In Defense of Kimbo

[skylolow]

I dont blame the guy for any of it. All things considered he's actually a pretty likeable guy who's just getting paid.

I blame Scott Coker 100%. Ruining 1 organization after another with these types of fights. How he keeps getting jobs is an absolute mystery to me.

I agree 100%.

The number 2 org in the world should not have to rely on putting on a show like that last night. Most fans knew it was going to be an epic fail, how the hell does anyone with power at Spike let this shit go on? Great, maybe you got a ratings bump one night but you sure the hell sealed the coffin on any fringe/casual Bellator fan wasting any more time on Bellator. Maybe at best you won the battle but you sure the hell lost the war.

 

[BeardotheWeirdo]

I dont blame the guy for any of it. All things considered he's actually a pretty likeable guy who's just getting paid.

I blame Scott Coker 100%. Ruining 1 organization after another with these types of fights. How he keeps getting jobs is an absolute mystery to me.

What!?

Strikeforce turned down Kimbo and sent him to the UFC. How did Coker ruin Strikeforce with these types of fights?

Viacom is the one who likes Kimbo. Bjorn was fired because he didn't want to do freakshows. Coker doesn't like them either but he has no choice, if it wasn't for him than Viacom would be running Bellator and it would be full of freak-show fights, instead of just one every few months

 

[Sasquatch Smith]

What!?

Strikeforce turned down Kimbo and sent him to the UFC. How did Coker ruin Strikeforce with these types of fights?

Viacom is the one who likes Kimbo. Bjorn was fired because he didn't want to do freakshows. Coker doesn't like them either but he has no choice, if it wasn't for him than Viacom would be running Bellator and it would be full of freak-show fights, instead of just one every few months

I dunno man. Coker seems to like this kind of shit. He had a good year or so when he finally assembled a decent Strikeforce roster but obviously he has no idea how to manage it. Cant believe anyone would trust him with their money.

 

[Andrey Kamensky]

I agree. Kimbo was gassed as hell but he showed heart.

 

[benebox]

I saw Kimbo on YouTube for the first time and was impressed with his head movement. Good for him that he has been able to make some money from nothing more than internet hype.

 

[tankfan]

Yes, Kimbo gassed and looked sloppy last night. But:

1. Kimbo was a YouTube sensation for fighting out of shape nobodies and looking like a badass doin it. He didn't start MMA until he was in his mid-late 30s. He only has a highly public career because we all wanted to see him try MMA and we keep tuning in because we keep wanting to see him try.

2. He has completely lived up to expectations. If you watched his youtubes and had to predict how well he's do in MMA, you'd think, "Well, he'd potentially be a threat for the first minute, will gas quickly and is probably complete garbage on the ground."

3. Kimbo actually showed heart last night. What??? Yes, obviously he was gassed, arguably more so than Dada, but he got up off the mat, and stood up off the stool each time and kept walking forward and kept throwing punches. Albeit by the middle of round two, landing butterflies generated more power than his punches, but he kept trying.

4. This was literally a glorified YouTube backyard brawl. That's where both the guys come from, that's the reason the fight was made, so if you were expecting more than a clumsy backyard brawl fight, that is kind of your own fault.

going into this I did indeed expect a sloppy punch fest. in the back of my mind I had very slight hope that Kevin Ferguson would remember and use some of the slight technical skill he has. like his beating Ray Mercer with a guilloteine choke or defeating Shane Tilyard 3 years ago by liver punch. both things Kimbo learned from Bas

 

[Jermei]

Dada fought better than Kimbo and waa probably winning on the cards. Dada had a sliver more in the tank than Kimbo until he died. Kimbo won via default... Dada proved he's nearly on par with Kimbo who's been in the game what 8-10ish years...

 

[NHB7]

Dada fought better than Kimbo and waa probably winning on the cards. Dada had a sliver more in the tank than Kimbo until he died. Kimbo won via default... Dada proved he's nearly on par with Kimbo who's been in the game what 8-10ish years...

I gotta say I disagree. I had Kimbo ahead on my personal score card. As did Jimmy Smith. He was landing more, always moving forward, and getting takedowns. Dada, save maybe 2 good punches, did nothing. In DADAs defense, this was the biggest show he has ever been a part of and he clearly was not properly trained or ready for this. Imagine what a young Igor Vovchanchyn would have done to these men.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I gotta say I disagree. I had Kimbo ahead on my personal score card. As did Jimmy Smith. He was landing more, always moving forward, and getting takedowns. Dada, save maybe 2 good punches, did nothing. In DADAs defense, this was the biggest show he has ever been a part of and he clearly was not properly trained or ready for this. Imagine what a young Igor Vovchanchyn would have done to these men.

I think Inga Vovchanchyn would have beat up both of these men.

 

[Jermei]

I gotta say I disagree. I had Kimbo ahead on my personal score card. As did Jimmy Smith. He was landing more, always moving forward, and getting takedowns. Dada, save maybe 2 good punches, did nothing. In DADAs defense, this was the biggest show he has ever been a part of and he clearly was not properly trained or ready for this. Imagine what a young Igor Vovchanchyn would have done to these men.

There were times when Kimbo was on empty and Dada was tossing up strikes... or really weak pillow puffs.. And in the second I laughed out loud when they were clinched and kimbo simply dropped to both his knees from exaustion I think. Kimbo clearly had a couple drops of fuel left in the third but Dada died because he was was more physically unprepared than Kimbo. I don't think strikes absorbed had anything to do with their exhaustion, it was due to giving strikes and maybe im wrong I dont know but I thought dada had more touches than kimbo.

 

[cheesus]

I think Kimbo had some potential, the fact that he held his own against Sean Gannon..a judo black belt and am boxer with a few pro & am mma fights under his belt, for over 10 minutes is definitely a tough achievement. However that last fight was pathetic, I don't know how his cardio is so bad...I think I would have better cardio and that says a lot considering I'm a borderline alcoholic who's always had shit lungs and smokes a fair amount of weed.

 

[yalp]

I think your point is valid. Plus, his age is pretty impressive to performe like he did. Props to him.

 

[Outsider524]

I'm not mad about kimbo he's always been about that bread...but sadly being a Badass doesn't last forever. And he was pretty much at the end of his fighting career by the time he got into mma. His knees were gone on tuf

And then he just disappeared to boxing and was fighting at a small casino with weigh-ins at local grocery stores....he was done he knew it But then bellator came knocking. And offering that bread.

Kimbo isn't a joke and has accomplished way more then the haters said he ever would in mma. But that said they still laugh at a 40 year old man who was a YouTube star in 2008...And still want to prove he was always just a can off his recent fights . i haven't actually watched the fight I'm sure it was terrible but he's old. Street fighter Kimbo would probably work this version of kimbo.

 

[RawHawg]

I hope one day Bas goes into detail about what exactly caused the split between Kimbo and him as a trainer. He has only spoke of it in very broad terms, calling Kimbo an asshole and saying Kimbo didn't follow his directions, etc...., and not much else. Before the split, Bas had said he felt Kimbo had great potential and was looking forward to developing him. I also recall, on TUF, they showed Kimbo jogging and he was so close to collapsing that one or two guys - don't recall - had to hold him up under his arms and run with him; so I'm not sure he ever was interested in training to have any type of cardio conditioning.

 

[NHB7]

I hope one day Bas goes into detail about what exactly caused the split between Kimbo and him as a trainer. He has only spoke of it in very broad terms, calling Kimbo an asshole and saying Kimbo didn't follow his directions, etc...., and not much else. Before the split, Bas had said he felt Kimbo had great potential and was looking forward to developing him. I also recall, on TUF, they showed Kimbo jogging and he was so close to collapsing that one or two guys - don't recall - had to hold him up under his arms and run with him; so I'm not sure he ever was interested in training to have any type of cardio conditioning.

I'm totally speculating here, but Bas trains pros. Pro trainers don't usually have patience for guys who don't push themselves. Normally, they don't have to. But I think with Kimbo Bas was genuinely trying to prepare him and Kimbo, being older and never really seriously trained before this, probably wasn't prepared to push himself to Bas's expectations. And honestly, probably couldn't.

 

[ocfightfan]

He seems like a good guy and he's got guts but there's more to MMA than that.

 

[Kinku]

When you make millions of dollars off selling your company, that's called successful.

except the fact he didnt want to sell ths company, the investor didnt want any part of MMA market anymore.

 

[Philo-Publius]

Kimbo should be embarrassed about his lack of cardio. That's all I have to say.

 

[TH1RTE3N]

The fight should've never been made and Kimbo is actually the least of my concerns. The fight wasn't just an overall terrible fight, but you have one MMA fighter with a questionable gas tank fighting a complete amateur just because he was a street fight rival. Dada is NOT an MMA fighter. He had 2 fights 5 years ago. On top of that, he had to cut 40lbs to make HW and never proved he was really for a fight like this in MMA and it put him in critical condition from exhaustion.

This spot and money should've been given to a proven fighter instead of Coker just trying to build a quick buck. Of course Kimbo looked awful but at least he has enough experience and training to know how to avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital from conditioning so far. You simply can't just throw guys like Dada into the spotlight like this, his professional training was so minimal. Not a good move at all, even beyond the entertainment value.

 

[mjmj]

When you make millions of dollars off selling your company, that's called successful.

Damn, special kind of stupid right here.