MMA Weekly: Another "Goodbye Kimbo" Piece

We were a bit saddened by Kimbo Slice’s demise.  OK, the guy just got his 15 minutes of fame, and like a shooting star, Kevin Ferguson shone so bright everyone wanted a piece of his ass—for different reasons.

 Some wanted to fry him and expose who he really is: “a punk-who-beats-lame-punks-in-alleyways who thinks anyone, even a punk like him, can be a mixed martial artist.”   What were they thinking?  Everyone knows who he is!

On the other hand, some just love the appeal of his story—a Cinderella story.  And these people were not rooting for him for his skills (or the lack of it) in mixed martial arts.  They were rooting for the person—the underdog.  Everyone loves an underdog (or at least a lot of people do).  You will be surprised to know that even hardcore MMA fans (there were a large number of ‘em!) rooted for this internet sensation.

Kimbo Slice was a spice to the otherwise almost faceless warriors from these MMA stables.  Oh yes, we have the MMA big names but you will be totally dishonest with yourself if you’d deny that not a single one of the lot have grown as big as Kimbo’s in terms of popularity.

Kimbo Slice did to MMA what MMA warriors failed to do.

Kimbo Slice have increased the number of MMA fans in a matter of months when true-blue royal-blood warriors failed to do it in so many years.  Heck, MMA has just even barely risen from the underground image it has as a blood-sport of…well, blood-thirsty spectators.

The Fertitta brothers and Dana White may have done so much in the improvement of MMA as an industry but it took a cash-strapped Elite XC (with their poster boy Kimbo) to bring the sport to a broader fan base. 

White has done a lot to bring where MMA is right now.  However, we suggest that he should reconsider his position about identifying MMA as more of a sport of ground games, and driving away those who prefer standup fighting to kick-boxing events.   Let’s face it, outside of those true-blue MMA fans, not many spectators  would relish the prospect of naked men hugging each other on the mat.

Now you have MMA in prime time TV (at least for three shows).

Kimbo Slice was a TV producer’s dream. 

Kimbo Slice was a marketing gold find.  He was a marketer’s dream, offered in a silver platter, with all of his YouTube fans in tow.

Kimbo Slice was a marketing masterpiece that Elite XC, and CBS mishandled.

We’re not fooling anyone here.  Kimbo Slice  is a not a mixed martial arts fighter.  Anyone who thinks he was, we pity them.  Kimbo Slice was a marketing gimmick that brought that much-needed ingredient to a young and thriving MMA industry.

Even a marketing bit-player could tell you that an exciting sport such as mixed martial arts could not make it to the big time if it lacks an attraction.  Call it the “freak show” element, call it the Gina Carano appeal, you would need a package that anyone could visualize.  Heck, this is what World Wrestling Federation personalities used to succeed.  You have the Mr. T magic, you have the Undertaker, you have the most obnoxious personalities.  These “actors” became popular (as much as the body-slamming WWF was) not because of their wrestling skills but more because of their colourful (dark, ugly, or nice) personalities. 

It’s all about the drama.

Hardcore MMA fans should continue talking about skills.  But we should not neglect talking about marketing the sport too.  We need it—even the gimmickry. 

For anything to prosper, including MMA (which is still in its infancy) it should not be afraid of change.  That’s how entities turned out to be in their superior forms now—by evolving. 

Those who refused have joined the dinosaurs.