Demico Rogers TUF 10 Blog week 3
I just want to start by saying thanks for checking back for week 3 of my TUF 10 blog. This episode is the much anticipated “Kimbo Slice” vs. Roy Nelson match up. This is a huge opportunity for both of them. The winner of this fight will be one step closer to where they feel they belong, in the UFC.
Team Rampage all wanted Kimbo to take out Roy, not because we didn’t like Roy, but because Kimbo worked so hard and came so far. We felt like he truly deserved it. I think Tiki and Rampage did a good job preparing Kimbo for Roy. They focused on his strengths and worked on his takedown defense. Kimbo is very eager to learn and picks things up quickly.
In the house Kimbo was just one of the guys. He helped clean and could hook up a steak like no other. He enjoyed taking dips in the pool after training, and we spent hours just hanging out in his room talking about back home and his past. He is very interesting and has seen a lot. Here are some little known facts about Kimbo that the show doesn’t unveil like, he loves honey in EVERYTHING. Honey ham, honey peanut butter, honey sausage, honey wheat bread, honey everything. Another interesting fact is at Kimbo isn’t really bald, he actually shaves his head like that almost every day. The last thing you don’t see on the show is that Roy and Kimbo were roommates. Yeah, that was pretty weird but, it didn’t really seem to effect either of them it was all just business.
At this point Roy started being more of a team captain and you could see the invisible walls were beginning to come down. I think he realized that the coaches could help him get better and also that he had a lot to offer some of the younger guys.
On fight day we had a practice before the big fight. Typically, whoever fights that day stays home and sleeps in but Kimbo was restless. He came to practice and wouldn’t sit down. He tried to get involved in all the drills and asked questions trying to get some last minute pointers. Kimbo’s eagerness to learn was truly incredible.
When the vans pulled up you could sense the anticipation for the big match up. When the fight began you could tell both Roy and Kimbo were very cautious. The stand up exchange lasted almost a minute until Roy was able to pin Kimbo against the cage. Kimbo showed pretty good takedown defense using the whizzers and under hooks we taught him just a few days before. Eventually Roy’s superior wrestling was able to bring him down with a trip. I think that was pretty good timing on Roy’s part because Kimbo’s hands were getting dialed in. Roy eventually got to a crucifix position and landed several light blows to Kimbo head until time ran out. I am glad Herb didn’t stop the fight in the first round the shots were not hurting Kimbo it was just hard for him to move, he was basically stuck.
In the second round Kimbo looked to push the pace on the feet and was doing well until he decided to throw a knee. Roy saw the knee and used that as an opportunity for a takedown. From outside the ring we could all tell the shots Kimbo was landing were rocking Roy. Roy after the fight said that every time he got hit by Kimbo it was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. Back to the ground again, Roy got a crucifix again, put his belly on Kimbo’s face, and punched him on top of the head again until the Herb was forced to stop the fight. Like Rampage said “its not easy to get the moon off of you”. I must say I am not too disappointed in the stoppage, rules are rules and if you cant get him off of you the ref has to stop it. After the fight Roy was acting like he put on a spectacular performance and at one point even called himself the “king”. I am not going to say how I feel about his comments but Dana White sure did.
Win or lose I am proud of Kimbo. He fought his ass off against a seasoned veteran and gave up 40lbs. This was not one of those losses that we beat ourselves up over. We knew going in that there was a good chance Roy was going to lay on him and Kimbo would not be able to get him off. We just kept preparing and hoped that the next match up Rashad picked would be in our favor. Stay tuned, all I can say is the fight next week is a really good one.
For those of you in the Seattle Area come watch the show with me Wednesday nights at The Liquid Lime in Kirkland at 8pm.
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Thanks for the support!!
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 am
That fight was pretty good. I agree, it didn’t look like Roy was puttin too much damage on Kimbo, but it was controlled. The rules are the rules, but even in the show Roy said he’d put him in a crucifix and even if it was just repeated light slaps, it’s a win due to rules… Roy is talented, but that was sort of a weak way to show off his skill. I guess it means he’s a good fighter, just not necessarily an exciting one. The commercials make it look like Kimbo is gonna fight again next week— WHEN IS DEMICO GETTIN IN THE OCTAGON???????????????