I told my wife as soon as he refused to touch gloves he was going to lose. That’s like a curse. I didn’t expect it to happen in 14 seconds, though! It’s hard to train for fighters with a karate base anyway, and Kimbo didn’t even know he was going to be fighting one until an hour before he stepped into the cage.
We all knew this was coming. What’s the opposite of dodging a bullet? If Shamrock hadn’t gotten hurt Kimbo would have another win on his record.
I kind of like Kimbo but it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever be great. By the time he catches up to guys who’ve been training for years he’ll be past his prime.
I think Kimbo could have a good future in MMA; he’s got a great coach (Bas Rutten) and he seems to have a very good attitude, he acknowledges that he’s new to professional MMA and has a lot to learn. Bas has said that he’s a very good student and has a fantastic work ethic. I’ve also been impressed by his personal demeanor, aside from the normal “Your opponent called you a poopy head, what is your response?” prefight sound bites, he comes across as very respectful and soft-spoken. His post-fight interview showed very good sportsmanship, I thought.
All that being said, right now his only actual fighting characteristics are that he’s very strong and he’ll step up against whoever. He’s got a ways to go in the skill and endurance departments…both things that come with time and training hard.
The way that short left dropped Kimbo was kind of surprising. It must have been a freak flash knockout to put him down like that, especially with his background in “brawling.”
I also thought he was classy about the way he took the defeat, and I really hope that Shamrock puts together a cogent and appropriately apologetic explanation for missing the fight. It’s unimaginable that a fighter could get injured sparring the day of a match.
Hopefully that will quiet down the ridiculous fanbase Kimbo’s earned by doing absolutely nothing. Who would have thought he wouldn’t have a chin, though?
Ahh, good times. Loved seeing Fedor get some well deserved recognition, too.
Oh, and chalk this up as Kimbo getting off easy. Shamrock would’ve just broken his ankle.
What left? It was a right. You couldn’t see it from the live camera angle, so you might’ve missed it unless you watched the replay. When it happened live I thought Kimbo slipped. I think the punched shocked him and he could’ve recovered pretty easily but Petrezulli wisely capitalized and would not let up.
Put it this way: Take a guy like Arlovski. One of my favorite fighters, and easily a top 10 heavyweight, probably a top 5, but let’s be honest, he is not going to sniff a major world title again as long as Fedor and Noguiera hold them. For the time being, he is effectively a gatekeeper. Could you see Kimbo beating him? I can’t. Now take into account that Andrei is ~29 years old and Kimbo is ~34 (I’m not going to look up their ages but those are both within a year if not dead accurate), can you ever see Kimbo beating him? I still can’t. I can’t see him cracking the top ten before his muscle mass and reaction time starts falling off in his late 30s, just a few years from now. That’s what I mean by saying he’ll never be great. He’ll be good. Hell, he’s decent already. Don’t expect him to ever hold a legitimate title or consistently hang with top competition, though. He’s learning stuff now in his mid-30s that the top heavyweights learned when they were preteens.
It’s very hard to maintain that kind of muscle mass and low bodyfat percentage at 50. Not impossible - Hulk looks great at 55 - but it takes an incredible amount of dedication plus winning the genetic lottery plus, I’m sorry to say, some illegal substances. Basically a perfect storm that happens so rarely it’s almost safe to say it doesn’t happen. Kimbo does not look any older than 34 to me. Maybe the beard and the bald head are throwing you off. I’m pretty sure he played college ball so it wouldn’t be terribly difficult to verify his age at least within a few years if you’re really that suspicious.
:eek::eek:OHHHHHHHHHHH!