UFC 113 was overshadowed by infamy and lackluster performances that at the very least, gave the sport another black eye. If it wasn’t for the Shogun’s knockout the event might have been a bust. Josh Koscheck dominated Paul Daley for three rounds to win his fight and after the final bell, that’s when all hell broke lose. Instead of being gracious in defeat, Daley sucker punched Koscheck, in what Koscheck called his best punch of the night. That cowardly move by Daley cost him his UFC privileges. Read more.
After what happened on national television with the Strikeforce brawl a little while ago, Dana White wasn’t about to let that type of behavior fly. In what was clearly the right move, he cut ties with Daley right after the fight. To me, this is exactly the type of bush league actions that are preventing MMA from rising to the next level. But this fight wasn’t the only disappointment for UFC 113, there was of course Kimbo Slice.
I’m slightly disgusted that I’m even discussing Kimbo Slice in relation to professional MMA competition. The guy won a few backyard brawls, did some time in the big house and all of a sudden he’s got a UFC contract, that was the first mistake. You don’t see the NBA going out and signing all those Youtube streetballers, or drafting those cats making all of those doctored trick shots. I know Kimbo Slice was a great marketing tool, but quite simply, he can’t fight. In fact, I’ve always felt that the UFC was cheapened by having him compete out there. The real professional fighters are masters of their craft, not backyard brawlers. Isn’t that exactly what the sport didn’t want to be?
From a betting standpoint it’s pointless to consider betting on Kimbo Slice unless you’re a complete buffoon. The smartest thing Dana White did after UFC 113 wasn’t cutting ties with Daley, it was dropping Kimbo. Right now, Kimbo Slice belongs on a reality television show, not in the UFC ring where real professional fighters compete.
So where does the UFC go from here? The paper view events are getting a little stale, people want something they can get really excited about. Where are the big headliners? Where are the phenoms? What the UFC needs is a block buster fight to get people excited again. Is Brock Lesner alive? I can’t say I’m all that excited to see GSP and Koscheck, Dana White, please give us a reason to care, because to me right now, the UFC reality show is the most entertaining product he’s got.
