ATV Florida Forum

Don't forget to tune in to see Kimbo go up against Roy Nelson. Should be an interesting fight. Hopefully it'll answer some of the many questions about Kimbo. Has he evolved into a MMA fighter, or is he still just a back yard brawler with tons of hype ? Betting odds have Nelson to win the whole show, but I personally would have put someone in better shape in with Kimbo. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Time?

10:00 on spiketv. For looking so out of shape Roy does pretty good, last weeks big guy who was ripped I think his name was Wes was gassed at the end of the first round. I read a post somewhere that Kimbo says this is his best fight yet, but I still think Roy is gonna whoop him.

I sure hope we see a new Kimbo. Someone who's learned a lot and come a long way with his skills. It would be great to see someone like him do well. Regardless of my prior comments about him (which still stand), he'd be a good cinderella story for MMA.

Bottom line, I hope for a great fight and may the best man win!

Win or lose Kimbo will stay in the UFC. I know Dana talked a lot of trash, but the fact is that it's good for business. Kimbo has his own following and this could gain new fans for the UFC. I think Dana probably meant the crap he talked about Kimbo, but it's a matter of the bottom line. He doesn't have to like him to let him earn the UFC money  ;) I too hope Kimbo has improved and expanded his game, but I still want him to lose. If nothing else it wouldn't look good for a former champ to get beat down by a street thug.

Good for business ???? WRONG having kimbo get in the cage and get beat down by everyone wouldn't be much fun to watch ... well maybe once.  The simple fact is all of his fights have been boring, watching him get gassed while beating on a washed out tomato isnt want i call a good fight .... if he were to go into the ufc prior to now it would have been a one fight joke and still might be if he hasnt stepped his game up.

Long term fans of the UFC will remember one thing Royce Gracie started the UFC to prove one thing .... Small guys CAN take out the big guy that only has a punch!   It take more than a punch to make it in the UFC

Yes it does take more than just a punch to be successful, but being a hard hitting KO guy can be just as good for business as it can create exciting fights. I agree to  be a true contender in the UFC you have to be multi-skilled - which Kimbo hasn't been so far. But I personally think it's a good move for the UFC. This is a guy that other organizations and youtube have built up to be a bad azz. If he gets into the UFC and gets beat down a few good times, it proves what the UFC is saying - you have to be a real MMA fighter to make it. If he wins some, he brings his fans to the UFC and then they start ordering PPV and seeing true MMA fighters do their thing and perhaps make the switch from just Kimbo, to MMA fan. Either way it's good for business. If nothing else it will get rid of the chatter about Kimbo. Either he makes it and helps the UFC, or he fails and it shuts up the die hard Kimbo fans and proves the UFC is made up of the top fighters around, including youtube. I think Dana and the other heads of the UFC have a good handle on how to do it based upon their recent success. I  think they've done  the right thing.
Like you stated Gracie started the UFC to prove his style was the best, but even great Jujitsu guys don't ascend to the top without having other skills to go with their ground game.

Once again kimbo is exposed for what he really is. Not much!!!! Maybe the WWE is next.

Kimbo did lose, but Roy Nelson wasn't very impressive.

I was totally unimpressed with both of them. It was one of the most boring fights I've ever seen. Even worse than watching Tim Silva fight...and that's really bad.

Kimbo demonstrated that he's learned nothing when it comes to a ground game. He looked like a fish out of water and never mounted even the slightest defense or sprawl when it came to the takedowns.

On his feet, his handwork looked slow (for him) and nothing like the Kimbo we've seen in the past. I am not sure if he was just being careful or what. But, he didn't attack like I thought he would have.

Roy Nelson stuck to his game plan. If you check out his website, he's laid out his plan for the show. He's stated he will only do the bare minumum necessary to win any fight and nothing more. No show, no risk. Just points and wins and stay healthy for the finals.

Nelson looked slow and lethargic for sure. I was bored watching it. But, after it was over, I remember reading what Nelson posted on his site and thought, "hmmm, he did exactly what he said he was going to do." He's been around a long long time and knows how to play this game. I am not so sure he's the best on the show this season though. Looking forward to seeing other guys fight.

Another thing to consider is the pressure the UFC is putting on these guys behind the scenes. According to most of the fighter and MMA sites, the Nelson/Kimbo fight wasn't the one Rashad or Rampage wanted. Rather, the producers pushed this fight early on for ratings reasons. According to Nelson and people associated with Rampage, everyone wanted to save Kimbo for later after he'd had a chance to train a little more and get some intense ground training. Also, Rashad is rumored to have wanted to save Nelson for later in the show against some of the more threatening guys like Marcus. No doubt the producers are having more say in this show than past shows. And I don't think it's a good thing.

I think Kimbo will be back. Especially if someone goes out on Rampage's team (Marcus???). Dana White basically confirmed it in his commentary last night. I like Kimbo and his attitude. Seems like a really cool dude actually who is eager to learn as much as he can. After watching this season thus far, I'd like to see him get the training he needs and get another shot. It would be a really good thing for him and MMA if Kimbo developed legitimate MMA skills and won a legitimate fight with them.

We'll see.