Bas Rutten

Unfortunately, Bas Rutten claims that around the time of the Ken Shamrock fight, Kimbo stopped listening to him and actually started to get worse. Here’s what he told Fighters Only magazine about the situation and why he will never train Kimbo again:

“I misjudged him, he turned into a whole different person. I told him a few weeks ago, I had a sit down with him. I told him that he was an asshole and that I have zero respect (for him] and I cant train people that I have no respect for. Can’t ever,” Rutten told Fighters Only in a recent interview.

“He just turned into a different guy, he didn’t need to do the things that I told him to do. He wasn’t going to go to the ground, you know? The day before the [Petruzelli] fight, I told him I wanted to go over heel hooks and escapes, and he said “Nah, its not going to go to the ground”.

I said ‘Ha, I like that attitude – but what if it does go to the ground?’ but he said ‘Its not going to go’. So I said OK, but don’t let me tell you ‘I told you so’ if he snaps your fuckin’ leg in half. He said ‘I don’t know if that’s a good thing for you to be telling me mentally, before a fight’! I said ‘I don’t think its a good thing for you not to be doing what I tell you, before the fight”!

Bas Rutten is not someone you want to disagree with. A pioneer of the sport who used to fight in Japan alongside Ken Shamrock in the early 90’s, he became an internet celebrity due to his amusingly violent bar fighting instructional dvds, and was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto 4. While he’s one of the most entertaining jokers in the industry, his training chops are solid and Kimbo Slice has an even tougher hill to climb now that Bas has excommunicated him from his circle.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bas Rutten: “I have zero respect for Kimbo”

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Marcus Jones - Image: Zuma Press

Those debating how well Kimbo Slice will do on the Ultimate Fighter haven’t had much information to work with one way or the other. Without knowing who he’s going up against, how can you assume he’s going to fail or succeed? But now the full 16 heavyweight roster for the Ultimate Fighter 10 has been sniffed out, and rather than try to speculate on their skill level, I’m just going to order them from most intriguing to least:

• Kimbo Slice: Mr Youtube Sensation himself, Kimbo Slice took Dana White up on his challenge to get into the UFC via the Ultimate Fighter.
• Roy Nelson: Former IFL heavyweight champion the UFC refused to sign because he was too fat. Seriously.
• Wes Sims: Went 0-3 in the UFC a few years ago. Can never seem to beat anyone above regional level, and even then it’s often a toss up.
• Marcus Jones: NFL defensive end from 1996 to 2002. Training MMA since early 2007.
• Matt Mitrione: Former NFL player and MMA virgin. Trains with UFC fighter Jake ‘the Blanket’ O’Brien.
• Wes Shivers: NFL veteran and a late replacement for Rex Richards (who was also in the NFL … real invasion this season, huh?).
• Jim York: New Zealand fighter who shares a common opponent with Kimbo Slice in James Thompson. York managed to knock Thompson out in the first round.
• Justin Wren: A gigantic guy who has more wrestling trophies than most colleges do.
• Mike Wessel: Wessel made it into the UFC by accepting a fight on a week’s notice. He lost, but was given a spot on TUF as a consolation prize.
• Scott Junk: Another fighter who dropped the ball the first time the UFC gave him a try in 2007.
• Zak Jensen: Wrestler out of Minnesota, has a 7-3 record with losses to TUF alumni Brad Imes and Mike Whitehead.
• Darrill Schoonover: US Army veteran with a 10-0 pro and 5-0 amateur record.
• Brendan Schaub: Trains out of Greg Jackson’s gym and is a Shane Carwin sparring partner.
• Jon Madsen: Newb fighter out of Matt Hughes’ gym
• Tom Blackledge: 8-6 fighter out of Michael Bisping’s camp.
• Abe Wagner: Mystery man out of Nebraska with a 6-2 pro record

Fortunately for Kimbo, he doesn’t have to be the best out of the 16 … he just has to be better than the three fighters he’ll need to beat to make it to the TUF finale.

And just to get a few more TUF related tidbits out of the way so we can move on to other MMA related insanity, UFC president Dana White revealed in Germany that the Ultimate Fighter has been renewed through season 14 and another US versus UK season was on it’s way.

Post from: EveryJoe

Complete Ultimate Fighter 10 roster leaked

Although he hasn’t fought since October when he lost, expect to see much more of Kimbo Slice. It was recently announced that he’ll be on The Ultimate Fighter — the popular reality television series on Spike.

MMA fans were already excited after it was announced that Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson were going to be coaches in the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Now with Kimbo Slice added to the equation, the excitement will be undeniable.

Even if he isn’t the most polished MMA fighter, Kimbo Slice is extremely popular. In fact, the highest rated MMA fights on television featured the 35-year-old fighter. Originally rising to fame with help of his street brawls that were made popular on YouTube, Kimbo Slice remains arguably the most popular MMA fighter in the United States.

Will Kimbo Slice survive on TUF 10? This video examines that question:

Post from: EveryJoe

Kimbo Slice to be on TUF 10

Kimbo Slice

You have to think about it this way. On Youtube Kimbo Slice was a bad-ass street fighter for quite a few years before being picked up in the MMA circuit. Elite XC more or less saw this guy and their eyes lit up green. They knew that a lot of people watched the viral Youtube videos and if they watched the videos then they would surely like to see how he faired in the ring in an MMA match. So they offer him a contract and you could almost say they exploited him in a way. They offer him a contract in hopes of making money. Of course Kimbo is not going to turn down a contract where he can potentially make money doing something that he’s pretty good at. Most MMA fighters have to work their way up through the circuits, but when a promoter sees money making potential, they jump on it before the next guy does.

If you were an MMA fighter (and some readers may be) and were offered a contract to make some real money in the sport and not have to work a normal day job, 99.9% would take it, right? Why not? Very rarely would you find someone that says, “Nah, I’d rather train longer and hold out, while taking more fists to the face before I take any contract.”. It’s not selling out, it’s taking an opportunity. Sometimes when opportunity knocks you have to open that door, drag it inside and put it in a rear naked choke because it won’t come around often. Sometimes you have to dive in head first to discover your own true potential.

Kimbo Slice was always pretty humble in his pre-fight interviews. He never talked immense amounts of trash in order to intimidate his opponents and make himself look like King Shit…or a Shamrock. He normally wouldn’t say much more than something like “I’m gonna go out there and do what I do.”. Unfortunately for him, he may have to work his way up the ladder top get to where he once was. Here is just a sliver of what Bas Rutten had to say about Kevin Ferguson in the last issue of Tapout Magazine. In case you were not aware, Bas Rutten did quite a bit of training with Kimbo Slice.

Kimbo didn’t ask for this; it just happened.Kimbo would never say he was the best–far from it– because in every interview that he did, he would always say, and I quote, “I am still a little squirrel in this big world trying to learn the game.” He didn’t disrespect other fighters, he wasn’t a bad role model, he trained hard and he actually tried to be a perfect role model since he knew that a lot of people, especially kids, watched his every move.

There was quite a bit more to this article that kind of opened my eyes about Kimbo Slice. Do I think he’s a great fighter? Better than I am, that’s for sure. The article just made me realize more that it wasn’t completely Kimbo’s fault that he was pushed in to the spotlight before he “earned” his way in to the MMA circuit. Just about every hardcore MMA fan and fighter is going to give someone a hard time when they are thrown a bone that perhaps they don’t deserve right away. Brock Lesnar is getting a lot of that now, but he’s fought a few top stars in his short career in MMA. The difference between the two is that Brock already made a name for himself in the world of wrestling, both “pro” and amateur. Kimbo was just a street fighter on Youtube. If you think Dana White didn’t sign Brock for monetary gain like Elite XC did for Slice then you’re crazy. The main difference is that Brock has fought hard hitting, technical and reputable fighters in his three fights in the UFC. That was the UFC’s choice.

Perhaps Kimbo would not have fought so well against fighters of the same caliber, but it was Elite XC making the matches kind of lop-sided. They didn’t want people to see Kimbo Slice lose his first fight, that wouldn’t have been good TV. Perhaps if they were not headlining events, he would not have got so much ridicule. I’m not saying that we should all just become Kimbo Slice fans, I just think maybe we should stop and think before we criticize someone for taking a great opportunity and being exploited by a promoter, that’s all.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Bas Rutten Speaks On The Kimbo Slice Issue

At 44 years old, Shamrock is still in great physical condition. MMA Junkie reports that Ken is set to fight in a co-promoted event with Cali based promotion “Wargods” and his own promotion “KSP”. There is no opponent for Shamrock named yet, but this just bring sup the question, when will Shamrock save face and call it a day? I’d like to see Shamrock go out on a winning note and retire as a fighter.

There has been rumor that he may fight his adopted brother, Frank Shamrock in a bout that would be hailed as a highly anticipated “Super-fight”. A lot of people say that they really have no desire to see this fight happen. Personally I think the younger Frank Shamrock would dominate this fight.

Image: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Ken Shamrock…Still Relevant?

MMAJunkie.com reports that the auction for ProElite will happen in Los Angeles later this month and all "tangible and intangible assets". Unfortunately or maybe not, this includes contracts of the fighters currently signed to EliteXC.

The sale will include contracts with a number of EliteXC fighters, including Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, Gina Carano, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Frank Shamrock and many others.

I expect Kimbo to take a huuuuge pay cut. Maybe we’ll see him on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, but that’s highly unlikely. Dana white has expressed interest in Jake Shields and I wish WEC or UFC could start a women’s title even if it’s at a single weight limit. Again not likely to happen.

From what I’m reading, this looks to be a package deal though so I doubt if it will be bought  up by Zuffa. If they are auctioning off contracts then there may be a chance that a few of these fighters may get bought up by the UFC or WEC.

Source: MMAJunkie.com

Image ©Healthandmen.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Quick Update On ProElite Auction

MMAFighting.com reports:

Kimbo Slice could be headed to Japan for "Dynamite!! 2008" on New Year’s Eve, possibly for a rematch against Seth Petruzelli.

Sharon Robb of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel confirmed Wednesday that "Dynamite!! 2008" is one of the options under consideration by Slice and his agent Mike Imber

So if this does happen, and the outcome is the same then everyone that has been saying that Kimbo Slice is NOT a real MMA fighter will have their lungs full of air, ready to spit out a big, fat "Told You So". Can you blame them though? Let’s look at some of the fighters he has stepped in to the ring with.

Kimbo Slice has had 4 fights in the Elite XC and one in Cage Fighting Fury Championship:

Kimbo’s first professional fight matched him up against Ray Mercer, a professional boxer in his first professional MMA fight, just like Slice. Ray Mercer was 46 years old at this point and as I said, this was his first professional fight. Slice actually won this fight by a guillotine choke.

His first Elite XC fight was with Bo Cantrell, a fighter that did have quite a few fights under his belt. The round started off with both fighters kind of playing it safe until Slice caught Cantrell with a strong right that looked like it stunned him and Cantrell dropped to the ground. Cantrell didn’t make much of an effort to defend himself and actually tapped out before taking too much more of a beating. A lot of people say that this match looked fixed and if you watch it, you could say the same thing. Slice’s first fight in Elite XC a set-up to draw a crowd and make him look bigger and badder than he actually is? Maybe. Perhaps Cantrell has never been hit that hard, who knows? Take a look…

Slice’s second fight was with a "Veteran" unorthodox MMA fighter "Tank" Abbott. Tank is and was, during this fight, far beyond his prime. No submission specialist here. Tank is a brawler and often overwhelms his opponents when he used to win. At the time that Kimbo fought Tank, Abbott had only won 3 of his last 10 fights before his bout with Slice. Was Abbott a credible opponent for Slice or just a "Big Name" to draw a crowd and money?

His third fight in Elite XC matched Kimbo Slice up against UK fighter James Thompson. Thompson had 23 professional fights under his belt. At the time he was matched up to fight Slice he had only won 4 of his last 10 fights. Are you starting to see the pattern here? However, this was probably the better of the matches because it lasted 3 rounds but still ended by ref stoppage 38 seconds in to the third.

His fourth and last fight in Elite XC was supposed to be against Ken Shamrock. Ken is not a dude that is in his prime anymore either, but if I was sure that it was a legit fight, I would say that Ken would definitely win this one. Unfortunately Ken "cut" himself during a warm up and had to be replaced by a lesser known fighter that was a contestant on the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 1. Seth Petruzelli took the fight and under contract would be paid 35K just for fighting and another 15K to win. Kimbo earned 500K for fighting and would have won an additional 100K if he won. This fight only lasted 14 seconds with the underdog winning with a controversial knockout. Watch the fight and then read a little conspiracy theory below that.

So Ken Shamrock is not a cheap fighter. Makes you wonder what he was going to get paid had he fought. Given the financial state or ProElite at the time it kind of makes you wonder if they told Ken that they couldn’t pay him and he refused to fight. They ask another guy that’s much cheaper to pay because they still want to hold the fight. They fix the fight so the lesser paid fighter wins and they save another 100K. You see where I’m going here? ProElite just closed it’s doors and plan on filing for Bankruptcy. It all makes sense, but why would Kimbo agree to less money? Maybe they told him it was either 500k or nothing? It’s tough to say but it leaves you wondering, doesn’t it? None of these fighters had a good fight record in their last ten fights with the exception of Seth Pteruzelli, who had only LOST two of his last 10 fights. I understand that you have to fight your way to the top, but it just seems a little fishy that they kept matching Kimbo up against fighters out of their prime or with loss records higher than win records. And they were paying him an insane amount of money. It’s no wonder ProElite shut down.

Image used with permission from Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Slice And Petruzelli A Possible Rematch?

The Florida State Boxing Commission has opened a preliminary investigation into allegation that the main event at Elite XC "Heat" match between under-card fighter Seth Petruzelli and Kimbo Slice was fixed.

The commission will be questioning the promoters, head of fight operations, Vice President and CEO of Elite XC. Press secretary Alexis Antonacci of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) stated the following.:

“We still don’t have any reason to believe that there was any wrongdoing that occurred,” she said. “But given the interest in the matter, we thought it would be best to just go ahead and open up an investigation and we’ll probably follow that up with a review.”

The finding should be back in about a week and a half.

Video source: Youtube

Post from: EveryJoe

Investigation Launched In Slice Vs.Petruzelli Fight

Kimbo Slice

What’s funny is that people kept saying that Slice didn’t have a whole lot of cage credibility and if he were to beat Ken Shamrock, his credibility would have gone up because he would have won over a bigger name in the business instead of some of the other fighters he’s gone up against. This was Kimbo’s big fight, but in reality it was just a big loss with a big paycheck. Kimbo would have earned another 100 grand had he not got defeated. I’d be willing to bet Kimbo may take a cut in pay after the flop.

Image used with permission from Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Kimbo Slice Earned 500K…And Lost

Seth Petruzelli’s win last night

It came crashing down Saturday courtesy of a quick punch from a pink-haired journeyman giving up two inches in height, four in reach and 30 pounds in muscle and might.

One simple shot sent Slice to the canvas and from there some guy named Seth Petruzelli needed just 12 punches and 14 seconds to put an end (we hope) to one of the great sporting charades of all time.

It was just a matter of time before Kimbo got exposed. He was little more than a character out of central casting, a bunch of addictive YouTube videos and a lot of insane hype by CBS, which made him a headliner before he made himself a fighter.

Kimbo was KTFO by a guy he absolutely towered over yet was willing to bang with him anyway. Not that Kimbo did any banging. Slice charged him (“He was like a truck,” Petruzelli said) but he never actually landed a punch.

In the end, Kimbo’s hand speed, defense and chin proved incapable against even an average mixed martial artist. Which was pretty much what every hardcore fan had predicted.

So what’s the future of Slice look like now? I’m sure there will be more fights in the future, but Elite XC should really think about investing in some more new and true fighters of MMA. I’m sure people will want to see Slice fight again to see if he will lose to another undercard fighter.

Tito Ortiz was there, but I don’t enjoy watching Ortiz fight much anymore. What I do like about Elite XC is the female fights. Not because I’m some perv. that get’s off on seeing two women beat the hell out of each other, but because it’s exciting to see women that could beat the hell out of most men twice their size.

Read Dan Wetzel’s entire article at Yahoo!

Post from: EveryJoe

Seth Petruzelli May Have Ko’d CBS’s Elite XC