UFC Fighters Approve of Kimbo Slice on 'The Ultimate Fighter'

Posted Jun 02, 2009 3:17PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

Filed Under: UFC

The news that Kimbo Slice will appear on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter (which is filming now and airing in the fall) was met with approval from the four established UFC fighters who spoke to the media today on a conference call to promote UFC 99, all of whom said appearing on the reality show was an appropriate first step toward becoming a UFC fighter.

More Coverage: MMA Podcast on Kimbo & More

"I think that given Kimbo's track record, his history, where he came from and his performances so far, this is probably where he should be," said Rich Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champion and onetime Ultimate Fighter coach. "They're putting him on the show because he'll pull in ratings, so from a business point of view that's probably what they should do. I think at this point in time he doesn't deserve to come to the UFC and fight, he has to earn his way on The Ultimate Fighter. That's the way it should be."

Marcus Davis, who appeared on Season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter, said Kimbo's success (or lack thereof) on the show will depend mostly on how talented the other fighters in Season 10 are.

"It's either going to really expose that he really wasn't prepared for MMA at all, or if they have easier opponents in there, if it's not such a tough class, he'll come out of it looking like he's a killer," Davis said. "Definitely, I think he needs to go through something like this before he fights in the UFC."

Said Dan Hardy, "The Ultimate Fighter has always been a good show to watch for the surprises and the strange stuff and I think Kimbo Slice in the house is really going to stir things up and make some interesting fights."

And Wanderlei Silva, one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history, paid Kimbo a major compliment, saying he thinks Kimbo fights the right way.

"It's good because he's an exciting fighter," Silva said. "I like his style. He's aggressive in his fights. He's going to be good for the UFC."

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-02-2009 @ 3:46PM

chilly16 said...

If they must bring in fighters with questionable amounts of fighting skill I would rather watch a guy like Kimbo than someone like Junie Browning.

6-02-2009 @ 4:25PM

o0soul said...

Thank you sir. Totally agree with you on that one. It isn't as if Kimbo will be the first guy on TUF with little to no pro fighting experience. Also, it's not like he has to WIN TUF to make it on to a UFC ppv fight card. Tons of guys did not win their season but still ended up in the UFC anyway. I don't know why Dana is acting like he has to WIN his way to the UFC. All he has to do is not lose his first fight and hold his own in the 2nd (could even make one mistake and get caught in an armbar and still he'd be a draw on a ppv undercard). Doesn't even have to make it to the 3rd.

6-02-2009 @ 5:01PM

richardbikle said...

I think it really lets you know what depth the UFC is willing to pay for when they have to train their champions in TUF. Kimbo, the next best UFC HW... i'm gonna be ill now.

6-02-2009 @ 8:08PM

grimslade5 said...

Kimbo will not beat guys like Brock, Mir, or Congo

6-02-2009 @ 8:10PM

thats Kongo with a K my bad

6-03-2009 @ 12:05AM

grim, Kimbo would be lucky to beat anyone in the top 25, 30 HWs.
I give him one thing, he may be a mediocre fighter, but he promotes himself very well. To me that's his biggest talent. I don't think much of him as a fighter, especially a mma fighter.

6-02-2009 @ 5:27PM

imshortyk said...

I'm pretty sure there will be 15 other Heavyweights in that house that also want that title, Richard. Nobody's saying Kimbo's going to be the best (far from it), but when it's all said and done the UFC is a business and sometimes businesses make some questionable and/or risky calls. I, personally, feel this can only benefit the UFC. For no matter how many people say Kimbo a sham and he won't be this or he won't do that . . . you'll still watch. Why do you think Obama's so popular? Hahaha. It's just publicity, man, one of the best tools of marketing. Kimbo definitely has talent, we just need to see how it comes to fruition inside the octagon.

6-02-2009 @ 8:38PM

Of course you are right, its about promotion and business. The point remains that UFC still has to train their champions.
I'd like to see the truely best fight, and that would include Overm, Fedor, Badi Hari, etc. in the mix.
We get to see the best UFC has under contract, which isn't all the best in the world.

6-02-2009 @ 7:58PM

nancy farfan said...

I am tired of all you guys always saying that Kimbo is a fraud. Kimbo can fight and i am 110 percent sure that none of you would fight him in the ring and if you had to fight him in streets you would pee your pants and run.

6-02-2009 @ 9:25PM

kwilbur10 said...

i am guessing you are a youtube follower. not a big kimbo fan myself, but if you get TKO'd by someone that was backing away from you (seth p) then you know your chin is bad. but i believe that this TUF show has just instantly gained mad ratings, everyone either hates this guy or loves him. so ppl will cheer for him or want to see his downfall so UFC did a smart thing in extending an invitation to him.

6-02-2009 @ 9:42PM

Heh, well it would be great to see all those top fighters come over to the UFC. It's slowly happening; The UFC pretty much took nearly the entire Pride organization (the ones that speak English anyway). I'm sure eventually Fedor will come over after he wins a few more fights in those "lesser" companies. I really don't know much about him besides he's pretty much undefeated (only loss was by a cut or something). Seeing him in there fighting Frank Mir or Brock or even Couture would be ratings city!

6-02-2009 @ 10:03PM

Actually Barnett stacks up against either Mir or Lesnar, and could win either, although i'd take Brock in that fight.
Fedor is the badest man in the world, period. He got stopped by a Doctor call, but he was ready to fight. If i remember right, he came back and beat the guy in a rematch. I was a big Pride fan, more so than a UFC fan. In my mind fighter for fighter, Pride had a lot of true martial artists amongst the ranks. The only thing i fault Pride fighting was the stopping - restart due to ring position; they should have come up with some see thru material that kept the fighters in the ring. IMO the fans were way better too.

6-02-2009 @ 10:10PM

retrojoke said...

Richard you are such an idiot.

Overeem should come to the UFC but he is far from a great fighter. Truly best in the world yeah right

And Badr(not Badi you fakking clown)Hari is a kickboxer not an MMA fighter. He has one mma fight and he was choked out by his own forearm. The UFC will never contract him to the UFC unless they put him in TUF.
You love tlaking out of your rear end man, just stfu already. UFC has 90% of the best fighters in the world. Fedor is all about money and UFC wont match it so he gets put on the shelf.

6-02-2009 @ 10:37PM

Travis said...

I just want to see him fight where there is tons of talent. If he fails, so what. If he does well, than good for him. Either way, it's worth the shot for him and his "career".

6-03-2009 @ 12:14AM

retro you're an idiot. just look at how you called the last ufc fights. you couldn't get one right and you know nothing about fighting. you think because some gracie school handed you a white belt you know something, you are good for a laugh. Overeem is a very good fighter, and actually i just like to see hari ktfo. why don't you point somethine out where i was talking out my rear end. everything i predicted about the last ufc card was spot on, you didn't get anything right. so don't worry yourself about my rear end, i'm sure thats a topic you're an expert on.
hey asz expert, you're really an idiot. you can't even go to another site and repost something you've read and get it right - because you know nothing about fighting.

6-03-2009 @ 12:15AM

6-03-2009 @ 8:56AM

pbcp1 said...

"Kimbo"what a joke!The name says it all!What would any of these guy do if they fought in the old days with Royce Gracie?He would have to win four or five fights in a night against people who outweighed him 50-80 lbs.Every one of "Kimbo`s" fights were fixed.He got whipped by a guy who didnt want to take a dive.I wouldnt pay a dime to see him fight but I would like to watch him fight some of the bad guys in the game and get a real thrashing.

6-03-2009 @ 9:51AM

Tony Penland said...

I just wonder where his heart is in this, or is it simply to just get more publicity. I mean he was making something like 150k to 500k fighting in the other organization and now he might make 5grand a fight if he knocks someone out or gets them to submit. We all know his chnces of a submission are small so he's gonna be swinging for the fences. I think it will make for good tv, but i dont think he will go very far in the house. It does do one thing, and that it will put him on a future ufc undercard match. So I wish him and all the other hvy weights good luck on the show.

6-05-2009 @ 5:09AM

Dolly said...

Your all idiots especially you bilke and farfan. Farfan, yes I wouldn't like to meet Kimbo in a dark ally but that is not the subject here so pleazzze just say no to blogging unless you can stay on topic. And bilke where do I start dude you've got your sh--t so backward with these ad hominem attacks I just know you are a hater, dog. Bilke, Pride folded get over it. And as someone who watched both because I personally knew people who competed in each with a few notable exceptions the fighters either had no talent or were alsorans from various other venues where they could no longer compete with younger fighters. (and who could believe those rules stomps were in but elbows were out, duh?) Oh, and another newsflash just because it took place in Japan doesn't make the competitors anymore of a "martial artist" than the local nutjob who robs a gas station with a nickle plated samuri sword.