Kevin Ferguson
(born February 8, 1974), better known as Kimbo Slice
, is a Bahamian-American mixed-martial arts fighter. He is best known for several street fights which have spread primarily on the internet, leading Rolling Stone
to call him "The King of the Web Brawlers".
[1] Slice left the underground fighting scene and signed a professional contract with EliteXC in 2007. After EliteXC declared bankruptcy in 2008, Slice became a free agent. Slice will be part of the tenth installment of The Ultimate Fighter which will go by The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights
. [2]
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KIMBO SLICE TICKETS
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Biography
Early years
Ferguson was born in
Nassau, Bahamas, but soon moved to the
United States and grew up in
Cutler Ridge, Florida,
[3] raised alongside his two brothers by a
single mother [4] named Rosemary Clarke.
[5] He went to Bel-Air Elementary School
and when Ferguson was 13 years old, he was involved in his first fight, trying to defend a friend. He continued his studies with Cutler Ridge Middle School and later with Richmond Heights Middle School.
He attended
Miami Palmetto High School, where he was the star
middle linebacker.
[6] In 1992, his house in
Perrine, Florida was destroyed by
Hurricane Andrew and he continued living in his 1987
Nissan Pathfinder for a month.
[7]
For college, he attended both
Bethune-Cookman University and the
University of Miami, where he had an
athletic scholarship [8] and studied
criminal justice.
He was there for only a year and a half.
[9] In 1997, he had a tryout with the
Miami Dolphins and was part of the pre-season squad, but was unable to get a place in the first team.
[10] [11]
He is also the cousin of US
Judoka Rhadi Ferguson.
[12]
Rise to stardom
Ferguson started working as
bouncer for a
strip club until
highschool friend and current manager, Mike "IceyMike" Ember, offered him a job as
limousine driver and
bodyguard for RK Netmedia, better known as RealityKings, a
Miami-based
pornography production/promotion company responsible for a number of popular adult subscription websites.
Kimbo still maintains close ties with RealityKings who now accompany him, as his fight entourage, under the name
Team Kimbo
.
In 2002, he was charged for carrying a concealed weapon
and in 2003, he began his career in unsanctioned
street fights. They were distributed through the
Internet, mainly through the adult website SublimeDirectory and
YouTube. In his first taped fight against a man named
Big D
, Ferguson left a large cut on his opponent's right eye which led
Internet fans to call him
Slice
, becoming the last name to his already popular childhood
nickname,
Kimbo
.
His only on-tape
street fight loss was against
Sean Gannon, a former
Boston police officer who also trains in MMA. The popularity of the fight propelled both men into the MMA spotlight.
[13]
Mixed martial arts career
To prepare for sanctioned MMA fights, Slice was trained by retired MMA fighter
Bas Rutten and boxing instructor Randy Khatami at Rutten's school, EliteMMA, in
Thousand Oaks, California. Slice made his MMA debut against former
WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer
Ray Mercer at
Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5
, in
Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. The match was scheduled as a three-round exhibition utilizing all professional rules of MMA combat. Slice defeated Mercer with a
guillotine choke at 1:12 into the first round.
[14] In a post-fight interview, Slice stated that he would like to fight
David "Tank" Abbott. Abbott, who was a spectator, stood up from his seat and accepted the call out. One of the matchmakers for
CFFC asked Slice for his assurance so that an October 12 bout at
Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6 between Slice and "Tank" Abbott could be organized. This event was later canceled due to a promotion dispute. On October 11, 2007,
ProElite announced that they had signed Slice to a deal and that he would make his debut on the November 10, 2007
EliteXC.
[15] He was originally set to make his professional MMA debut against Mike Bourke, a reformed street fighter, but a shoulder injury from Bourke led him to face
Bo Cantrell.
[16] Kimbo defeated Cantrell 19 seconds into the first round by submission due to strikes.
On February 16, 2008, Kimbo fought
Tank Abbott in the main event at
EliteXC: Street Certified
. He won by KO 43 seconds into the first round due to strikes. At the fight his weight was announced at an all-time low of , a far cry from his street fighting days of .
On May 31, 2008, Kimbo fought in the main event of the first ever mixed martial arts event shown on prime time network television,
EliteXC: Primetime
. Though one of the judges had each fighter winning one of the first two rounds, Kimbo's opponent
James Thompson won both on total points
[17] [18] [19] by repeatedly taking down Slice and grounding and pounding. In the opening seconds of the third round, however, Kimbo threw a haymaker to Thompson's left ear, which ruptured Thompson's
cauliflower. This was soon followed by three unanswered punches to a standing Thompson, which led to a referee stoppage and the controversial win for Slice. Fellow EliteXC competitor
Brett Rogers was particularly critical of Slice's victory, calling Slice's performance "garbage" in a post fight interview.
[20] Frank Mir was also critical of Slice, stating in an interview that "every time Kimbo Slice fights, it sets (mixed martial arts) back"
[21].
Fight with Petruzelli
On October 4, 2008, a Kimbo Slice vs.
Ken Shamrock fight was supposed to take place at the
BankAtlantic Center in
Sunrise, Florida as part of
CBS'
Saturday Night Fights
.
[22] [23] However, Shamrock received a cut to the left eye during a warm-up only hours before the fight was to take place
[24]. This left the head of fight operations, Jeremy Lappen, to choose a replacement for the fight. Options were
Seth Petruzelli,
Aaron Rosa and
Frank Shamrock. Lappen decided that Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. Slice agreed to take the fight after receiving a raise in pay, and took in $500,000
[25]. Petruzelli defeated Slice by
TKO 14 seconds into the first round of the bout.
[26]
Interviewed on the popular radio show
The Monsters In The Morning
two days after the fight,
Seth Petruzelli said that when they offered him a spot in the main event, EliteXC promoters added monetary incentives to dissuade him from using certain fighting techniques against Slice, in an attempt to protect their relatively unproven Internet star.
This added to the controversy surrounding the representation of Slice as a top flight martial artist by CBS and EliteXC.
[28] The
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation started a preliminary investigation on the events surrounding the fight and its outcome.
[29]
However, Petruzelli clarified his position hours later, claiming in a follow-up interview with MMA website
FiveOuncesofPain.com
that his previous comments on
The Monsters
had been misinterpreted.
On October 23, 2008, The
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation concluded its investigation of the bout and found no wrongdoing.
[31] By the end of October 2008,
EliteXC was forced to file for
bankruptcy.
[32] Many in the
mixed martial arts community, including Jay Thompson, executive consultant to the company, attributed
EliteXC and
ProElite's failure due to Slice's loss to
Seth Petruzelli.
[33]
The Ultimate Fighting Championship
After
Elite Xtreme Combat ceased operations,
Dana White stated that if Slice wanted to compete in the the
Ultimate Fighting Championship he would have to win his way in by competing on
The Ultimate Fighter
TV show. White went on to say that he would create a show with heavyweights just for Kimbo Slice if he wanted in. That statement became reality and on June 1, when Kevin Iole of Yahoo.com stated Slice would participate in
The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. The coaches lined up for the show are,
Quinton Jackson and
Rashad Evans, both former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions.
[34]
Other media coverage
A series called "Junk Yard Training" was released on yardbarker.com and youtube.com which featured
LaDainian Tomlinson, running-back for the
San Diego Chargers, training in Kimbo's backyard.
Personal life
Ferguson currently lives with his family in Miami, and is a single father to six children; three boys and three girls. The boys names are Kevin Jr., Kevin II, and Kevlar while the girls names are Kassandra, Kiara, and Kevina.
[35] He is engaged to long-time girlfriend, Antionette Ray.
[36]
Ferguson was featured on
The Iron Ring
, a television series airing on
BET which features MMA prospects. Slice was part of the selection process for the participants.
[37] He made his official acting debut when playing
Bludge
on
Nickelodeon's holiday special,
Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh
.
Filmography
Year
| Title
| Film/Television
| Role
| Other notes
|
2009
| Blood and Bone
| Film
| J.C.
|
|
2008
| Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh
| Television
| Bludge
|
|
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
|
|
3
| 3 {{#switch:
| 0
|
Result
| Opponent
| Method
| Event
| Date
| Round
| Time
| Location
| Notes
|
Loss
| PetruzelliSeth Petruzelli
| TKO (strikes)
| EliteXC: Heat
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:14
| Sunrise, Florida, USA
|
|
Win
| ThompsonJames Thompson
| TKO (strikes)
| EliteXC: Primetime
| {{dts/core
| 3
| 0:38
| Newark, New Jersey, USA
|
|
Win
| Tank Abbott
| KO (strikes)
| EliteXC: Street Certified
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:43
| Miami, Florida, USA
|
|
Win
| CantrellBo Cantrell
| Submission (strikes)
| EliteXC: Renegade
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:19
| Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
| Professional MMA debut
|
Mixed martial arts pro-exhibition match record
Result
| Opponent
| Method
| Event
| Date
| Round
| Time
| Location
| Notes
|
Win
| Ray Mercer
| Submission (Guillotine Choke)
| Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:12
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
|
References
- A Never-Ending Supply of Gruesome Street-Fighting
- http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=Aj2Z7fvwG8OWACO94mRbQpdShgM6?slug=ki-kimbo060109&prov=yhoo&
- BIO: Kimbo Slice
- Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli - Pre-Match Video
- There is another side to Kimbo Slice
- Episode dated 11 December 2007
- NOT QUITE WHAT YOU WERE THINKING
- FIGHTER BIO: Kimbo Slice (Nov07)
- Two Worlds, One Cage
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview with Kimbo Slice
- To family, MMA star Kimbo Slice is a hulk with heart
- http://www.kimboslice.org/
- 'Ultimate' cop bashes rules, back in ring
- Former Heavyweight Boxing Champ to Take on Kimbo Slice
- SamCaplan.proelite.com » Exclusive: Gary Shaw comments on Kimbo Slice and Nick Diaz signings: EliteXC, Gary Shaw, Kimbo Slice, Nick Diaz: SamCaplan article
- ‘Showtime’ for Kimbo, Noons
- EliteXC "Primetime" aftermath: Kimbo Slice needs work, Brett Rogers wants a piece | Fight Ticker
- Bloody Elbow Exclusive: Judges Scorecards for Slice/Thompson - Bloody Elbow
- EliteXC wrap - Sportsnet.ca
- Primetime pressure nearly sinks Kimbo - Mixed Martial Arts - NBCSports.com
- http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/09/17/frank-mir-says-every-time-kimbo-slice-fights-it-sets-the-spor
- http://mma-live.com/kimbo-slice-to-fight-ken-shamrock/
- http://sherdog.com/news/news/shamrock-gets-next-shot-at-slice-14185
- http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/elitexc-heat-play-by-play-14645
- http://mmajunkie.com/news/12951/elitexc-heat-salaries-arlvoski-and-kimbo-top-earners-with-500k.mma
- yahoo.com, Kimbo TKOd by no-name in 14 seconds
- Monsters in the Morning interview with Seth Petruzelli
- Final curtain for the Kimbo show
- Slice-Petruzelli fight under investigation
- Petruzelli disputes reports he received a bribe to keep Slice fight a standup affair
- ProElite exonerated of wrongdoing in Slice-Petruzelli fight
- Mixed martial arts' Elite XC to file for bankruptcy
- Mixed martial arts' Elite XC to file for bankruptcy
- Y! Sports exclusive: Kimbo gets TUF
- There is another side to Kimbo Slice
- Outside the fight world, Ferguson is a soft-spoken father of six children — three girls and three boys —who is engaged to his long-time love, Antionette.
- AM Update March 16