Perpetuating Parable: Rewarding Kimbo and dismissing GSP

Submitted by MMAcademics on April 29, 2008 - 10:48am.

By David Mayeda, PhD, FightTicker.com contributor

Last week, I argued here that the discontent being directed towards Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson was unwarranted and should be shifted towards EliteXC and its president, Gary Shaw – the forces that are ultimately driving Ferguson’s newfound attention. Since my blog entry appeared, a number of related occurrences have transpired. First, Bas Rutten also defended Ferguson on Inside MMA, even stating that disgruntled fans and fighters should point their fingers at Bas himself and Ferguson’s management if they wanted someone to blame. Additionally, Chuck Liddell made a second public statement on the Dallas radio show, “Rear Naked Radio” (reported on MMAJunkie.com), simply reiterating his initial argument that Ferguson has yet to prove himself as legitimate MMA superstar given his lack of high level competition and therefore is unwarranted in receiving this recent level of attention. And finally in the most significant development, numerous MMA media outlets announced that Ferguson was in line to grace the cover of an upcoming edition of ESPN the Magazine, notably a magazine that featured Liddell on its cover in May 2007.

Again, I stand by my initial contention, that Ferguson is not the primary source of blame in this MMA media circus. However, Liddell’s statements are not without merit. Sports, especially the combat sports, are filled with examples in which promoters and other media conglomerates push for an individual’s rapid rise in the business because of their marketability while other, perhaps more deserving fighters, must merely watch the media train zip by. And this is hardly a new phenomenon. As far back as the 1950s, the combat sports were manipulated by the media. During this time, watching boxing on television was so popular that it severely reduced attendance at actual events, and eventually the lack of gate attendance depleted the number of professional boxers with adequate experience. This led to match-ups that were based more on hype than skill for far too many participants. As boxing historian, Jeffrey Sammons writes of that time, “...television’s role in boxing raised the issue of who was in control of the sport.” Sound familiar?

Today, numerous MMA fans, fighters, and us internet writers are asking the same thing – who is really in control of the sport? When somebody with a 2-0 MMA record over pedestrian talent makes the cover of ESPN the Magazine, it will surely upset some of those in the industry. When I showed my blog entry about not blaming Ferguson for his hype to my good friend, Dr. Huy Nguyen, he responded by saying, “All really great points ... in the end, it does still upset me that Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn, or GSP don’t get ESPN stories.” Moreover, Virginia-based MMA promoter and mixed martial artist, Mike Troxel, wrote to me regarding the displeasure that some MMA fans will have of Ferguson being on the ESPN the Magazine cover, “I think you’re right. There will be a lot more hating on Kimbo (and I think there should be). In my opinion he personifies every typical stereotype that non-fans have about MMA and that sort of image should be the last thing shown in a sport that is trying to be legitimized in the eyes of all of America.”

Considering Nguyen’s and Troxel’s comments, I couldn’t help but think more carefully about the ways promotional powers and media entities manipulate the industry in order to spike ratings. Let’s also recall what is not being highlighted about Ferguson. How many readers know that Ferguson was an all star football player for Miami Palmetto High School, but who attended the University of Miami on an academic scholarship (see SubmitToMMA article)? Despite not graduating from college, Ferguson is a highly intelligent individual. Unfortunately, that side of him is rarely, if ever, displayed in marketing pieces, further distorting the image of athletes in general, especially minority athletes. The other angle not making big waves in the MMA media is how Ferguson’s move into MMA has stopped him from engaging in illegal behaviors, which began when he worked as a bodyguard for RK Netmedia, a Miami based pornography production and promotion company. Said Ferguson of his move from backyard brawler to MMA in a 2007 interview for SI.com with FightTicker.com’s own Pramit Mohapatra, “In a backyard fight, I used to enter those things high. I was smoking before I went out to fight. Definitely it’s different. It’s not the same.” While Ferguson may or may not be a model citizen now, he has surely made significant improvements. Yet these behavioral changes take a back seat to his YouTube scraps, or rather, don’t even make it out of the trunk in most promotional pieces.

Now let us return to one MMA athlete who is not making it into to the American mainstream sports world, despite being considered by many as MMA’s future – Georges St. Pierre. GSP is widely considered by MMA fans a genetic phenom, who has all the physical tools and a strong enough game in most combat sport disciplines to rule the welterweight division for years to come. Add to this a string of victories over Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra, and fewer are questioning GSP’s mental focus in competition. But most importantly, it is critical to highlight GSP’s comments in recent interviews. After Pete Sell attempted to criticize GSP by comparing him with MMA fighter, Matt Serra by saying, “GSP is the type of guy that if they were in a bar GSP would back down from a fight while Serra is down for whatever” (interview with FightTicker.com contributor Bryan Levick), GSP responded in a way that exemplifies how MMA does not have to be associated with violence out of sport. Said GSP in an interview for The Winnipeg Sun, “Of course I’m not going to fight in a club. It’s just not my thing. If it doesn’t involve me personally or my family, I will avoid it. I believe if you’re a good person and treat people nicely, that incident wouldn’t arise. I think those situations happen to people who are uncomfortable with themselves. Or try to look tough or act like fighters. You attract what you look like. I don’t have anything to prove. When I fight, I do it for a living.”

To this end, GSP is also in the process of developing the GSP Foundation, which will focus on working with at-risk youth. As quoted in a UFC.com story, GSP stated, “It’s important for me because it’s time for me to give back to society ... I want to use my name, my credibility, and my stature as a professional athlete in mixed martial arts to help the young kids. I’m going to focus on the kids and the teenagers because growing up I had problems, and if I can help somebody who was like me when I was young, it will make their lives better.” Granted, GSP does not represent all mixed martial artists in terms of work ethic, athleticism, or morality. Still, considering his overall athletic success and charitable goals, the fact that he is not receiving the ESPN spotlight is absurd. When MMA fans, fighters, and promoters wonder why MMA is still not as mainstream as we would like it to be, just look at who’s being promoted, how they’re being promoted, and who’s not.

David Mayeda, PhD, is author of Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society, the first book to critically examine the sport of mixed martial arts, through interviews with forty MMA athletes.

Non-internet source: Sammons, J. T. (1990). Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. pg. 149.

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Comments

For the record....Although I

For the record....Although I may not explain myself
Thats what I mean to say lol.
Shaw expects fans of MMA to buy into a guy who has not beaten a quality guy yet, when he has top 15 level guys there he could use.
I like to use the Missouri attitude. And for those of you who don't know there state motto is, they are the "Show me" state.
In other words if you have a headliner, show me, put another headliner in with him.

EERS_1_Fan

Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
MMABRAT, CaptnCrunch, and Michael are all going to start training in the devils MMA lol

Submitted by EERS_1_Fan on April 29, 2008 - 10:56am.

kimbo is going to be force

kimbo is going to be force fed can's for another year - year and a half. elite is riding one ONE fighter.

yes they have many decent fighters but the average joe has no idea who diaz and scott smith are.

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 29, 2008 - 11:16am.

great article

great article academics.people are too lazy and buy anything the media sells to them. gary shaw is promoting kimbo as the best, and all people go, yeah, he's the best...

Underboss MMAfia

Head of the West Coast Family
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION UFC 83

Submitted by iamphoenix on April 29, 2008 - 3:40pm.

i've always been very

i've always been very pro-ufc but one thing they could have done better is to throw some mid level fighters at all these Pride superstars. They did it right with Rampage and Cro Cop but gave sokoudju, henderson, shogun and wanderlei (am i missing any) some tough tough tough fights.

as much as i complain about kimbo, EXC is doing the right thing by letting kimbo pound on all these trash fighters.

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 29, 2008 - 3:46pm.

Are you saying Kimbo coming

Are you saying Kimbo coming out of the street compares to sokoudju, henderson, shogun and wanderlei coming from Pride?

MMABrat
Run Forest Run

Submitted by MMABrat on April 29, 2008 - 3:55pm.

I think Papa's point is

I think Papa's point is valid. I'm also a strong believer in the notion that fighters have to be built up so that audiences can feel a connection to them and learn about them.

Soku, Henderson, and the others are relatively unknown to UFC fans despite their importance to MMA as a whole and they were thrown in against top-of-the-line UFC fighters and lost. They've been devalued. They could have been built up for a fight or two a la Rampage and then allowed to go for the big fights.

In Kimbo's case, EliteXC is trying to build a star and protect him at the same time. My only issue with Kimbo's next fight is that it's a headliner. Other than that, Shaw is doing the right thing with him. And, if mainstream publications like ESPN are foolish enough to put Slice on the cover of the mag, the onus is on them -- not Slice or Shaw...

Submitted by Fight Ticker on April 29, 2008 - 4:01pm.

Here is my point. people

Here is my point. people like Kimbo (sorry Kimbo) should be fead to guys like those mentioned, for all their careers. I watched a few videos a while back, one was a younger Chuck Liddell being made an example of so to speak by Jeremy Horn. Then the second Video was the older more experenced Chuck getting the first KO over Horn in like 100 fights.
MMABrat
Run Forest Run

Submitted by MMABrat on April 29, 2008 - 4:09pm.

It's a persuasive argument

It's a persuasive argument Brat -- trial by fire, survival of the fittest, eat or be eaten...

It appears to be the route the UFC is taking, but they also have the luxury of being very,very deep and everyone knows who they are.

EliteXC is fairly unknown and thus trying to make a statement. Kimbo and Carano are Gary Shaw's golden egg-laying gooses. Without more depth, I don't know that he has any other option.

In the end, these guys have to make money. Shaw may be approaching this in a short-sighted way, but I don't know what his other options are...

Again, though, I do wish he didn't put Slice on as the headliner. Outside of that, I think it's a good card...

Submitted by Fight Ticker on April 29, 2008 - 4:13pm.

it's a good card, and i'll

it's a good card, and i'll be tuning in.

Underboss MMAfia

Head of the West Coast Family
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION UFC 83

Submitted by iamphoenix on April 29, 2008 - 4:17pm.

Unless they have two belts

Unless they have two belts close together, when Larosa comes over what then? And I'm sure Tara would want to gain the 10 pounds, or what ever just to jump up and prove, or at least try to prove she is #1 right?

MMABrat
Run Forest Run

Submitted by MMABrat on April 29, 2008 - 4:22pm.

Perpetuating Parable....Say

Perpetuating Parable....Say that 10 times lol

EERS_1_Fan

Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
MMABRAT, CaptnCrunch, and Michael are all going to start training in the devils MMA lol

Submitted by EERS_1_Fan on April 29, 2008 - 4:26pm.

i think mmabrat makes a good

i think mmabrat makes a good point too and i can certainly see why the UFC makes those fights. i mean, top fighters should be fighting top fighters right? they certainly have the room to do so with how many fighters they have.

i just feel bad for the veteran fighters (namely henderson) who might be on the chopping block if they lose one more match which wouldn't have happened if they got one or two warm up matches.

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 29, 2008 - 4:27pm.

and to address/clarify an

and to address/clarify an earlier point...i don't liken kimbo to those pride guys at all...i hate how people are pumping kimbo up and until he beats 2-3 legitimate guys i'm not going to give him the light of day.

i'm just saying that EXC is making the smart move to gradually move him up instead of risking their most prized asset getting beat by some mid level fighter in the "beginning" of his career.

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 29, 2008 - 4:32pm.

I'm surprised I am chiming

I'm surprised I am chiming in on a Kimbo Slice thread, but here goes... I like what EliteXC is doing with him. He may not be the best heavyweight fighter any of us have ever seen, but we are the minority. We are the few who follow MMA to its fullest. We are the ones who come on fightticker.com at all hours of the day and chat with other real fans about what is going on in the world of MMA. The casual fan is the one who tunes in and wants to see a higllight reel knockout (although we enjoy them too). They are the boneheads that boo at cards when the action goes to the ground. And while I'd rather have a crowd full of fightticker.com's finest, the reality is that we can't sell out an arena. These companies need the casual fan. They have to make their products marketable to everyone. And Kimbo is just that...marketable. But he only stays that way as long as he continues to decimate his opponents. They sold his first fight against Bo Cantrell as the debut of a monster, the streefighter making his first appearance in a fight with real rules. They sold the Tank Abbott fight as if it was Kimbo vs. Tank of 1996, not 2008. They are building this guy up very well. James Thompson is just the next baby step in Kimbo's progression. We'll tune in because there is an MMA event on television, and the casual fan will tune in because the guy on the cover of ESPN the Magazine is fighting. It's the best of both worlds for Gary Shaw. I love the line Fight Ticker used about needing to build up a fighter so that the fans care about what happens to them. It is too true. Too often, we hear people complaining about someone being fed an "easy fight". No such thing in this sport, fellas. Anything can happen. But at the same time, watching two guys fight that have long winning streaks adds some extra value to a fight. I know Marcus Davis is not a top 10 welterweight, but his winning streak has made him more marketable for the UFC. He was a bust on the reality show, and now, fighting almost solely in Europe, he has built himself into a name people talk about. He is a fringe contender in the welterweight division, even though he has zero wins over top competition. He could conceivably receive a title shot in this division with a win over Mike Swick and another win or two after that. It's crazy, but because of the winning streak, people consider him legitimate.

Submitted by TheBudCan on April 29, 2008 - 4:43pm.

very nice post budcan.

nothing to do with kimbo...but i actually do consider marcus davis a top 10 welterweight...

anyways...you're 200% right that the people who fuel this sport are the casual viewers...not the guys who visit fight ticker or sherdog.

that's why every tito fight...every chuck fight...and every *sigh* kimbo fight

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 29, 2008 - 4:47pm.

...does well left that

...does well

left that out...sorry for all the posts.

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 29, 2008 - 4:47pm.

I have to be honest that

I have to be honest that really sumed it up lol.

MMABrat
Run Forest Run

Submitted by MMABrat on April 29, 2008 - 4:51pm.

Another good comparison

Another good comparison would be with Brock Lesnar. Whereas Kimbo is being brought up in EliteXC, the UFC took Brock Lesnar and had him immediately lock horns with not only a former UFC Champ, but also an expert in BJJ. We all saw the athleticism and wrestling-style MMA that Lesnar employed, but also saw him get caught. So now what does the UFC do with Lesnar? They pit him against recent inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, Mark Coleman.

Despite being a great, accomplished athlete, due to Lesnar's WWE history, he ends up being treated very much like Kimbo - people doubt his legiticmacy in MMA and are angry he's getting big pay days/co-main event status. So he's a perpetual bad guy! It's not fair to him. Had Lesnar been gradually brought into MMA like Kimbo, it would have been better for him, for the UFC, and for MMA. With Kimbo, they're "raising him" the right way, but he shouldn't be the main event. I guess EliteXC is going bankrupt though, so they're cashing in... As for ESPN, the fact that they don't spotlight someone like GSP is ridiculous and shows they just want to cash in as well.

Check out Fighting for Acceptance - the nation's first and only political book that supports MMA, based on interviews with Couture, Hendo, Rampage, Mayhem, Mezger, Leben, Lutter, and many more!

Submitted by MMAcademics on April 29, 2008 - 4:57pm.

great article Academics!

great article Academics! Instead we get two guys on the cover who are the stereotype of a rock-star-like professional fighter. Chuck's book tells tales of some WILD parties that make my college-party days at Chico State look like studyhall. And Kimbo... well he was the bouncer for a porn-producer and beat people up in backyards for underground betting!!! That's the personality people (media) want to associate with MMA! GSP is the equivalent of a Tim Duncan in a league with guys like Ron Artest stealing the headlines.

Submitted by Sixtus on April 29, 2008 - 7:11pm.

Thanks Sixtus, and that

Thanks Sixtus, and that analogy regarding Tim Duncan and the Spurs is a really good one.

Submitted by MMAcademics on April 29, 2008 - 10:44pm.

Comparing Kimbo to Brock?

Comparing Kimbo to Brock? HMMM?

Lets think about this if we would have taken Kimbo or Wladimir Klitschko out of the street at the same time and started teaching them a ground game who would have stood a better chance? duhh! The real boxer right?

Well forget about all the WWE crap with Brock and try to remember he started amature wrestling when he was learning to walk. He was an all American Wrestler. Do they have "All American street fighters"? Not to mention he is a good enough athlete to make the practice team of a pro football team.

EERS_1_Fan

Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
MMABRAT, CaptnCrunch, and Michael are all going to start training in the devils MMA lol

Submitted by EERS_1_Fan on April 30, 2008 - 6:29am.

i think the brock vs mir

i think the brock vs mir fight actually turned up better than everyone anticipated for brock...because he lost but it was a quick submission and he had been dominating for the minute or two the fight lasted...and he came off as VERY humble after the fight which i didn't expect at all.

i feel like if brock won, they would have dismissed Mir as washed up because of the motorcycle accident.

Submitted by PapaBalsamo on April 30, 2008 - 9:27am.

Papa I think you are

Papa I think you are right... I believe that if Brock would have won that fight, the UFC would have given him a title shot before the end of the year. I agree that Brock handled himself very well after the fight... it was before the fight that was bothering me. The guy was already talking like he was the champ.

Submitted by Sixtus on April 30, 2008 - 11:57am.

Below are 3 out of the 4

Below are 3 out of the 4 comments I've gotten from people on the MySpace bulletin, who all initiated Kimbo comparisons with Brock Lesnar after reading the above blog (which doesn't even mention Lesnar). I know Kimbo and Lesnar are completely different athletes with different backgrounds, but warranted or not, they evoke similar criticsm/discussions from fans:

1. Kimbo isnt a backyard brawler anymore. He has evolved. Anyone who hates on him is simply not looking close enough to what he has become. His submission game is growing and we all know he can punch. He will always have people who look at him as a "sideshow" like they do Brock Lesnar or Butterbean, but he is quickly becoming a very well rounded fighter and deserves respect for it. And this is coming from a guy who used to watch his backyard brawls and say "He'd never pull that off in MMA." Im glad to see he has evolved and Im always suprised by his humility when I hear him interviewed.

2. A comment was made comparing Brock to Kimbo. If Kimbo had been a 2 time NCAA National Champion he probably wouldn't get as much flack. As it is, he is a street fighter who has transitioned to MMA. I love the guy, but he gets a lot of publicity for a man yet to win a major fight. If and when he puts together a nice victory, all this hype and publicity will be deserved. Just saying, guys have worked and studied years to get a slice of the fame and Kimbo seems to be getting a TON more than he's earned.

3. I agree 100% the haters will unfairly dis Sportscenter or anyone else promoting Kimbo. Someone in a previous post made a damn good point about Brock Lesnar not getting this much hate and he was in a make believe sport! What's up with that? I can't wait to see what Dana's excuse will be down the road when fans demand Kimbo get his wish, a shot at Chuck. The more I read, the more I find out that fight probably won't happen.

What's interesting to me is the ongoing attention (negative or positive) directed to Kimbo, and the lack of response given to GSP.

Submitted by MMAcademics on April 30, 2008 - 2:35pm.

'Someone in a previous post

'Someone in a previous post made a damn good point about Brock Lesnar not getting this much hate and he was in a make believe sport! What's up with that?"

I wonder If that person knows he was an All American in the real sport of wrestling as well? lol

Hey Pramit, we need quote box thingys

EERS_1_Fan

Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
MMABRAT, CaptnCrunch, and Michael are all going to start training in the devils MMA lol

Submitted by EERS_1_Fan on April 30, 2008 - 2:56pm.

quote box thingy's would be

quote box thingy's would be nice.

unless pramit has a vendetta against quote box thingy's...

Underboss MMAfia

Head of the West Coast Family
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION UFC 83

Submitted by iamphoenix on April 30, 2008 - 3:01pm.

Kimbo was make believe

Kimbo was make believe street fighting right? the video's I watched was like "No knees, no chokes, no this, no that"......But all the street fights I was ever in I was busted with ball bats, or sucker punched, or well you get the point, there is supposed to be no rules in "street fighting"

EERS_1_Fan

Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
MMABRAT, CaptnCrunch, and Michael are all going to start training in the devils MMA lol

Submitted by EERS_1_Fan on April 30, 2008 - 3:06pm.

..kimbo is fedor, no knees,

..kimbo is fedor, no knees, no real competition, only fat out of shape junk yard gangsters sporting dreads...

one guy had a jheri curl if i'm not mistaken...

Underboss MMAfia

Head of the West Coast Family
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION UFC 83

Submitted by iamphoenix on April 30, 2008 - 3:13pm.

There's so many good points

There's so many good points made on this post. It's a shame that MMA fans and fighters are often stuck in this paradox trying to watch and legitize a SPORT, that is provided by promoters wo only look at it as a (money making) BUSINESS.

I'm convinced that anytime a major promoters actions appear to promote MMA as a sport, it is purely coindence that it aligns with their financial endeavors.
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Submitted by Kamander on April 30, 2008 - 3:17pm.

I'm sure any introduction of

I'm sure any introduction of quote box thingys will be purely coindencidental as it will align with Pramit's financial endeavors.

---------------
Rate fights at MMA Ratings

Submitted by Kamander on April 30, 2008 - 3:21pm.

Actually a quote box thingy

Actually a quote box thingy has less to do with finances and more to do with technical resources. If I have the time to do that it's certainly at the top of my list. I've tried in the past and wasn't satisfied with the results. However, since there's such a clamor for one, I will re-double my efforts!

Submitted by Fight Ticker on April 30, 2008 - 3:33pm.