RIP Kimbo Slice?

I often forget that "fight" ever happened. Just seems so unreal to me.

Sidenote: I watched that fight at a Wild Wings and a guy at the bar bet me $50 that Toney would knock out Couture. I was still a sports journalist at the time, so I didn't even have $50 in my checking account. Still took the bet.

 

Not really. A guy who is known for fighting joining a professional fighting organization isn't a novelty, it's a natural progression. A guy known for playing football joining a professional fighting organization is certainly a novelty. Hell, Kimbo wasn't really any different than a lot of the guys who fought in the UFC in the early days. And don't forget that Dana White didn't just set Kimbo up with a fight on a UFC card, he made him train for The Ultimate Fighter and earn his first bout (which, I certainly admit, was partly about promoting the show).

 

GSP brought in quite a few Canadians who didn't much care about MMA before.

 

Slight threadjack, but speaking of Gastineau I remember the fight where Gastineau was exposed by Tim Anderson, who, allegedly was supposed to take a dive, refused, and beat the hell out of Gastineau. What happened afterward, with a rematch, and Anderson shooting and killing his manager, is quite the sordid story.