Sunday, June 1, 2008

Opinion on Kimbo vs. Thompson

MMA made its Network TV debut on CBS with the highly publicized Elite XC: Saturday Night Fights. The debut marked a major stepping stone for the movement of MMA from the underground to mainstream, but many longtime MMA fans were disappointed by the overall production.

The main event, a high profile affair between two mid tier heavyweights, featured street brawler Kimbo Slice and British HW James Thompson. The fight showed how far Kimbo has to go before his martial arts talent imathced his media hype.

Thompson had no intention of standing with Kimbo, and repeatedly attempted sloppy takedowns. Once on the ground, Thompson was able to easily pass Kimbo's guard,. but unable to keep himself in dominant positions. Thompson managed to be swept while holding Kimbo in a scarf hold.

When the fight was on the feet, Kimbo was clearly the aggressor and landed the best strikes of the fight. Thompson was rocked several times, but he was easily able to take the fight to the ground when necessary.

Both fighters showed poor conditioning. Both were dead tired before the end of the second round. The round ended with Thompson in a dominant position, but "The Colossus" was only able to muster weak punches and elbows, and allowed Kimbo to last through the round.

The third round was brief. Thompson was too tired to shoot for a takedown, and received several big shots. One shot ruptured Thompson's terrible left cauliflower ear, which commentator Gus Johnson repeatedly referred to as an "alien life-form." The fight was called to a controversial stoppage 38 seconds into the round.

The fight was the equivalent of the NHL having a pee-wee hockey game on NBC to bring hockey fans back after the work stoppage. Both fighter showed poor wrestling and ground skills and the stoppage was questionable. James Thompson showed no boxing ability, but was saved most of the fight by his historically weak chin.

This fight makes it clear that Kimbo is not ready for the spotlight that he has been pushed into. At the post-fight press conference, Brett "Grim" Rogers, who won his fight over Jon Murphy by TKO earlier on the card, said it best by calling the fight "garbage." Kimbo and Rogers followed with a brief confrontation that may haunt Elite XC President Gary Shaw's dreams. Rogers and Kimbo will both push for a match, and Rogers will be a strong favorite to smash the media aura of the undefeated Kimbo Slice.

My overall grades on the fight:

Striking: Kimbo B, Thompson F
Wrestling: Kimbo F, Thompson D
BJJ: Kimbo F, Thomspon F
Conditioning: Kimbo D, Thompson D
Overall Fight: D

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