| Kimbo Slice vs Tank Abbott Elite XC Fight Preview |
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| Written by Steve Hastings | |||||||
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Tuesday, 12 February 2008
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 Kimbo Slice may have only about 1.5 minutes of formal MMA fighting experience, but that certainly isn’t deterring Sportsbook.com at setting Kimbo Slice as the heavy -360 odds on favorite over the more experienced Tank Abbott (+280) in Saturday’s Elite XC heavyweight bout. Now a household name in the fighting community, Kimbo rose to fame pummeling guys that go by the names of “Afro Puff” and “Big Mac” in literal backyard and bare-knuckled brawls. Thanks to a huge internet following, Kimbo decided to take his ruthless fighting skills to more legitimate settings. Training under MMA legend Bas Rutten, Kimbo Slice has improved his conditioning and ground game greatly to where he is no longer merely considered a street fighter. In his match last June with former heavyweight boxing champ Ray Mercer, Kimbo showed off his new skills by choking out former Olympic champion in just over a minute of the first round. Since, Kimbo defeated Bo Cantrell in just 19 seconds of the first round by submission due to strikes. Don’t be surprised if Kimbo reverts back to his fighting roots in an attempt to go blow for blow with one of the sports’ most dangerous punchers. The owner of some of the most devastating knockouts in MMA history, Tank will enter the cage with one distinct advantage: Experience. Tank has been around forever, making his MMA debut way back in July of 1995 at UFC 6. With a 10-13 career record, including just two victories in his last nine fights; the 42 year old Tank Abbott is definitely on the downside of his career. That being said, Tank has at the very least a “puncher’s chance.” “Once the bell rings, don’t blink,” stated Sportsbook.com Spokesman Dave Staley. “Both these monsters will be throwing haymakers, looking for the knockout. If you are looking for a nice technical chess match on the mat, you might want to look elsewhere. This fight is going to be a good old fashioned slugfest.” Sportsbook.com has posted MMA betting odds to win the Elite XC: Kimbo Slice (-360) vs. Tank Abbott (+280) Antonio Silva (-325) vs. Ricco Rodriguez (+250) Kyle Noke (-130) vs. Scott Smith (even) James Thompson (-240) vs. Brett Rogers (+190) Yves Edwards (-245) vs. James Edson Berto (+195)                        |
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