show if they hope to remain on CBS. The company needs the ratings because they desperately need to create new fans and make money. They want to run a PPV in 2009, and for that to work they will need the CBS deal to help promote that, because if they don't have that, they will fail like YAMMA, Art of War, BODOG and so on…