Surprisingly, the expected release comes after arguably the fighter’s most well-rounded performance.
“That’s probably Kimbo’s last fight in the UFC,” White said after the Saturday, May 8, pay-per-view event, which also saw Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-4) upset Lyoto Machida (16-1) for the UFC light-heavyweight title.
The now-defunct EliteXC promotional capitalized on Ferguson, who rose to fame thanks to the marketing of his (oftentimes brutal) unsanctioned street fights. With favorable matchups, Ferguson went 3-1 in the organization and even appeared on CBS — all while White lambasted the promotion and Ferguson’s “circus act.”
But when EliteXC folded and Ferguson became available, White shocked everyone and awarded the fighter a spot on the 10th season of its struggling Spike TV reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter.” The show was met with record ratings, and Ferguson slowly evolved beyond a simple one-dimensional striker. He even picked up a decision victory over veteran Houston Alexander (9-6) in his first UFC fight.
But despite the fighter’s marketability and growing fan base, White said he’s done with the 36-year-old slugger.
“I said that I have a lot of respect for Kimbo and how he’s handled this whole thing — a lot of trash-talking for a couple of years, by me,” White said. “I’ve got nothing but respect for Kimbo. I like him as a person. He carried himself really well.”
Ferguson probably can command solid paydays on Japan’s MMA circuit. The Fox Sports Net-televised Bellator promotion might also consider him for its upcoming eight-man heavyweight tournament.
Dayton company, TapouT strike deal
Dayton-based apparel company American Fighter, which is owned by Jeff Adler and UFC fighter Rich Franklin, struck a deal with MMA clothing giant TapouT.
As part of the new deal, TapouT will release an American Fighter co-branded “walkout T-shirt” for Franklin’s UFC 115 main-event fight with Chuck Liddell. The show takes place June 12 in Toronto.
Fans will be able to purchase the shirts at any TapouT retail outlet, which can now be found worldwide.
“Rich Franklin is not only a warrior but also an authentic inspirational representation of the sport,” TapouT co-founder Dan Caldwell said.
Caldwell and his co-founders started TapouT in the 1990s by selling T-shirts out of their cars at MMA events. By 2009 TapouT did $200 million in annual sales.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, voted best media outlet in the 2008 and 2009 World MMA Awards. For the latest mixed-martial-arts news, go to MMAjunkie.com.
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