Trust me, James Thompson's ear blowing up in high definition isn't anything anyone would want to see anyway! A couple of notes, though he won, and I know he'd stomp my a** all over San Francisco, the 34 year old Kimbo Slice looked like a tired old man who didn't train for the fight at all. These bouts don't last very long with three five minute rounds and this fight was stopped 35 seconds into the second round so it only lasted about 10 minutes and 15 seconds.
Amazingly the guy who lost the fight seemed way less tired than an exhausted "Slice", but, that ear...oh man. I don't think you can have an ear like that and win the fight no matter how good of shape you are in.
One ratings note: we'll ultimately see the overnights for this sometime tomorrow probably, but they will only include the "primetime" portion that occured from 9pm-11pm. The Kimbo Slice/James Thompson fight started well after 11pm. We may not see the full ratings for the event until Tuesday, but I'll keep on the lookout. The speculation is that the EliteXC is as corrupt as boxing and that the fight was stopped prematurely. According to this site, Thompson was ahead on all judges cards in round one and two out of three in round two. But Kimbo Slice remains undefeated in MMA bouts.
To spare the kids, a low resolution picture is after the jump:
A fight that lasts into the third round after so much time in the ground is bound to wind most fighters. Chuck Lidell vs Wanderlei Silva proved that even a world class fighter like Lidell can gas out in three rounds, and he was only throwing punches, not grappling with a guy who outweighed him by 30 lbs!
As for the stoppage, Thompson was out. His eyes rolled back in his head in slow motion, he was taking unchecked blows and not returning them, and he was barely on his feet. The game is to prevent someone from getting a serious concussion because the fans only want to see Kimbo knock someone out. If you had actually watched this fight in HD, maybe you would have seen Thompson pretty much completely unable to defend himself anymore taking punches that would have dropped any normal man, unabated.
This fight was a better stoppage than the Scott Smith vs Robbie Lawler stoppage, but nobody claimed foul on that except the fighters. Smith took a poke in the eye and told the doctor he was fine, but they elected to stop the fight anyhow. Why? Safety. Imagine how badly a sport which is making its network primetime debut would be massacred if Thompson was allowed to continue taking shots and suffered an actual injury? Thats the exact opposite of what MMA teaches it’s fans and it’s competitors. It’s a shame that people only seek pure entertainment value of two guys brutally hitting one another and don’t see the technical side of the fight, but then again, how can we expect anyone who called Thompson “way less tired than Slice” even though he couldn’t keep his hands up to defend punches that completely knocked him senseless.
And for the record, Thompson was taken to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing after the fight. Maybe a pure knockout makes for good tv, but sometimes it makes for a stupid maneuver that puts another human into harms way.
A fight that lasts into the third round after so much time in the ground is bound to wind most fighters. Chuck Lidell vs Wanderlei Silva proved that even a world class fighter like Lidell can gas out in three rounds, and he was only throwing punches, not grappling with a guy who outweighed him by 30 lbs!
As for the stoppage, Thompson was out. His eyes rolled back in his head in slow motion, he was taking unchecked blows and not returning them, and he was barely on his feet. The game is to prevent someone from getting a serious concussion because the fans only want to see Kimbo knock someone out. If you had actually watched this fight in HD, maybe you would have seen Thompson pretty much completely unable to defend himself anymore taking punches that would have dropped any normal man, unabated.
This fight was a better stoppage than the Scott Smith vs Robbie Lawler stoppage, but nobody claimed foul on that except the fighters. Smith took a poke in the eye and told the doctor he was fine, but they elected to stop the fight anyhow. Why? Safety. Imagine how badly a sport which is making its network primetime debut would be massacred if Thompson was allowed to continue taking shots and suffered an actual injury? Thats the exact opposite of what MMA teaches it’s fans and it’s competitors. It’s a shame that people only seek pure entertainment value of two guys brutally hitting one another and don’t see the technical side of the fight, but then again, how can we expect anyone who called Thompson “way less tired than Slice” even though he couldn’t keep his hands up to defend punches that completely knocked him senseless.
And for the record, Thompson was taken to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing after the fight. Maybe a pure knockout makes for good tv, but sometimes it makes for a stupid maneuver that puts another human into harms way.
Apologies, I erred in the post, so allow me to rephrase:
It’s a shame that people only seek pure entertainment value of two guys brutally hitting one another and don’t see the technical side of the fight, but then again, how can we expect anyone who called Thompson “way less tired than Slice” even though he couldn’t keep his hands up to defend punches that completely knocked him senseless to report anything but the opinion of a skeptic.
Apologies, I erred in the post, so allow me to rephrase:
It’s a shame that people only seek pure entertainment value of two guys brutally hitting one another and don’t see the technical side of the fight, but then again, how can we expect anyone who called Thompson “way less tired than Slice” even though he couldn’t keep his hands up to defend punches that completely knocked him senseless to report anything but the opinion of a skeptic.
Nick B,
My eyes ARE old, so if you want to be skeptical, that’s fine. Slice huffed and puffed his way through the post-fight interview like an old man. Thompson looked less tired (to me) as he was giving the ref grief for stopping the fight.
But the ear…ick.
Nick B,
My eyes ARE old, so if you want to be skeptical, that’s fine. Slice huffed and puffed his way through the post-fight interview like an old man. Thompson looked less tired (to me) as he was giving the ref grief for stopping the fight.
But the ear…ick.
Robert is right,
Kimbo’s conditioning was not that great, and it was showing. This is not surprising though, given that most of Kimbo’s fights have been over so quickly, he really hasn’t had to push himself very far cardiovascularly. Even though he won, I think tonight was a wake up call for him.
Robert is right,
Kimbo’s conditioning was not that great, and it was showing. This is not surprising though, given that most of Kimbo’s fights have been over so quickly, he really hasn’t had to push himself very far cardiovascularly. Even though he won, I think tonight was a wake up call for him.
I liked the fight. I think Kimbo took a lot of punishment and proved he is tough. Obviously, I thought that he lost the first 2 rounds though. They probably should have waited until he landed one more punch before stopping it. He probably would have and would have deserved it more.
It’s a shame that the very first mma event on network TV is headlined by a guy who’s all hype and personality and limited actual skill. It’s a shame that people fall for it and one of the most famous fighters out there has done nothing to speak of in the sport.
I do want this to be successful though because it’ll pave the road for better things.
It’s a shame that the very first mma event on network TV is headlined by a guy who’s all hype and personality and limited actual skill. It’s a shame that people fall for it and one of the most famous fighters out there has done nothing to speak of in the sport.
I do want this to be successful though because it’ll pave the road for better things.
Hey Nick B, you are a fucking idiot. I don’t know how many fights you actually watch, but just because a fighter dazes out for a split second and snaps back into it, doesn’t mean the fight should ultimately be stopped. Yea, Kimbo had him on his heels….yea, Thompson was taking a shitload of punches…..but he was still defending himself and was very much conscious and coherent when the fight was stopped – he was just gassed. Take your comment you posted and shove it up your mother’s ass beacuse Kimbo may be a great backyard brawler, but he will never make it in the big leagues….too much size, not enough skill or technique. And Nick B., for me and the rest of the greater population of the world, go headbutt a wall and have a nice day.
Hey Nick B, you are a fucking idiot. I don’t know how many fights you actually watch, but just because a fighter dazes out for a split second and snaps back into it, doesn’t mean the fight should ultimately be stopped. Yea, Kimbo had him on his heels….yea, Thompson was taking a shitload of punches…..but he was still defending himself and was very much conscious and coherent when the fight was stopped – he was just gassed. Take your comment you posted and shove it up your mother’s ass beacuse Kimbo may be a great backyard brawler, but he will never make it in the big leagues….too much size, not enough skill or technique. And Nick B., for me and the rest of the greater population of the world, go headbutt a wall and have a nice day.
kimbo is the first fighter since mike tyson to win fights before he swings. he is intimidating to say the least. when pro fighters are afraid of you, you have accomplished something. now dont get me wrong the first real fighter to stand in there with kimbo may cause him a lot of problems. but for now it is fun to watch.
fix=fighters? think judges, refs.
Well, Nick, you're a little girl. And you probably still hand over that lunch money when told.
kimbo is the first fighter since mike tyson to win fights before he swings. he is intimidating to say the least. when pro fighters are afraid of you, you have accomplished something. now dont get me wrong the first real fighter to stand in there with kimbo may cause him a lot of problems. but for now it is fun to watch.
My apologies for zealousness, it was late and I was in MMA fan mode. I've had to defend these fights for years as a fan, and to see a good match get ridiculed by so many people is irritating. The allegations of a “fixed' fight are what bother me the most. Look at the picture posted in this thread. Does Thompson's face look like he knows the fight was “fixed” after taking a blow?
Plus if the fight was fixed, wouldn't Thompson have gone down in the second round when he tied up in desperation and laid on Slice for a minute before making any attack? That was the act of a man who was being beaten badly on the feet and knowing if he stood any longer he was going to lose, not someone who was being paid to throw the fight.
It's entirely possible both guys just weren't conditioned that well and didn't expect much to happen from either individual on the ground. Nobody expected Kimbo to get out of anything, much less have a semi developed guard and reversal technique. Kimbo obviously didn't think he was going to be out powered on the ground.
The end result everyone should take away from this is that Elite XC is taking a huge gamble with this show. There is just no way they can let a blood filled war happen until the ratings come back consistent week after week. So they play it safe and stop fights to prove that they aren't human cock fighting. Sadly, that is going to hurt the competitors and the true fans who watch might have to complain about premature stoppages for a while.
I don't know how much MMA most people watch, but I think it's safe to say I've seen my fair share. I noted your comment about Thompson looking fresher at the end, and giving the referee guff Robert. It's true, but a lot of fights that end this way see the fighter who as no business being in the fight anymore complaining and telling the ref they can still fight. Tim Sylvia threw a temper tantrum after Frank Mir broke his forearm a few years back. He was so hopped up on adrenaline, he said he didn't even feel it break.
It's not uncommon for a fighter that is out on their feet to complain. No fighter would have shoved a referee if they were aware of their actions. Not unless that person was a total d-bag anyhow.
Yeah, so that's all I got.
Nick, I did not intend to start any firestorms here and as last night was the first MMA match I'd ever watched I probably should've thought better about the “fixed” comment. I was just alluding to someone else's post, but still…
fix=fighters? think judges, refs.