The Truth is Out There. I am not sure if a lot of you have realized, but …Kimbo is black!

Like Stephen Colbert, I don’t see color, so when people tell me Kimbo is black; I have to take their word. I will admit, I was just as shocked as you are now when I found this out, however the more I looked into this and checked my facts the more I became convinced that Kimbo was and still is black. Why is this so important?…because people (except you readers of course) are hypocrites. There has been hype, myth and awe surrounding this street brawler turned MMA star ever since his internet videos were unleashed onto the public and proceeded to catch on like wildfire. He became a star almost overnight with sites such as YouTube racking up in excess of 4 million views per clip. The MMA forums exploded with threads of “when will this guy get into MMA?” and “this fighter would destroy so-and-so”. After much hype and anticipation, Kimbo was signed to an MMA event and then another and another, pretty soon he had won 3 televised fights, an “exhibition” bout via submission and 2 pro fights, 1 via submission from strikes and 1 by KO. He went up in competition each fight, going from an inexperienced boxer in Ray Mercer to a seasoned vet in Tank Abbott, while dispatching all of them in under 3 minutes combined. He trains with the likes of MMA legend and fan favorite Bas “El Guapo” Rutten in all aspects of the game including wrestling, submission and muay thai. One would have thought that with such hype going in, training with a world-class camp and winning all his fights definitively, that Kimbo Slice (aka Kevin Ferguson) would be the next star of the MMA world. People have a funny way of surprising you however.

           It seemed the more popularity that Kimbo garnered; the greater the hate for him grew. It didn’t take long for the same fans that were touting his potential mere months earlier to begin calling him out on the forums as a sham. Even the soft-spoken Dana White called Kimbo “bad for the sport”, all the time forgetting to mention that someone Kimbo had fought in one of those internet “street fights” (a white police officer, no less) was given a fight in his organization based on that internet popularity. Other fighters have come and gone in our sport with way worse reputations and backgrounds (Aleksander Emelianenko was in a Russian prison for armed robbery, is rumored to have mob ties and has some very questionable tattoos…ps: I love watching this guy fight!) and yet none of them have received the level of contempt that Kimbo Slice has. There are fighters today in major MMA organizations that have tested positive for illegal substances and punished by the athletic bodies to the point of being banned from competing in North America and yet remain popular with the fans and the media covering them. 
          

        As a fan, one should care less (within reason), about a fighter’s background. If he went to jail and is out, he paid his price. If he tested positive and sat out his required time, then let him fight. Many educated MMA fans within the same breath have cheered for fighters such as Aleks, while condemning Kimbo. Breaking it down, both of these men would seem to be the poster boys for rehabilitation and proof that one’s past doesn’t determine one’s future. They both overcame problems, but have used MMA as a way to make an impact on their lives for the better. Why then is Kimbo now being condemned for how he arrived to our sport?

Is it because he has yet to prove himself? 
           Unlikely. Although he only has 2 pro fights, both were against opponents far more experienced than competition faced by other newcomers to MMA.
Is it because his record is poor or his style boring?

           No. He won both his fights in under one minute with brutal strikes.
Is it because he is not marketable?

           No. If that were true, I wouldn’t be writing this and you would have no idea whom I’m talking about.           Whether it is good or bad publicity, he is bringing in crowds.
Why then?
           Kimbo is black.

Screw Flanders.

See you soon loyal readers; same Mack-time, same Mack-channel…
Share your MackLife thoughts: mack@maximumfighting.com