Mixed Martial Arts
Kimbo Slice
By Joe Babinsack

Kimbo Slice has become a cultural phenomenon, a marketing stroke of genius and ultimately threatens to become the face of Mixed Martial Arts.

The irony is that for the past seven years, the UFC-the major league brand of MMA in this country, and now the world-has been fighting to expand the sport from barbaric, no-holds barred fighting into a respected battleground where well trained martial artists use skills and talents in a controlled combat environment. Where questions about matchmaking and rules are in the past.

No more.

Now CBS has entered the MMA fray, teaming up with Elite XC promotion. Their inaugural event on May 31 drew an astounding 6.1 million viewers, destroying records just like Kimbo Slice destroyed James Thompson's cauliflower ear.

Already, the hardcore fans are complaining about Slice's lack of professional skills. Yet he HAS been trained by notorious MMA champion Bas Rutten. Still, the hardcore fans complain about another street brawler, even as Slice dismantled previous street champion David "Tank" Abbott.

And the complaints of hardcore fans often contradict mainstream popularity, as aging fighters like Randy Couture and Ken Shamrock draw huge ratings, while technically skilled and ferociously talented fighters like Fedor Emilienko can't be found on the Pay-Per-View radar.

Meanwhile, Elite XC is destroying records and drawing prime time demographics. AND showing that MMA can usurp the NHL's Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs with a YouTube hero and street fighting legend born by the name of Kevin Ferguson, otherwise known to six million viewers as Kimbo Slice.

The only unfortunate part for Elite XC is that Kimbo is now nursing injuries to both thumbs, and cannot make the July 26th Saturday Night Fights 2 show, scheduled to air on CBS prime time.