Kimbo Slice on CBS Prime Time

Tomorrow night marks a historical event for Mixed Martial Arts. For the first time, a live MMA event will be aired on national network television during prime time. This could be a huge stepping stone for all MMA promotions in general, but my question is this. Does putting a fighter like Kimbo Slice on the card as a headliner actually help the image of MMA?

The average person on the street may consider the UFC, WEC, and other MMA promotions to be nothing other than over-hyped prizefighting where the point is the bash your opponent into a bloody pulp. I blame this on the early days of the UFC, but the sport has come a very long way since then. The technique and skill required to be successful in a large MMA promotion rivals the skill needed to be a successful pro boxer (I say MMA takes more skill, but thats a different post). My worry is that even though MMA will be getting prime time exposure, the promotion and fighters that CBS has chosen will not represent MMA for what it really is. Anyone else out there care to chime in on this?