What up-and-coming mixed martial artist wouldn’t want to fight Kimbo Slice?  It is a chance to gain instant notoriety.  An opportunity to make a name for one’s self.  For Justin Wren and Roy Nelson, both world class wrestlers, a fight with Kimbo would be a great matchup.  That being said, I dreamt of a matchup with Roy.  I respect him a whole lot and feel it would be a great test of my abilities.

It is detailed in the show how Rampage favored Kimbo, pulling him aside after practice to work even further with him.  Any fighter would have loved to have been in Kimbo’s position.  Rampage immediately took him on as a project, seeing Kimbo as a similar fighter to himself.  I needed to work on my hands and wish I was able to get the same amount of attention from the coaches, but we all understood.  Kimbo needed work on the ground and he had a target on his back.  As soon as Rashad had the chance, he would put him in the octagon.I was disappointed in the way that Rashad and his coaches took Roy aside.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone someone clowning around during practice, but Roy is an accomplished fighter.  For them to pull him aside and berate him was inappropriate.  Roy is a professional that understands what he needs to do in order to be ready to fight.  He has been doing this for a long time.

Going into the fight announcement, Rampage asked us who was physically ready to fight.  Wes was one of the guys that raised his hand.  Watching past seasons and listening to fighters, I knew that I wanted to take a little time before I mixed it up.  I needed to adapt to the conditions of my new environment.  Wes did not have the same fears that I had and was anxious to knock off Rashad’s number one pick.  Wes is a matchup nightmare with his combination of size and strength.  McSweeney is an accomplished K1 kickboxer, so we knew that he would be elusive and have a lot of power behind his kicks.  The game plan was simple.  Keep distance and go for the take downs whenever possible.  Great game plan, but Wes just completely gassed out.  Neither fighter seemed prepared for the cardio aspect of the fight, but Wes was unable to push the pace.  James took advantage, peppering him with kicks and a few punches.  I thought Wes did some damage, enough to possibly earn a third round, but he was so winded that I don’t think it would have mattered.  Another fight, another loss for Team Rampage.

I look forward to recapping the next episode, including discussing the Nelson vs. Kimbo fight.  Until next week.