Kimbo & Bas: A Match Made In MMA Heaven
November 6, 2007
Bas Rutten is no spring chicken. The former UFC Heavyweight champion and three-time King of Pancrase has been arould the world of Mixed-Martial-Arts longer than most. So it made perfect sense when I first heard that Rutten (aka El Guapo) would be training Kimbo Slice as he enters the world of MMA.
Surely by now you’ve heard of Kimbo. Internet sensation, street-fighting legend, huge guy who dismantled former boxer Ray Mercer – for better or worse, the man is the talk of the combat sports world.
When I spoke with fellow Elite XC fighter, Jake Shields, he had this to say about Kimbo’s Elite debut:
“It’s a little goofy to give him so much hype right away”
Shields may have a point but one can’t deny the intrigue surrounding Saturday night’s fight and who better to give us the real low down on how Kimbo preparing for bout against Bo Cantrell than his trainer, Bas Rutten.
In our interview, Rutten talks about how he first met Kimbo, his prediction for this weekend and the negativity surrounding his MMA debut.
Bas Rutten – 11/06/07
And, finally, one last Kimbo video for all his fans out there in street-fighting land.
9 Responses to “Kimbo & Bas: A Match Made In MMA Heaven”
I saw Kimbo in Atlantic Cityon the Boardwalk right before his fight out there. I had seen his videos a couple years prior and therefore I did not challenge him to a fight.
By pstearns on Nov 7, 2007
Smart thinking…
By Ariel Helwani on Nov 7, 2007
I once sent Kimbo a letter (my cousin lives in Miami next to him so the address was easy to find) challenging him to a fight. He said no problem – the only flight I could find got into Miami at 10pm, so I knew I’d be too tired. Also, the Golden Girls marathon was on TBS, so I bailed.
Rain check, if you will…
By D-Bone on Nov 7, 2007
Kimbo is definitely a tough fighter, though Gannon fought him pretty well.
It will be interesting to see how well he does fighting in a more structured setting against quality opponents.
By BDoc on Nov 7, 2007
I think he would be better served trying his hand at boxing than MMA. He hardly ever goes to the ground and, granted, he is training with one of the best in Bas Rutten I still have my doubts…
That said, I don’t see him having any trouble with Bo Cantrell this weekend. Especially since he just fought (and lost) 2 weeks ago.
By Ariel Helwani on Nov 7, 2007
Thanks for sharing
By Doodee on Feb 2, 2008
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links:
By CesMusUsase on Feb 9, 2008