TUF 10 Countdown

Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter kicks off tomorrow night on Spike TV and it seems all anyone wants to talk about is Kimbo, including friends who don't even follow MMA. I've got to say, I'm looking forward to this season on its own non-Kimbo-related merits -- more on that later -- but I'm as interested as the next mixed martial arts fan to see how the notorious street fighter fares. And I'm finding I'm not as dismissive of his prospects as many out there.

IMO, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson has a few things working in his favor. Experience and financial well-being are the first two, and I'll lump them together here because inexperience and fear of the financial repercussions of failure are, I'd venture to say, the twin pressures most responsible for Octagon jitters; that curious phenomenon where otherwise promising fighters forget their training when they step into the spotlight for the first time. Between his infamous exploits as a back-alley bare-knuckle brawler and his professional bouts in EliteXC, Slice shouldn't have much problem with stage fright. And with his name recognition and lucrative paydays along the way -- including half a mil to stand with Seth Petruzelli for all of 14 seconds -- the prospect of failure on TUF isn't the petrifying my-dream-ends-here bugaboo it is for most contestants. Yeah, the pressure's on to prove he's more than a brawler, but win or lose we haven't heard the last of Kimbo -- and even if we have he'll be living pretty high on the hog. That takes a lot of pressure off!

Another factor worth noting is Kimbo's training with MMA legend Bas Rutten. Sure, they've had a well-publicized falling out since the Petruzelli loss, but Rutten was very complimentary of his pupil before that. Kimbo's received some expert schooling in ground defense that I don't think many give him credit for, because he hasn't yet had to call on it in the octagon. Underestimating your opponent is a dangerous way to go into any fight. Slice has been stereotyped as a two-dimensional brawler because that's what he very famously does well and, naturally, goes to first. Doesn't mean it's all he can do.

All that said, I'm not predicting a Kimbo victory on TUF: hell, I'm not predicting anything yet with so many unknowns. There are some promising fighters among the other contestants, many with significant cage experience and a few who even have to cut to make the 265-pound limit. It will be interesting to see if the season nets Dana White and UFC fans some legit new talent for the heavyweight division. I'll be watching, and I'll be here after each episode to give the breakdown, IMO.