Monday Morning Reverie: Dodged Bullets
Mike Sloan Jun 2, 2008
Imagine what would have happened had Gina Carano (Pictures) and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson
both tasted defeat on national television.
Carano, MMA's most popular vixen, failed miserably to make weight for her fight against Kaitlin Young (Pictures). A loss seemed just as likely as another drug-related arrest for Robert Downey, Jr. And Kimbo, well, he was getting his rump handed to him for two full rounds by a journeyman known mostly for being knocked stiff on numerous occasions.
While EliteXC's landmark fight card played out on CBS, one of the
nation's most powerful networks, it wasn't beyond comprehension
that both of the MMA organization's most cherished commodities
could be exposed as defective merchandise.
Fortunately for the outspoken Gary Shaw and the rest of the suits behind Pro Elite, both Carano and Slice were victorious.
Carano's scale-tipping debacle Friday proved to be nothing more than a blip on the collective radar of fight critics the world over. She showed no genuine ill effects of having missed the contracted weight by almost five pounds. Aside from a few punches and kicks that found their marks on her face, Carano dominated her opponent from start to finish.
Though not as paramount to EliteXC's success as her heavyweight counterpart, Carano's stunning physical features coupled with her legitimate skill set will aid the fledgling company considerably.
Carano, though still a relative novice to the sport, appears from a glance to be the real deal in women's MMA. As long as she can keep her head on straight and remain disciplined to pummeling her foes, she might be to MMA what Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker, Laila Ali and Mia St. John (Pictures) were supposed to be for boxing: catalysts to send the fairer side of the combat sport into the stratosphere.
As for Ferguson, he actually answered many more questions about his talent level and potential future than he could have had he obliterated James Thompson (Pictures) inside the length of a typical Nasum song. The former Miami street brawler lasted easily into the third round, and though he was gasping for air in that stanza, the man with the fashionable whiskers didn't gas out like so many others before him.
Kimbo couldn't land his patented bombs early and often, like he had planned. He was taken down on quite a few occasions and had some difficulty in getting Thompson off of him. Ferguson also ate a cornucopia of elbows and punches while on his back, but he never folded and never quit. He may have wished for a fight against Alan Thicke in place of Thompson, but he nevertheless didn't surrender.
Instead, he regrouped and eventually found a home for his fists early in the third and a bloody, stamina-depleted "Colossus" had to be rescued. It was a borderline sensational outing from Ferguson against a man who has been defeated in six of his last eight contests.
Kimbo has a long way to go before I consider him a legitimate threat to any top-20 heavyweight, but he certainly has talent. Most importantly, he takes himself seriously and is determined to soak up as much MMA knowledge as he can.
While I am typically the first person to be the voice of reason to the sometimes insane and myopic fan base and while I have always viewed Ferguson through sardonic eyes, I've also agreed that he has talent underneath the amateur "street cred" nonsense that precedes him.
Since EliteXC is banking almost solely on his celebrity, it would be wise to keep feeding Ferguson similar opponents like Thompson. He clearly has an oasis of skills that have yet to be unearthed, and it would be a shame if Gary Shaw rushed him into a buzz saw before the company can pull itself out of the financial cellar.
Considering Shaw's track record in boxing, I think he'll do the right thing by the company and not pay attention to the gripes of hardcore MMA fans.
Misc. Debris
Urijah Faber (Pictures) is an exceptional fighter, and proof of that statement was his dominance of former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver (Pictures) on Sunday. Yet as great as Faber looked against "Little Evil" in the main event of the WEC card in Sacramento, Calif., it's hard not to watch that fight with a hint of cynicism. Not to take anything away from Faber's brilliant victory, but I doubt I'm the only man in the fight game who believes Pulver has seen his best days and won't get them back. Either Pulver was fighting in slow motion due to Faber's superior speed or the Miletich fighter simply doesn't have it anymore. Maybe it's a bit of both, but I can't begin to count how many times I asked Pulver through my boob tube to let his hands go. …
There have been a number of complaints from narrow-minded fight fans here in Vegas about EliteXC's card being shown on a three-hour tape delay. These people all wanted to watch the show live, but they missed the point. The local CBS stations did the intelligent thing because what if (insert the trademark "gasp" sound effect) the children had seen that godforsaken savagery during prime time family hours? If they had seen such "human cockfighting" during the hours when they normally all sit, hand in hand, watching "Little House on the Prairie," we might have witnessed our children fling themselves into oncoming traffic. …
My inbox has been stuffed with e-mails from disgruntled fight fans about the lame ending of the awesome Robbie Lawler (Pictures)/Scott Smith war. In my opinion, EliteXC couldn't have asked for a better ending. The fight was as gripping as it could have been. Now, because it ended under the crummy circumstances of an accidental foul, how could the eventual rematch not garner even more viewers? I believe the company struck gold when at first they thought it was just some lousy gangue. …
So much for my bellyaching about the WEC not giving Alexandre Nogueira the star treatment I thought he deserved. I felt that considering his brilliant career in Shooto, "Pequeno" would have been one of the featured attractions on the main card. Well, I guess they know more than me: Jose Aldo scorched Nogueira early in the second round. Or maybe Aldo is certainly someone to take a closer look at.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan or find me on FaceBook
Carano, MMA's most popular vixen, failed miserably to make weight for her fight against Kaitlin Young (Pictures). A loss seemed just as likely as another drug-related arrest for Robert Downey, Jr. And Kimbo, well, he was getting his rump handed to him for two full rounds by a journeyman known mostly for being knocked stiff on numerous occasions.
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Fortunately for the outspoken Gary Shaw and the rest of the suits behind Pro Elite, both Carano and Slice were victorious.
Carano systematically tore apart Young and scored an impressive
stoppage after the second round. Ferguson had much more difficulty
with his opposition, but he walked away with the win
nonetheless.
Carano's scale-tipping debacle Friday proved to be nothing more than a blip on the collective radar of fight critics the world over. She showed no genuine ill effects of having missed the contracted weight by almost five pounds. Aside from a few punches and kicks that found their marks on her face, Carano dominated her opponent from start to finish.
Though not as paramount to EliteXC's success as her heavyweight counterpart, Carano's stunning physical features coupled with her legitimate skill set will aid the fledgling company considerably.
Carano, though still a relative novice to the sport, appears from a glance to be the real deal in women's MMA. As long as she can keep her head on straight and remain disciplined to pummeling her foes, she might be to MMA what Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker, Laila Ali and Mia St. John (Pictures) were supposed to be for boxing: catalysts to send the fairer side of the combat sport into the stratosphere.
As for Ferguson, he actually answered many more questions about his talent level and potential future than he could have had he obliterated James Thompson (Pictures) inside the length of a typical Nasum song. The former Miami street brawler lasted easily into the third round, and though he was gasping for air in that stanza, the man with the fashionable whiskers didn't gas out like so many others before him.
Kimbo couldn't land his patented bombs early and often, like he had planned. He was taken down on quite a few occasions and had some difficulty in getting Thompson off of him. Ferguson also ate a cornucopia of elbows and punches while on his back, but he never folded and never quit. He may have wished for a fight against Alan Thicke in place of Thompson, but he nevertheless didn't surrender.
Instead, he regrouped and eventually found a home for his fists early in the third and a bloody, stamina-depleted "Colossus" had to be rescued. It was a borderline sensational outing from Ferguson against a man who has been defeated in six of his last eight contests.
Kimbo has a long way to go before I consider him a legitimate threat to any top-20 heavyweight, but he certainly has talent. Most importantly, he takes himself seriously and is determined to soak up as much MMA knowledge as he can.
While I am typically the first person to be the voice of reason to the sometimes insane and myopic fan base and while I have always viewed Ferguson through sardonic eyes, I've also agreed that he has talent underneath the amateur "street cred" nonsense that precedes him.
Since EliteXC is banking almost solely on his celebrity, it would be wise to keep feeding Ferguson similar opponents like Thompson. He clearly has an oasis of skills that have yet to be unearthed, and it would be a shame if Gary Shaw rushed him into a buzz saw before the company can pull itself out of the financial cellar.
Considering Shaw's track record in boxing, I think he'll do the right thing by the company and not pay attention to the gripes of hardcore MMA fans.
Misc. Debris
Urijah Faber (Pictures) is an exceptional fighter, and proof of that statement was his dominance of former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver (Pictures) on Sunday. Yet as great as Faber looked against "Little Evil" in the main event of the WEC card in Sacramento, Calif., it's hard not to watch that fight with a hint of cynicism. Not to take anything away from Faber's brilliant victory, but I doubt I'm the only man in the fight game who believes Pulver has seen his best days and won't get them back. Either Pulver was fighting in slow motion due to Faber's superior speed or the Miletich fighter simply doesn't have it anymore. Maybe it's a bit of both, but I can't begin to count how many times I asked Pulver through my boob tube to let his hands go. …
There have been a number of complaints from narrow-minded fight fans here in Vegas about EliteXC's card being shown on a three-hour tape delay. These people all wanted to watch the show live, but they missed the point. The local CBS stations did the intelligent thing because what if (insert the trademark "gasp" sound effect) the children had seen that godforsaken savagery during prime time family hours? If they had seen such "human cockfighting" during the hours when they normally all sit, hand in hand, watching "Little House on the Prairie," we might have witnessed our children fling themselves into oncoming traffic. …
My inbox has been stuffed with e-mails from disgruntled fight fans about the lame ending of the awesome Robbie Lawler (Pictures)/Scott Smith war. In my opinion, EliteXC couldn't have asked for a better ending. The fight was as gripping as it could have been. Now, because it ended under the crummy circumstances of an accidental foul, how could the eventual rematch not garner even more viewers? I believe the company struck gold when at first they thought it was just some lousy gangue. …
So much for my bellyaching about the WEC not giving Alexandre Nogueira the star treatment I thought he deserved. I felt that considering his brilliant career in Shooto, "Pequeno" would have been one of the featured attractions on the main card. Well, I guess they know more than me: Jose Aldo scorched Nogueira early in the second round. Or maybe Aldo is certainly someone to take a closer look at.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan or find me on FaceBook
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