The Promotional 'Lynching' of Kimbo Slice by Dr. Johnny Benjamin

Yeah I said it...lynching. And I do know what the word means.

Kevin Ferguson aka Kimbo Slice got used by his promotional company and now must endure the aftermath of a public lynching. Mr. Ferguson is an internet phenom that attempted to parlay his internet 'fame' into real dollars ala Paris Hilton. In corporate America it's called monetizing your image. In the real world it's called 'pimpin' the game'. True a prostitute makes money but at what personal cost?

Kimbo got his hustle on and signed the lucrative contract he was offered by Elite XC. Elite XC, a fledgling MMA promotional company, then proceeded to grossly over hype Mr. Slice as the MMA equivalent of the second coming of the grim reaper. Even though he was yet to have his first professional MMA bout (that chin checking on YouTube and Ray Mercer show doesn't count for legitimate MMA).

Throughout the entire 'spin' job, Kevin Ferguson proclaimed his neophyte status in the MMA food chain. He described himself on many, if not all occasions as 'new to the game' and 'just trying to learn the sport'. Unfortunately, he never needed to utter a boast because his 'handlers' were speaking volumes of foolishness on his behalf.

Elite XC signed him to an obscene contract and was looking for a quick multiple on their investment. They also had the first major network, CBS, deal for MMA. Obviously, they needed a horse to who they could hitch their wagon. Since they couldn't afford Fedor Emilianenko, whom despite his tremendous skill set is all but unknown in the US (he also does not speak English which clearly doesn't help his stateside marketability) and for the most part the best talent is under contract to the UFC; Kimbo was their man.

Elite XC executives have a long history in professional boxing. So they are well versed in hyping a fighter and building (padding) his
record. But with their foray into MMA they went to WWE'ish extremes. They employed the philosophy that great theater must have a villain, and the bigger and darker the better. Kevin Ferguson could not have been more perfectly cast. Kimbo was anointed as the 'baddest man on the planet' without earning it in the cage. The stage was set.

MMA fans are rabid and quite knowledgeable about the sport. The anti-Kimbo backlash was immediate and universal (if you don't believe me just go to any major MMA website forum and post a comment in support of Kimbo and see what happens...I dare you). Even those who loved him when he was brawling on YouTube ferociously turned on him when Elite XC did their thing.

The EliteXC experiment didn't last long.

For many MMA purists, Seth Petruzelli in just 14 short seconds exposed Kimbo Slice. Judgment day had come. And the myth of Kimbo Slice was laid bare.

The marketing ploy called Kimbo Slice was always meant to fail. It was part of the master plan. But Elite XC had intended to make far greater money off their investment before they threw him to the wolves.

The demise of Kimbo was quickly and thankfully followed by the bankruptcy of Elite XC.

That should have been the end of Kimbo but low and behold the UFC did an about face and soon departed the Kimbo bashing business and embarked upon the Kimbo pimping business.

Enter UFC president and front man, Dana White. Apparently he concluded that 'those sons of bi*&%#$ made money off Kimbo so why can't I'?

Kimbo lost his very first fight on the UFC's TUF/Ultimate Fighter reality show (Spike/TV) and was sent packing ...end of story, right? Not really. The ratings were through the roof and as we all have learned Kimbo has more lives than Freddy Kruger. He was resurrected from the valley of lost fighters to appear on the TUF finale show and won.

He's baaaack!

So why not make more money off him?

At UFC 113 recently held in Montreal, Quebec Canada, Kimbo lost badly running his unofficial UFC/TUF career to 1-2. Dana White made his money, proved his point and sent Mr. Slice packing.

The human being, Kevin Ferguson, was lost in the shuffle.

I chose the explosive word lynching because exploiting a big, scary Black man has always drawn a crowd. Once upon a time, it was hate filled and racially motivated now it is purely financial.

MMA at MSG: It all depends on Albany.

Ontario's National Post comes out in support MMA.

Let UFC in
National Post
Published: Monday, March 29, 2010

The martial arts competitive sport Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) sees competitors, trained in disparate martial arts styles, compete with each other to determine which fighter -- and by extension which combat technique -- is superior. The once-struggling competition has turned itself into a runaway hit, now boasting the usual bevy of product tie-ins: video games, DVDs, action figures and the like.

But you won't see a UFC bout in the province of Ontario any time soon. Despite considerable public demand and obvious interest from the UFC, Premier Dalton Mc-Guinty has avoided giving provincial approval for UFC events to take place in Ontario. He has not denied permission explicitly, but has instead, in his own words, "tapped out" of the controversy, refusing to make any decision at all.

We understand the Premier's apparent distaste for the sport. Mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts, such as those performed by the UFC's athletes, are brutal affairs. Unlike the fiction of World Wrestling Entertainment events, or the ritualized combat of boxers, UFC matches are drawn out slugfests, veritable testaments to violence. A John Hopkins University School of Medicine study revealed that a full 40% of the matches resulted in injury.

Equally if not more disturbing is the bloodlust often shown by the sport's most vociferous supporters who delight in every landed, punishing blow. UFC events typically pack sportsbars with raucous crowds eager to see human beings beat each other senseless.

That said, it is not the role of the provincial (or any other) government to stand in the way of consenting adults who would like to watch such a sporting event.

Despite what we might think of UFC, if a private company wishes to stage an event in Ontario, which includes renting a venue, securing a liquor licence and hiring private security, they should be able to do so without being strung along by government officials. Let UFC in and let Ontarians decide for themselves whether this a sport they wish to support.

Tuff-N-Uff to offer free stream of all 14 fight card tonight.

UFC 111 Full press conference @ Radio City Music Hall

Abu Dhabi pumps oil riches into media projects

UFC 110 International Ratings

One is the digital sports channel of Ch. 10, one of the market’s three major stations which dominate the airwaves the way the big three networks did in the U.S. in the 70s. The only people who get the channel are those with HD Digital tuners, which is about 30% of the country. The show was broken up into two blocks, the 2-4 p.m. block, which did 123,000 viewers, and the 4-5 p.m. block which did 122,000 viewers. UFC Wired (the syndicated version of the show similar to Unleashed), which airs on the station every Thursday, in recent weeks has done between 95,000 and 100,000 viewers… The weekly UFC Wired is the highest rated of those shows and UFC 110 may have been the highest rated show on the station since a Formula One race in November.
The station was so happy with it that they are going to air the 3/21 show from Broomfield, CO, live and then replay it later that night in prime time. But Ch. One only averages a 0.6 rating. UFC 110 was the fourth most watched sports show of the day in the country, trailing a cricket match (1.25 million), Olympic coverage