Coker announces Kimbo Slice-James Thompson for July London show

Despite failing a drug test in Texas, Bellator’s Scott Coker announced on ESPN that Kimbo Slice will face James Thompson on July 16 at London’s The O2 as part of Bellator 158.  The co-main event will feature Josh Koscheck-Paul Daley II.

Slice-Thompson first met in EliteXC with Kimbo inning via TKO after blowing up Thompson’s cauliflower ear.

The news is unexpected considering the regulating body in Texas announced that Slice tested positive for the steroid nandrolone after his fight with Dada 5000 on February 19 in Houston.  Coker revealed that Slice was suspended 90 days (although nothing has been made official by Texas) which would mean Slice would be available in July.

Payout Perspective:

There are a couple angles to this announcement and the subsequent fallout.  The first is that Bellator MMA is getting ample time on ESPN to make fight announcements.  While Coker could have made the announcement on Spike TV, like Dana White, he went with the network that would appeal to the broadest audience.  Similarly, ESPN wants to have these types of announcements on their network to include an MMA audience.

As for the fight, Slice-Thompson and Koscheck-Daley are neither compelling or compulsory.  While I do not deny that Bellator will do a good job in making you want to see this spectacle, one has to wonder if it will produce in the ring.

With respect to the lack of news on the suspension, this is an issue for Bellator and the governing bodies that regulate them.  Clearly, not good PR for Bellator to announce the next fight for a guy that was last found guilty of using PEDs (especially after the fight he put on while using).  After Bellator 127 when 4 fighters tested positive for banned substances, Coker noted that under his management, the company would not tolerate it.  Notably, in a 2014 press release, Coker indicated “Bellator will simply not stand for performance enhancing drugs inside our cage.”  So, the questions should linger about why Bellator, a company that said it would be strict on PED-users, gives Slice the main spot on its July tent-pole event.