I am a fan of Dan Wetzel. I enjoy reading his stuff and usually agree with his opinions but I have to take issue with this piece on Kimbo Slice being the face of MMA.
While I’ll give some ground and say that he isn’t the face of the sport (agreeing with Wetzel) I’ll also challenge that he is perfect for CBS when they air (for the first time ever on a major network) a MMA card in primetime Saturday night. Wetzel strongly disagrees with this and makes several comparisons to the UFC to prove his point. Here’s the thing though. There is a night and day difference between the UFC and EliteXC, so much so that you really can’t make comparisons. Apples to Oranges anyone?
I really don’t care too much for EliteXC and really not many people do but I plan on tuning in on Saturday night. Why? To see Kimbo Slice do what he does best, destroy people. I watched Slice knockout Tank Abbott and I’ve seen just about every video on YouTube that features him and now I want to see him on the biggest stage he’s ever been on.
Honestly I’m not tuning in to see who he’s fighting I’m tuning in to see the guy he’s fighting get beat. I don’t expect a UFC quality production, and no knowledgeable fan of mixed martial arts is either, but this isn’t the UFC. It’s just a strong fighter who is trying to make his mark in one of the fastest growing sports around.
You have to start somewhere and many of the UFC’s top fighters came from rival organizations. Slice’s rise to stardom began on the internet. Some of his YouTube videos have been viewed one, two, three and even four million times making him a hot commodity. CBS has seen that he already has a cult like following and for that reason alone put him on the card. The ratings Saturday night will most likely be off the hook earning the network huge advertising revenues and Slice the opportunity to add to his legacy.
The Kimbo Slice phenomenon isn’t going away anytime soon and while he isn’t right now the face of MMA after Saturday night he’ll be a face that is very recognized in the sport.
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