Kimbo Slice is back

The only thing faster than Kimbo Slice's ascent to stardom was his fall from it. While Slice's popularity and glistening beard were unquestioned, his fighting skills was always scrutinized by mixed martial arts (mma) experts with the criticisms eventually being substantiated and the hype vanishing when the 230-pound heavyweight lost to lightheavyweight Seth Petruzelli by TKO 14 seconds into the first round of the bout. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White has called Slice a “joke,” a “bum” and “not a real fighter,” even insinuating that Slice would lose to UFC lightweight champion, 155-pound B.J. Penn. UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, stated that "every time Kimbo Slice fights, it sets (mixed martial arts) back." Never one to back down from a challenge, Slice wants to prove all of his doubters (including White) and skeptics wrong as earlier this week it was announced that he would be participating in the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show.

Before being involved in mma, Slice was a bodyguard and limousine driver for a Miami-based pornography company called RealityKings (note: in researching this article, I came across some of the company's more well known sites including In The VIP, MILF Hunter and Captain Stabbin). Slice eventually rose to internet fame through his unsanctioned streetfights that were watched by millions on Youtube.com. Before falling embarrassingly to Petruzelli, Slice took advantage of his internet fame and continued to build his legend by beating up on unknowns such as Bo Cantrell and James Thompson, an overrated and over the hill fighter (always a winning combination) in Tank Abbott and a former boxer turned big tomato can called Ray Mercer. Basically, Slice fought the mma equivalent of Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! characters' Glass Joe, Don Flamenco and Von Kaiser. He was a protected fighter facing carefully chosen opponents designed to make him look good. Pre-UFC Slice found a gimmick that made him a ton of money and took advantage of it.

While patiently waiting for Joe Rogan to say "You had a great fight tonight and evidently [insert fighter name] fear is not a factor for you," there have been many memorable moments and characters in the first nine seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. Since many of the actual fights are mismatches on the Go-Bot vs Transformers level, the show's main appeal is the characters of the fighters themselves. Jerks like Chris Leben and Junie Browning have a following and paycheck that are probably larger than their MMA skills deserve because of their antics on the show. The Ultimate Fighter profiles sixteen fighters from all over the world traveling to Las Vegas with a dream of winning a six figure contract from the UFC. The idea is pure genius: create a television show where the goal is to kick as much ass as possible and make all the testosterone driven competitors live together with very little contact to the outside world (ie no internet, no television and most importantly, no women). Just think about what must be going on in these guys' heads. They have to realize that in order to win this competition, they have to beat up their roommate. Anything short of World War 3 in the house would be a miracle. Heck, if the NHL and Jim Balsaille still cannot resolved their differences then I think the next logical step would be a Gary Bettman versus people of Hamilton confrontation in the Octagon. (note: does anybody else think a season devoted to women mma fighters would be a ratings success? Think about taking sixteen women {even better if they are attractive} and sticking them in a house together. It would be like The Bachelor with just as much fighting except it would be in the octagon.)

[caption id="attachment_4173" align="alignright" width="201" caption="Who would be against seeing Gina Carano or “karate hottie” Michelle Waterson (seen above) train and fight?"][/caption]

Beyond the outstanding television being produced, the show also makes potential future draws like season one winner, Forrest Griffin. Some of the fighters create a connection with the show's fans and these new fans will buy pay per views and create a new market for UFC. Furthermore, at the very least, the show is a very good way to promote their upcoming PPVs. Realizing Slice's mass appeal and the ratings he could bring to the show, it comes as no surprise that White desperately wanted him on the reality television show. It also should come as no surprise that one major change in the show is that unlike in previous seasons, the sixteen competitors on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights will not have to fight in order to secure a spot in the house thereby guaranteeing Slice will be in the house and possibly will be kept around to the end to help increase ratings as much as possible. Beyond the comedy that comes with Quinton Jackson being one of the coaches (anybody else remember Jackson screaming during a fight, "Knee him in the butt... it works!", there is also the interesting interaction Slice will have with the other fighters as he will surely have a giant bullseye on his chest with all of the other competitors wanting to be the one to knockout the popular fighter.

With all of the criticism, the important point that seems to be lost is that Slice has been great for mixed martial arts as he has brought in a tremendous amount of fans. Furthermore, although Slice has made a ton of money quickly, he still has maintained respect for the sport constantly trying to improve under former MMA fighter Bas Rutten. Slice, who has a 3-1 professional record, appeared in the main event of the first MMA card shown on network television in the U.S. on CBS fighting Thompson in a bout seen by a record 6.5 million viewers (the most-viewed MMA bout in history). Many believe that the promotion he fought for (EliteXC) went bankrupt partly because they built their promotion on a fraud. Slice does not have a promotion to carry this time around, the only thing he wants to do make some money and prove his critics wrong. You have to believe that the UFC and Spike TV are hoping their new investment is able to do just that.