Tag: kimbo slice

Houston Alexander Talks Kimbo Slice, UFC and Upcoming PPV vs. Razak Al-Hassan

Can Houston Alexander make it back? Just a few years ago, Alexander exploded into the UFC with lightning fast wins over both Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. However, almost as quickly, Alexander disappeared from the major MMA scene. Following a strea…

Can Houston Alexander make it back?

Just a few years ago, Alexander exploded into the UFC with lightning fast wins over both Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. However, almost as quickly, Alexander disappeared from the major MMA scene.

Following a streak of consecutive UFC losses to Thiago Silva, James Irvin and Alessio Sakara, Alexander was in a must-win bout with Kimbo Slice.

Alexander’s matchup was envisioned as a high-impact slugfest with the better brawler winning. The fight did not turn out that way. Slice defeated Alexander by unanimous decision in a somewhat lethargic bout.

The bout was the only one of Slice’s fights to go to the scorecards.

“If I could go back and do it again,” Alexander told Bleacher Report, “I’d probably do it differently. People expected two gorillas to go at it and pound on each other’s chest. He had a strategy. I had a strategy.”

Regardless, Alexander was not in complete agreement with judges’ decision.

“I guess some of the judges don’t count kicks. It is what it is.”

With the loss, Alexander was dismissed from the UFC. Now, two years, five fights, and three wins (one no-contest) later, Alexander continues his road back. In just a few days, Alexander is set to take on another former UFC fighter, Razak Al-Hassan.

The fight will be featured on this Saturday’s MMA Fight Pit: Genesis card. The show will be available on pay-per-view starting at 9 p.m. EST and 6 p.m. PST.

“It’s a great matchup,” Alexander said of the bout with Hassan. “Guy likes to strike. I like to strike. I like to kick. He likes to kick. It’s going to be a great match up for both of us.”

Alexander is familiar with Hassan’s past.

“It’s good to see him develop like he has,” Alexander said. “He was one of those up and comers that I saw in Omaha.”

Omaha is where Alexander became a very busy fighter.

“I’ve probably had 200 unsanctioned fights between here and there,” Alexander said about the early part of this career. “I’ve fought five people in the same night, and I fought once a week for almost two years straight.”

The idea of participating in that many unsanctioned fights appears to be a very eerie proposition. Alexander was not worried about it.

“Exact same rules,” Alexander said, when asked what the differences between sanctioned and unsanctioned were. “Being in an unsanctioned fight means your record is not updated. It was one knockout after another. A lot of them lasted under a minute.”

Alexander has a simple explanation for his underground success.

“People don’t like being punched in the face,” the man nicknamed the Assassin said. “I don’t mind it. It wakes me up. I know it’s ‘go time.’ Retaliation is a must.”

The upcoming fight with Hassan will mark Alexander’s fifth since leaving the UFC. All five have been with different organizations.

“It doesn’t matter to me as long as the opponent is a quality opponent,” Alexander said. “It’d be nice to be in one organization, but it’s also nice for me because I get to travel to other parts of the country and other parts of the world.”

“It’s good for me to be a free agent right now because if I sign with any organization right now it’s going to be for big money.”

If Alexander had his choice of future opponents, one fighter quickly comes to the top of the list. “The Sandman” James Irvin.

“I’m disappointed I didn’t get to fight James Irvin again,” Alexander said about the potential rematch in March 2011.

Irvin won the first bout in just eight seconds.

The second bout was canceled just a week prior to the fight when Irvin was suspended for a positive steroid test. The failure was Irvin’s second offense.

“The guy has to cheat people to beat them, so he has to use steroids,” Alexander said of Irvin.

Alexander, though, did stop short of saying the Irvin was using performance enhancing drugs in the first fight back in April 2008.

“I don’t know. I can’t say that,” Alexander said. “I never should be in that position (to lose the fight). Whether he used or not, I should never have been in that position.”

“Using steroids is like a quick fix. It’s like that stuff for your tires.”

However, should Alexander be victorious over Hassan and receive an offer to rejoin the world’s top MMA promotion, he would definitely embrace the opportunity.

“UFC is the epitome of MMA,” said Alexander. “There’s only one MMA organization that I know of that gets on ESPN. ESPN is the Mecca of all sports. You want to get the recognition.”

As for the upcoming Hassan fight, Alexander will believes he will impress the crowd.

“I’m going after the guy, being aggressive. I predict I’m winning the fight, and I’m not trying to take it to the judges.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hump Day Headlines with Stephanie Ann Cook

It’s no coincidence that Chael Sonnen‘s suspension and Lindsay Lohan‘s house arrest were both lifted today. Learning Lesson: if you’re going to f*ck up in life, do it in California. BJ Penn took to his.

It’s no coincidence that Chael Sonnen‘s suspension and Lindsay Lohan‘s house arrest were both lifted today. Learning Lesson: if you’re going to f*ck up in life, do it in California.

BJ Penn took to his Twitter to blast Testosterone Replacement Therapy and calls PED use a cancer in the sport.

Pennsylvania Athletic Commision overturns Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz to a No Contest due to Oliveira’s accidental kick to Lentz who was on the ground.

Kimbo Slice to make pro boxing debut on August 13th in a show produced by Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions.

Ricco Rodriguez vs. Seth Petruzelli is set for Bellator 48 on August 20th.

Strikeforce Challengers 18 headlined by Jorge Gurgel vs. Joe Duarte at the Palms in Las Vegas. Tickets on sale to the public this Saturday.

USA Today releases latest MMA Fighter rankings for June 2011.

Kimbo Slice Story Coming to a Theatre Near You

Kimbo Slice could be “throwin’ dem thangs” on the big screen. “Entourage” director Kevin Connolly is apparently interested in directing and producing a movie centering around the life of the former UFC and EliteXC superstar. “Kimbo Slice is known as on…

Kimbo Slice could be “throwin’ dem thangs” on the big screen.

“Entourage” director Kevin Connolly is apparently interested in directing and producing a movie centering around the life of the former UFC and EliteXC superstar.

“Kimbo Slice is known as one of the first YouTube celebrities,” Connolly told TheWrap. “He was the first person I ever sat in front of a computer and typed somebody’s name into YouTube. His fights ended up on the internet, his backyard fights, and he all of a sudden…became a celebrity.”

Slice’s backyard brawls are well-documented. He eventually accepted the challenge to venture into the world of MMA. While the EliteXC helped Slice ascend to superstardom, it was his time on season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter that helped him earn the respect of hardcore fans.

People were finally able to see past all of the EliteXC’s smoke and mirrors. Slice was a humble individual that was thankful for every opportunity he had.

“It’s so personal to sit with a writer who you don’t know and tell them your deepest, darkest secrets and your life story, so I think it took him a second to get used to,” said Connolly. “But him and the writer really hit it off, and I couldn’t be happier with the script. I’m ready to go.”

Connolly hopes to enlist Slice to play the star role in the film. There is certainly a vast amount of material to go on should the project get the green light.

“I’m trying to get the Kimbo Slice story made,” Connolly stated. “I have his life rights. We have a script that’s great. It’s out and about, and the powers that be are trying to put the money together.”

Connolly wants to begin working on the movie at the conclusion of Entourage, which will begin airing its final eight episodes on July 24.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Father’s Day Tribute: Five MMA Father-Son Moments That Make Your Relationship With Dad Look Great

Yeah, if you’re looking for warm fuzzies, you can stop reading now. These two aren’t on the list. (Pic: MMAConvert.com)

Being a father must be one of the most thankless jobs on Earth. I say this not as a dad, but as a son who can only imagine what I put my father through. Sure, there are probably some happy times, like watching your son get his first hit on the baseball court, but largely it’s a never ending torrent of putting up with your son’s immature bullshit, and for that you get thought of one day a year at which time you’re rewarded with an ugly ass tie and a “Free Oil Change” coupon for the truck your son smashed up.

On this special occasion, take a few minutes to grab your old man, have a seat, and enjoy some good old fashioned shadenfreude with some of our sport’s less celebrated father-son moments. You may laugh, you may cry, but hopefully you’ll both realize that things could be a lot worse. Who knows, after a beer or two you may even decide to celebrate your strengthened bond by taking a class together.

To all the dads out there, keep fighting the good fight.

Yeah, if you’re looking for warm fuzzies, you can stop reading now. These two aren’t on the list. (Pic: MMAConvert.com)

Being a father must be one of the most thankless jobs on Earth. I say this not as a dad, but as a son who can only imagine what I put my father through. Sure, there are probably some happy times, like watching your son get his first hit on the baseball court, but largely it’s a never ending torrent of putting up with your son’s immature bullshit, and for that you get thought of one day a year at which time you’re rewarded with an ugly ass tie and a “Free Oil Change” coupon for the truck your son smashed up.

On this special occasion, take a few minutes to grab your old man, have a seat, and enjoy some good old fashioned shadenfreude with some of our sport’s less celebrated father-son moments. You may laugh, you may cry, but hopefully you’ll both realize that things could be a lot worse. Who knows, after a beer or two you may even decide to celebrate your strengthened bond by taking a class together.

To all the dads out there, keep fighting the good fight.

Chris Leben’s Breakdown On TUF Season 1

Maybe it’s just all the topless drunk dudes in acid wash jeans hanging around the pool, but in retrospect doesn’t TUF 1 look a little…you know… (original TUF footage)

After thirteen seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, it’s hard to believe that there was a time when fighters getting drunk in a house and smashing things was considered fresh and innovative television. Practically everyone has been calling for the show to be revamped, but long before the in-house antics grew stale there were brave pioneers like Chis Leben who broke down doors in the entertainment industry by breaking down doors in the TUF house.

Leben has his fair share of personal demons burning within, and adding alcohol to the mix serves only to fan the flames. During his stint on the show, “The Crippler” summoned the courage to confide in his TUF housemates that he had been abandoned by his father as a young child, which later served as ammunition for Bobby Southworth during a drunken argument. After calling Leben a “fatherless bastard” and telling him that he was so worthless that he was left in a garbage can, Southworth half-heartedly apologized, but he and Koscheck were only warming up. When Leben retreated to avoid confrontation and sleep it off outside, the two decided to turn a water hose on him. Pushed to his emotional breaking point, Leben lashed out at any object standing between him and his tormentors. And the rest, as they say, is reality tv history.

MMA History: The 5 Quickest and Most Amusing Knockouts to Date

Good night Vienna (or Vie-mma). Apologies, I’m a sucker for wordplay
There is something eminently enchanting about the combat sport phenomenon that is the much-vaunted knockout. It is a wonder to behold, a sight to savour. It carries with it…

Good night Vienna (or Vie-mma). Apologies, I’m a sucker for wordplay

There is something eminently enchanting about the combat sport phenomenon that is the much-vaunted knockout. It is a wonder to behold, a sight to savour. It carries with it an undisputable finality which a decision win, TKO and submission simply do not.

With a decision, fighters and fans alike are left to subjectively determine whether the bout has been adjudicated accurately and consequently whether the correct combatant has prevailed.

With a TKO, a fighter may fervently contend that the referee had prematurely intervened, that he was still sufficiently compos mentis to continue.

With a submission, the fighter is invariably—unless the casualty has been rendered unconscious via choke, or a victim’s limb has been snapped—capable of regaining his feet unaided, furiously shaking his head at having been caught in a submission hold that he has probably drilled eschewing or escaping one thousand times over during training camp.

However, when a mixed martial artist has disconnected a fellow fighter from consciousness, there remain very few questions that need to be addressed. It is indeed the most conclusive conclusion to an octagon battle, with the unfortunate fighter ordinarily necessitating a period of time to regain his faculties and wits.

Whilst far from constituting a damp squid, such contests just leave one craving a tad more action, the fireworks having precipitately been set off. In the blink of an eye, and before Goldie can even utter “it is all over”, it is actually all over. Mauro Ranallo perfectly encapsulates the situation “this one is over before it even begins”.

And some fighters may even lament their lack of cage time, especially newcomers like Duffee, or those having returned from a prolonged injury layoff, having essentially trained intensively between 8 to 12 weeks for a transient moment lasting literally a number of seconds. Milliseconds are actually required to distinguish between some of the top ten KOs of all-time, though it’s probably the easiest paycheque these fighters will ever earn. In no other sport (aside from other combat sports including boxing) may a victor be determined so quickly.

So enjoy the slideshow, don’t dare blink, and knock yourself out (don’t take me literally of course).

Begin Slideshow

Roy Nelson Wants to Add JCVD to the Country Club with Win Versus Frank Mir

Roy Nelson sees the movie star martial arts trend hitting mixed martial arts in the UFC and he wants in. The UFC heavyweight is known for his long-flowing mullet haircut and “Big Country” belly hanging over his TapouT shorts. It’s giv…

Roy Nelson sees the movie star martial arts trend hitting mixed martial arts in the UFC and he wants in.

The UFC heavyweight is known for his long-flowing mullet haircut and “Big Country” belly hanging over his TapouT shorts. It’s given the former IFL heavyweight champion an aura of every-man heroism when he’s able to knockout Brendan Schuab and Stefan Struve in the Octagon or take the best punches Junior dos Santos can offer looking like an extra from Sylvester Stallone’s Over the Top.

Leading into his UFC 130 main card match with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday night, Nelson (15-5) reveals he wants to impress viewers with his martial arts prowess and land a famous coach in the process. 

“I’m hoping not this fight, maybe [for] my next fight I’ll have [Jean-Claude] Van Damme work some kicks or something like that,” Nelson told Bleacher Report. “It’s just one of these things that as a fighter, you just go out and learn from every martial art kind of like Bruce Lee did it.”

Nelson admits he’s worked diligently in his home gym to prepare for the two-time champion. He’s also been watching tape: “Just Bloodsport,” said the 34-year-old. “It’s the only one I need because I’ll be Jackson in the next Bloodsport movie.”

He’s not looking past Mir, but the seven-year veteran asserts a career in Hollywood is just another part of being a legend, like former champions Randy Couture or UFC 130’s headliner, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. 

Still, the prospects of teaming up with Van Damme aren’t as compelling to Nelson as seizing a signature win over Mir.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner admits the most significant roadblock of his careen has been not winning when he should win. A slight underdog to Mir, Nelson asserts this is a chance to prove he’s been a championship level fighter for years before arriving in the Octagon—a notion undercut by two controversial losses to Andrei Arlovski and Jeff Monson between his IFL and UFC careers.

“If the UFC bought the IFL, it’d be just like the PRIDE champions or something like that. It’d actually mean something just how the Strikeforce belt means something now,” the ADCC veteran said.

“Me being the IFL Champion, I won the Grand Prix so that means I had to beat a couple of people. Then me holding it after that showed where I belonged in the whole scheme of things.” 

Nelson gained fan fare for a pair of Knockout of the Night performances before losing a unanimous decision and a shot at the UFC heavyweight belt to Junior dos Santos.

Learning from his mistakes, the Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt breaks down the bout with Mir, a Robert Drysdale jiu-jitsu black belt, to damage more than the intricacies of mat work.

He has a healthy sense of fear and respect for Mir’s skills yet won’t shy away from trying to take him out of the fight early and often. 

“The biggest [lesson] that I remember from the dos Santos fight is you have to punch the guy more than he punches you, so that’s usually how you can dictate the fight,” he said. “If I can punch Frank more than he punches me, I win the fight.”

Nelson downplays his dedication to the sport with self-deprecating humor; however, it’s been a life-long endeavor. He got his black sash in kung fu before his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Nelson reflects being a martial artist doesn’t make a better fighter—just a better person.

With a believe-to-achieve American attitude, Nelson hopes notching the most significant victory of his career over Mir will add more followers to his legion of martial arts and mullet enthusiasts he’s dubbed “The County Club.”

“There’s a big list of code of ethics and basically a time period where you have to prove yourself then after that, you can be part of the exclusive membership of the Country Club,” said Nelson. “It can be like the Shaolin Temple where you have to wait out in front of the temple for years and years just to get in or they might just go, ‘This guy, we can see his aura and he’s a good person,’ so we just let him in.”

Nelson leaves all potential Country Club members—Van Damme especially—with a reason to tune in for a “Big Country” fight at UFC 130: “Heavyweights always hit harder. You always see a knockout. Plus you got two guys that are larger than life.”

No kidding: Being larger than life is never a problem for Roy Nelson.

Danny Acosta is the lead writer at FIGHT! Magazine. Follow him on twitter.com/acostaislegend

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com