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February - 2015
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
44
fans know his name, and
he’s still willing to enter-
tain. His name sells tickets.
As does the name Kim-
bo Slice. Scott Coker no
doubt had to dust off his
address book to find Slice’s
entry on some battered,
faded page. Out of the
MMA game for years and
last seen running a 7-0 re-
cord in pro boxing against
questionable opposition
(and even then he hadn’t
fought in a year), Slice
no doubt jumped at the
chance for some “easy”
money — not that fighting
in a cage is ever easy —
and Coker, Spike, and Via-
com understood that his
return could easily match
the ratings Ortiz pulled
in, even with all that time
away.
Which brings us to Cro-
Cop. Just Friday Scott
Coker mentioned being
interested in Cro-Cop, the
former Pride legend whose
UFC run simply didn’t go
according to plan. Cur-
rently 3-1 since his de-
parture from the UFC and
briefly retiring, Mirko Fili-
povic knocked out Satoshi
Ishii on New Year’s Eve.
Ishii is one of the better
heavyweights outside the
world’s top promotions,
and Cro-Cop was defend-
ing his IGF heavyweight
title in the fight — a title
he won from Ishii earlier in
2014. You can argue the
relevance of his other win
since Roy Nelson sent him
packing from UFC-land in
2011, as it was a horrible
spectacle to watch, but the
reality is, again: fans know
Cro-Cop, he won more
than he lost outside the
UFC, and he’ll draw rat-
ings and sell tickets. Plus,
if nothing else, by signing
him, the UFC keeps him
away from Bellator.
With all this and the return
of Brock Lesnar possibly on
the horizon, 2015 in the
world of MMA is looking a
lot like 2009, when Kimbo
Slice, Brock Lesnar, Mirko
Cro-Cop, and Rampage
Jackson could all be found
fighting in the UFC, and
Andrei Arlovski was fight-
ing in Strikeforce, having
left the UFC the year prior.
Add to this the return of
Anderson Silva and Nick
Diaz as headlining fight-
ers, and you’re left with
just two questions:
Outside of the ratings,
which will probably be
stellar, will any of this be
worth it as far as entertain-
ing fights? And beyond
that — who’s next? Ken
Shamrock after his bare-
knuckle boxing match?
Maybe Dan Severn retired
too soon.
All joking aside, MMA is a
business, and giving fans
one or two last chances to
cheer on their old favorites
isn’t a bad thing, so long
as fighter safety isn’t be-
ing ignored. However, this
is a stop-gap measure, a
short-term solution to a
long term problem: devel-
oping a new generation
of stars. Since putting the
brand first has failed, this
may tide over the masses,
but at the same time, the
UFC, and Bellator (with
their own fighters), need
to be giving the Conor Mc-
Gregor treatment to more
than just Conor McGregor.
In the meantime, enjoy the
nostalgia trip while it lasts.