Friday, October 31, 2008

Underground Profile: Kaream Ellington

Sometimes promising athletes realize their full potential, sometimes they don't. At an Underground Combat League event in December of 2004, 200-pound Bronx native Kaream Ellington clashed with 335-pound wrestling monster Bryan Vetell. It was a true "David vs. Goliath" bout that saw "David" survive almost seven grueling minutes of ground and pound to turn the tables and get the tap out via strikes. The win made the crowd go absolutely berserk, and it seemed to set Ellington's career back on track - a year and a half later the Muay Thai-trained warrior was dodging Kenichi Yamamoto's leglocks at the Mixed Fighting Championship in Atlantic City, then it was off to Costa Rica for BodogFIGHT and off to Japan for a match against a Brazilian. But now it's been two years since Ellington last fought. Will we ever see the talented competitor - who won an IFC tournament in New Jersey back in 2000, fought at seminal Garden State show BAMA FightNight and won a four-man tournament at the first UCL - fight again? With Ellington's personal problems, that's hard to answer. He will, however, always be the man who gutted out a win against "Goliath" to show New York City fight fans what a mixed martial artist was capable of. Realized or unrealized potential notwithstanding, that's something.

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