Like many fans I was disheartened and surprised by what I saw last Saturday. It took a few days for me to process what I saw but now I think I'm ready with answers for why the guy I once thought was an unbeatable fighting machne was laying face down being pounded on by yet another overweight fighter.
Put simply, the Kimbo we've seen in the UFC is not the same fighter he once was. Prime Kimbo was a street fighter extraordinaire--a machine built on aggression, superior athleticism and life on the streets. When a bully like Bird or Adryan needed to be put in his place, you called on Kimbo. When an elite athlete like Ladamian Tomlinnson needed to get an extra edge in his training, he called on Kimbo. When Strikeforce wanted to create the biggest event in U.S. MMA history, they called on Kimbo.
And every time he delivered!
But like most legends, he heeded the call one too many times. When the UFC sought out the best HW talent in the world for their reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, it was Kimbo who was the star...the special announcement...the guy everyone expected to walk through the competition. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. For once in his life the might Kimbo was not up to the task. Was it the countless streetfights, the hard living, the lack of motivation or the contrived rules of NSAC sanctioned MMA that did him in? I'm not going to offer a guess at that, because a guess is all it would be. I'll just say that I did not expect it--not even for one second.
Now I have to face facts. Kimbo may never, as Mike Goldberg says, "reign supreme in the Octagon" again. I'm not going to lament. I'm going to remember. And the Kimbo I remember is not the guy I saw last Saturday night.
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