Yeah I said it...lynching. And I do know what the word means.
Kevin Ferguson aka Kimbo Slice got used by his promotional company and now must endure the aftermath of a public lynching. Mr. Ferguson is an internet phenom that attempted to parlay his internet 'fame' into real dollars ala Paris Hilton. In corporate America it's called monetizing your image. In the real world it's called 'pimpin' the game'. True a prostitute makes money but at what personal cost?
Kimbo got his hustle on and signed the lucrative contract he was offered by Elite XC. Elite XC, a fledgling MMA promotional company, then proceeded to grossly over hype Mr. Slice as the MMA equivalent of the second coming of the grim reaper. Even though he was yet to have his first professional MMA bout (that chin checking on YouTube and Ray Mercer show doesn't count for legitimate MMA).
Throughout the entire 'spin' job, Kevin Ferguson proclaimed his neophyte status in the MMA food chain. He described himself on many, if not all occasions as 'new to the game' and 'just trying to learn the sport'. Unfortunately, he never needed to utter a boast because his 'handlers' were speaking volumes of foolishness on his behalf.
Elite XC signed him to an obscene contract and was looking for a quick multiple on their investment. They also had the first major network, CBS, deal for MMA. Obviously, they needed a horse to who they could hitch their wagon. Since they couldn't afford Fedor Emilianenko, whom despite his tremendous skill set is all but unknown in the US (he also does not speak English which clearly doesn't help his stateside marketability) and for the most part the best talent is under contract to the UFC; Kimbo was their man.
Elite XC executives have a long history in professional boxing. So they are well versed in hyping a fighter and building (padding) his
record. But with their foray into MMA they went to WWE'ish extremes. They employed the philosophy that great theater must have a villain, and the bigger and darker the better. Kevin Ferguson could not have been more perfectly cast. Kimbo was anointed as the 'baddest man on the planet' without earning it in the cage. The stage was set.
MMA fans are rabid and quite knowledgeable about the sport. The anti-Kimbo backlash was immediate and universal (if you don't believe me just go to any major MMA website forum and post a comment in support of Kimbo and see what happens...I dare you). Even those who loved him when he was brawling on YouTube ferociously turned on him when Elite XC did their thing.
The EliteXC experiment didn't last long.
For many MMA purists, Seth Petruzelli in just 14 short seconds exposed Kimbo Slice. Judgment day had come. And the myth of Kimbo Slice was laid bare.
The marketing ploy called Kimbo Slice was always meant to fail. It was part of the master plan. But Elite XC had intended to make far greater money off their investment before they threw him to the wolves.
The demise of Kimbo was quickly and thankfully followed by the bankruptcy of Elite XC.
That should have been the end of Kimbo but low and behold the UFC did an about face and soon departed the Kimbo bashing business and embarked upon the Kimbo pimping business.
Enter UFC president and front man, Dana White. Apparently he concluded that 'those sons of bi*&%#$ made money off Kimbo so why can't I'?
Kimbo lost his very first fight on the UFC's TUF/Ultimate Fighter reality show (Spike/TV) and was sent packing ...end of story, right? Not really. The ratings were through the roof and as we all have learned Kimbo has more lives than Freddy Kruger. He was resurrected from the valley of lost fighters to appear on the TUF finale show and won.
He's baaaack!
So why not make more money off him?
At UFC 113 recently held in Montreal, Quebec Canada, Kimbo lost badly running his unofficial UFC/TUF career to 1-2. Dana White made his money, proved his point and sent Mr. Slice packing.
The human being, Kevin Ferguson, was lost in the shuffle.
I chose the explosive word lynching because exploiting a big, scary Black man has always drawn a crowd. Once upon a time, it was hate filled and racially motivated now it is purely financial.
Follow Dr. Johnny Benjamin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drjcbenjamin
And clicks to a poorly conceived blog post.
You should be ashamed.
-- MrJM
Dr. Benjamin had absolutely nothing meaningful to say, so he had to say it in the most inflammatory manner possible to generate attention.
That should shame any intellectually honest writer.
-- MrJM
Wrong Doc. Please don't write about my sport.
As a fighter, I don't value your opinion on something you have no true knowledge of.
Kevin Ferguson the human being definitely wasn't lost in the shuffle in regards to the UFC. Kevin Ferguson held all the cards with the UFC. He had plenty of other opportunities but he choose to go on TUF. He negotiated himself the best deal ever for a participant on TUF and was paid very well for his fights in the UFC. In turn the UFC's marketing of Kimbo helped turn around the negative opinions towards Kevin Ferguson. There definitely was no prostitution going on there. Just a business deal that was beneficial for both parties. A business deal that Kevin Ferguson willingly signed over all the other deals presented to him. So bottom line is Kevin Ferguson the human being couldn't have been lost in the shuffle because he was the dealer and he played the cards he wanted to.
Sorry Doc but so many of your points are way off. There is just so much fail in here that I don't know where to start. Your never on solid ground but it totally falls off when you claim it was something unusual for Kimbo to have been brought back to fight after losing on TUF to Roy Nelson. You know how many fighters have been kept after losing on TUF? Hell Josh Koscheck fits that description and he is getting ready to be a coach on the next season of TUF and is getting a title shot. On every TUF finale they have always had quite a few of the losers from that season back to fight on that show and I believe those winners have always gotten another shot to prove themselves. (Example Matt Mitrione who Kimbo just lost to.) Kimbo falls right into that description. So to portray that as being out of the ordinary or as being resurrected from the valley of the lost is just flat out bogus.
Kimbo was compensated for the ratings' draw that he was. Compare Kimbo's TUF contract to that of the other fighters on the show and you'll see a big difference. Dr Benjamin, where is the exploitation? If anything, Kimbo received preferential treatment with regards to making onto a UFC event. There are much better fighters than Kimbo on the current UFC roster that you may not even have heard of. But because Kimbo was such a ratings draw, his last bout was on the main card at UFC 113. I think it is fair to say Kimbo used his draw-power and traded it for a contract and the opportunity to fight on a main card. That is a fair exchange, not a "lynching" or "exploiting".
You point out Dana White and the UFC made their money, well guess what, so did Kimbo. He doesn't exit the UFC a broke man. He made far more money than any fighter with similar limited fighting talent.
You go on to say that "Kimbo was set up to fail" with promoters as the villains and the fans rooting on the betrayal. It is quite a dangerous dichotomy that you illustrate, especially considering you begin your article describing Kimbo's time in MMA as a form of "lynching". The correlation between the various words you are using - lynching, villain, dark, black man - are all representative of a borderline racist article that offers no legitimate argument but rather, the opinions of a angry doctor with racist motivations.
It's interesting that you aim to use Slice as a scapegoat to further your own agenda, however if you where going to use the fame of a "big, scary black man" you would have had a better chance with Mike Tyson. The people of the MMA world know that while Slice may not of have been the best fighter, but he definitely proved himself as a fighter willing to learn and get better. I don't appreciate people that have no background in MMA or Sports commentary to falsely claim things that tarnish the reputation of a man just trying better his life for him and his family. It's disrespectful and its absolutely arrogant.
Please, Dr. Benjamin, do us all a favour and stick to what you do best, medicine. Leave the MMA commentary to Ariel Helwani and his crew.
Dana called Kimbo a 'joke' (with many expletives added) during most, if not all, of his tenure with Elite XC.
No fighter has ever been so carefully groomed to succeed by carefully choosing known cans with enough cred to build Kimbo's resume.
You are way off base on this one. Insultingly so. The UFC allowed people to know the real Kimbo through TUF. He is a good guy, just not a UFC caliber fighter. I don't hold the latter against him.