It is no secret that mixed martial arts tend to represent a young man’s sport. However, there are also times when life throws us a surprise. One perfect example can be seen in the emergence of Kimbo Slice until he passed away at the relatively young age of 42. Although critics would claim that he was entirely too old to have stood a chance in the octagon, he was certainly a force to be reckoned with.
Indeed, many of his opponents would have preferred to stay home and play blackjack at SkyCity Casino in hindsight. Not only would they have almost certainly avoided a beating, but they could have enjoyed other features such as progressive jackpots, live dealer rounds, a massive variety of games, and stellar levels of customer support. These undoubtedly sound more attractive when compared to coming into contact with one of Slice’s fists.
The Strength of Street Knowledge
In terms of impressive records, few can argue with the statistics associated with Kimbo Slice. He won seven out of all seven officially sanctioned MMA fights and countless others outside of the octagon. Many would argue that this was what made Slice such a dangerous man.
Anyone who has followed mixed martial arts for an extended period of time has likely seen his early fights on YouTube. While there was little ground and pound at the time, Slice was known for a powerful stand-up game. Furthermore (and unlike the MMA), the majority of his matches were bare-knuckle fights. This is another way of saying that Slice was able to take a considerable amount of pain. He was also not afraid of blood and he had a notoriously solid chin. Although he might not have been able to give Mike Tyson a run for his money, there is no doubt that this mentality was perfectly suited for the MMA.
A Lack of Ground Skills
It is indeed a tragedy that Slice died at such a young age, as he definitely showed a talent at learning new skills. This was even more evident in terms of ground-and-pound techniques. Had he been able to utilise such an approach when fighting Tank Abbott, the chances are high that the fight would not have made it past the first round. The only problem is that Kimbo was a relatively big man and we have to wonder whether he possessed the stamina to endure lengthy periods of time on his back. It is still a fact that he was a sponge in regards to how he absorbed knowledge from other names such as Rampage Jackson. Might Slice have been able to master his ground game with time?
It is a shame that we will never get to know how good Kimbo Slice could have been. Although it is likely that he would have already retired by the time that this article was written, the chances are high that he would still have made an indelible impression upon the sport as a whole.
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