My thoughts on the upcoming fight between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock.
I was there. October 4, 2008 in Sunrise, Florida. Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock. Or so I thought.
I still remember the feeling on media row. The first whisper of, “Shamrock is out of the fight.” It all seemed like a big joke. Many had flashbacks to Kevin Randleman while others wondered if Shamrock did it on purpose. I just wanted to know if we were going to have a main event or not.
It was tough to pay attention to the preliminary fights while the news of Shamrock vs. Kimbo being off made the rounds. Sorry Mikey Gomez and Connor Heun, I’m sure you guys put on great performances that night, but we on media row were much more concerned about Shamrock’s cut.
Time passed while we waited for an official word. In my head, I knew that Kimbo Slice would be fighting that night. There’s no way EliteXC would go without a Kimbo main event in primetime on CBS. Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley wasn’t going to bring in the ratings.
We almost got Kimbo vs. Shamrock as Frank was ready to step in for Ken. Frank claims that the commission signed off on the fight while the commission denies that, as Frank was medically suspended from his fight against Cung Le seven months prior.
Alas, Kimbo vs. Shamrock, Frank or Ken, didn’t happen on that night. Seth Petruzelli, who was scheduled to fight on the prelims, stepped up and KO’d Kimbo in 14 seconds. The knockout, which occurred right in front of me, effectively killed Kimbo’s hype and EliteXC.
We’ll probably never know the real story of what happened with Ken Shamrock on that night. Did he cut himself on purpose to get out of the fight? Was it just an avoidable accident? Did Frank cut him with his braces while giving him a good luck kiss on the forehead? Your guess is as good as mine.
Almost seven years later, Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock is scheduled to go down again. Neither man has fought since 2010 and many wonder why Scott Coker and Bellator are bothering with the fight.
The answer is simple: We must know.
There is an empty feeling in the pit of the stomach of many MMA fans. That empty feeling dates back to October 4, 2008. Kimbo vs. Shamrock was going to be the biggest fight in MMA history. It was going to shatter TV records. It was either going to be a coming out party for Kimbo Slice, defeating a MMA and pro wrestling legend in front of a national audience, or it was going to be the re-birth of Ken Shamrock, defeating an undefeated fighter who had knocked out everyone in his path.
That fight never happened, but many of us never stopped wondering what would’ve happened.
On Friday night, we have to wonder no more.
You may ask why you should care about this fight seven years after it was originally scheduled to go down. Well, did you care about Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva? That fight took seven years to come together and was one of the greatest fights of all-time. Did you care about Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather? That fight took five years to go down and shattered all PPV records.
With neither man fighting since 2010, they’ve had plenty of time to heal up and prepare themselves for this battle, making this the perfect time for the fight. They’re both coming off losses, but that means almost nothing since losses lead to title shots in today’s MMA. There are no titles on the line this Friday, just pride, something that never dies.
The amount of intrigue surrounding this fight can’t be understated. I could see this fight going so many ways. Shamrock is known as a submission specialist, but Kimbo has never been submitted. Kimbo is known for his heavy hands, but Shamrock has never been cleanly knocked out. Many people question Kimbo’s chin, but Shamrock has never been a heavy hitter. Many wonder whether or not father time will catch up to Shamrock, who is still competing at the highest level despite being 51-years-old. Kimbo, 41, isn’t a young man. He doesn’t have as many MMA fights under his belt as Shamrock, but he’s been through wars on the street and Miami Rules fights are a lot more grueling than MMA fights.
Both men are healthy and motivated. You aren’t going to see a tired and out of shape bum like Cain Velasquez or Anthony Johnson on Friday. These two are bonafide legends of the sport. Shamrock is a pioneer who wants to go out on top while Kimbo is an unquestionable ratings draw who wants that signature win. They are different men than they were seven years ago. Shamrock is no longer looking to be in the spotlight, instead he’s changed his life around and seems to be in a great place mentally. Kimbo is no longer being promoted as a bare-knuckle street fighting attraction, instead he’s know seen as a real fighter who has defeated the guy who defeated the guy who defeated a former UFC light heavyweight champion who defeated the guy who defeated the current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
This is the grudge match to end all grudge matches. These two have been waiting to punch each other in the face for nearly seven years. They’ve endured their ups and downs, both professionally and personally, but since then they’ve never lost that desire to want to kill each other.
I was there. I remember the tension between the two at the weigh-ins on October 3, 2008. Shamrock felt disrespected when Kimbo turned his back. Kimbo felt disrespected when Ken shoved him. They were ready to fight right then and there. They were supposed to fight the next night. They made history on October 4, 2008 for all the wrong reasons. They’ll make history against on this Friday, June 19, for all the right ones.
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