May 31, The Elite XC event on CBS was rigged for Kimbo Slice to win. James Thompson was set up to lose that fight from the beginning. So much hype and money was put into Kimbo Slice for this event that losing would be a major upset that EliteXC was not willing to take. So to make sure he won this fight, they gave him an opponent that has lost his last two matches, when more capable fighters like Brett Rogers were out there land willing to fight him.
Thompson was clearly at a disadvantage in the stand up game taking several good punches to the face and looked like he would be knocked out, but he took down Kimbo every time and got around Kimbo's so called ground game and gained the upper hand in the fight. In the second round, Kimbo was pinned against the cage receiving elbow after elbow to the face. They may not have been very strong, but none the less, Kimbo was not defending himself just getting bashed in the face. The ref should have stepped in at that time and called the match for a TKO in favor of Thompson, but he didn't. Then in the Third round, Thompson is hit with a punch by Kimbo that bursts a cyst on his ear from a case of cauliflower. The match was stopped, even though Thompson was still standing and still moving on his feet. This comes as a shock to me, especially since in UFC 83, Michael Bisping was continuously kneeing Charles McCarthy in the face, and it wasn't until Charles actually fell to the ground when the fight actually stopped. The only time blood is cause for a stoppage is when it is in the eyes. The bleeding was no where close to the eyes, and unless James Thompson has HIV or some infectious disease ,if so he shouldn't be fighting anyway, then there was no reason to stop the fight.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Unless there is some medical reason that he had to stop fighting because of his ear, then that fight was clearly rigged. They have destroyed the face of MMA, especially on PRIME TIME TV. This is no longer a sport, this was BS pro wrestling match with the fights outcome already planned. Everyone who is watching MMA for the first time is now thinking, so this is what MMA is all about.
I still believe that Kimbo is a backyard brawler with his one skill of throwing a punch. Even against second rate fighters he struggles. Put him against a real fighter from the UFC like Frank Mir or Randy Coulture and watch him be demolished by people who are professionals.
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7 months ago
You mixed up the rounds. You mean second where you said first and third where you said second. And yeah people probably will think that if this is their first time watching. BTW Tim Sylvia isn't in the UFC anymore. And we already knew this match was set up for Kimbo to win, but LOTS of fights are set up for people to win ('stepping stone' matches), and you can't really blame the Elite XC for doing this. Really, putting him up against better fighters would be stupid -- he's not ready for it. The only problem was that they made this fight the main event. And it is a major problem. Lawler vs Smith should have been the main event hands down.
from 7 months ago
Did Kimbo show some serious weakness in his game.....absolutely. But can you honestly say that Thompson "hurt" Kimbo at any point in that match? I'd say no. Kimbo showed weakness in stamina and his ground game, but at the end ofthe day, I'd say that Kimbo beat the crap out of that guy. I wish the ref would have let it go another five seconds so Kimbo could have knocked Thompson's ear off....
from 7 months ago
Please write to Gary Shaw, who is the President of Elite XC and tell him how pissed you are that he ruined MMA. what a prick he is and he should be ran out of MMA. His email is garyshaw@garyshawproductions.com
from 7 months ago
robert have u ever been in A fight
from 7 months ago
What makes you ask.
7 months ago
Yeah your correct, I mixed up the rounds, and I wasnt sure if Tim was in the UFC still or not, thats why I added Randy in there. I know matches are set up like that, but when a match is called for the most bogus reason then it just ruins the aspect of the sport. This poor guy who makes a living off of this sport, lost a match that he could have actually won.
from 7 months ago
This was only his third fight. Give him a couple of years experience, then judge him.
from 7 months ago
In two years, who wants to watch a fighter that never was at age 35.......lol. One the Yahoo sports page they are reporting it was a farse and CBS and Elite will not be together for long. That should tell you the American public was not tricked and saw this for what it was.............CRAP!...................
from 7 months ago
The fight wasn't stopped because of the ear. The fight was stopped because Thompson was pretty much out on his feet. I agree that the ref should have waited two seconds for Kimbo to load up with a big shot but the fight was over anyway. Thompson took several big shots and was about to get blasted more.
Like I said, the fight could have went a few more punches but the outcome would have been the same.
from 6 months ago
I agree with what Brett said. He was out on his feet. Two more seconds and the match would have beem over. Give Kimbo a few more years worth of expierence and then talk bad about him. He's as new as you can get to MMA.
7 months ago
Kimbo is here 2 stay and deserves the respect that being any MMA fighter gain them. I'm not a MMA fighter I'm a fellow fan and Ex Crappy Boxer. The style that Kimbo Slice has works for him. Tonight he showed the world that he can take pain and he will keep comin. He also showed us that he has some ground game too. Like every fighter in the MMA no one has every aspect of the sport down. Hell! Man have been fighting hand to hand combat for over 1000's of years. People want to point fingers at Kimbo Slice because of his ground game isn't A1. The other thing that people are harping on is Kimbo Slice's background isn't crystal clear but what about over half of our NBA stars, NFL stars, or more closer to home 90@% of all MMA fighters. LOL! Yea I thought not. If Kimbo stays training, hungry and angry he can be the Champ in a yr or 2 and deserve every bit of it. The man has my respect.
John D Jones
from 7 months ago
Kimbo was wasted after the fight. What ground game did he show? how to take elbows? Tell me just what did he do during it to get gased? Did he take the other fighter down? no Did he throw alot of kicks no what the heck. he is on his back out of gas and can not stand on his own. But --- he is the super fighter. Put him in with Silva - then he will be on his back bleeding and out of gas. You are right is ground game is not A1 ok but his trainers should have taught him how to rotate his hips to get back to his feet. it was a bad showing all around for him and his rep. Bring the real fighters for prime time. The money was made and the hype was shown to be hype. Truth is he is one tough SOB but he and tank abbott do not belong on prime time tv fighting MMA.
7 months ago
He lost mine. I thought he was becoming a professional, and he would make Dana white eat his words about him. Yet tonight I was disgusted that he gassed out right after the first round (thompson did too, but he is no world champion) Then he just laid on his back and received a hammering. (again Thompson is a BS fighter so it wasnt a hard hammering) If we swapped out Thompson for Coulture, or Arlovski, he would have been given one serious ground and pound.
from 7 months ago
U are right Randy would mop the floor with Kimbo right now. Look at Randy's record and look at Kimbo's. Kimbo's been in the MMA Business what a little over a yr. Name any fighter in MMA that could beat Randy Coulture in within there 1st yr. U can't. The same goes for Arlovski. A realistic fight would be Tim Silva now that would be a really good fight. The truth is every one thinks people see Kimbo as a Champ and it's not true. He is up and coming and because of U tube people know him as well as BJ Penn or more so.
7 months ago
Oh yea. Are you blind. The fight wasn't fixed James Thompson was rocked, had nothing left and was so out of it he tried to hit the ref. Maybe the fighters that he has been fighting haven't been really big names in there prime but the last 2 were big names. Tank Abbot always has a puncher chance.
from 7 months ago
You have no idea what you're talking about. Thompson was rocked, but he had been rocked in the 2nd and took Bimbo down and pounded him the rest of the round. He slapped the ref because he was pissed that he had been robbed, not because he was out of it. Tank Abbot has one win in 10 yrs. so yeah he has a punchers chance like maybe one in a million. The other guy is such a big name that no one knows who the fk he is. I personally think that fight was fixed. I know Thompson wasn't supposed to win, but I think they made sure he would lose. Even when he took Slice down he was landing patti cake elbows. Have you ever seen anyone land that many elbows from on top and not open the guy up. Thompkins weighs around 265 lbs. I weigh 180 and if I was on top in that position with no arms to block I would open a cut with 3 or more elbow strikes. Oh yeah, have you ever seen a guy come into a match with an ear that big. No, it obviously should have been drained. Or maybe someone wanted to see it burst on TV? What a fkn joke. If you buy into that sh;t then you're a lost cause.
from 7 months ago
kimbo is not ready for the mma world. he isnt even that good on his feet. he leaves openings every where, i dont think that i have ever seen him throw a kick. he has ZERO ground game, and very crapy stamina. and of those three down falls, i only see his stamina getting better. if thompson was getting beat like kimbo was, the ref would have let it go on for about ten seconds and then stoped the fight. and all these people saying that kimbo is still a rookie, if hes not ready for the big name fights, then he shouldnt fight. put him against brock lesnar, both rookies, both with heavy hands, lesnar takes is with ease. kimbo needs to go to boxing or something because he is not ever going to be at the caliber needed to hold a real belt.
7 months ago
Tank Abbot is shitt, his last 4 fights on the UFC were losses, then later on he lost another 4 fights in a row. Thompson, had lost his last 2 matches and no were close to his prime. Kimbo hasnt fought anybody that is truly a good fighter. That first black fighter (cant remember his name) should have fought kimbo, we would have seen Kimbo get rocked instantly because that dude was a real fighter and EliteXC didnt want that too happen. The five unanswered punches doesnt mean shit, unless Thompson dropped to the floor, I dont care what happens, fight continues. I watched as Michael Bisping in UFC 83 delivered Knee after Knee to his opponent unanswered, and until his opponent actually dropped to the floor did they finally call the match.
7 months ago
So what you are saying is because the professional Ref stopped the fight EliteXC was protecting Kimbo. LOL! I don't think so.
7 months ago
say what you want, I seem to have the majority on my side who believe the fight was stopped on BS terms and that Kimbo was protected by the EliteXC heads.
from 7 months ago
again you prove your superior intelligence. What sort of majority do you have? A majority of the people who agreed with the title of your article so they read it? A majority of people who responded? Does it really mean that much to you?
7 months ago
Thompson had nothing left in him at the end. I see no problem in the ref stopping the fight at the time he did, or thompson would have been more of a mess. You also have to keep in mind that Thompson was "rushed" to the hospital due to breathing problems. In my opinion the ref stepped in at the right time.
7 months ago
I don't get why the ref made them get up in the second round. So what if the ref wants more "action", MMA involves periods that some might consider slow, but its about working yourself into position, not just striking. Kimbo would be better served in a boxing or kick boxing ring. Dana is right, the worst UFC fight would crush this guy.
from 7 months ago
He stood them up because neither fighter was advancing their position... I don't think either of them could if they wanted to anyway because they are both terrible on the ground. Kimbo is better served on the street. I think that is where he belongs because he can't compete with any top 50 legit heavyweights, light heavyweights, or probably even middleweights.
7 months ago
wow. Good stuff man. So who is the insider that told you this fight was rigged. I mean clearly, you must have some insider knowledge because this article contained so much factual information. Maybe I should learn how to argue from you instead of the expensive law school education I received.
from 7 months ago
OMG I am stilll laughing, you pompas ass. Thanks for bringing some humor to this sight. Expensive law school education WTF does that mean -- that we are all below you. Typical response from a book boy. Please post you true name so we can avoid you in a time of need. Stick to the topics you know, whatever they are
7 months ago
ok, ok, ok....the fight was rigged yes that is obvious. so now what, what are we as a fan base going to do. this is not a polite suggestion, this would be more of a warning call to all of those who have claimed that they love this sport and would like to see it grow. i for one will not be watching this organization's events. this will do nothing but hurt the growth of MMA. MMA is to young of a mainstream sport to handle or even validate this type of corruption. Kimbo slice may have won, but the sport lost. this, unfortunately, was predicted.
7 months ago
Anyone who thinks this fight was stopped for good reason is a moron. Look at an MMA message board and the guys who live and breathe this stuff agree that this was BS. 99.9% of them anyways. There are about 3000 people in this thread last I checked and over 266 pages.
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f61/kimbo-slice-vs-james-thompson-discussion-thread-789470/
Starting on around page 82 is where they discuss the stoppage. Its not just this guys article that people agree with, its the fact that this fight was indeed stopped prematurely.
Jonathan
7 months ago
Maybe the bleeding ear wasn't reason enough to stop the fight, but Thompson looked like he was out on his feet to me. He wasn't getting his gloves up, and he kept ducking into Kimbo's punches. The guy was about to get absolutely hammered, and with a guy with the punching power for Kimbo, it could have gotten ugly. I'm not a huge MMA guy, so I don't know if that's a reason to stop the fight in itself, but it clearly looked like that was the direction things were going.
7 months ago
Black eye for MMA
The best fight of the night was from the girls. They showed true skills. The guys looked like high school back yard fighters. Where were the real fighters like the ice man and others. kimbo was nothing more that a circus side show - the draw to the big tent. He has very limited mma skills at best. Watching him try to get off is back was sad. He had no real idea what to do. Yes, he blooded his EAR and was dazed but if you are any type of a fan you know the heart and recovery these men have. It was called early to save kimbo. He was gased and on the edge of one good shot putting him down. oh no kimbo looses
what would be the draw next time. Gary Shaw did a bad job on getting the right fighters for the first time on prime time. Even the way the fighters came to the cage was sad. Nothing more than a hyped
wwf/circus side show. No need to watch until he gets true MMA fighters signed. Heck of a time slot filler , hope CBS got the ratings they needed.
7 months ago
All i have to say is download or watch a rerun of this fight and you'll know it was rigged from the very beginning.
1.) Kimbo is in a standing guillotine in round one and TAPS on the dudes arm, then all of a sudden the guys loses his grip and kimbo seems to slip out.................WTF?
2.) Second Round kimbo is on his back while Thompson is in side control and he taps on kimbo's thigh as if to hint for him to do something...........WTF?????
3.) The fight is stopped by referee stoppage in the 3rd round (TKO). Yet Thompson is still standing, yes his ear is bleeding, yes he is rocked. But he is STILL STANDING. He didn't go down yet they call the fight?.......WTF?
I watch every PPV ufc, and every WEC, IFL that are being aired. And to say the least this fight was the most pathetic fight in MMA history and was clearly rigged. To be honest this was worse stoppage of a fight than what we saw previously with the Robby Lauler fight.
EliteXC has made a mockery of MMA and should and hopefully will only air 3 more events and flop and never be aired on CBS again. Put it back on Shotime and let it be what EliteXC was before a legit fighting organization competing for it's fair share of the MMA market. Not a sellout company looking for a quick buck and a rigged outcome to keep their "Star" fighter winning fights that he would have possibly lost if it wasn't stopped by the ref and went to a decision.
from 7 months ago
Supposedly Kimbo was just saying "I'm ok" when it looked like he was tapping. And the guy didn't lose his grip till a little bit after that.
from 7 months ago
Finally, someone posting actually knows something about MMA. Man if they watched it and didn't get it and you explained it and they didn't get it, then they're just not going to get it. My friend (another MMA fanatic) texted me after the main event. It was short and sweet "I am done with this". I texted back "Yeah, this is comedy not MMA".
from 7 months ago
EXACTLY!! If Elite XC wants to make some money. Let Tito Ortiz make Kimbo Slice's face look like Ken Shamrock's. Now that was a beating. It looked like movie makeup. Kimbo is all hype. He couldn't beat GSP and he outweighs him by 60 lbs. Maybe they should try him versus Uriah Faber. Hype it as Kimbo vs Uriah "100 lb beatdown" He'll make Kimbo tap. Kimbo doesn't even have any punching power. I guarantee Chris Leben would make an entertaining fight. Or Cabbage Corriera. Kimbo vs Cabbage. Remember when Arlovski fought Cabbage. Now that would be some entertaining TV.
7 months ago
Sry for the stupid slips in my writing. It was around mid-night, I did a quick look over it, and was too pumped up to take my time.
7 months ago
Anyone who thinks the match was rigged in favor of Kimbo is an idiot. Plain and simple. I watched every second of this fight and if anything, Kimbo was set up to fall. Inexperienced vs experienced, older vs younger, lighter vs heavier. When Kimbo powered Thompson off his arm, I became a fan. Kimbo rocked Thompson, pure and simple. And these sports writers claiming Kimbo tapped are all a part of the set up as far as I am concerned.
7 months ago
Look I watched the fight 3 times it was rigged. Thompson let Kimbo escape on 3 different occassions. And Thompson's punches were nothing more than love taps. A fighter of that size would naturally cause way more damage than that. He was clearly pulling his punches and elbows. This is a shame! On another note Gina Carano is a hottie. She can kick my ass anytime
from 7 months ago
Yes she is
from 7 months ago
I disagree that it was rigged... I just think Thompson is a crap fighter.
7 months ago
For everyone saying Kimbo has no ground game is an idiot. He had a few nice sweeps and yeah he got trap underneth Thompson and didn't look good but so did Bj against Hughes and nobody said Bj was shit on the ground. Hes not world class grappler but he did show some skills.
7 months ago
How come no one is talking about the botched camera angle from the nose bleeds when Kimbo was in the Guillotine? As soon as they returned Kimbo amazingly slips out of it (after he tapped). This fight was nothing more than a marketing fix plain and simple anyone who thinks otherwise is oblivious to the way the world actually works. If you haven't noticed yet EVERY THING IS ABOUT MONEY. They saw that 5 different videos of Kimbo on youtube had over 2 million views each. So they put him on the main even on prime time nation TV to make money. Do you really think they would of let him lose? Do you think anyone knows who James Thompson is? No. This is noting more than a brilliant marketing idea, but they didn't have to ruin MMA at the same time, they could have made it a little less obvious. Hopefully they can get rid of these stupid marketing games and bring MMA back to what it once was, good entertainment.
from 7 months ago
I forgot about that... yeah it is very skeptical. When it happened I was like 'wtf'.
7 months ago
I fixed the problems in my article so it is now accurate, well except the rigged part, thats just my opinion. I seriously think that this was all a marketing scam, and that EliteXC has totally tarnished the image of MMA to people who have no idea what it truly is.
7 months ago
lol @ you guys.
Last night was the first time I've ever watched an MMA fight, and Kimbo just beat that guy to hell. If I can see that, you idiots should be able to see that.
When Kimbo was down on the ground, did you see what Thompson was doing? He was LAYING HIS FOREARM ON HIM. There wasn't ANY power behind those shots. Those were love taps to the side of his head. Thompson had no energy in him at that point.
As far as the stoppage in the third, WERE YOU GUYS EVEN WATCHING? The ref stopped it at the EXACT perfect moment. Thompson was about to fall right into a Kimbo left that probably would have put him in a coma. Dude looked like he had been drinking for 5 straight days with the glazed-over look in his eyes that had just started rolling back into his head after the last punch before the ref stepped in.
Like I said. Me as a noob > Most of you people saying it was "fixed." Are you serious? How stupid do you have to be that some idiot MMA fighter is going to go say "Hey, yea, I'll take your money to get my ass beat to hell by one of the biggest dudes in the country."
from 7 months ago
Watch 20 or 30 events, get educated in the sport, and then come back and post your thoughts.
I'm not saying you are completely wrong and I'm not saying the fight was fixed (I don't think it was, I just think Thompson sucks) but don't come into an MMA discussion board calling people idiots who actually follow the sport religiously. Watch the upcoming UFC Saturday and you will see GREAT fights.
7 months ago
Among all the other BS did anyone notice the Americana that Kimbo gift wrapped for Thompson, but Thompson refused to take it. Obviously a sham.
7 months ago
cj
hey do your research the rules and regulations have increased for safty reasons. EliteXC is not going to take a chance in having a fighter seriously injured if they are able to prevent it. For Kimbo Slice official 3rd fight i think he held his own and did as good as could possibly have done. Don't hate on the guy, lets see if u can do better than him?! and of corse he's going to be matched up against another bum.. if u started your boxing career would u go straight to fight Miguel Cotto or floyd mayweather?? NO you wouldn't u ass so get ur facts straight and stop hating! Kimbo slice is only gonna get better, wait till he learns how to do submissions and ground tactice.. all he needs is a good trainer. but the best fight by far was Gina..
7 months ago
That was the worst MMA presentation I have ever seen. The camera work to the commercials was horrible. The Dr’s/ referees stopped the fights way too early. I believe CBS and elite XC are a doomed marriage. CBS need to stick with sitcoms and reality TV and stay out of the MMA biz.
7 months ago
What a horrible MMA fight. EliteXC is trying to bring its low quality MMA fighting into the main stage and needed this to be rigged for Kimbo.
It seems that every single person who has said "its not rigged" has also said "I don't watch MMA much" or "This is my first MMA show", yet you come here trying to convince true fans that it wasn't rigged? How would you know? Where is your experience?
Let me put it this way, I have seen Rampage Jackson rip apart the Iceman back in Pride to the point where the Iceman dropped onto his back by a punch, and was getting wailed on over and over and over to the point where he was almost unconscious. The ref did not stop the fight until well into the pounding.
The fact that Thompson CLEARLY was pissed and punched the ref angrily shows that he was still able to discern what was going on around him. He was not done, yes he was rocked, but he was not done.
People who could not see that match being rigged need to go back in time, go up to WTC on Sept 11. Lates.
from 7 months ago
First of all, that was quite possibly the most tasteless comment ever at the end of your post.
Second of all, people who are newer to MMA are the ones you should be listening to, because they have the unbiased opinion. Just like how people outside of a relationship are able to see problems with a couple before the couple themselves.
I have always watched youtube vids of some of the best knockouts in both boxing and MMA on a regular basis. The Kimbo stoppage was warranted, and the stoppage you wanted was not needed. If they would have stopped it when Thompson was dropping forearm TAPS on Kimbo's head, it would have been even more of an embarrassment.
Instead, they stopped it when Thompson had just caught 5-6 haymakers in a row with his face, and was literally on the verge of taking a shot that could have killed him when the ref stepped in. Watch the video. Dude's eyes were rolling into the back of his head when the ref stopped it. Of course Thompson is going to argue it, most fighters will no matter what kind of shape they're in. Stop your Kimbo hating.
7 months ago
Fix. Fix. Fix. Fix. Fix. Fix. Fix. Oh, yeah. And fix.
Slice was in trouble from the beginning; it was obvious. The handlers and promoters stopped that fight--not the ref--and they did so very clumsily. This dreadful, boring, phony spectacle guaranteed that those of us who had never watched that UFC crap before (I myself am a fan of REAL boxing) will never watch it again.
Kimbo slice would be gutted, skinned, cooked and eaten by a man like Sonny Liston.
from 7 months ago
What a great observation - lets start out slower how about tommy morrison first. You know slugger vs slugger/boxer. First round 2:20 morrison winner ko call the wagon slice is sliced up. money maker for shaw gone EliteXC my ass
from 7 months ago
Just off the news wire....Kimbo is fighting a 10 year old black belt in Kung Fu..........His career is off and running..............LOL.......
7 months ago
Yeah, the standup in the middle of the 2nd round was BS. Must have been a noob boxing referee.
7 months ago
it seems that people hate this guy because of the hype but if you thought kimbo was such a bum why did you watch the fight in the first place ? nobody fights the best fighters when they start out so why should he ? and if they didn't stop the fight when they did that guy might have droped and stop breathing would you be happy then when people would be calling for the sport to be shut down? (note that he went to the hospital because of breathing problems) and if the guy was in on letting kimbo win why didn't he just go down in the third round make it nice and simple? one more thing if this sport would fix a fight how do you know that they didn't fix other fights that guys you like were involed in ???????????????
7 months ago
Bob......I think you are missing the point....All I am saying is that there is no room for corruption in MMA. When you groom a so-so fighter like Slice and hype him as the next great fighter and this fighter is so-so, then it stinks of grooming and corruption to match him against other washed up fighters.
If you want to see what this guy is made of, then put him in the ring with a top heavy weight and let's see. If not, then he should go away and come back when he is are ready to fight a top notch fighter. Maybe he could make more videos of backyard brawls and come back when he is ready to fight. Bas has bitten off more than can chew on this one.
BTW, you are talking shit about stopping the fight, how about the 38 un-answered blows in the second round? I still have it on TIVO, wanna count? Had that been any other MMA fighter that was not fighting back, the fight would've been stopped.
BUT because Shaw sees a cash cow until he loses, which will be soon, Slice is allowed to continue and as soon as James in in trouble, the fight is stopped.......You might be one of the very few.....viewers that thought this fight was a real fight, those of us that have eyesight and IQ above our shoe size...saw it for it was ....Another fixed fight of the Elite XC to groom a so-so fighter for the purposes of making money.....I only watch UFC from now on.......
Kimbo will lose as soon as he fights a quality fighter......
7 months ago
I'm not going to comment on the rest of the fight I just want to comment on the finish. JT was hit by 4 or 5 shots, the last two shots landing clean on his jaw, James Thompsons legs then wobbled, clearly indicating he was badly hurt. The ref then proceeded to stop the fight just as Kimbo was about to come forward, in my opinion it was just in time because Kimbo was about to rain more strikes.
The question is the ref knew James Thompson was hurt, he isn't a noob, he's refereed in many ufc fights, so he knew Thompson was hurt and then decided it best to stop the fight. So should the ref have let JT receive extra punishment knowing he was already badly hurt and the outcome was inevitable? I think the answer should be no because there was no reason to see JT on the floor in a possible serious condition that was avoidable. (Imagine if JT had been seriously injured, what would the affect of that had on MMA?)
MMA is a combat sport and people are expecting to get hurt, but when a fight can be stopped in time to prevent serious danger from happening I think this is in the best interest of the sport. I have seen MMA and boxing fights that have been stopped while standing, it is up to the ref to decide when a fighter is in danger.
BTW I have been a fan of MMA since the early 90's and I love the sport.
7 months ago
I am sick of hearing this stuff. Just because it was Kimbo on national TV doesn't mean the fight was fixed. Thompson was beating on him the first two rounds and with Slice's momentum in the final round, he would've knocked Thompson out if the ear hadn't burst anyway. And you can't say Thompson's a nobody. He's a lot tougher and more experienced than some of the fighters. Give both of them credit.
7 months ago
Please write to Gary Shaw, who is the President of Elite XC and tell him how pissed you are that he ruined MMA. what a prick he is and he should be ran out of MMA. His email is garyshaw@garyshawproductions.com
7 months ago
Please write to Gary Shaw, who is the President of Elite XC and tell him how pissed you are that he ruined MMA. what a prick he is and he should be ran out of MMA. His email is garyshaw@garyshawproductions.com
7 months ago
Long live the WWE/Elite XC. The fight was an absolute fix. I looked on in shock watching Thompson pulling punches. This limey giant has arms as big as tree trunks and had Schmimbo set up to ground and pound a few times - each time he looked like he was petting him. Anyone with cauliflower ear that nasty has done some serious training. Between this fact and the size and strength of this guy, no one will ever convince me that this guy was throwing real punches at the breathless, caught-in-the-headlights bum that he was sitting on top of. What a joke. I hope 'Elite' XC implodes.
7 months ago
Granted, Kimbo is up and coming and brings in money, so of course elite xc does not want him to lose yet while he is still marketable. Kimbo would get destroyed if he faced a quality opponent right now but the crowd loves him. Any great fighter would have gotten beaten if he faced someone much better earlier in his carrier. With the right training and time Kimbo could become a dangerous fighter. As far as the fight the other night it did make MMA look a little bad. I have watched a lot of fights where I disagree with the refs decision but this had to be one of the worst. He should have never stood them up giving Kimbo the advantage and the fight should not have been stopped. If they really want Kimbo to keep winning and make it look convincing then they should pick his opponents a little better. I think Kimbo should fight Brock Lesnor next.
from 7 months ago
Dave, well said...but..............
Did you hear the crowd at the end of the fight.....................They don't like him anymore.....America saw it for what it was ...BULLSHIT and they booed....big time.
I still have it on Tivo and it is funny to listen to............and they are NOT SAYING KIMBO............................boo...boo...boo
7 months ago
You act like Thompson wasn't in on it. Do you really believe he was elbowing him with all he had? That was just a total fix. If Thompson would have won, he wouldn't have gotten his share of the purse. It was a total fix. Both the refs and Thompson. Kimbo might not have known about it. Plus everybody knows a cauliflower ear is solid, it only is filled with blood when it first gets hurt, you have to get it drained or it will harden and it can't be fixed except surgery. That cauliflower ear was new, ready to pop, just for the TV fix.
The fight reminds me of when Heath Herring and Mirko CroCop were brought into the UFC from Pride...They got their asses kicked in, but there was no fix. They gave them multiple tries too. Same with Shogun Rua...except he at least fought a good fighter. Elite XC is a joke...Imagine what Anderson Silva would do to Steve Smith or Robbie Lawler.
from 7 months ago
A, you are right......I have watched on TIVO several times and ...Something is wrong. My wife pointed out that when Kimbo returned to his corner, he did not have a mark on him. I counted in excess of 38 elbows that appeared to connect, but he was pushing down, not striking.....really wierd.
I saw he was intructed to make it look good, but allow Kimbo to win and there's an extra check waiting for you.
The ref was probably told.....Don't stop unless Kimbo is out or taps.......but if James appears hurt, stop it right away.........
7 months ago
I think you mean Scott Smith, and remember Robbie Lawler was a UFC champ. I also am a bigger UFC fan than I was a Pride fan but look who is on top right now. Rampage is light heavy weight champ, former Pride fighter. Minitaro Nugera, not sure about the spelling, is the heavy weight champ, also a former Pride fighter. Anderson Silva also was in Pride before the UFC and actually didn't do that great there. Do you remember when Scott Smith knocked out Pete Sell? Pride rules and UFC rules are different and going from a ring to a cage had a big impact on a lot of fighters. Its like playing at home or away. The guys used to the cage and the rules of the UFC had a definate advantage. Do you remember what happened to Chuck Liddel when he fought in Pride? Yet for awhile he was virtualy unstopable in the UFC. So to sum things up, yes I do think Kimbos fight was a joke but to say Elite XC is a joke I will have to disagree. They absolutely have some good talent there and so does WEC. Sure there is probably more talent in the UFC than the others but it has been around for a lot longer too. Give the other divisions some time to weed things out and they should get better.
7 months ago
Yes the elite xc presented Kimbo with an opponent who's weakness is Kimbo's strength (stand up) but that is not the evidence of a fix. The evidence was first in the second round when James was in an advantageous position on top in half guard and landing "weak" elbows. Though not destroying Kimbo they were no where near a stale mate and there was no reason for the ref. to stand them up other than to give Kimbo a chance to knock out Thompson. Also, What I thought was weird was that the same ref. officiated every fight except the female fight. I have never seen the same ref. officiate so many fights. Besides the evedence of a "fix" the whole superbowl atmosphere with dancers and singers was laughable and a waste of time and money. MMA should be left to the WEC and UFC and maybe FSN.
7 months ago
Totally agree with your post - that fight was a sham. Had it occured in the UFC, the fight would have been stopped in R2 after all those undefended elbows. Brutal... EliteXC should be ashamed of itself...
On the other hand, really enjoyed the Lawler v Smith fight and the Carano fight...
That Pulver v. Faber fight and the Mores (sp?) fight in the WEC event last night... Awesome...
7 months ago
Kimbo was a main event after beating 2 washed up fighters?
Just remember this was the same Thompson that was knocked out by Butternean in 43 seconds. Also the same Butterbean who was knocked out by has been 45 year old UFC fighter Pat Smith.
Kimbo has no ground game and gasses easliy. Watch his loss against mediocre MMA fighter Gannon. His street fight victories are against smaller men or guys with no skill and/or totally out of shape.
He would not last in the UFC in real fights. Any decent heavyweight would take him down and tap him out quickly.
A number of things made me question this event:
1) It almost seemed in many of the fights like they were purposely not going to the ground
2) Some of the worst ref work I have ever seen. Why wasn't the Kimbo fight stopped after the 2 dozen unanswered blows Thompson pummeled him with on the ground?
3) In the Thompson Kimbo fight I saw at least a half dozen times when Thompson could of easily mounted Kimbo and finished him. Instead he would go for these lame scarfholds and then let him back up.
This event set MMA back ten 15 years. Maybe it's a Don King conspiracy to get people to start watching boxing again.
Please, no more Elite XC!!!!
3)
from 7 months ago
Well said
7 months ago
if you watched the fight you will realize they cut away from the action a couple seconds in the frist round at about 2:28 i was at the fight and kimbo slice did tap out but when i saw the fight again they didnt show it on tv... kimbo is a joke who is only a street fighter put him up even a rookie of heavyweights in the UFC like brock lesnse and watch kimbo get destroyed
7 months ago
Can anyone else that reads this and was at the fight back up what Frank said cause thats crazy if its true?
7 months ago
I read somewhere the reason the camera panned away for a second was because James Thompsons shorts started coming down, there is footage that shows it. If you watch the fight again when the camera pans back you can see JT's his shorts are hanging down slightly. Kimbo didn't tap, maybe if you watched it on youtube it looks like it but he put his thumb up to say he's ok, the commentator even said so.
Don't get me wrong the fight was crap and I could see how some would think it was fixed but personally I just think it was a messy fight with some crappy refereeing, apart from the stoppage.
7 months ago
I thought the whole event was shit..most of the fights were stopped too soon because CBS was afraid to show someone get hurt. I also dont want to see someone have a career threating injury, but how many times have you seen a guy get rocked to the ground then pull guard. The Kimbo fight was total bullshit. The title fight was worse. If putting this fight on accomplished anything, it assured real mma fans that Elite XC cant come close of being worthy of holding UFC's jock. Elite needs to promote the good fighters they have instead of has beens(Barrnoi) and never will be's(Kimbo).
7 months ago
kimbo is the greatest fighter to ever fight besides muhamed ali
he will smash any opponent with his powerful head breaking punches
if u guys are all gonna talk smack about kimbo then you should fight him in the backyard and then we could see how you do cause i now foresure i would never fight him unless i wanted to die
so foreal kimbo is boss and thats all there is to it
from 7 months ago
you are a moron.
Kimbo might be one of the best street fighters ever but there have been at least 500 MMA fighters that are far superior to him.
I really hope that post was a joke or you truly are retarded and should be punched in the face by Kimbo.
from 7 months ago
Lmao are you for real.Kimbos a side show freak.As soon as the Elite XC dies he'll fall right behind them.The thing that pisses me off the most,is that hes taking a great trainer and proven fighter down with him and thats Bas Rutten.
7 months ago
I'm not arguing with everything that has been said here... maybe the fight was rigged and maybe it wasn't. I think there are logical explanations for both sides.
First of all, let me say that Elite XC is a joke and I want it and Kimbo out of the MMA world as soon as possible.
Kimbo Slice was spoon fed another piece of crap fighter to ensure a win. I don't that is rigging a fight but it is just the typical "stepstone" fight that has already been discussed.
So here are some of the reasons why people think it was rigged and I'll include my OPINIONS on what may explain them.
1. Kimbo supposedly tapped when in the guillotine choke and the camera went jumped to the nosebleed section. I think with a guy like Kimbo you won't see a tap. He obviously isn't a pussy and isn't ever going to quit if he has any fight in him. You can see that from his street fights. He fought that Bear guy for a really long time and kept going even though he was dead tired. He had less to lose in a fight like that than he did on Elite XC and he didn't give up then (even though he lost.) I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a live event or