So it's Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock - Details

Well, it’s official now. Kimbo Slice will fight Ken Shamrock in the main event of EliteXC’s Oct. 4 show, the next CBS event. I joked about it earlier in the week but they actually are going the route of Slice-Shamrock, which really shouldn’t be surprising.

Ken Shamrock is a big name, one most people are familiar with from his early UFC days and his stint as a pro wrestler. The one thing most people will miss, however, is that he’s not much of a fighter anymore. He’s lost seven of his last eight fights and is the very definition of a has-been. He hasn’t made it out of the first round successfully since 2005.

It’s clear now that Kimbo Slice is nothing more than a sideshow and that EliteXC is going to milk everything they can from him. It’s not a bad business move as this fight will certainly be well-hyped and should draw good TV numbers. It makes it even more clear, however, that EliteXC could care less about the sport’s future.

That main event is a freakshow. It’s a gimmick. And it sucks. I wish the UFC would get its act together and get a TV deal, or that a promotion like Affliction could get on primetime TV. Anyone who is willing to promote decent fighters.

The sad thing is EliteXC has some decent fighters, yet real fighters like Jake Shields won’t get half the promotion of Slice and Shamrock. Capitalizing on the YouTube fame and putting Slice somewhere on the card is one thing, but to promote him like he’s the greatest fighter in the world while scrambling to find fighters who won’t embarrass him is something different.
Naturally, the camp of Brett Rogers was fairly upset, and released a pretty scathing letter to fiveouncesofpain.com.

I was never big on Rogers fighting Slice but the letter is entertaining regardless.
The thing is, I don’t know that Shamrock, even though he’s lost a lot lately and is getting up there in years, is such an easy opponent for Slice. I would’ve liked Kimbo’s chances better against James Thompson than I do against Shamrock, and Slice should’ve lost to Thompson. Shamrock knows how to beat Slice, the question is whether or not he still has the athleticism to pull it off.