5.2 Million Viewers Tuned In To Watch Kimbo Slice On Spike

5.2 million viewers tuned into Spike TV Saturday night to watch internet sensation, Kevin Ferguson, better known as "Kimbo Slice." Many people are hailing that a success for the UFC & Spike. Maybe so - but it's not something that legitimizes MMA as a sport. 

For one thing, 5.2 million viewers were probably horrified at what they saw. I know I was one of them. The fact of the matter is, the Kimbo-Alexander fight was atrocious. Easily the worst fight of the night on the card. Houston Alexander spent the majority of the fight circling Kimbo Slice. There was hardly any action. The only awesome thing (and surprising) that happened during the fight was when Kimbo suplexed Houston, and made an effort to show some of his grappling ability (which isn't much). At the end of the fight, both fighters bent down and put their hands on their knees, gulping for air the way a fat kid does when he walks up a flight of stairs.

I said Kimbo Slice was garbage before, and I still believe he his, but I guess he deserves some props for showing SOME improvement. His grappling game is still horrible, but at least he tried. I just don't like the baggage that comes with Slice; he's an ex-Internet street fighter, and many people tune in to see a spectacle - a freakshow - not MMA. The 5.2 million viewers who tuned into Spike to see Kimbo Slice fight proves that.

I would like to see Kimbo Slice fight again on Spike, against an opponent who will engage with him, and not run away like Houston Alexander did.

Kimbo Slice Is Garbage

Kevin Ferguson, better known as "Kimbo Slice" is criminally overrated by a lot of MMA fans. Quite frankly, he's garbage. Kimbo slice is nothing more than a brawler - an overrated brawler at that, with little to no ground game. Seth Petruzelli has shown us that Kimbo is nothing more than a swing-at-the-fence street brawler by stopping him in 14 seconds, and Roy Nelson cemented this fact.

Kimbo Slice is garbage, but I can't fault the guy for stepping into the MMA world to compete. My biggest problem with slice isn't necessarily slice, it's with his fanboys; the morons who watched him on YouTube and thought he could compete at the highest level of MMA - without any serious training. And the new comers to MMA are still trying to hype Kimbo up, and keep making excuses for his losses.

Let's face the facts: Kimbo Slice is 35 years old with no ground game, arthritis and below average striking. He might have excelled in the world of bar brawls and street fights, but he'll never amount to anything big in the UFC. Kimbo is and will always be a spectacle/freak show for ratings.

Kimbo Slice has also shown no willingness in the past to work on his ground game or take down defense; two integral areas where he needs to improve if he wants to be taken seriously and succeed. Kimbo might get a few wins before it's all said and done, by banging out some heavyweight slugs; heavyweights who aren't smart enough to take the fight to the ground; but Kimbo Slice will never be a serious UFC heavyweight contender.

Boxing Elitists Don't Get It

Boxing elitists don't get it. Mixed martial arts is here to stay and is not going away anytime soon. MMA is not a 'fad' as so many boxing fans like to proclaim; the sport is only growing - and believe it or not, has so much success because of boxing:

Boxing is a part of MMA. All MMA combatants start the fight standing up; boxing is just one aspect of a dynamic, well-rounded fighter. Half of MMA's viewers/fans watch boxing as well. Many boxing fans have crossed over to watching MMA, in addition to boxing, or in place of boxing. Believe it or not, boxing has not hurt the sport of MMA, it has helped it, and vice-versa. Both sports feed off of each other. Chances are, if you appreciate two athletes slugging it out in a ring wearing boxing gloves, you'll also appreciate and enjoy two combatants punching, kneeing, elbowing, and grappling with their opponent.

Boxing is certainly more popular worldwide than MMA is, but you have to remember, the sport has a long history. Boxing has been reestablished for well over a hundred years, and have a pretty decent talent pool to dip into.

As a whole, the sport of MMA draws a lot of similarities to boxing as a reestablished sport. I say "reestablished" because boxing has been around since ancient times - but so has MMA! MMA has its roots in the ancient Olympic sport, pankration. Pankration, like modern MMA, was a mix of boxing and wrestling. It combined striking (kicks too) with grappling.

Both MMA and boxing are ancient combat sports, both reintroduced as a sport to the public, after hundreds of years of exile. Both sports involve the struggle of man - one on one. Both sports overcome language or cultural boundaries, and both sports have universal appeal.

There will always be a place for boxing - it's ancient and is a form of MMA - but eventually MMA will surpass boxing for being the number one preference when it comes to combat sports. MMA is so much more diverse and dynamic; it involves boxing, kick boxing, muay thai, judo, sambo, BJJ, wrestling and any other style you can imagine that might be effective. It's the combination of striking - punches, kicks, elbows, knees - with grappling that makes the sport so entertaining and much more appealing than boxing; a sport that involves hitting with your fists only. There are so many different ways to win in MMA it's ridiculous. I think it's the dynamic nature of the sport that will eventually lead to worldwide appeal. MMA is already the fastest growing sport in America.

Boxing elitists need to accept that modern day pankration is here to stay.

StrikeForce And No Elbows Rule On The Ground

StrikeForce has a lot of good things going for them; they've built a decent stable of fighters to compete, they have Fedor, managed to get their cards on Showtime and CBS, and overall seem to be heading in the right direction. But one thing StrikeForce needs to incorporate into their league is allowing the use of elbows on the ground.

Obviously, there are pros and cons when it comes to elbows on the ground:

Pro: Allowing elbows on the ground makes each fight much more dynamic, and gives fighters more ways to win a fight. Not only does it make the sport more 'pure,' allowing elbows on the ground would fit other models, such as the UFC. In the event a fighter has to transition himself into another league, the rules would be the same as they were when that fighter competed in the other organization. Fighters fighting under another banner wouldn't have to redevelop their game.

Con: Allowing no elbows on the ground, such as StrikeForce, makes the ground game more pleasing on the eye. Having the no elbow rule makes fighters more busy, and you get less lay-n-pray; in order for fighters to do damage from the top position, they need to get space in order to punch - which ultimately makes for more submission opportunities for the opponent on the bottom. The no elbow rule also reduces the chance of a fight ending because of a cut. How many times have we seen fighters cut by sharp elbows? A lot.

As you can see, there is an argument to be made for both rules. Personally, I'd like StrikeForce to allow elbows on the ground. The unified rules of MMA in North America is already established, so there is no reason for StrikeForce to limit the rules which are already in place. Allowing elbows on the ground adds to each fighters' game. The more dynamic a fighter and his game plan the better, in my opinion.

An interesting thought occurred to me while contemplating the pros and cons of the no elbow rule; how would Fedor do if elbows were allowed? He's able to pull off arm bars left and right on the ground, because his opponent creates space in order to inflict his own damage; if elbows are allowed, Fedor probably has more problems on the ground. Could this possibly be one of the reasons that influenced Fedor's decision on signing with StrikeForce, instead of the UFC?

Whatever the case, I'm in favor of StrikeForce allowing elbows on the ground.

Fedor Emelianenko Highlight With Joe Rogan Commentary

Randy Couture Should Retire

MMA legend Randy Couture should retire. He's 46 years old and way past his prime. He's given a lot to the sport of MMA, UFC in particular, but there comes a time when an athlete should call it quits. Just take a look at Evander Holyfield for example.

Randy Couture is a good advocate for MMA, no doubt about it. But for the sake of the sport, especially the UFC, I'm hoping, win or lose, he finally retires after his fight with Vera.

In a way I'm hoping Vera beats Couture; if Couture wins, he might be tempted to linger around.

If MMA is to be taken seriously, and like Dana White says, "MMA is home to some of the best athletes on earth," then there is no reason a 46 year old, past prime fighter should be competing at the highest levels. It's time for Randy to pass the torch to the up-and-coming fighters.

Couture should walk away after his fight with Vera, win or lose, while he's ahead - and not become a freak show - or just some fighter who pimps his name for a big pay day.

Fedor Emelianenko On CBS

The American public was finally introduced to arguably the best pound for pound fighter on the planet Saturday night, Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor fought Brett Rogers in the main event on CBS. Over 5 million people tuned in to watch the main event - and to see what all the fuss was about with that Fedor guy.

First of all, I thought the whole StrikeForce card was good. Most of the fights were exciting. Even if all the fights didn't live up to expectation, you can't really complain, because MMA was on network television -- for free!

As for the Fedor/Rogers fight; I thought it was excellent. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It's been while since we've seen a Fedor opponent put up a good fight.

The other reason the fight kept me on the edge of my seat is because, well, Fedor! You never know when he'll end a fight, and in brutal fashion. That's exactly what he did. Just when you thought Emelianenko was going to be in for a long night - possibly a decision victory - he brutally lands a right hand on Brett Rogers's jaw with a devastating right hand that sent him crashing to the floor. Fedor jumped on him immediately after to go for the kill, before Big John stopped the fight.

What better way for StrikeForce and M-1 to introduce Fedor to the American public? The casual MMA fan got acquainted with the Russian killer and were treated to a climatic stoppage.

Fedor Emelianenko definitely lived up to the hype. The hardcore MMA fan already knew what "The Last Emperor" was capable of, but the casual fan might not have. If they didn't know him before, they sure know him now.

The right hand that Fedor connected on Rogers was a thing of beauty; he didn't load up and timed the punch perfectly. Fedor does so many subtle things right inside the ring/octagon it's ridiculous.

Some fans complained that perhaps the fight was stopped prematurely by Big John. I don't think so. After Rogers was knocked to the floor by a monstrous right hand, Fedor connected with a couple of shots, and Rogers had rolled over to his side into the turtle defense. I thought the stoppage was appropriate. Most likely, the people complaining are Fedor-haters.

The card itself was a success for CBS and MMA fans alike. I'm looking forward to the next StrikeForce event and can't wait to see who Emelianenko's next opponent will be.