I'm pretty sure Gary Shaw is the reason MMA was on primetime network, not Kimbo. He was the one that got the deal with CBS to have EliteXC on saturdays. Kimbo is just the guy he decided to put on the main event at the first show, basically he's banking on Kimbo and pretty much the fate of their organization could very well rest in the hands of Kimbo's success.
I hear what you're saying, and I agree with you, Kimbo is bringing in fans and exposure to the sport. But I think most of the hate or criticism is because a lot of people make it out to seem like Kimbo is unstoppable, he's the truth, etc. when that's far from the truth. Like comparing Kimbo to oscar de la hoya and tiger woods really bothered the fuck out of me. But that's not kimbo's fault, thats EliteXC's announcers trying way too hard to sell a product.