Kimbo a contestant on TUF 10!

Fromvert

I dont see the problem people have with Brock being fast tracked to a title fight. The Mir/Big Nog fight was signed for the interim title, then the whole Randy debacle gets sorted so Randy needs an opponent i.e Brock.

The HW division is hardly oozing with contenders in all honesty. Also he still had to beat Randy to get the belt or did I miss something and did the UFC just give it to him.

Flairpinnedme

Um, Brock has the interim title, and Randy has the original title he didn't lose..

rovert

Love the way no one talks about Randy Couture being fast tracked weird that. Could people be biased against Brock?

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

Jardine has more claim to a shot at the LH title than Lesnar did to HW title and people would laugh at the idea of him getting a title shot. UFC seen the numbers his fights were getting and put him straight into the title picture to capatilize on it. Which would bring up a debate between ranking's or the freedom to make matches people want to see, but thats another thread.

Let me settle that debate the pure sport model of rankings has never worked historically in MMA.

Perfect fit

Perfect fit wrote: »

how pissed would dana be if he won it:D

Not really, I think Locomotion has it spot on >>

Locomotion wrote: »

Dana White is a marketing genius!

There is no bad way for this to work out for him and his company.

Let's look at the possible scenarios:

1) Slice wins the show - probably unlikely but we don't know how much and what quality training he's been doing since October. He also wasn't a nobody. He certainly wasn't anywhere in the top 10 heavyweight fighters in the world (or even top 50 for that matter) but he's still got the ability to throw a punch, has an incredible frame and apparently has good jitz. If he wins the show, then Dana White can use this to propel him to big drawing fights while only paying him the starting salary of a TUF winner.

2) Slice wins 1 or 2 fights but loses along the way / in the finals. - Probably more likely, Dana can still ensure that he gets to fight on the finale at now an even lower wage but will still have immense drawing power.

3) Slice loses his first fight - he's still gonna be in the house and training with Rampage and Rashad. People will be tuning in every week just to see the interaction. Dana can then use this loss to discuss how far superior the UFC is to other promotions.

4) Slice gets in a fight in the house. Dana kicks him off the show for being a thug and can spin it as he only wants real fighters, respectable fighters and doesn't believe in this backyard BS that Slice partakes in. This would certainly earn Dana back a bit of credibility after he let Junie Browning stay in Season 8.

dunkamania

it occurred to me that Kimb would be perfect for making some quick bucks in freak show fights in Japan. Maybe he just doesnt like traveling, but he is taking a much more difficult route than he has to, just to get paid.

t-ha

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

Jardine has more claim to a shot at the LH title than Lesnar did to HW title and people would laugh at the idea of him getting a title shot. UFC seen the numbers his fights were getting and put him straight into the title picture to capatilize on it. Which would bring up a debate between ranking's or the freedom to make matches people want to see, but thats another thread.

Whatever... if you have what it takes to beat the champ, then you should be the champ.

chopperbyrne

Flairpinnedme wrote: »

Um, Brock has the interim title, and Randy has the original title he didn't lose..

Myself and the millions more who watched the Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship which Brock won must have all had some kind of outer body shared dream experience!

:rolleyes:

dunkamania

t-ha wrote: »

Whatever... if you have what it takes to beat the champ, then you should be the champ.

Not necessairily, consider a rock paper scissors analogy with some fighters stacking reallly well, against arguably bettr pedigree fighters

rovert

dunkamania wrote: »

Not necessairily, consider a rock paper scissors analogy with some fighters stacking reallly well, against arguably bettr pedigree fighters

Yep no one is denying that but still Brock beat the Champion.

Locomotion

Deleted User wrote: »

Not really, I think Locomotion has it spot on >>

Yea, that Locomotion really seems to know what he's talking about.

P.s. Why is this thread about Brock Lesnar now?

chopperbyrne

Locomotion wrote: »

Yea, that Locomotion really seems to know what he's talking about.

P.s. Why is this thread about Brock Lesnar now?

Because nobody really cares about Kimbo Slice.

Charlie3dan

Liked this article on it:

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/06/03/dana-white-does-it-again/

Dana White Does it Again
June 3, 2009 by Tom Casale
Leave a comment
Love him or hate him, you have to respect him.
I am a person who enjoys studying successful people. I like to know what they did to get where they are so I can take some of those qualities and apply them to my everyday life.
There may be no more intriguing human being on the planet to study than Dana White and his latest decision to bring Kimbo Slice into Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter is proof positive of that.
As soon as Yahoo! Sports broke the news of the Slice signing Monday night, my phone started ringing off the hook with friends asking me if I could believe it.
Of course I can believe it. It’s the smart business move made by one of the smartest businessmen on the planet.
First, let’s get a couple of things out of the way. Kimbo is not a good MMA fighter and most likely never will be. I know it, you know it and White knows it.
So why sign him then if the guy can’t fight? That’s simple.
Say what you want about Slice’s fighting ability; he is one of the only non-UFC fighters that the average fan cares about. I’m not talking about you guys who come to Five Ounces of Pain every day.
I’m talking about the average Joe sports fan who still finds Chris Berman funny. Just for the record, Berman stopped being funny around 1997.
Think about it. Other than Tito Ortiz, who out there is a bigger draw than Slice? Fedor? No way. We all love Fedor because we are huge fight fans but do you think the average Joe on the street relates to Fedor?
The guy has never even been on American TV. Most average people haven’t seen him fight or know very little about him, so while Fedor is arguably the best fighter on the planet, he isn’t that mega draw yet.
White knows all this and he also knows that any organization that lands Slice instantly gets a huge drawing card. So why not make that organization the UFC?
The Ultimate Fighter TV show is losing steam. White already gave it a shot in the arm by naming Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson the coaches for Season 10.
Now you throw in Slice, a guy White once called a “joke’ and a “bum” and you are talking about monster ratings for the UFC.
So in one fell swoop, White has not only prevented a rival promotion from signing one of the biggest free agents on the market, he brought the fighter in himself to drive up his own ratings. Brilliant.
If you want to witness White’s genius, tune into the “TUF” Season 10 Finale on December 5. If Kimbo makes it that far, it should be the most watched program ever on Spike TV and a huge moneymaker for White and the UFC.
Meanwhile, Strikeforce, Affliction and all the other organizations will be sitting there watching White with that smug smile on his face, knowing he got the best of them yet again.
But wait, here is the best part. If Slice does indeed win the show and earns a UFC contract, that’s when White gets his cake and eats it too.
Because like I stated above, there is no way he can hang with the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo and the rest of the UFC’s heavyweight division. No way. He will be gone in a blink of an eye. White is basically using Slice to get what he wants and then throwing him away.
So in the end, White will have poached Slice from his rivals, made a ton of money for him and the UFC, produced record ratings for The Ultimate Fighter and proved that Slice couldn’t compete in the UFC like he stated all along.
How is that for smart?

t-ha

dunkamania wrote: »

Not necessairily, consider a rock paper scissors analogy with some fighters stacking reallly well, against arguably bettr pedigree fighters

Yeah you're right - but I still think that given that he beat Randy that he deserves his belt. If he wins a few defenses it'll take care of that rock paper scissors problem (I think most people like to see at least one successful belt defense anyway before they really consider anyone to be the champ).

Personally I think it looks good for Brock too. He's had time to get his BJJ defense up to some sort of level, plus he has the speed, length and power to KO Mir standing & the wrestling to not go to ground.

t-ha

Also, I don't get this whole 'Kimbo' thing. Everyone's going on about how smart Dana is - of course this makes total sense from Dana's POV, but it makes NO sense from Kimbo's?! Unless he's making some serious bread out of this somehow there is literally NO upside to this for him?

SuperWoody101

t-ha wrote: »

Also, I don't get this whole 'Kimbo' thing. Everyone's going on about how smart Dana is - of course this makes total sense from Dana's POV, but it makes NO sense from Kimbo's?! Unless he's making some serious bread out of this somehow there is literally NO upside to this for him?

Kimbo's name is back out there again, he will have some tv time on Spike, that has to be an upside!

paulieeye

SuperWoody101 wrote: »

Kimbo's name is back out there again, he will have some tv time on Spike, that has to be an upside!

Plus if he does well, which no doubt he believes he can, people will have to take him more seriously. But if he flops..thats the end of that. As someone said...he has alot to lose

SuperWoody101

paulieeye wrote: »

Plus if he does well, which no doubt he believes he can, people will have to take him more seriously. But if he flops..thats the end of that. As someone said...he has alot to lose

I don't think he has much to lose, people call him a joke now after the Petruzelli fight, I think TUF is the best and only thing he can do now to get back into MMA

rovert

If he does flop he'll be able to draw a rating or two on a Fight Night.

paulieeye

SuperWoody101 wrote: »

I don't think he has much to lose, people call him a joke now after the Petruzelli fight, I think TUF is the best and only thing he can do now to get back into MMA

Yeah ur right. But as far as he's concerned he has everything to lose. Basically its time to put up or shut up

cowzerp

Did the UFC buy his contract so he can go into the house?

if they did they'll have to pay him the agreed amount which is big, then he certainly has plenty to gain..

Maynard

Have to say that hearing DW say that WERE Kimbo to win TUF, his contract; ie the proposed $100,000 will be "Seriously ****ing different!" in terms of money for him took me by surprise. Why? Is that not an unfair advantage (albeit a relatively minor one) as 13 out of the 14 fighters are fighting for a $100k contract, an one fighter is fighting for a (for arguements sake) $0.5 million contract?

I know it'd make me want to sent Kimbo on the first train back to "Know Wha' I'm sayin'" USA asap if I was in the house with him. (and with the wherewithal to do so naturally!:D)

rovert

Maynard wrote: »

"Know Wha' I'm sayin'"

Oh god that blog was SO annoying wasnt it?

Maynard

rovert wrote: »

Oh god that blog was SO annoying wasnt it?

Painful, painful stuff.

To avoid having to hear regular interviews of that nature is reason alone to want him on his back and out of TUF asap.

dunkamania

Maynard wrote: »

Why? Is that not an unfair advantage (albeit a relatively minor one) as 13 out of the 14 fighters are fighting for a $100k contract, an one fighter is fighting for a (for arguements sake) $0.5 million contract?

Why does this surprise you. Brock Lesnar joined the UFC with a better package than Shane Carwin, because he is a bigger draw straight off the bat.


There was no contract to buy, Kimbo was a free agent cos Strikeforce allowed his contract to lapse.

MGKO

Mossy Monk wrote: »

Dana White is a cruel cruel man. The whole of season 10 will be about destroying the mans credibility.

What credibility???

Rickard

Current season is terrible. Skillwise it's so so sloppy... half of those guys aren't fighters. Might as well turn season 10 into some crazy comedydrama freakshow... come on, Rampage potentially coaching Kimbo? You can't tell me that doesn't make you laugh at least in disbelief.

Maynard

dunkamania wrote: »

Why does this surprise you. Brock Lesnar joined the UFC with a better package than Shane Carwin, because he is a bigger draw straight off the bat.


There was no contract to buy, Kimbo was a free agent cos Strikeforce allowed his contract to lapse.

Apples and oranges for me. There's a difference between being offered a contract straight off the bat due to your potential as an addition to the UFC.

However, in a competition situation, where Dana has been at pains to maintain that Kimbo is getting "no special treatment whatsoever" in comparison to the other contestants...

A few hundred grand says different to me.

dunkamania

Payment aside, he is supposedly going to get the same treament as the others, not getting easy fights etc.

Onearmedbandit

I have just started following MMA and was shown a Kimbo Slice fight by my gf's brother. Personality aside it was entertaining stuff and his entry into the next ultimate fighter serious should be good. The UFC need to be careful not to center the series around him because it will ruin it.

Is it not a bit of an advantage to him considering he has fought professionally before in a big stage fight were as some of his competitors may not have?

callaway92

Onearmedbandit wrote: »

I have just started following MMA and was shown a Kimbo Slice fight by my gf's brother. Personality aside it was entertaining stuff and his entry into the next ultimate fighter serious should be good. The UFC need to be careful not to center the series around him because it will ruin it.

Is it not a bit of an advantage to him considering he has fought professionally before in a big stage fight were as some of his competitors may not have?

Maybe, but only a small advantage. Other fighters in it will have fought in events which draw fairly big crowds also. During the series though they dont fight in front of crowd, they just fight in front of trainers/Dana White etc..Everyone will be in the same boat. They will all be nervous fighting in front of thos people including Kimbo