1/1/2023 0 Comments Kimbo slice back![]() ![]() At the time, EliteXC was vying to become a potential rival to the UFC. KIMBO SLICE BACK PROIn his third pro fight, for a promotion called EliteXC in 2008, the then–34-year-old headlined the first MMA card to air in primetime on a major television network. ![]() Kimbo maintained his forbidding reputation and internet celebrity, at least for a few short years. In interviews, he came off like a typical journeyman athlete, talking earnestly about how he needed to work hard and improve. He was humble and eager to learn, by all accounts. His vaunted power, so useful in a one-minute backyard brawl, faded in the first round of a professional cage match. His flaws as a fighter were obvious, even after years of training at American Top Team, one of the best MMA camps in the world. Though he took the sport seriously, Kimbo had started late. More importantly, he was online and easy to watch. He wore a huge gold fist around his neck. He shaved strange patterns in his chest hair. DVD series like Ghetto Fights, Bumfights, and Felony Fights gained cult followings. The demand for authentic violence was high, all the more so if it looked like it might be happening in a city near you. On Friday in Houston, the organization is rolling out a bout featuring Kimbo Slice, the former street fighter, as well as a rematch of a classic M.M.A. This was the early-to-mid-2000s, before UFC had fully rehabbed its brand and gained a mainstream toehold. He was, to borrow a phrase, a “successful practitioner of ogreism.” Could such savagery really be happening behind Miami fences? Were ferocious men actually meeting at underground spots to do battle? There was something fearsome and primal about what he represented, about his very existence. “Let’s run this,” Kimbo liked to growl into the camera after dispatching an opponent. Kimbo Slice didn't have the great MMA career that many casual fans and media hoped he would. Afro Puff, Big Mac, Chico, Dreads, Adryan-they all went down. Kimbo Slice: 10 Reasons to Have Him Back in MMA & in the UFC. ![]()
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