Video-MMA, Kimbo Slice, Gus Johnson Draw Solid TV Ratings on CBS - YouTube | MMA | James Thompson

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6/2/08

MMA, Kimbo Slice, Gus Johnson Draw Solid TV Ratings on CBS

Thanks to Gus, I Was An MMA Fan For One Night

MMA, UFC, Kimbo Slice, James Thompson, Fights

CriticalFanatic

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I'm not an MMA fan. I don't take any particular joy in watching two people beat the crap out of each other, but I am a Gus Johnson fan so I made sure to be in front of the television Saturday night to give the sport a try.

Not bad.

I don't know whether it was Gus that made it mildly interesting, or the overhyped Kimbo Slice struggling... or James Thompson's cauliflower ear, but I watched intently. Even got into the fight a little bit.

Having never followed the sport I can't offer any intelligent fodder about the intricacies of the battle, but even an amateur viewer like myself could tell that Kimbo's not quite the beast we've been led to believe. That said, and I can only speak for myself, his vulnerability played a significant role in my interest and likely my ongoing attention to the sport. Maybe that worked on other first time viewers.

Michael Heistand's look into the overnight ratings shows CBS was able to draw others like myself who took in their first MMA viewing. Because the Kimbo fight didn't start until 11:30 it made a look into the ratings numbers challenging, but CBS saw a 271% hike in viewers 18-34.

This all good news for those avid fans of mixed martial arts, but the true test is how well the second broadcast performs. Your always going to have a new audience giving it a try on the first go-around, but does it gain any traction.

The moral of this whole post: if CBS is smart enough to put Gus Johnson back in the booth, I'll watch again.

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6/2/08

derms33

2	That ear was terrifying. Tyson wouldn't even bite that

6/3/08

snbslugger

1	This was an overglorified toughman fight, and the ref stoppage on Thompson at the end, plus the fact he scorers had Slice winning Round 2 even though he spent most of it on his back screamed "fix". He can fight some, but until he steps into the ring with some UFC or PRIDE guys, I'm not buying in. For MMA fans, this was a tough fight to watch, and could SOMEONE drain that ear? Good god man.