Paul Daley’s expulsion from the UFC was expected given his antics after the UFC 113 bout with Josh Koscheck, but in a surprising announcement, UFC President Dana White said that Kimbo Slice is also done with the company.
“That’s probably Kimbo’s last fight in the UFC,” White said of Slice’s UFC 113 bout with Matt Mitrione, which saw “Meat Head” defeat Kimbo via a TKO at 4:24 of Round Two.
White’s claim that Kimbo is very likely done with UFC is interesting, not so much because the fighter has made a convincing case that he belongs in the number one MMA company, but because his departure could give rival Strikeforce the chance to pop a solid rating on CBS.
Strikeforce’s last show bombed on The Eye, but with a proven draw like Kimbo–who has, so far, continued to draw decent TV ratings even as his limited skills have been exposed–it might be have the framework to put together an attractive card (especially if fighters like Fedor and Gina Carano also participated).
Update: The ambiguity is reportedly gone–it now looks to be official that Kimbo Slice will be dropped from the UFC’s active roster. Dana White was very complimentary of Slice’s work ethic and personality in the press conference, but he made it clear that the loss to Mitrione will very likely mean his exit.
