Why is Kimbo Slice being accepted as a mixed martial arts fighter?

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Everybody has to start somewhere. I think the question should be, why does everybody keep asking this question? The guy is just getting into the sport and he, nor any member of his team has claimed that he should be fighting top tier guys at this point in time. He has proven that he can hit like a runaway freight train and that’s half the battle right there. Bas Rutten and Randy Couture were both recently voted two of the top 10 fighters of all-time by MMAweekly and I think they might be little better judges of talent than any of us fans are.

Because he’s actually spending time in the gym, training at Legends with Bas Rutten, Randy Couture, and other highly competent training partners. That’s more than many of his critics, yourself included, can probably say.

He’s not an accomplished fighter in MMA, but he’s sure as heck putting in the gym time and people should respect that.

to TheMoe and Rear naked joke:
Great Answer!!!!!
the haters on Kimbo are getting way outta hand…im not a staunch supporter myself…but i know that the man is only taking the oppurtunities that are put in front of him(which are oppurtunities he made for himself)
He has heart, probably one of the tougher chins around, and is hungry….Whats wrong with that???
Wasnt there some guy in early UFC days who had his own style?? Joe Son Do or something like that??? he never won any fights, theres a fraud for you…
People (Chuck lidell included) say Kimbo got famous by beating up nobodys and punching nobodys on the street and filming….
MY QUESTION THEN REMAINS:
If its so easy to beat up brawlers and bouncers in 10,000$ streetfights to get noticed and get in MMA…Why doesnt everyone do it???
Because no one wants to actually throw down(myself included) when theres nothing but danger and health risks involved in bareknuckle fights…
Kimbo is getting bashed for following the American dream…he wanted something…went out….did it…and got noticed….
Also check your stats….20%???????
Kimbo has some pretty good boxing skills in my opinion, and thats why his first loss may be to a submission specialist…because no one in their right minds can trade blows with him!
Sorry for the rant, im not a kimbo lover, but give the guy time….no one from his corner is saying hes the best in the world…thats just fan trash talk………

I think his next fight will answer the question of whether or not he really belongs in MMA. As some people say here, he is a legitimate fighter because of training with the likes of Bas Rutten, etc. and actually making this a full time job. I think people are getting too caught up on the fact that he’s known for streetfighting and therefore think that compromises the integrity of the sport. Good MMA fighters come from all walks of life and disciplines, whether it’s wrestling (Coutoure, Sherk, etc), Karate (GSP, Machida, Lidell), BJJ (Gracie, Penn), Judo (Parisyan), heck, why not throw streetfihgting in the mix???

Kimbo is being accepted because all publicity is good publicity.People either love Kimbo, or they love to hate him…he brings attention to the sport either way.As far as his skillset,he may not be a refined martial artist, but he can fight, he’s tough, and he seems dedicated.He sells tickets, he sells PPV’s and he attracts the African American fan base that MMA lacks . He makes money for his organization. That is why there will always be room for people like Kimbo in MMA.

Dude, Kimbo Slice has not prooven anything. He got his fame from filmimg his fights from the streets to youtube. He was fighting guys that are over weight and cant fight. I can make some impressive knockouts on the streets vs some guy that dont know anything about fighting and put it on youtube. His last fight with Tank was a joke, tank is over weight old man that has no bussiness being in MMA anymore. If he beats a big name in MMA then yeah his legit.

kimbo wont fight in the UFC unless dana white sets him up to loose badly kimbo is bad for the sport there trying to porve that MMA is athlets not just street brawler sin cgae and you bring in kimbo and feed him sub par brawlers

From what I’ve read and heard from the day Kevin Ferguson entered the MMA world, as well as whatever my opinions were at the time, most are accepting him as an MMA fighter because of the hype surrounding him, and some are accepting him because of his willingness to learn and understand the fight game. It’s the same situation with Brock Lesnar, despite the fact that Brock is an accomplished athlete. Both Brock & Kevin are greenhorns in the sport, but yet despite all the hype surrounding them they still show the eagerness to learn and face challenges.

The problem for me now is the way Kevin is being handled by Gary Shaw, as opposed to how Dana White handled Brock in his arrival in the UFC. Dana matched Brock up with Frank Mir, probably knowing that Brock would most likely lose but also knowing that Brock wouldn’t want it any other way. In Kevin’s case, however, Gary Shaw has fed him can after can after can, that’s why his reputation is being questioned. Given the fact that Kevin has little experience in the sport, but how can you establish someone as the faceof your promotion if you keep on placing him on mismatches that are only bound to pad his record and all the hype surrounding him?

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