Is Kimbo Slice the best fighter in MMA?

No

1 of 12

by Dambrath

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Kimbo Slice is one of the most famous fighters currently competing in MMA today, and because of this some people believe that he is also one of the best fighters as well. The reason for this being that Slice, real name Kevin Ferguson, gained a large amount of fame before he actually competed in professional mixed martial arts. But the fact remains that there is a big difference between being a big draw in terms of fans and pay per view buys, and being a great fighter.

The source of Slice's fame originally was that he competed in bare-knuckle fights that were broadcast on Youtube, and for a time became very popular. In the fights, which were often very one sided in Slices favour, opponents would attempt to best him in a fistfight, often in settings such as a parking lot or someone's backyard. The opponents were often local bullies and thugs from the various neighbourhoods that Kimbo visited, with little or no training themselves.

The one time in these fights that Kimbo fought a real fighter was against Boston Policeman Sean Gannon, who was an amateur mixed martial artist at the time. Kimbo lost the fight via choke, although after the event the result was disputed due to confusion over the rules of the bout. Kimbo believing that the fight was bare knuckle only, and Gannon believing that the fight was no holds barred rules.

From here Gannon and Kimbo both entered the world of mixed martial arts, with Gannon next fighting in the UFC against fellow heavyweight Brandon Lee Hinkle. The reason for the long back-story here becomes apparent when Hinkle defeated Gannon in very quick order. Also Hinkle himself was at best a c level fighter, the like of which will never get close to a championship or the top of the rankings, and yet he still easily defeated the man who beat Kimbo Slice.

Kimbo has himself now gone on to sign with the Elite-XC promotion, and has won all of his first three fights, albeit against less then stellar competition. He has beaten in order, a man with more losses than wins in Bo Cantrell. A fighter who, despite being a recognized name is over 40 and hasn't won only one fight in the last ten years, in Tank Abbott. And most recently a physically impressive but otherwise unskilled British fighter known for having a glass jaw, in James Thompson.

To the casual fan this might have looked as if Kimbo had made an impressive start to him mixed martial arts career and that he was heading for the top. And while theoretically he still could become successful, his last three wins are certainly not proof of this. And the idea of some people thinking he is the best fighter in MMA today is laughable. After all the highest slice has been ranked by any of the many independent mixed martial arts sites or and experts is barely top 50.

Indeed when compared to the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, a fighter who has beaten every top fighter he has faced, and from 29 fights has only lost once due to a cut, Slice seems insignificant in comparison. In fact even within his own organization Slice isn't the best fighter in his weight class on the roster. The likes of the heavyweight champion of Elite-XC, Antonia Silva, or former UFC star Ricco Rodriguez would surely beat Slice like he owed them money.

So although the idea of Kimbo Slice being the best fighter in mixed martial arts today is simply not true, he remains one of the biggest draws. Fame isn't the same thing as skill however, and the chances of Slice ever getting to the very top of the sport's rankings look slim. On his side he does have a respected trainer and mentor by the name of Bas Rutten and seemingly will have a gradual rise rather then being thrown in with skilled opponents right away. After all his drawing power is only good so long as he keeps winning.

Against Slice however is the fact that he is already 33 years of age, which is a fairly late age to enter the sport. Aside from decent boxing skills, which he gained in his days fighting bare knuckle, Kimbo also has little ability on the ground as of yet, as seen from his fight against James Thompson. In which he struggled to make anything happen whenever the fight went to ground. His ability on the feet is not disputed, but becoming well rounded will be difficult for someone with Slice's background in boxing and body type as well.

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