Slice can’t cut it against late MMA replacement

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Somewhere out there, Dana White is probably smiling.

White, the outspoken president of Ultimate Fighting Championship, never missed an opportunity to take a verbal swipe at Kimbo Slice, the former backyard brawler who gained fame through the Internet.

While some were anointing Slice the next great heavyweight in mixed martial arts, even comparing him to Mike Tyson, White was ridiculing Slice’s qualifications.

‘He might be the toughest guy at the barbecue,’’ White said over the summer. ‘But there’s no way he’s one of the best in MMA.’’

White liked to run down the list of UFC fighters he believed would defeat Slice, including lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

White knew what he was talking about. During a nationally televised Saturday night match on CBS (shown locally on KCBS), Slice lost by a technical knockout 14 seconds into the main event against Seth Petruzelli, a last-minute replacement after Slice’s originally scheduled opponent, Ken Shamrock, suffered a cut above his left eye a few hours before the bout.

Petruzelli, who was scheduled to fight earlier on the card in a light heavyweight contest, jumped at the opportunity to take on Slice, despite giving away about 30 pounds. Slice charged his opponent at the opening bell, forcing Petruzelli to lift his knee to fend him off. Petruzelli then spotted an opening and nailed Slice with a short right hook, dropping Slice on all fours. Petruzelli then pounced on Slice and landed a series of rights to the face, prompting the referee to jump in and stop the fight.

Many folks considered this a major upset, since Petruzelli was basically a UFC cast off. Others, like White, claim it’s just an example of how badly Slice was over-hyped, and how deep the rosters are over in the UFC.

With the embarrassing loss by Slice, however, the organization will need a new poster boy. Tito Ortiz remains a viable option, but he might be more over-rated than Slice at this point of his career, especially in his own mind.

Gina Carano didn’t look over-hyped, by the way. She won a unanimous decision over a game but over-matched Kelly Kobold. Up next, it appears, is a much anticipated fight against Brazilian brawler Cristiana Cyborg. Look for that match to happen early next year, possibly on Elite XC’s first venture into pay-per-view.

-- Dan Arritt