by: Jack Bratcher
Elite XC held a media conference call today to help promote the upcoming Saturday Night Fights, which airs live on CBS October 4th and takes place in Sunrise, Florida. Fielding questions on the call today were main event fighters, Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock, Kimbo’s trainer, Bas Rutten, and Elite XC power player, Jared Shaw.
There were a few thoughts that came to mind as the conference call continued and Ken and Kimbo traded verbal jabs back and forth: “circus, freakshow, snake oil, WWE, schoolyard, childish, immature, insecurity, tough, legend, street fighter, beard, el Guapo, fun, funny, hilarious, ratings.” It’s hard to say what sort of impact a fight like this will have on the sport but one thing is for sure, I will be watching. I imagine the ratings will be just as good as the first CBS event and most likely will surpass it.
On one hand we have “The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” a legend and UFC Hall of Famer who has fought all over the world. However, he is well past his prime, has not won a fight in years, and is seeking some type of miracle redemption. People have been saying Ken Shamrock should retire for years.
On the other hand, we have Kimbo Slice, the internet street-fighting sensation turned MMA superstar still trying to prove he’s a legitimate mma athlete and not just a thug. He’s not only fighting Shamrock, but fighting all the critics who say he’s a joke, doesn’t deserve the attention he’s getting, and would not be able to hang with any fighter in the top ten.
What would a win over Shamrock do for the boatyard brawler? It would hype up his name to hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of casual fans who could potentially see a win over “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” as a legitimate resume booster. And vice-versa, a win over Slice for Shamrock could potentially resurrect his lifeless career at least for a few months until he meets his next opponent.
At the end of the day the Shamrock vs. Slice fight will be a spectacle. It should be very entertaining with many fans on the edge of their seats. When it comes down to it, we still have two men in the ring who are willing to go toe-to-toe, lay it all on the line and see who is left standing. For that, they deserve our respect. When you strip away all the other stuff such as ratings, rankings, organizations, experience, popularity, and careers we are left with two men who love to fight and at the end of the day, most mma fans just want to see a good scrap.
Here’s the audio from the conference call a.k.a. “The Ken & Kimbo Show”
CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL NOTABLE QUOTES:
Ken: “First of all I want to apologize for my last couple of performances…I have my reasons…but they are just excuses.”
“On October 4th I will make amends for those fights and shit everybody up by putting Kimbo’s lights out.”
Kimbo: “Promise?”
Ken: “Im so sure of it that afterwards, I’m gonna shave your goatee.” [no offense Ken, but that’s a beard buddy, not a goatee]
Ken: “I’m going back to the old Ken Shamrock where I beat people down and ask questions later.”
Kimbo: “I grew up watching Ken, that’s braggin rights right there…I don’t care if I lose any other fights. If I beat Ken, I’m good.”
Ken to Kimbo: “I hear you breathing.”
Kimbo: “I’m breathing cause I just farted.” [Oh man this is good.]
Kimbo: “Ken, I’m gonna let you hit me…..I’m gonna give you a chin shot.”
Ken: “Uhhh, you guys heard that! Everybody heard that!”
Ken: “And that’s why I’m the veteran and you’re the rookie cause you’re an idiot.”
[giggles in the background]
Kimbo: “I have a lot of respect for Ken…To lose to Ken Shamrock is not a bad thing.”
Reporter: “Do you respect Kimbo’s climb from a street fighter to a popular mma fighter?”
Ken: “No. At this particular time I have no respect for him at all.”
Kimbo: “That’s why you’re an idiot.”
Ken: “Well, I guess we’ll find that out won’t we jabroni?”
Ken: “Don’t hate the hater. Appreciate.” [after being asked if he was mad Kimbo was getting all this attention]
Reporter: “Did you guys bring in any special training partners for this fight?”
Kimbo: “Yeah I did.” Ken: “Who was it?” Kimbo: “I ain’t gonna tell you.”
Reporter: “What about you Ken?” Ken: “Yeah I went down to the corner and brought in a bunch of thugs that were hanging out that weighed over 280.”
Reporter: “Alot of the veteran fighters including yourself have been calling Kimbo out and disrespecting him. Why is that?”
Ken: “First of all you need to shut your mouth cause you have no idea what respect it! This is called a press conference and we’re going into a fight, so if I was you I would redirect your question.” [whoa with the rage there Kenny]
Reporter: “Kimbo have you changed anything in your training regimen to help with your endurance?”
Kimbo: “Yeah, I stopped eating snickers.”
Kimbo: “If I hadn’t been a fighter I probably would have been a hairdresser.”
Reporter: “Ken if you win, do you think you may just ride off into the sunset on top?” Ken: “No way man, I’m not that type of person. I’m gonna continue to keep fighting as long as I’m able to.”
Elite XC’s Saturday Night Fights will take place on October 4th and air live on CBS. Here’s the entire line-up:
Kimbo Slice vs Ken Shamrock
Jake Shields vs Paul Daley
Gina Carano vs Kelly Kobald
Murilo Rua vs Benji Radach