RIP Kimbo Slice?

You're bit more than mainstream I'd gather, you're in the vanguard of sports knowledge. Even if you're not an MMA fan, you probably have buddies who are and who watch it and you'll hear names. Mainstream is average people knowing who Rhonda Rousey is. And they do. And they did with kimbo slice too

 

Nor Bobby Grich.

 

It's because those guys brought MMA to the mainstream that Kimbo Slice was able to become so popular. Not the other way around.

Before the guys I listed, along with the Gracies, MMA was not much more prominent than the backyard street fighting Slice was already doing.

 

The fastest period of growth in UFC history occurred between 2004-2006. Revenues rose from $48M in 2005 to $180M in 2006. Kimbo turned pro in 2007. The sport continued to grow (and still does) after that, but it's fair to argue that UFC/MMA had already hit the mainstream by the time he joined.

 

Kimbo certainly drew additional eyes to the sport, mainly for the freakshow factor. But I don't think these "mainstream" viewers who weren't already drawn to MMA were drawn to his crappy YouTube videos. I think the first fighter to really draw people in who weren't already fans of the sport was Brock Lesnar, followed by Rousey and McGregor. The UFC saw a considerable spike in its PPVs when Lesnar was fighting. It wasn't until recently that UFC 100's numbers, headlined by Lesnar, was topped.

 

I don't think Kimbo drew eyes for the freakshow factor. I think people genuinely thought he could be the baddest man alive until he got exposed in the octagon.

 

Really? I was already a fan by the time Kimbo came around, so it's hard for me to imagine what people who weren't as into MMA were thinking at that time. Maybe EliteXC did a better job of promoting it than I remember. I just find it hard to believe people actually thought he could hang with real MMA fighters because he beat up a few fat dudes in shipping yards.

I always thought the appeal was "Holy shit, this jacked dude with a big beard and weird name is actually going to try an MMA fight."

 

Kimbo was absolutely a novelty act. Not unlike when, say, Mark Gastineau decided to become a boxer.

 

Totally different. Those guys were famous for playing other sports. Kimbo was only known for knocking out dudes on YouTube. I think people wanted to see what he could do in a professional setting. It quickly became apparent that his size and brute strength meant next to nothing against a skilled fighter, but I think people originally thought he'd be able to hang in there.

 

I wonder if Kimbo's attempt and failure helped legitimize MMA at all for some people. I know back then, and still now, many people thought there was very little skill and actual training involved, just roided up dudes beating the Christ out of each other. Kimbo showed you couldn't be just some street fighter and make it anywhere in the sport.

 

That's kind of the definition of a novelty act. The fact that he ended up unable to hack it is beside the point.

Tank Abbott was the same way. Except that he actually could hang at that level for a little while.

 

Maybe a little, but seeing James Toney (even though he looked like he didn't train) get dominated by Randy Couture should have definitely legitimized it.