A.J. Daulerio has an interesting post at Deadspin today recounting a conversation he had with UFC President Dana White. White gives his opinions about Kimbo Slice, and as you might expect -- considering that Slice is one of the few big-name American mixed martial arts fighters who isn't under contract to UFC -- White is not impressed.White had a lot to say about why he's not impressed with Slice, and about the possibility of a Slice vs. Chuck Liddell fight happening some day, but this is what drew my attention:
"The fact is, Kimbo's not there yet. He would get destroyed. I heard he just got knocked out by Forrest Griffin last week in a sparring match after a kick to the head, " White said.
To which I say: Kimbo Slice spars with Forrest Griffin? I heard something about this once before (I think it was in this Sherdog forum), and I didn't put much stock in it. But if the president of UFC is going around repeating this rumor, it's at least worth asking some questions about.
For starters, why on earth would these two spar with each other? Griffin's next fight is with Quentin "Rampage" Jackson; Slice's next fight is with James "Megapunk" Thompson. Slice doesn't fight like Rampage and Griffin doesn't fight like Megapunk, so what benefit would there be for these guys to spar each other?
And secondly, why does White act as if getting knocked out by Griffin is so humiliating? Yes, it's true that Griffin wins by submission more than he wins by knockout, but does White really want to say that getting knocked out by Griffin -- UFC's No. 1 light heavyweight contender -- is some mark of shame?
Like I am with a lot of things White says, I'm left feeling both fascinated and puzzled.
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