A week has passed since the fated night October 4, 2008 where approximately five million viewers held their breath as the “champion” Kimbo Slice was felled by the off kilter right-hook of Sean Petruzelli, a punch that was destined to shift the very core of MMA itself. Give me a break!
EliteXC’s business model was built upon a foundation that was only one man: Kimbo Slice. With the fall of the internet-born star, the future of EliteXC is questionable. As a going concern, their success was marginal, at best. The issue, from a business perspective, is that the EliteXC tried to do something that does not work for this type of industry: they tried to expand and redefine their target audience.
While it’s true that many of the hardcore MMA fans watched EliteXC: Heat (hey, it was free), the target audience was the general public who haven’t had real exposure to the world of MMA. We’re talking normal middle class folk who don’t know the difference between a triangle and the octagon. The reason the penetration of this new target market was possible was because of Kimbo Slice’s household name.
The internet born star was going to be the cash cow for EliteXC and they attempted to capitalize on this new opportunity. If you ask anyone (well, any guy) on the street what MMA is, it is likely that many will respond with a blank stare and a shrug. However, if you asked them if they knew who Kimbo Slice is, the name immediately garners a response, and they will mention his internet knockout videos. EliteXC thought they found themselves a new savior, a new MMA star that. That is where they made their mistake.
As an illustration, let’s say I wanted to start a new healthy food store, and I wanted to base my entire sales on one product, tofu. People know somewhat what tofu is, some of possibly tried it, but no one really knows what it really is made of. Now, let’s say there is a video online where tofu is eaten by Kim Kardashian while she is orgasming naked on top of a Ferrari. Instant hit, and now everyone wants to get a taste of tofu.
However, there are also other videos online showing people vomiting after ingesting the horrid soy cake, and you have read taste tests where tofu has been claimed to be unpalatable. Would you really want to base your company off this?
That is what EliteXC did. Kimbo Slice was beaten by police officer Sean Gannon, which was also an internet viral video, before he even signed to EliteXC. Who in Confucius’ beard would make their main card an amateur who has lost…in a non-sanctioned and unprofessional fight!? If you watched that fight, you could see that not only was it horribly uneventful, but there was little potential displayed by both Kimbo and Gannon. Further, Sean Gannon himself would later go on to try his hand at MMA, only to lose his second professional fight against Branden Lee Hinkle, in his second UFC match up. Banden Lee Hinkle himself has only had a dismal record of 14 wins and 9 losses.
The fact is the EliteXC tried to milk this thing for what it was worth. Any fan of MMA could see that Kimbo Slice was not a phenom of any sorts, other than his daunting appearance and Sinbad-beard. He is also a little too old to really refine his ability (current age of 34).
What angers me most, is that the UFC has worked hard to make this sport legitimate. With the circus act that is the EliteXC, the legitimacy of MMA is being questioned. The sport doesn’t need this. EliteXC needs to follow the model of the UFC and try to keep the soul of this sport alive. If the EliteXC keeps this up, you can bet they will end up with the same fate as the IFL, who also tried to penetrate the mainstream market with its own scheme of “team” match-ups. MMA needs to stay true to its fans, and through the fans themselves, along with some time and patience, this sport will continue to thrive.
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