Have you ever seen a team perform so poorly that you said they should be demoted from a league or contracted as a franchise? The Pittsburgh Pirates definitely come to mind, as have the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately in most professional sports leagues nothing that drastic can happen (unless it’s the British Premier League). But in UFC, President Dana White rules with an iron fist and calls all the shots. He rolls with so much power that he can just decide if he wants to cut a guy and kick him out of the league on a whim. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday night after UFC 113 in Montreal, only White had good reason to cut two fighters.
White, who once said that Kimbo Slice might lose to 44-year-old Ken Shamrock because Kimbo sucks, cut Slice after his poor performance against Matt Mitrione. Kimbo had some good takedowns but he seemed to tire quickly and he was thoroughly dominated in the second round. Mitrione crushed Kimbo with an arsenal of kicks that had Kimbo limping. Once the fighters got on the ground, Mitrione proceeded to play volleyball with Kimbo’s head until the fight was called a TKO. Even though White appreciates the ratings and drawing power of Kimbo, I’m sure he’s officially decided that Kimbo isn’t UFC material.
I’m surprised that White didn’t know better after Kimbo’s 14-second loss to Shamrock replacement, Seth Petruzelli. I’m guessing White did know better but he was probably convinced that the strong ratings was worth giving Kimbo a shot. The other fighter Dana White cut after UFC 113 was Paul Daley. Daley sucker-punched Josh Koscheck after their fight ended and White says “there’s no excuse for that.” White is definitely extreme in his measures but nobody will complain about cutting Daley. Some fans are already questioning the decision to cut Kimbo because of the ratings he draws. I say they should be proud that White is more concerned with his product.
Sources:
UFC 113 Post-Fight: Dana White Says Paul Daley and Kimbo Slice Are “Done” in the UFC [Bloody Elbow]
Photo Credit: Getty Images
