(Props: MMA Fanhouse)
At the post-fight press conference following the TUF 10 Finale, Kimbo Slice was as pleased as you could reasonably expect considering he’d just narrowly scratched out a victory against a guy who all but refused to fight him. Though fans and pundits expected Slice and Houston Alexander to put on a one-round war — a backyard brawl brought to the Octagon — we instead got Minowaman vs. Zuluzinho part 2. "We were prepared for somewhat of his attacks, but I wasn’t prepared for the ring-riding that he did," Kimbo said. Still, he wasn’t going to let Alexander bait him into making a mistake:
Of course, there’s still a lot that Kimbo needs to bottle up, so to speak. First, he let Houston tag him with countless leg kicks. As Slice explained: "I took some good kicks to the shin. We practiced checking them, but in the fight, with the adrenaline flowing, you can take a good 7-8 kicks before they start taking their toll and you say ‘Oh yeah, I can check them,’ but by that time the kicks had taken their toll a little bit."
More aggravating from my standpoint was his inability to finish the rear-naked choke that he threatened Alexander with in the second round. Kimbo’s excuse: "I knew I didn’t have it successfully. So I didn’t want to exert a whole lot of energy on a hold I knew wasn’t guaranteed. So I said, ‘Okay, I gotta let that hold go,’ but be smart about it, and either look for something else, and if not, get back on my feet and bang it out."
As a longtime street-brawler, checking kicks and working to finish submissions are simply not part of Kimbo’s DNA. Maybe if he keeps drilling them in practice, his instincts will eventually change — though we have our doubts about his committment to learning. My response to Kimbo would be that nothing is guaranteed in a fight. You throw a punch hoping to knock your opponent out, but that’s not guaranteed either. That brief choke attempt was the closest Kimbo came to finishing Alexander during their fight, and putting a little more effort into it might have gone a long way in silencing his critics.
Despite the holes that remain in his game, UFC boss Dana White was pleased by what he saw from Slice this weekend, and less than impressed with his opponent:
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Comments
Mon, 12/07/09 - 06:54
All I have to say is that Alexander is an idiot. Every time he stood up and traded a couple shots he won...idiotic leg strategy...
Mon, 12/07/09 - 06:59
I was honestly expecting him to get knocked out. I think he did pretty well considering Houston was doing his best not to fight. I mean if you expected to see a champion caliber or even contender caliber Kimbo Slice then you were just setting yourself up for disappointment. Hopefully he just continues to get better, the only question is who's next.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:01
Dana's got a lot of nerve bad mouthing Houston Alexander after the UFC clearly handpicked him to be a fall guy for Kimbo. DW is obviously frustrated that he didn't get the slugfest he was hoping for and the subsequent ratings for it, but come on, can you really begrudge the guy for trying to get a win? I wonder what they offered Houston to come back. If it was a one fight deal only than I can see why Houston would have preferred a win on his record, but if DW promised more future UFC fights than perhaps Houston would have been more willing to throw leather.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:02
I honestly believe Kimbo would get destroyed on the feet by 90% of heavyweights, whatever their forte. I just keep asking myself why Alexander didn't just stand up. Kimbo has a shit chin for pro shots.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:04
Neither of them are UFC quality fighters, but they had to give Kimbo someone to beat up on. To bad Houston was to "smart" for that and ran into a loss, almost as boring as Shield's vs. Miller almost. By the way, what happened to Kimbo not getting into the UFC without going throught TUF. Not getting beat in the first fight abd then getting a contract. The UFC is starting to become to much of a buisness and not enough of a fight organization.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:08
"Genius-type smart" is what comes to mind when I think Kimbo.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:10
I don’t really understand Alexander’s game plan either to be honest. Was it thrown? Probably not, but if it was going to be thrown then he did the right thing (taking minimal damage). Those leg kicks looked awfully half-hearted and he almost seemed to stumble back every time he threw a kick. Then, when Kimbo grabbed him he looked like he was panicking like some bitch being grabbed by her pimp. I can’t see how he had a good training regime leading up to this. He was terrible. Whoever came up with his game plan needs to be sacked. To be perfectly honest, the pair of them looked a little bit like rabbits stuck in the headlights and as for their cardio – jeez that 3rd round was horrible to watch IMO… actually the whole fight was horrible to watch. What’s next for Kimbo? Firstly, it will HAVE to be a legitimate HW, secondly I think it could be something like fighting an ex-TUF housemate like Mitrione. Either way it’s setup to be another ‘stepping’ stone for Kimbo, but I sure as hell hope he gets destroyed in his next fight as I hate to see favouritism.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:10
"I was 'bout to choke him wiff dese Dun Dadas, but den I realized dat da enemy, was da inner me, you know whatahmsayin? Da ENemy, was da INNerme. An' I asked myself, 'Will Kimbo Slice ever truly be at ress?'"
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:11
lLOL ^ :)
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:13
I would love to see DW give Kimbo a shot at Shane now while we wait for the Lesnar fight...tee hee. God that would be awesome. I just hope the UFC doesn't have to pickup Kimbo's funeral bills..(Not that it would ever happen..either fight or bills).
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:15
DW should sign up Semmy Schilt and put him against Kimbo >;D
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:20
Who cares. UFC is getting pretty mediocre.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:24
@ virpz at lest the cards are getting that way.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:25
I think DW knows Kimbo would get KO'd by Mitrione, but who else in the house could he fight, with a reasonable chance of winning? How about Kimbo gets the winner of Pedro Martinez v Don Zimmer II. That would be a fair match up.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:28
War skeletor Kimbo gets the winner of Pedro Martinez v Don Zimmer II
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:29
@ virpz if you want to watch fights every week you're going to have to sit through some shit. The UFC does the best jobs of putting big fights together out of any organization, and while sometimes it can get stale I think were on an upswing here.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:37
I'll put money down that IF Brock is stripped of the Championship, and they decide to give him a warm up fight, it'll be against Kimbo Slice. The PPV buy rates would be ridiculous, eventhough it would essentially be an execution. I have to admit, I would gladly pay to see Kimbo brutalized by Lesnar. I'm sure Lesnar would do the same thing to Kimbo that he did to Heath Herring: keep it going on the ground so that he could torture Kimbo far past the 1st round.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:41
^^ "I have to admit, I would gladly pay to see Kimbo brutalized by Lesnar" This. I'm just waiting for him to go against someone half-decent. Still pissed at H.A. (Last time I'll say it...here anyway).
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:45
I think Kimbo's game plan for Brock Lesnar would be to jump on him and start biting his face like Blanka from Street Fighter.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 07:52
DW's Kalib Starnes comment is priceless.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:02
This fight showed how much Kimbo has grown as a fighter. He showed discipline with American Top Team, and you could see that he really does want to take it up to the next level. He also showed that he can follow a game plan, and seems to be moving out of the "brawler" category. He didn't make the same mistake he did with Petruzzelli when he rushed in only to get caught. He stood back and waited for Houston to quit being a little bitch. So I accept Kimbo as an MMA fighter and as a UFC fighter. He showed that he can hold his own against a legitimate fighter.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:12
I agree with Clinch-Smash that neither one of them is a UFC-quality fighter. Houston forgot he was a fighter at all in this fight. He used to at least know how to swing his arms. They both looked like a couple of grade school kids getting into their first fight out on the playground - both of them afraid to punch or get punched.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:12
@ clinch smash "By the way, what happened to Kimbo not getting into the UFC without going throught TUF." Huh?? I guess maybe you missed this entire season of TUF.. and think that Kimbo making his ufc debut at the TUF finale is just a coincidence?
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:13
Ufc needs to sign Sammy Shiltz and Jeff Monson. Kimbo did well, but I think that he has alot of growing to do. Mitrione will be a top tier fighter eventually, he has age, chin, great hands. He just needs a good camp. Id like to see him and Duffee throw down.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:14
Him as in Kimbo.. Kimbo vs Duffee in a Caveman vs Slaveman genetics match. Winner gets BL. LOL
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:40
Iron Fist Says: Mon, 12/07/2009 - 09:01 I wonder what they offered Houston to come back. If it was a one fight deal only than I can see why Houston would have preferred a win on his record, but if DW promised more future UFC fights than perhaps Houston would have been more willing to throw leather. What i don't understand is why cut Alexander in the first place? This guy was in some awesomely entertaining fights--why not keep him on the payroll? In my opinion, the UFC is big enough to provide both a) the high level competition we expect and b) the entertaining fights we deserve. Whether it's a grappling clinic or a slugfest, two guys do not have to be in the top 15 on the planet in order to put on a great show. (see also: Griffin v Bonnar, Stout v Fisher, Huerta v Guida) *** Alexander (and the fight overall) was a disappointment, but i think you guys are forgetting that belly to back takedown--which i will forever call the Kimboplex. I damn near spilled my Double Bock.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:45
Yeah that kimboplex had me and my buddy both saying "holyyy shit" in unison. That was awesome.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:51
OK, I NEVEr say this because I hate people who always yell about a "Fix" after a fight, but did anyone else think that fight looked a little suspicious? The one thing that really surprised me was the fact that Alexander didn't rush in on Kimbo after he dropped him with that leg kick. Whatever, I'm probably just being paranoid. I'm sure if the fix was in, Dana White wouldn't be shitting on Houston as much as he did in the press conference. "Kalib Starnes gameplan", wow! Anybody ever notice that whenever DW tells us a fight is going to be a "slugfest" with two guys who are gonna "stand and bang", it invariably turns out differently?
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:53
Houston did rush kimbo after he dropped him.. he stuck the shit out of him while he was trying to get up. Kimbo had to grab a leg and stall for a moment to survive.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 08:57
Am I the only person not that impressed with the throw? Shocker, bigger man grabs hold of smaller man from behind and throws him round. Have any of you guys ever seen a Judo or Sambo match? These guys throw each other around all the time and they’re the same size. It doesn’t take much skill nor actually much relative strength either. The only thing that is commendable is actually getting Alexander’s back in the first place. Which, when you consider Alexander’s game plan of running away from Kimbo when he got too close, also wasn’t that difficult.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 09:06
I dont know what kind of contract Chimpo has, but DW should just spoonfeed him dying stars(Mark Colemman, Frank Mir, Arlovski) and milk him for everything he's worth, before letting someone legit put his lights out and sending his ass packing. Back to fighting in backyards for you Turd Furgeson
Mon, 12/07/09 - 09:17
@ ytrebil What, you're saying you saw that coming? 'Cause i sure as hell didn't. When you're watching a judo match, you expect throws. If i'm watching Karo Parisyan or Sokoudjou, i expect some throws. I do not expect Kimbo to do his impression of Dan Severn. Maybe i'm jusy easily entertained. I'd type more, but there's something shiny out in the hall....
Mon, 12/07/09 - 09:36
Well he grabs his back, what else from there does he do? Standing choke? Take down? Spin him around and crack him? Hold on for dear life doing jack? Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy for me to say as an armchair MMA fan for sure, but we’re talking in the context of an elite organisation with these fights being on pay per view, so these fighters should be of some decent pedigree. So to be shocked/gobsmacked/hyped about some guy tossing another, smaller guy around onto the mat isn’t saying much about the sport. It’s not like Alexander is a Judo or Sambo master is it? Now the Jon Jones sweep on Hamil was quality. Now that was a ‘wow, that was awesome, hit replay…”. Two well proven guys in a front clinch, so even position and Jones perfects a perfect sweep as you’re ever likely to see AND breaks Hamil’s shoulder on the way down. Now my friend, that’s what this sport is all about.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 09:47
@ ytrebil Well he grabs his back, what else from there does he do? Standing choke? Take down? Spin him around and crack him? Hold on for dear life doing jack? "... to be shocked/gobsmacked/hyped about some guy tossing another, smaller guy around onto the mat isn’t saying much about the sport." Perhaps. But again, i'm easily entertained. Also, i'd already poured a couple Samuel Adams Double Bocks TM down my gullet. Dammit, i dug it. "Now the Jon Jones sweep on Hamil was quality." Agreed. "we’re talking in the context of an elite organisation with these fights being on pay per view" I just go back to my earlier position that these guys don't have to necessarily be the best in the world for me to pay to watch. I'm not saying sign up some freak fights, but i'll pay for fisher/stout over leites/silva anyday. Or just keep watching WEC. It gives me enjoyable fights and satisifies my need to be a fight snob at the same time.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:11
YAWWWWWWN!!!! ANOTHER UNIMPRESSING UFC NIGHT. Kimbo should go back to the streets-- WHAT THE HELL, UFC!
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:12
@ skeletor I never said I wanted to watch fights every week, what are you talking about ? What I meant by mediocre is that UFC is creating too much of the "hype based fighters" instead of recruiting real talented fighters . All DW can do is criticism agaisnt other promotions and no1 can blame the guy, he is a business man and knows that there are idiots enough in the world that will make him profit even with shit fighters, all he needs to do is some hype. He knows that alot of people knows shit about mma and will just his directions.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:13
follow his directions*
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:16
I think what happened in this fight is that the UFC did the same thing with Alexander as EliteXC tried to do with Seth Putrezelli. Except the UFC isn't run by a bunch of fuck-ups, which is why they were successful in making Kimbo look legit in this last fight.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:19
Also... just for my own sadistic amusement: Kimbo vs. Pat Berry Kimbo vs. Hardonk Talk about some "tree-choppers"!
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:32
@son of serbia You would put Kimbo against guys like Mark Colemman, Frank Mir, and Arlovski expecting him to win? Are you out of your mind? Any of them would have a field day with Kimbo. Coleman and Mir would take him down at will and maul him on the ground and Arlovski would ktfo him in the first round. If they want Kimbo to win they need to put him against other sloppy up and comers with no elite skill sets, not the guys you listed.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:44
If you think Mir is a dying star, wait until his dismembers Kongo this weekend.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 10:58
@virpz your a complete moron, no organization has more top ten talent in its ranks then the UFC. Why is it trendy to hate on the ufc all of the sudden, like WTF happened. They bring in new guys almost every show, theirs even a fucking series of articles called "new faces at " on cagepotato.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 11:00
@ ArmFarmer Can't agree more with you. That's all folks
Mon, 12/07/09 - 11:03
@Jarekov The Great What the fuck I don't hate UFC, sure it does have the most talented fighters in the world but it also does have shit fighters that are hype maded products just like any other organization . And go play ur lil p p u fuck dumbtard.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 11:09
Straight up, Kimbo is gun shy. How can a guy who trains with people like Bas Rutten and ATT not know how to cut someone off in the cage. That fight fucking sucked, Kimbo sucks, and Houston Alexander looks like he ate a pussy pill.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 11:28
LOL LOL LOLLLL at Jesus tapped my...
Mon, 12/07/09 - 11:40
People hating on the UFC for putting on a free event= PUSSIES. Honestly, there cant be too many stacked events in one year. The UFC has so many fighters and only a big handful are champions, "stars" or big name fighters. Do you expect there to be title shots every event. Do you expect all the top contenders fighting in one night? Fucking idiots.
Mon, 12/07/09 - 11:54
"Kimboplex" FTW!!! I hate to be one of those guys who yells "fix!" all the time, but I lost money on that fight and it was dull and boring, so it's clearly fixed. Houston clearly had time to throw a fireball after dropping Kimbo with a leg kick to the leg, but he didn't! Anyone else see that? Seems pretty obvious to me. I am in possession of superior observational skills and I've been watching MMA pretty seriously for at least 10 months now. I also took a karate class once, so I know what I'm talking about.
Tue, 12/08/09 - 12:15
ArmFarmer Says: Mon, 12/07/2009 - 08:12 @ clinch smash "By the way, what happened to Kimbo not getting into the UFC without going throught TUF." Huh?? I guess maybe you missed this entire season of TUF.. and think that Kimbo making his ufc debut at the TUF finale is just a coincidence? What i took out of DW saying that is he would not give him a fight without winning TUF not just showing up and bitching out.
Tue, 12/08/09 - 02:22
Almost every fighter that's been on tuf has fought in the ufc. I think the only ones that haven't were guys that got kicked off the show or went home early, but other than that almost everyone gets a chance in the ufc. I figured it was a given that kimbo would get a few fights.
Wed, 12/09/09 - 12:39
Kimbo = black version of Bluto from Popeye
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