Ultimate Fighter 10

[Captain Kirk]

I'm saying Houston Alexander TKO by leg kicks or Kimbo tapping Houston out.

[Guest Mr. Grinch]

Kimbo ain't tapping anybody out, and very rarely do leg kicks cause a TKO. I'm thinking Houston by TKO due to punches.

[Fitzy]

If Houston loses this, he should consider calling it a career.

[Jayzon]

He's exciting for a few reasons I'd imagine.

1) You know you'll get a brawl.

2) People buy into his hype.

3) He looks like a mean mf'er.

4) You always want to see how much he's improved (kinda connected to point 2)

5) He's an MMA legend. People get pumped for his fights.

I don't really get behind him like some people do, but he's entertaining for the three minutes his fights last.

I agree with you on all points except the 5th one; to call Kimbo an MMA legend at this stage of his career is beyond absurd.

[ZJ Penn]

I don't think so. Clearly he's not an MMA legend in the same way someone like Randy Couture is, but he has a massive following and will go down in history for one reason or another.

A better way to put it is probably that he's a legend of MMA.

[Gabriel]

I don't think so. Clearly he's not an MMA legend in the same way someone like Randy Couture is, but he has a massive following and will go down in history for one reason or another.

A better way to put it is probably that he's a legend of MMA.

Just like my man, Jose Canseco! Legends of MMA!

Seriously though, the reason people think he's an exciting fighter is because he IS an exciting fighter. That doesn't mean that he's a skilled fighter, just an exciting one. Some of the most entertaining mixed martial arts fights are the polar opposite of Sakuraba/Newton's display of technical proficiency.

People buy into Kimbo because you know he's going out there to entertain. If he gets matched up with a Roy Nelson who takes him down and holds him there, and peppers him with little girl shots, then sure, that fight wasn't exciting... but that doesn't make Kimbo any less of an exciting fighter. It just means that he seriously needs to work on his wrestling, takedown defense and ground escape.

You put a guy in there looking to entertain, against a guy who has no problem pissing people off to get the win, and I'd say that the majority of the time, the guy who's just looking to win is going to win, because he's going to implement his game plan.

Kimbo CAN get better at these other areas of MMA. He CAN get good enough to prevent people from just avoiding his strikes and shutting him down... but whether or not he does is something that only time will tell.

[Guest Mr. Grinch]

Kimbo vs. James Thompson wasn't entertaining. Kimbo vs. Seth Petruzelli was only entertaining because it was over so quick. I don't really think it's fair to say a guy's an entertaining fighter when he's only entertaining if he's put against guys who are basically amateurs.

[Gene Kiniski]

He's exciting for a few reasons I'd imagine.

1) You know you'll get a brawl.

2) People buy into his hype.

3) He looks like a mean mf'er.

4) You always want to see how much he's improved (kinda connected to point 2)

5) He's an MMA legend. People get pumped for his fights.

I don't really get behind him like some people do, but he's entertaining for the three minutes his fights last.

ZJ, if I didn't like you I'd probably reply with something like this:

But I'm not going to.

Kimbo is easily more famous that 80% of the current UFC roster, but that is because he is a YouTube legend, not due to his MMA career. If it was not for the massive amount that the internet effect media in todays world then Kimbo would have no career or hype outside of Miami. Personally, I give the guy massive props for taking what he had to work with an milking it for everything that he has thus far.

Also, I would like someone to explain to me how Roy Nelsons ground'n'pound is "laying on them" (them as in his opponents). Nelson did not lay on his opponents, he passed guard and stopped them via punches. Everyone is acting like the guy pulled a Jake Shields. The guy initiated probably the smartest gameplan on the entire show. It payed off him major too. A smart, skilled, experienced fighter in a extremely green field of fighters (Wes doesn't count) pulled out two unquestionable victories in three fights*. While it is easy to dislike his attitude, which I think was more of Dana's hype than Roy's actual actions, to consider his laying on his opponents is obvious inaccurate.

*I will admit that the decision should have had a third round in my opinion.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

...I honestly cannot fathom why so many of you think Kimbo is an exciting fighter. Against Houston Alexander will probably be a decent fight because I doubt either of them want to go to the ground, but put Kimbo against almost anybody else and Nelson/Kimbo is really the best you can hope for.

Because he's a fucking exciting fighter, probably the most exciting fighter I've actually watched. I'm tired of hearing people claim he's not that good. He's clearly been training hard and trying to improve his game. People keep shitting on his ground game, despite the fact nobody has seen him fight on the ground for god knows how long, bar the fight with Big Bore, and you cant really judge it from that.

The thing with Kimbo is I know I'm always going to get something quite special. It's the same with Forrest Griffin really. He's not the most 'skilled' fighter in the UFC, but nine times out of ten you're going to get something fan-dabi-dozi. Whereas you could match up two of the most skilled fighters in the world and get a fight that is boring as hell.

It may just be a personal preference, but I'd rather watch Kimbo over the majority of MMA talent, because I know I'll get something exciting. I'm really looking forward to his showing against Houston, because a win here would be a pretty big deal and clearly lead to a next big fight for Kimbo in the UFC. It's just become tiring of hearing people go 'OMGZ HE HAS NO GROUND GAME HE'S A SHIT FIGHTER', something that was said about Lesnar at one point too for some unknown reason, until he proved everybody wrong and suddenly everybody jumped on the band wagon.

Edited December 4, 2009 by JohnnyPerfect

[ZJ Penn]

Kimbo is easily more famous that 80% of the current UFC roster, but that is because he is a YouTube legend, not due to his MMA career. If it was not for the massive amount that the internet effect media in todays world then Kimbo would have no career or hype outside of Miami. Personally, I give the guy massive props for taking what he had to work with an milking it for everything that he has thus far.

Nah, people are misinterpreting it. In no way shape or form is what I said related to talent, accomplishments (although the ratings he's got could be argued in that way) or anything like that. But the simple fact is that in 30 years time when 99% of fighters now have been forgotten, people will still talk about Kimbo to some degree. That's why I changed the wording from MMA legend to a legend of MMA. Not in the way that Liddell or Wanderlei are, more in the kind of literal, myth interpretation of the word.

[Captain Kirk]

When will people realise that Nelson wasn't hitting Kimbo hard so that he didn't injure himself, you only have to look at the difference in force of the same punches between his fight with Slice and McSweeney to realise he was holding back. If Nelson hadn't held back in the crucifix with how long it was applied Nelson would have probably injured his hand and Kimbo would have been messed up.

[Guest Mr. Grinch]

...I honestly cannot fathom why so many of you think Kimbo is an exciting fighter. Against Houston Alexander will probably be a decent fight because I doubt either of them want to go to the ground, but put Kimbo against almost anybody else and Nelson/Kimbo is really the best you can hope for.

Because he's a fucking exciting fighter, probably the most exciting fighter I've actually watched. I'm tired of hearing people claim he's not that good. He's clearly been training hard and trying to improve his game. People keep shitting on his ground game, despite the fact nobody has seen him fight on the ground for god knows how long, bar the fight with Big Bore, and you cant really judge it from that.

The thing with Kimbo is I know I'm always going to get something quite special. It's the same with Forrest Griffin really. He's not the most 'skilled' fighter in the UFC, but nine times out of ten you're going to get something fan-dabi-dozi. Whereas you could match up two of the most skilled fighters in the world and get a fight that is boring as hell.

It may just be a personal preference, but I'd rather watch Kimbo over the majority of MMA talent, because I know I'll get something exciting. I'm really looking forward to his showing against Houston, because a win here would be a pretty big deal and clearly lead to a next big fight for Kimbo in the UFC. It's just become tiring of hearing people go 'OMGZ HE HAS NO GROUND GAME HE'S A SHIT FIGHTER', something that was said about Lesnar at one point too for some unknown reason, until he proved everybody wrong and suddenly everybody jumped on the band wagon.

Did you even read my post? I listed every fight Kimbo's had in the past year and a half - two were boring, and the third was exciting but Kimbo had no part in why. So to say nine times out of ten you'll get something great is absurd.

[Walker]

Jones/Mitrione was an exciting fight, I was quite impressed with Mitrione's knock out victory. I've underestimated him. Hopefully Marcus Jones will be back, he has a lot of talent.

Edger/Veach didn't really excite me, but Veach's first slam was a thing of beauty.

Speaking of slams, Kimbo's on Houston Alexander was awesome. It was like watching puro. Pretty boring fight at the beginning and end, but the middle picked up.

Jon Jones is a fucking beast. I've rated Hamill since TUF3 and was really impressed with how Jones dominated him. It is a shame it goes down as a loss for him, but a DQ is a DQ.

Schaub was out punching Nelson and escaped from the ground well, but then he got hit with that monster jab to the ear. Nelson is a deserving winner in my book and I'd like to see where he goes from here. Schaub will be back. For me he was winning that first round by a mile, which is a indicator that he could come back improved and be a threat.

Enjoyed the show all in all.

[Guest Mr. Grinch]

I can't agree with "Marcus Jones has talent". He's decent on the ground and horrible if he can't get his opponent down.

[TheRaySays]

Also, I would like someone to explain to me how Roy Nelsons ground'n'pound is "laying on them" (them as in his opponents). Nelson did not lay on his opponents, he passed guard and stopped them via punches.

He did not stop them via punches. He stopped Kimbo via gut and the referee stopped the fight via unprotected powder-puff strikes. Kimbo didn't tap to strikes nor did he come up bloody. It was a TKO.

He then got past Justin Wren on a close decision. He hardly dominated that fight, though Wren wore himself out and was unlikely to win a third round had it gone to one. Still, the point stands that he didn't stop Wren via punches, just experience and cardio.

McSweeney fell prey to the giant gut and TKO. Sure, he was dazed by a big right, but McSweeney wasn't ground-n-pounded into submission. It was another "just enough to get the win" victory for Nelson.

This tactic didn't work on Schaub, who looked proper dangerous, so Nelson had to actually fire off a solid punch and lay his ass out, and that's really all I want from Roy. The Buddha belly crucifix really wouldn't work in any other weight class. If he's going to use it, then I want his opponents coming up looking like raw hamburger. He's exploiting a loophole of sorts, and good on him for knowing what it takes to win without actually cheating, but at the end of the day, televised sports are as much about sizzle and spectacle as about athletic achievement, and Nelson is never going to top my "must watch" list, let alone my "will pay to see" list.

On the Marcus Jones front, I think Big Baby is a class act, but he's got a glass jaw, and for someone of his size, that won't get him far. Maybe he'd be better suited for pro wrestling, where his solid work ethic and gentle nature can also be assets.

I think Kimbo is unfortunately not hungry enough for his card position. He seems concerned about protecting his reputation, while not yet legitimizing himself in the octagon. I sadly don't want to see young guys fed to Kimbo to make him seem legit, but I also don't want him to just get stepped on before he can develop. It's a real quandary.

[Guest Mr. Grinch]

He's not going to develop. He can hit hard but that's it.

[Captain Kirk]

The Kimbo fight and McSweeney fight weren't stopped by the gut, they were stopped as neither fighter was intelligently defending themselves. Nelson could have hit full force but why do that when he could end up injuring his hand? Hopefully people will realise this after him knocking Schaub clean out.

I think most of the hate Nelson gets is pretty much because he beat Kimbo without breaking a sweat, which ANY decent heavyweight will do. The sooner Kimbo is out of the UFC the better, they put him up against Kimbo-lite no wonder he won.