It doesn't take much to start Internet rumors when it comes to mixed martial arts.
And when the rumors involve either Tito Ortiz or Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson it takes even less to create widespread speculation.
Of course, when it includes both of them, that is just a recipe for a good old fashion feud.
As of late, words have been uttered from Ortiz regarding Ferguson. EliteXC president Gary Shaw has taken it upon himself to call out Ortiz.
Ferguson's status in MMA has increased, as he has become a cover model for ESPN The Magazine, not to mention being involved in the first prime time MMA event on CBS later this year.
Now, this fight is most likely never going to happen for many reason. First, Ortiz is a more than capable 205-pound fighter and Ferguson is a 235-pound fighter.
I can neither see Ortiz putting on the weight or Ferguson dropping the weight to see this fight work. Also, Ortiz is still with the UFC, and there is really no word on otherwise as of late.
However, having said that, how would the fight look? Let's break it down.
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson
Since starting fighting (legally) in mixed martial arts, Ferguson has a professional record of 2-0. His first fight was a submission win over Bo Cantrell in 0:19 of the first round. The second was an overly scrutinized knockout of David "Tank" Abbott in 0:43 of the first round.
So, what do we really know about Ferguson? The guy is a brawler. His hands might as well be concrete.
The guy throws them with a style that is actually very reminiscent of the early Tank Abbott (when Tank was successful in the UFC).
He is training with Bas Rutten and he has more publicity than just about any mixed martial artist in the world thanks to his backyard bare knuckle fights and exposure on MMA forums worldwide.
However, he is unproven. He has spent a grand-total of 1 minute and 2 seconds in the professional ring and hasn't won against anyone that would even count as an impressive win.
Don't even think Tank was a true test. Tank is 9-14 and hasn't won a fight in three years. His ground game is unproven and incredibly suspect.
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz
Tito is 15-5-1 (8 KOs, 2 submission and 5 decisions). He is the former UFC middle/light heavyweight champ.
He has proven his ability against the Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, (a sober) Evan Tanner and Forrest Griffin. His only losses have come at the hands of former champs Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Frank Shamrock (let's not talk about the Guy Mezger loss).
Ortiz is a proven wrestler and striker that has come back time after time to show that while the game has changed, he can still throw with some of the best (but not the best, not anymore).
The Handicap
Let's forget about size when we look at this one. Let's say that the two come in at the same weight, no matter what that weight is. Ferguson is an incredibly powerful striker, but Ortiz has been through wars.
He has weathered the storms before and showed that he can keep coming back round after round. Ferguson has never had to go past a minute.
There is simply no telling if Ferguson would come out in Round Two as strong as in round one or if he would look more like Travis Lutter in Round Two at UFC 83.
The Results
Ferguson will want the fight to end right away. Look for a knockout and possibly even a take down. Ortiz has even experience and wrestling skill to avoid the take down and land his own shots. It is doubtful that he would go for too many take down attempts and test the power of Ferguson.
This fight would either end in a decision or possibly be called in the third round due to unanswered strikes.
Winner: Tito Ortiz
10 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jad Semaan about 1 year ago
Tito has a pretty good chin, but if he stood long enough with Kimbo he would get tko'ed. He would probably take Kimbo down and wear him out to get the tko or decision like you said.
However, contrary to popular opinion, Ortiz does not have legendary cardio, and Kimbo may have a decent enough sprawl. Ortiz does not like to get hit, and if Kimbo could keep the fight standing for a while he might take it.
Ortiz could fight as a heavyweight if he wanted to. Give Kimbo a year or two and then he has a decent shot against Ortiz. Tito has enough to worry about with Machida.
Hell, if Tito loses to Machida he may leave the UFC and go somewhere else, maybe even EliteXC. This fight would sell mega-bucks, and be Kimbo's first real test. It may actually happen sometime in the future.
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Bryan Trafford about 1 year ago
lets all stop assuming kimbo is a real mixed martial artist until he fights somebody who actually HAS A CHANCE TO WIN!!!!!!!!
the one bad thing about Gary Shaw coming over from boxing to run Elite Extreme is that he brings that mentality that boxing promoters have of building guys up against no hopers and only put them in with guys that have a shot after you have cashed in significantly on said prospect. I give Kimbo nothing more than a punchers chance to win this bout until I see him fight a legitimate top ten heavyweight, which may not actually ever happen, at least not in Elite Extreme, as they have none.
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travis atkinson about 1 year ago
could not have said it better
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Robert DesRoche about 1 year ago
His next fight is against James "The Debt Collecter" Thompson -- a nearly 300 some odd pound beast you may recognize from the PRIDE organization. If Kimbo beats him, even though Thompson isn't much for technique himself, and isn't a top 10 heavyweight, I'll be VERY impressed.
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Nick Tatum about 1 year ago
I hate Tito as much as the next guy, but he certainly would beat Kimbo!
Kimbo could out box Tito, but that's about it. Tito would eventually take Kimbo down, then he would ground and pound him to death!!!!
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Robert DesRoche about 1 year ago
As for this fantasy matchup, I'm not sure Tito could take Kimbo down due to the size disadvantage. Tito might even be a better technical boxer, but Kimbo would turn it into a brawl early on, which is way in his advantage. I don't think Tito has a great chin, and I don't think he likes to get hit, as can be seen in his fights against Liddell. I'd have to say this fight ends by early TKO of Ortiz, or by unanimous decision for Ortiz. Still not sure which outcome I'd favor.
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big ROC Stockton, CA about 1 year ago
I would've loved to see Kimbo fight Bob Sapp. He is probably way out of shape and too old to fight but he was as close as a man gets to being the "incredible hulk" He weighed nearly 400 lbs and wasn't at all fat. I guess the winner would be whoever landed the first clean shot.
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Jon Grilz about 1 year ago
Considering just about every Bob Sapp I have ever seen I would probably put money on Kimbo landing the first "clean shot".
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Nick Tatum about 1 year ago
Robert: Sure Kimbo is bigger than Tito and can out box him, and Titos' chin is a bit questionable. That being said, Tito is a very strong guy and would likely be able to take him down eventually.
And I do think that Kimbo would beat Sapp within the 1st minute or 2!!!!
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Benji Ruiz Jr. 10 months ago
BY BigBEN
Tank Kim-BO Its got a sweet ring to it, He's(Mr. Slice) a Boulder in the ring and he's as mobile as an flyweight in case u havent noticed. Who Can DEFEAT this Warrior in the game? He will either first off have tobe overall better destroyer or someone thats got the cardio even if there strength is below kimbo's. Someone who can strike at will and pull away in time to evade getting smashed by his golden arches, he will need to perform this time and time again along the length of the Epic Bout. Thats what I'm remotely viewing.
Anyway Big Guy(kimbo) Keep it turned on and do it!
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