Heroes of the Bravo era

[neil]

On 7/17/2026 at 7:45 AM, jimufctna24 said:

I recall he was a police officer, who claimed to have boxed and trained in judo. 

After checking, the UFC did indeed credit him with a single MMA fight on his intro graphic (1-0), and Tapology do indeed credit him with numerous amateur and pro fights (he was actually 1-2 as a pro when he fought Hinkle, so the UFC into graphic was inaccurate). So aye, my mistake there. Thanks for the heads up. 

I trained at a BJJ place in Boston for a few years and Gannon would occasionally drop in, I think he was purple or brown belt at the time. Absolute unit of a fella. I did a light roll with him once and he was an absolute tank, could barely get me long arms around his back. Nice guy, but you could tell he had a switch that you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of. He got fucked by the Boston Police Department because they didn't appreciate the news stories about his fight with Kimbo, but he ultimately won a court case against them.

[Egg Shen]

Gannon did a Reddit AMA 10 years ago, here's the link. It's a shame he's since passed, he'd have been a shoe in for the MMA History podcast.

 

[wandshogun09]

Speaking of podcasts, I think Kimbo himself would’ve been ideal for that. I think he had the popularity, personality and likability to really make a go of it if he was still around these days. The bubble had burst on him as an actual fighter by the time he went on TUF really in 2009, and he’d already had that embarrassing loss to Seth Petruzelli. But personality-wise, TUF really changed my perception of him in a positive way. Before that I’d always tried to catch his fights in some form online (usually after the fact) but I didn’t know much at all about his personality. For a guy who looked like a complete thug and maniac though, he came across as the most laid back, sound, family man ever on TUF. Even the other fighters on that season went from looking at him daggers and mumbling ‘fuck that guy’ when he was brought into the gym in Episode 1, to loving him before long. He won everyone around on that season. The other fighters, the fans and even Dana. But yeah, I’d have been all over a Kimbo podcast. 

Edited July 20 by wandshogun09

[John Matrix]

Always loved a Karate stylist in MMA so was tickled when Ryan Jimmo turned up in the timeline yesterday! 

Memorable of course for his seven second demolition of Anthony Perosh and if not that, the rather incredible Robot celebration which followed.

What an up and down run he had, seemingly win one lose one - I had completely forgotten he’d passed, and, specifically, HOW.  Christ.  Bloody good job that didn’t happen in Devon or police might have suspected no foul play.

It’s funny looking back at these guys as I remember them as it opens up a treasure trove, I’d completely forgotten he’d faught Jimi Manuwa for example, who I remember reading about in Fighters Only (Magazines, what were all that about?) built as an absolute murderer - of course, he comes in, closes Kyle Kingsbury’s eye in a fight I struggled to watch as it went on, and then I can’t remember if it was as a result of strikes or not, but his next two opponents (Jimmo included) were TKO’d by leg injuries if I recall correctly!

Does that make you even “harder” d’you reckon? Anyone can land a lucky punch and spark out their opponent but fucking up three in a row so badly the fight has to be stopped due to injury?  Nice run.

 

[Egg Shen]

Manuwa is a great example of someone who was abit of a star whilst he was around, only to retire and seemingly be completely forgotten about. 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

On the subject of MMA from those days...

I discovered a Youtube account that posts fairly concise highlights of full seasons of TUF. Basically edits the entire season down to its best bits. I have been watching bits of the 2007 Team Pulver v Team Penn series.

Really takes me back. I was wildly into MMA at the time and consuming everything I could from America, Japan and Europe. Me and my two best friends had just starting training BJJ and were spending all our time training, watching whatever we could find, talking about fighting...

Some highlights that truly date this to the mid 00's Spike TV era (aside from the utterly horrendous fashion)

When "Monsta Lobsta" announces he is from Maine, the reaction is "You're gay! Everyone from Maine is gay! Everyone knows that."

Threre's a bit where they are asked what the miss the most from their normal lives. Someone immediately answers with "Myspace"

Dana does his annual promo where he goes to the TUF house to shout at everyone. This time its off the back of a fight taking place in the house. Dana repeatedly refers to those involved as "retards"

There's a part where the guys are so bored that they start a fruit fight in the house. The F slur is being slung around like its nothing.

 

[jimufctna24]

On 7/20/2026 at 4:09 PM, wandshogun09 said:

Speaking of podcasts, I think Kimbo himself would’ve been ideal for that. I think he had the popularity, personality and likability to really make a go of it if he was still around these days. The bubble had burst on him as an actual fighter by the time he went on TUF really in 2009, and he’d already had that embarrassing loss to Seth Petruzelli. But personality-wise, TUF really changed my perception of him in a positive way. Before that I’d always tried to catch his fights in some form online (usually after the fact) but I didn’t know much at all about his personality. For a guy who looked like a complete thug and maniac though, he came across as the most laid back, sound, family man ever on TUF. Even the other fighters on that season went from looking at him daggers and mumbling ‘fuck that guy’ when he was brought into the gym in Episode 1, to loving him before long. He won everyone around on that season. The other fighters, the fans and even Dana. But yeah, I’d have been all over a Kimbo podcast. 

Yeah, I recall the cast of TUF 10 warming to Kimbo. It was difficult not to. The loss to Petruzelli was indeed an embarrassment. Not only because it killed Slice's aura, but also because Elite XC folded only a few weeks later, and the claims from Petruzelli that he was asked not to take Slice to the ground. It also didn't help Kimbo's reputation that he and his trainer Bas Rutten split on very bad terms after the fight, which Kimbo came out looking the worse for. 

I do recall that Elite XC cards were difficult to track down in those days in the UK. I'd figured out how to torrent by that point, so I usually watched them on a 24 hour delay or so, but many either didn't have the technology to do that, or didn't know how to do so. 

My first exposure to Slice came around a friend's house in 2005. My friend was very much an internet person, keyed into all the popular sites and internet trends of the time, but not a MMA fan by any means. He showed me footage of a backyard fight, which featured a bald due with a beard, who he described as taking on all comers. It was only literally months later, even after Gannon made his appearance in the UFC, that I joined the dots and figured out it was Kimbo. 

Edited July 28 by jimufctna24

[wandshogun09]

On 7/23/2026 at 7:29 PM, Egg Shen said:

Manuwa is a great example of someone who was abit of a star whilst he was around, only to retire and seemingly be completely forgotten about. 

Yeah, that horrible headkick KO from Rakic is what sent Manuwa packing.

I remember watching it live because it was in Sweden and on at a decent time and I genuinely thought we might’ve just witnessed the first Octagon death. No exaggeration. The sickening sound the kick made, the way Manuwa fell, the way his head bounced off the canvas. Then he was down for ages and the cameras never went on him. I think they even went to a break and when they came back he still wasn’t up, they still weren’t showing him on camera and everyone looked and sounded worried. Thankfully he did get up and probably even more thankfully he didn’t fight again. One of the scariest knockouts I can remember in UFC history easy. Oddly, probably the last time Rakic looked impressive as well. And that was 2019. He’s fighting on the Belgrade card this week, making his Heavyweight debut, and no-one gives a bollocks. 

Can’t be arsed to check but wasn’t Manuwa one of the names that was supposed to be fighting for that bullshit GFL promotion when they were throwing out all those mad matchups last year? 

8 hours ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

There's a part where the guys are so bored that they start a fruit fight in the house. The F slur is being slung around like its nothing.

They could probably throw that word around now with no repercussions, to be honest. We’re at the point now where it took Josh Hokit calling Michelle Obama a man, on the White House lawn, for Dana to even say he disagreed with something a fighter said. And even then, nothing has actually came of it. 

1 hour ago, jimufctna24 said:

The loss to Petruzelli was indeed an embarrassment. Not only because it killed Slice's aura, but also because Elite XC folded only a few weeks later, and the claims from Petruzelli that he was asked not to take Slice to the ground.

[neil]

18 hours ago, jimufctna24 said:

My first exposure to Slice came around a friend's house in 2005. My friend was very much an internet person, keyed into all the popular sites and internet trends of the time, but not a MMA fan by any means. He showed me footage of a backyard fight, which featured a bald due with a beard, who he described as taking on all comers

Was that the fight against "Big D"? The one that would always say "fighters eye popped out"? That one always makes me laugh when Big D stops and goes "chill dawg" 

[Egg Shen]

Incredible memories watching those initial Kimbo videos surface. You do wonder how Kimbo may have faired in the Bare Knuckle game in recent years, the guy came into the sport at the wrong time! Also the whole crossover boxing thing, Kimbo would have been making bank in that. I always found it weird how his boxing career never really amassed to anything, the interest seemed to be but gone when he moved into gloved boxing, there were a few highlights but the fights were marred by 'fix' accusations and never really got much exposure. Still, following Kimbo's career is one of the big highlights of my fandom.

[jimufctna24]

4 hours ago, neil said:

Was that the fight against "Big D"? The one that would always say "fighters eye popped out"? That one always makes me laugh when Big D stops and goes "chill dawg" 

My memory is very hazy, but I think it could well have been. I just googled that fight and the setting (backyard, palm trees, etc) matched my memory. 

 

[jimufctna24]

21 hours ago, Egg Shen said:

Incredible memories watching those initial Kimbo videos surface. You do wonder how Kimbo may have faired in the Bare Knuckle game in recent years, the guy came into the sport at the wrong time! Also the whole crossover boxing thing, Kimbo would have been making bank in that. I always found it weird how his boxing career never really amassed to anything, the interest seemed to be but gone when he moved into gloved boxing, there were a few highlights but the fights were marred by 'fix' accusations and never really got much exposure. Still, following Kimbo's career is one of the big highlights of my fandom.

I can see where you're coming from Ebb. If Kimbo was around today he could probably amass a following on YouTube (Street Beefs and all that), and then cash-in on it via competing in Misfits, Bare Knuckle, etc. 

However, I do think Kimbo was still a "right place right time" case. He was the first, or probably the first to fully, take advantage of the growth in regular internet users and video sharing websites by broadcasting their street fights online. Kimbo was then able to take advantage of his online fame due to it existing apace with the well-funded start-up MMA leagues of the mid-2000s. Those leagues were desperate for a draw, and despite being out of his depth in top-level MMA, Kimbo fit the bill perfectly. It was, of course, Elite XC with their impressive TV deals with CBS and Showtime that signed him, booked him wisely against the likes of Abbot, Cantrell, and Thompson before things went pear-shaped. Even after the Elite XC run ended, Kimbo was able to cash-in further on his prior YouTube/Internet fame with a very fruitful run in the UFC (at least financially). 

How many fighters of Kimbo's ability have achieved such fame and money in MMA? I would argue very few. And it all became possible because he took advantage of the technology, and the stage it was at, during a specific period of time. Good on him!

[Egg Shen]

Oh I agree with that, Kimbo was pure lightning in a bottle stuff. I'm just saying todays landscape would have suited his needs much better. If he was still alive he'd no doubt be the face/promo guy for BKFB or BKB.

[wandshogun09]

Kimbo would’ve been the Royce Gracie of BKFC. The face on the posters and the name who kickstarted the whole thing. Probably would’ve moved into colour commentary later or maybe even part of the promoting side of the shows. He had the gift of gab for it. A babyface Don King. 

Edited July 31 by wandshogun09

[jimufctna24]

On 7/28/2026 at 11:34 AM, Ironic Indie Lad said:

Dana does his annual promo where he goes to the TUF house to shout at everyone. This time its off the back of a fight taking place in the house. Dana repeatedly refers to those involved as "retards"

I remember that fight and the aftermath. It was between the dude who apparently the other contestants felt had no talent (Noah Thomas), and the dude who the other contestants thought was a bullshitter (Marlon Sims, I had to look up both fighter's names). It was described as perhaps the most "technical" street fight you would ever see. From what I recall, Thomas applied a triangle on Sims, who proceeded to then drop Thomas on his head. 

The aftermath was just as interesting as the drunken brawl. In the days immediately after the episode featuring the fight made air Spike TV, announced that Thomas and Sims would fight one another on the TUF 5 finale card. However, the article announcing said fight was quickly yanked from Spike TV's website. The fight didn't happen, and neither fighter ever appeared on a UFC card, although Thomas would made a few unremarkable appearances in the Zuffa owned WEC a few years later in 2009. It was reportedly Dana White who nixed the fight, and opted not to do further business with either. At that point in time, White was seemingly very concerned with how fights between contestants on the show made the sport look, whereas Spike TV executives were seemingly thrilled by them.

Funnily enough, there was a physical confrontation between James McSweeney and Zak Jansen on TUF 10 only a few years later. McSweeney was not punished for it as far as I'm aware, despite coming across as an absolute bellend during the confrontation. He was booked on the TUF 10 finale and made two further appearances in the UFC afterwards. Granted, the McSweeney/Jansen confrontation was a lot milder than the drunken brawl on TUF 5, but still I can't imagine White was pleased by it, whereas I'm sure Spike TV lapped it up. 

Edited August 2 by jimufctna24