Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott - Odds and Predictions

On October 12th, 2007, the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City will host Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6: Unleashing the Fury. The main event will be legendary MMA tough guy Tank Abbott taking on legendary backyard brawler Kimbo Slice.

FIGHT ODDS

While Bodog has yet to post their fight odds (although they should be up any day now), I did come across odds on a few other sports betting sites. It appears that Kimbo Slice is being viewed as the favorite on all. For example, one site had Kimbo as a -360 favorite, while Tank was a +290 underdog.

FIGHT CARD

The complete card consists of:

Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott

Ricardo “Cachorrao” Almeida vs. Dennis “Superman” Hallman

Marcio “Pe De Pano” Cruz vs. John Marsh

Derek Panza vs. Duke Roufus

Jim Miller vs. Chris Brennan

Brian Geraghty vs. Chris Ligouri

Eric Henry vs. Gregor Gracie

Jose Rodriguez vs. Mike Littlefield

Warren Kekebah vs. Nick Catone

Randy Durant vs. Tom Poe

TANK VS. KIMBO

So who will win this slugfest between two of the biggest names in the world of brawling? Let’s take a closer look.

The Ground Game/Submissions

Tank is known for his brawling, but he wrestled both in high school and college. This will only be Kimbo’s second fight in the cage, although he did win his first fight with a guillotine choke. In his career, Tank has two submission wins by using the neck crank. Don’t expect this one to go to the ground.

Edge: Tank Abbott

Experience

Tank’s first fight took place all the way back in 1995. Since then, he’s went on to compile a record of 9 wins and 13 losses. 7 of his last 8 fights have ended in a loss of Tank. He’s also 42 years old. He has, however, fought against competition like Don Frye, Frank Mir, Vitor Belfort and Dan Severn.

Kimbo has only had one MMA fight, and that was against boxer Ray Mercer. Before that, he engaged in backyard brawls with bouncers and random toughs. These fights ended up on the web and made Kimbo a mini-celebrity.

While Tank is certainly the more experienced fighter, one has to wonder if his age will work against him in the match.

Edge: Tank Abbott

Stand-Up

Tank has a huge punch, but he usually throws it in a sloppy fashion. Like a classic brawler, he wings haymaker after haymaker and hopes that something will connect. While Kimbo certainly isn’t Ali, he does have a more orthodox style, and working with Bas Rutten has no doubt allowed him to improve upon it even more.

Edge: Kimbo Slice

PREDICTION

Tank is way past his prime and was never that good to begin with. He’s always had problems with conditioning, so he’ll be in trouble if the fight isn’t over quickly. Kimbo, on the other hand, is taller and younger and seems to have superior technique.

Of course, with both men throwing bombs, either fighter has the classic puncher’s chance. Still, I have to give the overall edge to Kimbo and predict a first-round knockout in his favor.

For more MMA articles, check out the following:

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UFC Fight Night 11 Results

Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott - Odds and Predictions