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2008-02-18 02:29:09
Could Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson Do Well in the UFC?
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I was sitting and watching the Kimbo Slice fight last night against "Tank" Abbott, and the topic of "Kimbo Slice" potentially moving to the UFC came up. Most of the people that I was watching the fight with were staunch Kimbo fans. Many of them came to know the man they call "Kimbo" after watching him destroy people in underground fights via videos that popped up on the Internet.
After Slice destroyed "Tank" Abbott, the conversation became decidedly pro-Kimbo. "UFC fighters wouldn't be able to match his street fighting abilities", people said.
I like Kimbo too, but I don't think that he would fare very well at all in the UFC. Here's why:
First off, "Kimbo Slice" is a heavyweight. He currently weighs approx. 235 pounds. So if he signed to the UFC, he would be fighting in their heavyweight division. The heavyweight division in the UFC arguably has the weakest pool of talent, pound for pound.
Another fact that needs to be stated is that "Kimbo Slice" is now 34 years old. Not old enough to be "over the hill", but not exactly a spring chicken either.
"Kimbo" has two professional fights under his belt. Both were first round knockouts against lesser opponent. His fight against Bo Cantrell lasted less than a minute, and his bout against "Tank" Abbott lasted just a little bit longer. With all due respect, neither Cantrell or Abbott was too tough of a test for "Slice".
"Kimbo Slice" relies on his power and punching ability to win. I have never watched him train, but I am assuming that Slice doesn't have much in the way of grappling ability or submission techniques. This is important if you are planning on fighting in the UFC. Look at what Frank Mir did to Brock Lesnar. Lesnar had all the power in the world, but he was sloppy and the seasoned Mir pounced on that and submitted Lesnar. So, "Slice" would have to hope that he either knocked his opponent out before the fight got to the ground, or that he fought someone else who didn't have much in the way of submission training or ground-fighting abilities. There aren't too many of those fighters in the UFC.
Who would he match up the best against? I would have to say, Brock Lesnar. Both rely on their power. In this matchup though, I believe that Lesnar would score a quick victory due to his wrestling background, speed, agility and punching power. "Slice" is a slow and plodding fighter who just looks to get into slugfests. What would he do is Lesnar had him on the ground and was on top of him? I am not sure that he could do very much.
Let's throw some other names out there. Frank Mir? Look at what Mir did to Lesnar. "Slice", in my opinion, would suffer the same fate. Randy Couture? Not even close. Cheick Kongo and Fabricio Werdum? Both would easily best Slice, in my opinion. How about some other names that currently aren't in the UFC? Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic? Fedor Emelianenko? Again, I feel like "Slice" would be completely dominated against both of these fighters, for different reasons. Could Slice guard against a head kick from Filipovic or a submission attempt from Emelianenko? No way.
That doesn't leave much in the way of opponents for Slice in the UFC. I can't think of one heavyweight currently active who would be a good match-up for Slice. Until he proves something to me, he would do well to stay away from the UFC, or else he will tarnish his legacy. Would Dana White want him in the UFC? That's another question for another day.
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