It was announced Tuesday that Denis Kang will make his W-1 debut against Vernon ‘Tiger’ White. The event will also feature a bout between former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton and Chris Clements.
A bout with Vernon White is a long way from the top 5 world ranking that Kang once held. After going undefeated over a 22 fight period, Kang has picked up five stoppage losses in his last nine fights. Most recently Denis was stopped by Michael Bisping at UFC 105.
Vernon White will probably never be remembered for the tough fighter he has been throughout his career. Mostly because of his less than stellar 26-33-2 record. The last few years have been especially unkind to the man known as ‘Tiger’ as he has picked up a 3-6 record since 2006. While I would love to see Vernon get some respect for his willingness to fight anyone, anywhere and give them a tough fight, it is very clear that he is in the absolute twilight of his career.
The fight highlights one of the problems of a fighter like Kang signing a contract with a promotion like W-1. It is very similar to a talented baseball player who couldn’t cut it in the majors and instead of going down to AAA ball now going and playing slow-pitch softball to prove his worth. He may hit a few homers, but they don’t mean anything to anyone.