Wes Simms: This sport needs a few villains
Sims eager to spice up TV series Wes Sims doesn’t want the adulation and affection of Mixed Martial Arts fans….
Sims eager to spice up TV series
Wes Sims doesn’t want the adulation and affection of Mixed Martial Arts fans. He just wants their attention.
He’s of the mind that a fighter without a personality has the MMA staying power of one without a right hook.
Sims, a professional fighter for the past eight years, is many things. But boring isn’t one of them.
The Lancaster native and his big personality will be a part of the 10th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” an MMA reality show that premieres Sept. 16 on Spike TV.
“I kind of enjoy being the bad guy,” Sims said. “If you go out there and you don’t do anything, people aren’t going to care, and you’re not going to get paid.
“There’s plenty of Randy Coutures in the business now, plenty of good guys. What this sport needs is a few villains.”
Sims has cultivated that heel image since his first fight on the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit. He was disqualified at UFC 43 in 2003 for kicking Frank Mir while Mir was on the mat, thus giving way to Wes Sims, the villain.
“The show looks for good fighters with great personalities. He fits the bill perfectly,” said Spike TV Spokesman David Schwarz. “He has an incredible Mixed Martial Arts pedigree. We love that attitude. Our fans love to see exciting fighters and big personalities.”
Sims joined 15 other heavyweight fighters in a house in Las Vegas for six weeks of taping beginning in May. The fighters were split into two teams and competed against each other throughout the season. The two remaining fighters will fight live Dec. 5 on Spike TV for a six-figure contract with the UFC and a cash prize.
Fighters who are eliminated during the season remain in the house.
In addition to Sims, Kimbo Slice will make his Ultimate Fighter debut. A former street fighter who was thrust onto the national MMA scene in the past year, Slice carries the same “love-him-or-hate-him” appeal as Sims.
“It’s fair to say that, for the first time, there are fighters who have serious name recognition,” Schwarz said.
Sims was not allowed to divulge much about what went on inside the fighters’ house. Instead he spoke in generalities.
“There’s nothing worse than eliminating somebody and then having them around in your hair bugging you,” he said. “It’s mentally draining there. You have no one to talk to. No phone; no television. But I loved it. It didn’t bother me.”
Then, as though realizing his description of the experience wasn’t quite juicy enough, Sims reverted to his bad-guy persona.
“I went in there and messed with a lot of people,” he said.