So Kimbo Slice is going to go to the UFC, by way of their The Ultimate Fighter TV show.

I think this is great!

Kimbo is an interesting phenomenon. You’ve got this huge, muscled, tough, big black dude. He does bare-knuckle brawling in backyards. Gets video taped. Tapes put on the Internet. The buzz builds about this guy. Next thing you know, he’s a star. I watched some of Kimbo’s fights before he hit it big and I was impressed with the guy. He came off rough and crude, but effective at least in his element. But I also noticed in the videos that he was a sportsman about things; he may have been aggressive and mean in his attitude, but you could tell under it all this was just sport to him.

So he hits it big. The short-lived EliteXC promotion basically builds a promotion around him, but the fights aren’t that great and really show how weak Kimbo is going up against even modest pro fighters. The first 2 fights Kimbo fought were wins, and certainly Kimbo could hit like a freight train (Tank didn’t look too good). But the 3rd fight against James Thompson really demonstrated Kimbo’s weaknesses, only winning due to the freak rupturing of Thompson’s cauliflower ear (which was mighty gross). 

I will give Kimbo some credit. He does appear to want to learn. He does appear to want to get better and become more of a “legit” fighter. So I’ll give him credit for that. Going on TUF furthers that notion that he’s willing to learn, he’s willing to work his way up. And hey, he’s also willing to take the payday. The man certainly knows how to work his fame into fortune, and I can’t blame him for that either. And Dana White well knows this will make a lot of money for him as well. TUF has been floundering a bit, and this will certainly be a ratings draw. If Kimbo happens to win it, it’s going to really be a big story and big money. So really, this is a win-win situation for both parties, and should bring some spice and drama to the pro MMA scene.

Our TV’s await….