| Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson EliteXC CBS Premiere |
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Thursday, 29 May 2008
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 The ever growing sport of mixed martial arts goes primetime this Saturday as Elite XC will be aired for the first time on CBS and of course Sportsbook.com has all of the lines.Headlining the historic event is arguably MMA’s most hyped yet controversial fighter, Kimbo Slice. Thanks to his legendary YouTube backyard brawls, Kimbo has become a household name in the MMA world despite his still unproven 2-0 record. Kimbo has lived up to his hype by pummeling his last two opponents, including his 43 second knockout of MMA legend David “Tank” Abbott this past February. With all of the recent stardom, Kimbo has faced plenty of criticism as well; especially from UFC President Dana White. “…who gives a crap about Kimbo Slice ? This guy can’t fight MMA. You know what would happen if he fought in the UFC? I’d put him in against (lightweight champion) BJ Penn and Slice would get annihilated… I am telling you, BJ Penn would beat him.” Sportsbook.com handicappers obviously disagree with White a bit as they currently have Mr. Slice as an overwhelming -600 favorite over the veteran James Thompson. The 6’4” 260 pound Thompson holds a record of 14-8 and is definitely Kimbo’s toughest test yet. Although Thompson has never reached his full potential, the former ‘debt collector’ and ‘gypsy remover’ from the UK has showed plenty of promise, including recent victories over Hidehiko Yoshida and Don Frye. Of course, the fact that he is currently training with Randy Couture can’t hurt his chances this Saturday either. In case you’ve never seen either fighter brawl, neither of them wastes any time feeling their opponents out. Both will be ready to let their fists fly from the opening bell, so make sure you have your bets placed and in your seat from the get go. Slice vs. Thompson isn’t the only intriguing fight on Saturday’s card. Also in action is the flamboyant and boisterous Phil Baroni, female American Gladiator Gina Carano and former NFL All-Pro Carlton Haselrig. Sportsbook.com’s odds for Saturday’s Elite XC on CBS: Kimbo Slice (-600) vs. James Thompson (+400) Robbie Lawler (-260) vs. Scott Smith (+200) Gina Carano (-350) vs. Kaitlin Young (+225) Phil Baroni (-115) vs. Joey Vilasenor (-115) Brett Rogers (-280) vs. Jon Murphy (+220) Carlton Haselrig (-210) vs. Carlos Moreno (+170)                        |
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