THE CANADIAN PRESS
Having failed to make an impression in the cage during "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show, Kimbo Slice gets another chance Saturday night when he takes on Houston (The Assassin) Alexander on the live Season 10 finale card in Las Vegas.
The matchup, to be contested at catchweight of 215 pounds, pits two strapping standup fighters who have been exposed by opponents on the ground.
While both men have worked to expand their game, their strategy in the past has been to be keep swinging until someone goes down.
"My style is pretty much the same," Slice said on a conference call Thursday. "I’ve developed a little ground (game) here and there, which I don’t like to use in a fight. I like to stand up, knock a guy out or be knocked out.
"And that’s what you get with me… . Wherever it goes, it goes. From the cage, to the street, in the hotel, it’s whatever, man. I came here to fight."
Slice, a former Internet street fighting sensation whose previous MMA career involved a lot of hype and some spotty opposition in the now defunct EliteXC organization, arrived on "The Ultimate Fighter" to much fanfare, only to be defeated by former IFL champion Roy (Big Country) Nelson on the third episode.
The doughy Nelson got him to the ground, trapped his arms and punched away until the fight was stopped.
Nelson kept winning on the show and will meet former football player Brendan Schaub to decide the Season 10 winner at The Palms (Spike TV and Rogers Sportsnet, check local listings).
The show’s producers did their best to hype a possible return for Slice as an injury replacement later in the 12-episode series, but it never happened. When a possible window opened, Slice declined, citing arthritis in his knee.
Asked Thursday if his knee was cured, Slice responded: "Can you ever get cured from arthritis?" before adding "I’m feeling better."’
Filming on the series wrapped some five months ago.
While Slice (3-1) did not win on the show, he did show his human side and proved you can’t judge a book by the cover. The menacing, musclebound fighter proved to be a bit of a softie, consoling other cast members, not to mention demonstrating he’s got some skills in the kitchen.
"I’m the same way on and off camera," he said. "I didn’t try to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I’m a family man. I have a fiancee at the crib. I have six kids that I take care of. This is me. What you saw is what you got."
The 35-year-old Slice, a former bodyguard who calls Miami home, started fighting in backyards and parking lots for money.
"When I started thumping, I wasn’t thumping with the goal to fight in the UFC, man, I was thumping to make some change, to make some money. So if the opportunity came my way to make more money, damn right I’m going to do it."
Alexander, a single parent who donated his kidney to his daughter, also has six kids.
"You do this because you love it," the native of Omaha, Neb., said of fighting, "but hey, my family’s got to eat."
Slice, now training with the highly regarded American Top Team in Florida, admits he is still an MMA work in progress.
"I got a later start, where everyone (else) has five, 10, 15 (more) years under their belt than I have," he said. "What I’ve got is the same thing they’ve got. I’ve got heart and I’ve got determination. And I’m not scared to get hit."
That’s good because the 37-year-old Alexander will come out banging.
Alexander’s last eight fights have not made it out of the first round, lasting just 16 minutes 25 seconds in total.
He burst on the scene with a bang, stopping Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine in just 48 seconds in a shocking knockout that left Jardine limp like a rag doll. He followed that up by dispatching Alessio Sakara in 61 seconds.
But the bubble burst in successive losses to Thiago Silva, James (The Sandman) Irvin and Eric Schafer. Silva and Schafer took Alexander to the ground and schooled him. Irvin knocked him out in eight seconds via Superman punch.
He has not figured in the UFC since the loss to Schafer in September 2008, fighting once outside the organization seven weeks ago when he stopped Sherman Pendergarst in one minute 51 seconds.
"I think what you guys will see is a more well-rounded fighter," Alexander said. "I think I’ve gotten to that point where I can call myself an MMA fighter and not just a fighter. I’m a complete MMA fighter."
Slice’s four fights prior to "The Ultimate Fighter" lasted a combined 11 minutes 54 seconds with the Robert Thompson fight accounting for 10:38 of that. He dispatched Bo Cantrell in 19 seconds, Tank Abbott in 43 seconds and was stopped by Seth Petruzelli in 14 seconds.
Despite three straight losses in the Octagon, Alexander (9-4-1) says he feels no more pressure than normal. He welcomes the opportunity to fight someone with the name recognition of Slice.
"I feel good about it," he said.’
Slice, slightly grumpy from cutting weight, offered little about Alexander.
"I can’t tell nothing about Houston, you know what I’m saying. As far as (being) a guy who strikes like myself, you’ve got to strike back. That’s it."
The 235-pound Slice normally fights as a heavyweight while Alexander is a light-heavyweight (who normally only has to drop three pounds to get to the 205-pound limit).
"The last time I was at this weight, I was at middle school," said an unhappy Slice.
