Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike33
It should not have been stopped. In all likelihood, I think Kimbo would have finished Thompson off as Thompson was very wobbly, but Kimbo was nearly out of steam and the fight could have gone to Thompson or ended as a draw.
Either way, I'd give Kimbo the win. He did more damage with his punches and rocked Thompson on several occasions. The problem with Kimbo is that he doesn't have the endurance for MMA. Kimbo is very fortunate that Thompson doesn't either which is why those small elbows and punches to the head in Round 2 didn't put Kimbo to sleep. He wasn't defending himself to conserve energy and the blows he was taking weren't severe.
Kimbo can be a good fighter, but I don't think he'll ever be a great fighter. He made some rookie mistakes. If he can use this experience so that he doesn't make those mistakes again, and increases his endurance, he'll be competitive but not a top fighter.
All in all, this was his first test for his ground game and his endurance (every other fight including his street fights, with the exception of the fight he lost to Ganon, never lasted more than 2 minutes). If he doesn't work on his ground game and ever gets taken down by a true ground and pounder, he's toast.
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The stoppage of the fight was right. It's in line with all MMA fights. Once excessive blood starts flowing, the fight gets stopped.
Kimbo is clearly the stronger fighter standing up. I thought the ref was going to stop the fight after Kimbo got his head pounded on the ground. It looked like he wasn't blocking, although the hits might have been weak.
Endurance is always an issue with heavyweights. Most go for the fences in the first round. When they realize that they can't knock out their opponent in the first round, they start conserving energy and come out swinging in the final round.
Kimbo has a chance to become great. He will make mistakes after all he is a rookie! He only had less than a year of work on his ground game. am I right? The key for him will be to fight smart. Avoid the ground! His hand to hand is awesome.