The phrase "bad for the sport" is often used in ambiguous ways. Sometimes, people use it literally as in "War Machine is bad for the sport." It was more figurative when Ricardo Lamas called Conor McGregor "bad for the sport". Lamas, and others, were justifiably angry that UFC title shots were more likely to be based on a fighter's ability to sell tickets and ppvs as opposed to merit. Pretty much everyone agrees that the Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fight is a 'freakshow fight'. An article on mmafighting.com back in 2008, when Kimbo vs. Shamrock was first proposed, argues that this fight is 'bad for the sport'. And, indeed, there are many ways it could be 'bad for the sport'. This article, however, considers a few ways that the fight could be GOOD for the sport.

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice is good for the sport because it could bring back fans from the boom years who have since lost interest. Scott Coker has gone on record saying that the fight could break viewership records. Another factor to consider is that the main event will draw eyes to other good fighters on the card such as Michael Chandler, Daniel Weichel, and Patricio Pitbull. Scott Coker stated, "

"The beauty of all those eyeballs is that they'll get to see Pitbull [featherweight champion Patricio Freire] and they'll get to see Michael Chandler. The same way the Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar fight basically launched Will Brooks. We're going to build stars every time we have one of these fun fights. We're really going after it."

The second way the fight could be 'good for the sport' is because it will give Shamrock and Kimbo income. On the heels of one mma fighter going to jail for not paying a traffic ticket, mma fans are aware that the fighters have trouble paying the bills. At present, Ken Shamrock is living in a mobile home behind a discount tire store in San Diego. There's even a hole in the ceiling of the bedroom, so Ken has to go sleep on the couch when it rains. One would assume that Shamrock, with his storied career, would have plenty of money. It's not far of a stretch to assert that head trauma is not good for impulse management and therefore extends to poor money management. Mark Coleman recently had trouble paying his medical bills for surgery. It's a good thing that a charity campaign was able to assist him. When fighters have trouble being financially solvent, it always runs the risk of making it look 'bad for the sport'.

So, there it is folks. The argument that Kimbo vs. Shamrock is good for the sport. Sure, it's not the most intuitive way of thinking about this fight. And, truthfully, I was one of those people who could care less about this fight. I cared so little I was too lazy to make a prediction. I was one of the boastful people who predicted Werdum would upset Cain. So, I'm going to go with the underdog again and pick Shamrock. With Werdum, I could just see that he improved in all aspects of the game. With Shamrock, it's more of a guess because I haven't seen him fight in forever. As always, vote below! And, feel free to comment. I will be checking back to discuss this issue and view the poll results. Watch Bellator this weekend. Me, I'll try to not take it too seriously and just enjoy it. I'll be happy that two fighters well past their primes are doing something they love for the fans.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2495066-inside-ken-shamrocks-quest-to-show-hes-still-the-worlds-most-dangerous-man

http://www.mmafighting.com/2008/08/31/mma-problem-kimbo-slice-ken-shamrock-is-bigger-than-andrei-arlo