UFC 113 Preview: The Main Card

Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione

The Breakdown: The artist formerly known as Kevin Ferguson continues his bizarre fistic odyssey against fellow “Ultimate Fighter” alumnus Mitrione in a fight that is sure to test the hard-selling skills of Mike Goldberg and the UFC’s advertising department. The temptation here is to call this a stereotypical heavyweight brawl between two low-ceiling prospects, but Slice has shown a surprising “commitmentship” to his new career.

The result was a shockingly boring decision win over Houston Alexander that highlighted Slice’s top control rather than his well-known predilection for seizing bread via eyeball-popping punches. Training with the vaunted American Top Team has made Slice a much more disciplined fighter than anyone could have expected while Mitrione remains the one-note brawler that his opponent was once written off as. Shocking as it sounds, you can’t count on Slice to throw down while watching out for the metal thing anymore, which really makes you wonder if there are any guarantees in this world.

Judging from the lacking takedown defense and guard work Mitrione showed in his bout with Marcus Jones, there isn’t much hope for the converted NFL lineman on the mat even against a neophyte like Slice. The same likely goes if Mitrione gets the brawl he’s hoping for. Slice is the more mobile and, surprisingly enough, learned striker -- at least by comparison.

Bashing former porn star bodyguards is practically the American pastime, but the fact is that Slice is serious about giving the sport his all. Mitrione seems more concerned with playing life-size games of Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots. For all the questions about Slice -- his chin, age and vocabulary foremost among them -- as long as he’s getting opponents like Mitrione, they’ll likely remain unanswered.

The Bottom Line: Once regarded as the most feared converted YouTube star in the world, Slice now seems more concerned with winning than cultivating the fearsome persona that made him the king of the Internet. With Slice no longer serving as the world’s greatest source of windmill power, his army of fans will have to settle for another three rounds of double legs and guard passing.