Could Kimbo Slice Become The Jim Braddock Of MMA?

Watching this season of The Ultimate Fighter many wonder what is it about Kimbo Slice that draws in so many viewers. The principle of rooting for the underdog is certainly a factor and Kimbo's tale is comparable to another fighter in the early 1900's.

During the great depression, which ranged from 1929 to the early 1940s many Americans were in utter poverty with nearly half of the nation unemployed and despair was a prevalent factor in countless lives.

People needed a way to escape and focus on something other than the difficult times. Enter boxing contender Jim Braddock whose story was made famous once again in the 2005 movie Cinderella Man starring Russell Crowe.

Braddock had been a name in the heavyweight title mix in early thirties, but after losing  numerous consecutive fights and injuring his right hand he faded from the boxing world. Forced to work on the docks in Hoboken, N.J. to support his family Braddock got a lucky break and returned to boxing.

While he was brought in as a name for a younger prospect to beat up on he turned around and TKO'd the younger fighter. This led many to believe perhaps Braddock wasn't washed up as a professional fighter.

People rallied behind the underdog in Braddock as he fought his way to then champion Max Baer to win the heavyweight title on June 13th, 1935. While he would lose the title, two years later to the legendary Joe Louis.

Jim Braddock's climb from poverty to champion was an inspiration to many people who were fighting to survive in harsh times.

While the current recession is a far cry from the great depression, most working class individuals feel the strain on their finances at the very least. Times are tough and people always need to forget their troubles if only for a little while.

Enter Kevin Ferguson, aka Kimbo Slice. See Kimbo is a man from the streets—once homeless a father trying to support his family. Made famous on YouTube as a bare knuckled brawler then brought into the MMA world via the now-defunct Elite XC.

He would go onto lose to Seth Petruzzeli in a one punch knock out that ultimately brought an end to Elite XC financially. That could have been it for Kimbo right there, but after a few movie appearances and other things he found his way to The Ultimate Fighter Season 10.

Now ratings for TUF are at an all time high as fans and casual viewers alike tune in to see what will become of Kimbo.

See that's his appeal as the underdog. A man from poverty trying to rise up and get the big payday to take care of his family. A scenario people can relate to in times when many are jobless and facing financial difficulties.

Appearing on TUF has only increased notoriety and publicity for Kimbo and MMA.  Furthering his appeal is his humble demeanor and relentless work ethic. Sure, he is lacking in the ground department but the man is willing to learn and has the heart of a lion.

This is marketing genius on UFC's part. Imagine regardless of Kimbo's run on the show that he fights his way to a title shot against Brock Lesnar. The pay per view numbers alone would likely break any and all records for MMA drawing power to date.

Time will tell, but Kimbo fighting in UFC is pretty much a guarantee at this point his drawing power is to great to resist despite his lack of experience in the sport of MMA. By all accounts he's training at American Top Team in Florida for a bout in December.

Whether or not it's as a finalist for the coveted UFC contract from TUF remains to be seen. Either way people will be watching.