Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights

I've had a few hours to digest the whole Saturday Night Fights experience. Here are some final thoughts on the show, in no particular order.

1) Petruzelli beating Kimbo was not an upset. I made this point briefly in my fight blog immediately after the fight, and I'll explain it here. Kimbo Slice is still a novice (YouTube doesn't count). Seth Petruzelli is not. He's had 16 pro fights in a little over eight years, winning 10 and losing four. Two of his losses were to Matt Hamill and Wilson Gouveia -- both UFC fighters, both more skilled than Kimbo Slice. Look, Seth Petruzelli may not have much of a name, but he's a solid enough fighter to beat a guy with less than two years of experience on short notice. Kimbo wasn't as likely to figure out a way to beat Petruzelli on short notice as vice versa.

Gabriel Gonzaga beating Mirko Cro Cop with a head kick was an upset. Seth Petruzelli beating Kimbo Slice was a case of perception vs. reality. This time, reality won. In 14 seconds.

2) Kimbo is not finished. He will not be the ratings attraction that he was before this loss, but a single loss does not end a fighter's career. And if he allows it to, he should be ashamed. What kind of fighter quits after one loss?

Kimbo will learn from his mistakes and get right back on the horse. That's the admirable thing to do.

3) Kimbo isn't ready for top-level competition. It turns out that James Thompson and Tank Abbott were probably suitable opponents for Kimbo Slice after all, if we're trying to match up guys by their skill level (OK, maybe Tank is a stretch). Some people say Kimbo was handed easy victories on a silver platter. In fact, moments before the Petruzelli fight, people were saying that exact thing about Petruzelli -- that Kimbo had once again been handed an easy win. For more on that, refer back to point No. 1.

4) This was bad for business. There's no other way to state it. When your biggest attraction (face it, Jake Shields didn't sell all those tickets) is beaten in 14 seconds by a last-minute replacement from the undercard, it does not help business. Kimbo Slice will still remain a curiosity to viewers -- unless he does something crazy and shaves his beard, or completely changes his look -- but there will be some loss of audience from all of this. His drawing power took a hit, and probably will not recover until he improves enough to string a few solid wins together. And that's neither a guarantee nor an impossibility. It's all up to Kimbo.

5) Ken Shamrock, exit stage left. I am not naive enough to think we've seen the last of Ken Shamrock in the cage, but for all practical purposes, he should not be booked as a main-event fighter on this kind of event again. Realistically, I know that somewhere, some time, a promoter will cough up the money to get his name associated with their show. I just get a bad feeling about it. Shamrock is not Randy Couture. I believe if he continues taking major fights, he'll not only tarnish his legacy further, but he'll endanger his health. I felt this way before the Kimbo fight that never was, but now that he's dodged that bullet, it might be time for Shamrock to bow out. Again.

6) Yoko Takahashi rules. This woman is a warrior straight down to the bone marrow. She got absolutely ravaged by Cristiane Cyborg and never stopped pushing forward and fighting back. She looked like she got hit by a truck after the loss. Yet there she was after the fight, limping around with a brace on her knee, a patch on her face, and several visible wounds... smiling. And socializing. And happily getting her picture taken with Seth Petruzelli. She left it all in the cage, and she was thrilled to be there, even after losing. That, my friends, is fighting spirit.

7) Cris Cyborg is Drago, Gina Carano is Rocky. It's coming soon, trust me. And it will be a war.

8) Carano deserves some respect. Weight issues aside, she is knocking down every opponent they give her, and looking good doing it. It's time for people to acknowledge that she's the real deal. Just because she's pretty doesn't mean she's a manufactured publicity stunt. She hasn't fought every single one of the top challengers out there, but she's been busy enough, and nobody has stopped her yet. The sad thing is, just like Kimbo (and every other fighter), she'll get beaten eventually... and people will immediately claim her career is over.

as a long time fan of both mma and ufc i have to admit i was happy at first when kimbo was coming to the sport. his youtube fights were fun to watch and i thought he brought a new ellement to the sport. i don't think he's earned his merit by far or that he's a quallified opponent for most fighters. that's why in my opinon he's been on some scrub cards with guys that he should easily knock out. it is a slap in the face to the guys that have been around for a while and never got a push. but popularity sells and thats why he skyrocketed up the bill because the audience skyrocketed due to him. hopefully this loss will keep him in the sport with more realistic opponents. maybe he'll even train more to compete with the REAL mma and ufc fighters. too bad bam bam bigalew is dead, he seems like a choice opponent. how about brock lesnar? that might be an entertaining fight. im not a wwe fan but i know who he is. come to think of it that seems like where kimbo slice should have ended up in the first place, the wwe.

Leonidas Reputation: 42 Level: Rookie Since: Oct 5, 2008	Posted on: October 5, 2008 5:18 am Score: 30 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights Re:Petruzelli/Kimbo -- I recorded this fight and have watched it over and over for an hour. It was a complete sham. Petruzelli didn't even make contact with that front kick and his punches that didn't miss completely were just slaps. Maybe two slapping punchs landed, the rest were glancing blows or complete misses..Slice should get a diving medal, cause that's what he did tonight. The commentators can pump it up like pro wrestling commentators all they want, but knowlegeable fight fans know what they saw. There was not one serious punch landed in this fight. Yeah, I know his eye was bleeding. Must have been laces, or a thumb. [ Reply to Comment ]
honkers Reputation: 86 Level: All-Star Since: Jul 9, 2008	Posted on: October 5, 2008 6:07 am Score: 72 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights I thought the same. I remember girlfights in middle school being tougher. Kimbo learned that Shamrock wasn't fighting and decided to call it a night. If this was PPV I would be pissed. Luckily only CBS lost in this one. [ Reply to Comment ]
archie3304 Reputation: 68 Level: Pro Since: Jan 6, 2008	Posted on: October 5, 2008 6:21 am Score: 18 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights that was the most pathetic fight ever. look at the replay and you will see that he was missing his punches on kimbo. that was B.S. either a big payoff or CBS wanted to make it quick so they would not run over time. [ Reply to Comment ]
WillyFourEyes Reputation: 17 Level: Amateur Since: Oct 5, 2008	Posted on: October 5, 2008 7:05 am Score: 30 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights What in the world? I thought Kimbo was supposed to be this big, bad, scary dude, capable of taking on all comers? Instead, he just charged at Petruzelli like a bull and got tapped with a fist (or a pinky toe, I couldn't tell which hit first) to the face. It wasn't a fluke victory for Petruzelli, but it did look kinda suspect. Kimbo should be able to bounce back after this, and not let it get to him. If he does get fazed by this, well...that's pretty much it for his career. [ Reply to Comment ]
Invader Reputation: 90 Level: All-Star Since: Sep 8, 2008	Posted on: October 5, 2008 7:46 am Score: 44 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights Just as most of us thought, KIMBO IS A JOKE. Especially anytime he is fighting someone that had any affiliation with UFC..see Sean Gannon. EliteXC is finished. If Kimbo went down from those "slaps", think what would happen if Rampage or Lesnar hit him. [ Reply to Comment ]
Slione777 Reputation: 93 Level: All-Star Since: Jul 5, 2007	Posted on: October 5, 2008 8:42 am Score: 74 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights I'd like any of you (non-fighters) to get in the ring and let a 205 pound professional fighter, throw a straight right into your chin. Let me know how that goes and we'll see if you take it better than Kimbo did. He staggered, was pushed to the floor and began getting ravaged. ANY referee would have stopped the fight and should have. The last two punches Petruzelli threw LANDED and drove Kimbo's head into the mat. You people need a box of tissues, not MMA fights. Until you step in the ring yourselves, don't cry bullshit on fighters. By the way, I didn't like the quick stoppage either, but there were no shenanigans and Kimbo WAS obviously hurt. Get off the couch, quit your bitching and grow a sack ladies !!! [ Reply to Comment ]
Rittnasty Reputation: 55 Level: Pro Since: Jul 29, 2008	Posted on: October 5, 2008 9:22 am Score: 81 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights Anyone who watches the UFC knows that Kimbo Slice would get dominated by most of the fighters who fall in the lower half of the UFC's heavyweight division. All he has is stand up and he would get dominated by any of the top fighters who have legit grappling, wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills. Petruzelli has fought in the UFC before as Denny noted. Matt Hamill is an outstanding fighter and very experience wrestler and to lose to him is nothing to be ashamed of. Kimbo has not fought anyone close to the skill level of a UFC fighter. I am not at all surprised by this Petruzelli's victory. [ Reply to Comment ]
Phil Simms 420 Reputation: 88 Level: All-Star Since: Aug 23, 2006	Posted on: October 5, 2008 9:49 am Score: 85 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights as a long time fan of both mma and ufc i have to admit i was happy at first when kimbo was coming to the sport. his youtube fights were fun to watch and i thought he brought a new ellement to the sport. i don't think he's earned his merit by far or that he's a quallified opponent for most fighters. that's why in my opinon he's been on some scrub cards with guys that he should easily knock out. it is a slap in the face to the guys that have been around for a while and never got a push. but popularity sells and thats why he skyrocketed up the bill because the audience skyrocketed due to him. hopefully this loss will keep him in the sport with more realistic opponents. maybe he'll even train more to compete with the REAL mma and ufc fighters. too bad bam bam bigalew is dead, he seems like a choice opponent. how about brock lesnar? that might be an entertaining fight. im not a wwe fan but i know who he is. come to think of it that seems like where kimbo slice should have ended up in the first place, the wwe. [ Reply to Comment ]
Phil Simms 420 Reputation: 88 Level: All-Star Since: Aug 23, 2006	Posted on: October 5, 2008 9:52 am Score: 86 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights [ Reply to Comment ]
Packers1921 Reputation: 97 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 7, 2007	Posted on: October 5, 2008 9:55 am Score: 94 Eight random thoughts on Saturday Night Fights After the Kimbo fight I expected Mean Gene Okerlund to do the post fight interviews. Kimbo is a novelty act and MMA needs to move away from these type of fighters and get the top quality fighters on TV. [ Reply to Comment ]

Denny Burkholder

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