Off Topic: Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock

Occasionally I will drift off the topic of football and write about something else in the world of sports that catches my eye. I follow MMA, but am not what you would call a hardcore MMA fan. I watch the Ultimate Fighter on occasion. I have seen at least one UFC event a year since the mid 90's. I remember Pancrase, and no weight classes, no gloves, and in many cases--no skills. I remember the poor lighting and the half empty crowds on pay per view. Way before the big buy rates, the reality shows and the little pussies could run around wearing TapouT t-shirts.

Now MMA has definition. Its not 'shooting' or 'catch wrestling' or 'no holds barred fighting'. It is a mainstream sport that garners national coverage. Buyrates on Pay Per View are constantly growing (and killing the sweet science of boxing), the sport is creating celebrities that are right on par with other major sports. I would go as far as to say that MMA has passed NASCAR and the NHL as the 'fourth major sport' in America. Hell, theres even independent MMA organizations popping up in regions all over the country.

None of it would have been possible without Ken Shamrock.

Thats right, Ken Shamrock is the man who legitimized MMA in the US and put the UFC on the map when the franchise needed a face. The Shamrock-Royce Gracie rivalry practically saved the UFC from being a fly by night operation in the mid 1990's. Ken Shamrock was the first true draw in MMA history. When he left to sign with the WWF in 1997, UFC would again nosedive in terms of money, credibility and mainstream acceptance. Granted, when he returned in 2002 he was old. Between his age, the lack of true fight preparation, and the toll the WWF schedule had taken on him, he was clearly not the same fighter. Also, the sport of MMA had changed, and gone through a period where there were more skilled wrestlers and martial artists in the ring than untrained bar fighters. I saw Ken Shamrocks return to UFC, to fight Tito Ortiz. He got his ass handed to him, but the rivalry did more than TRIPLE the average PPV buyrate around that time. Hell, I wouldnt have watched it otherwise.

Still dont believe me? In 2005, when UFC needed someone to headline its first ever cable television event, what was the main event? Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin. Granted Shamrock got beaten again, but it drew huge ratings and mainstream intrest. Ever since then the company has been a staple in the programming on Spike TV.

In 2006, the Shamrock-Ortiz rivalry drew huge on television, when they were the coaches on the Ultimate Fighter. Shamrock lost two fights to Ortiz that year, but that rivalry cemented UFC as a staple in sports and mainstream entertainment.

Now EliteXC is banking its network television hopes on the draw of Shamrock vs. overhyped street fighter Kimbo Slice. Slice has victories against over-the-hill fighters, notably Tank Abbott. And is the face of EliteXC, a company that is losing money badly, especially since their first TV bout got poor reviews. The emergence of Affliction as the primary competitor to UFC has left EliteXC as the number three MMA promotion (Similar to WWF, WCW and ECW during the late 90's golden age of pro wrestling), scrounging to pull together a decent card with the leftovers of the sport. Shamrock hasnt won a fight in ages, Elite is fine with that, because they want a fight that their franchise player Kimbo Slice can win. Kimbo is the main draw thanks to the youtube ghetto fights and hype as a legit badass. Its to the advantage of the company to pad Kimbo's stats with meaningless wins over has-beens.

Dont get me wrong, his is a good story. Guy is broke and homeless so he fights people for money. Now hes a celebrity, and a pop culture phenomenon. However, he is nowhere skilled enough to hang in Affliction or UFC. Put it this way: Fedor, Chuck Lidell, Rampage Jackson, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Randy Coture and Matt Hughes could all go to any ghetto and beat the shit out of the biggest guy there. It proves nothing because they have the skillset. Thats why I dont see anything special in Kimbo other than his charisma, his interesting background and marketability. In Vince McMahonland he could sustain that magic and not be exposed as a guy who cant fight in MMA. A part of me hopes that Shamrock taps him out, and gets to retire with some dignity.

I just hope when the two touch gloves before the fight on Saturday, that Kimbo thanks Ken Shamrock--for drawing viewers, and being the reason Kimbo is making so much money to do this.