TUF 10: Episode 3 Recap and Analysis

In case MMAOpinion was the first site you visited since moving out from underneath a rock, it’s worth repeating that Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (3-1 MMA) was knocked off last night by favorite “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4 MMA), but the fight itself was not a terrible showing for Slice.

Kimbo showed up looking, as expected, ready to bang. While there were those who believed he could stand and trade with Nelson, who’s been knocked out before, many expected his standup to be lacking, with slow hands, poor boxing and non-existent head moment, but he looked crisp. In point of fact, he looked better than Nelson. Roy landed a few good jabs, but Kimbo landed the harder punches and almost put Nelson out twice in the fight.

While the pre-fight hype is a great study in why wikipedia articles shouldn’t be trusted for spoilers and why rumors of fight videos no one has seen are never more than rumors, the fight itself was a great example of what a guy can do when he puts his head down and works hard. That’s what Kimbo has been doing in the time between the collapse of EliteXC and his appearance on the show.

That Kimbo lost to Nelson, one of the fighters (if not the best fighter) in the house, isn’t a huge embarrassment, nor is it a surprise. Sometimes, it’s about losing well.

Of course, Kimbo Slice’s ground game sucks, and we knew this going in, both from the video and the comments from Rampage and Tiki. And Roy Nelson, a Renzo Gracie blackbelt, was going to eat him alive as soon as the fight hit the ground. The fact that Kimbo managed to survive as long as he did is impressive, but he hardly defended himself once caught in the side-control, pseudo-crucifix position. If Roy Nelson were a skinnier man, Slice would’ve eaten some really painful elbows and been out of that much quicker.

But Nelson’s build makes for a very different type of ground game. Rampage was quick to point out that the big belly makes it hard to reverse Nelson. The low center of gravity and high body mass do make it hard to grapple with him. His ability to use his hips and isolate the arms makes for a good ground game, and his decision to avoid the mount, so that he wouldn’t get caught with an easy escape (like an upa) made for great grappling. Whether the finish was impressive or not, Nelson demonstrated smart grappling.

There’s now some advertising that Marcus Jones (4-1 MMA) may drop out of the competition due to injury or illness, which would result in the return of Kimbo Slice. The fact is, if that does happen, it wouldn’t be great. Kimbo was completely unimpressive on the ground, and the only fighter thus far to get finished, and with Wes Shivers (0-0 MMA) deserving a third round in the fight against James McSweeney (3-4 MMA), there’s an argument to be made that Shivers should be the one to come back. Still, Slice was the first pick for Rampage, and being a huge draw, he’ll definitely be the guy who comes back if “Big Baby” Jones drops out.