Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice: Has Been vs. Newcomer

There was a day when a fighter could bring his style, his brand, and himself as he was, into a ring and display it against some other fighter's style, brand, and self. In those days, no one knew what the other guy might do or how he might attack. No one knew the broad spectrum of possibilities that could unfold in the ring.

That was a day when Kimbo Slice might have made a serious impact on the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. That day was 15 years ago.

In the early days, had Kimbo Slice decided to give MMA a shot, to see how he would fare, one might guess that he would have been quite successful. Let's face it, Kimbo is a street brawler with insane talent and presence.

The guy really is scary and has paid dues in a less-than-controlled environment, which takes a lot of spine. More than most of us analytical MMA buffs have, that is for sure. He's a tuff guy, who, this writer thinks, missed his calling.

Imagine Kimbo in the days of Tank Abbot or Don Frye. Sure, he would have bumped into a Brazilian who would have gladly shown him what tapping out felt like, but in general, the odds would have been more in his favor than they are today.

It's a tuff hustle, teaching an old dog new tricks. That is exactly what Slice is trying to do, learn new tricks, as an old dog.

Now let's talk about an old dog with old tricks. Ken Shamrock was around for those glory days when one dominant style could win, and not only the fights, but the fans as well. One strong man, with a technical approach and a goal of ending a fight by any means, could have success, at least for a while. 

Ken was one of the first to approach a fight to end it however he could, while others wanted to display and posture with their respective disciplines. 

Many competitors came to fight and display their skill set and toughness, yet Ken was one of the successful ones, who came to end fights, period. How many guys came out swinging only to wind up on the ground wondering what this fella was doing to their ankle? Seconds later, they were informed, he is trying to snap it off. Ken was a pioneer. Ken was a monster. Ken was the most dangerous man alive.

WAS, is the operative word in that statement. 

So, as the headline states, one of these tuff guys was dabbling in lord knows what, down in Miami, during the early days of MMA becoming mainstream, and now has shown up with little more than a very strong, single strength, tunnel-vision type, background and approach. He is extremely late to the MMA party.

Kimbo is one of, if not the, meanest street fighters we have ever laid our eyes upon.  He has paid his dues in that world and deserves that credit. An MMA practitioner he is not.

He has displayed the heart and desire to become one and best wishes to him on that journey. Training with Bas Rutten does not hurt his chances. Give the guy some wrestling, add some Jiu-Jitsu, maybe a bit more conditioning, possibly a time machine, and you've got a recipe for a formidable talent.

The second man has been and always will be a name in this great sport. Like him or leave him, he has paid his dues in MMA. He has shown what he is all about, and like him or not, he has entertained us for many years in one of the toughest forums in the business.

Now in the twilight of his career, matchmakers are throwing him in one more time, to pull ratings or maybe they really think he can turn his ship around. 

The reality is that Shamrock needs to hang up those gloves. His knowledge and experience would be better served as a legacy to hand down as a trainer or coach at this point. As far as standing in the ring to compete, Ken Shamrock has long since overstayed his welcome at the MMA party. 

The fight should be watched; the fight will be watched. Many who don't know or haven't followed the sport will tune in this Saturday, like many do with NASCAR. Some folks will watch and can't name a driver or a race team by name. They just want to see a fiery wreck.

Unfortunately, that is the same reason many will tune in this Saturday evening to watch EliteXC's latest event.  It is quite possible the only fiery wreck they may see will be that of EliteXC itself. 

They cannot continue to send out subpar fighters and call them top talent and expect the true, well versed, diehard MMA fan to keep tuning in. 

We have all seen Kimbo fight; all you need is an Internet connection and YouTube. The essence of his true talent is better served in that forum. 

We've seen Ken Shamrock fight, and we know we've seen the best he has to offer—that was over a decade ago. 

Come with some talent, lose the fireworks, lose the antics, and you might just have a worthy promotion. If not, the party may just be over for you too, EliteXC.