Kimbo Slice

1.1. Early life and education

Kevin Ferguson was born in Nassau, Bahamas, on February 8, 1974. He moved to the United States as a child and was raised in Cutler Ridge, Florida, alongside his brother Devon and sister Renea by his mother, Rosemary Clarke. He attended Bel-Air Elementary School, where he reportedly engaged in his first fight at the age of 13 while defending a friend. Ferguson continued his education at Cutler Ridge Middle School and later Richmond Heights Middle School. He then attended Miami Palmetto High School, excelling as a star middle linebacker on the football team.

In 1992, his family's house in Perrine, Florida, was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, forcing him to live in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder for a month. For his college education, Ferguson attended both Bethune-Cookman University and the University of Miami, where he held an athletic scholarship and studied criminal justice for a year and a half. In 1997, he had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins and was part of the pre-season squad but did not secure a spot on the first team. Slice's cousin is the American judoka Rhadi Ferguson.

1.2. Street fighting career

After his attempts at a professional football career did not materialize, Ferguson worked as a bouncer at a strip club. A high school friend and his long-time manager, Mike Imber, offered him a job as a limousine driver and bodyguard for RK Netmedia, a Miami-based pornography production company known as Reality Kings. Ferguson maintained close ties with Reality Kings throughout his life, with company representatives often accompanying him as "Team Kimbo" during his fights.

Around 2003, Ferguson began participating in unsanctioned mutual combat street fights. These fights, often recorded, were distributed widely across the internet, primarily through adult video-sharing sites like SublimeDirectory and other video platforms, quickly gaining him notoriety. In his first recorded fight against an opponent known as "Big D," Ferguson inflicted a significant cut on Big D's right eye. This incident led internet fans to call him "Slice," which became the surname to his existing childhood nickname, "Kimbo," thus forming "Kimbo Slice." His street fighting record was reportedly 30 wins, 0 losses, and 1 no contest. His only recorded loss in a street fight was in September 2003 to Sean Gannon, a Boston police officer and fellow mixed martial artist. Slice claimed that Gannon used illegal moves like a guillotine choke and knee strikes, although Slice himself was also noted for committing fouls during the bout.

2.1. Transition to MMA and early training

In 2005, Slice began formal martial arts training at the Freestyle Fighting Academy under Marcos and David Avellan. Initially, his training focused on techniques for illegal street boxing, including bare-knuckle striking, dirty boxing from the clinch, and elbows. However, he soon developed a growing interest in mixed martial arts (MMA).

As an amateur, Slice had one bout, losing to Jay Ellis by knockout (KO) in the first round on October 8, 2005, at the Xtreme Fighting Organization Trials 2 event. In 2006, Slice signed a contract to fight former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist boxer Ray Mercer in a Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) event in 2007. The match was scheduled as a three-round exhibition under professional MMA rules and did not count towards a professional record. A month before the fight, Slice switched training camps, moving to EliteMMA in Thousand Oaks, California, where he was trained by retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten and boxing instructor Randy Khatami.

Slice and Mercer faced off at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 23, 2007. Slice defeated Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 into the first round. The CFFC V event reportedly sold 20,000 pay-per-view buys. In a post-fight interview, Slice expressed his desire to fight David "Tank" Abbott, who was in attendance and accepted the challenge. A bout between Slice and Abbott was planned for Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6 on October 12, 2007, but was later canceled due to a promotional dispute. On October 11, 2007, ProElite announced that they had signed Slice to a deal, and he would make his professional debut with EliteXC.

2.2. Elite Xtreme Combat (EliteXC)

Slice made his professional MMA debut against Bo Cantrell, who had a record of 10 wins and 9 losses, at EliteXC: Renegade on November 10, 2007. He was initially slated to fight Mike Bourke, another reformed street fighter, but Bourke's shoulder injury led to Cantrell stepping in. Slice defeated Cantrell in just 19 seconds of the first round by submission due to strikes, landing a series of elbows and body punches after Cantrell failed to connect with a spinning back fist.

On February 16, 2008, Slice fought Tank Abbott in the main event of EliteXC: Street Certified. He secured a KO victory 43 seconds into the first round due to strikes, bringing his professional record to 2 wins and 0 losses. At this fight, his weight was announced at a career-low of 234 lb ^{(234 lb)}, a significant reduction from his street fighting days when he weighed around 280 lb ^{(280 lb)}. In his subsequent three fights, Slice primarily relied on striking, punches, elbows, and modified Muay Thai, rather than utilizing a full range of MMA skills.

On May 31, 2008, Slice headlined EliteXC: Primetime, the first-ever mixed martial arts event broadcast on prime time network television. His opponent was James Thompson. Despite one judge scoring the first two rounds evenly, Thompson generally maintained an advantage by repeatedly taking Slice down and employing ground and pound tactics. However, in the opening seconds of the third round, Slice landed a powerful haymaker punch to Thompson's left ear, which ruptured Thompson's cauliflower ear. This was quickly followed by three unanswered punches to a standing Thompson, prompting a referee stoppage and a controversial TKO victory for Slice. Fellow EliteXC competitor Brett Rogers, who had previously defeated Thompson, was particularly critical of Slice's performance, calling it "garbage" in a post-fight interview. Frank Mir also criticized Slice, stating in an interview that "every time Kimbo Slice fights, it sets (mixed martial arts) back."

On October 4, 2008, a highly anticipated fight between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock was scheduled to take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, as part of CBS' Saturday Night Fights. However, just hours before the event, Shamrock sustained a cut to his left eye during a warm-up, forcing him to withdraw. This led Jeremy Lappen, the head of fight operations, to seek a replacement. Options included Seth Petruzelli, Aaron Rosa, and Frank Shamrock. Slice's team explicitly stated they did not want him to fight Frank Shamrock, regardless of the financial offer. Consequently, Lappen decided Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. Slice agreed to take the fight after receiving a pay raise, earning 500.00 K USD for the bout. Petruzelli defeated Slice by technical knockout (TKO) just 14 seconds into the first round.

Two days after the fight, in an interview on the Orlando radio show The Monsters in the Morning, Seth Petruzelli claimed that EliteXC promoters had offered him monetary incentives to avoid using certain grappling techniques against Slice, implying an attempt to protect their relatively unproven internet star. Petruzelli stated, "The promoters kinda hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and throw with him, they didn't want me to take him down. Let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to try and stand up punch him." This statement fueled controversy surrounding the representation of Slice as a top-tier martial artist by CBS and EliteXC. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation initiated a preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fight. However, Petruzelli retracted his statement a few hours later in a follow-up interview with MMA website FiveOuncesofPain.com, claiming his previous comments had been misinterpreted. He clarified, "What was meant to be said was that I wanted to keep the fight standing for myself because I knew that was what the crowd, the promoters, and everyone wanted to see because that's more exciting than just taking someone to the ground. That was my thing only. I wanted to keep it exciting so I decided to keep it standing. It had nothing to do with anybody else. That was all me." On October 23, 2008, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation concluded its investigation, finding no wrongdoing. By the end of October 2008, EliteXC was forced to file for bankruptcy. Many in the mixed martial arts community, including Jay Thompson, an executive consultant to the company, attributed EliteXC and ProElite's failure, in part, to Slice's loss to Seth Petruzelli.

2.3. The Ultimate Fighter

After Elite Xtreme Combat ceased operations, Dana White, president of the UFC, stated that if Slice wished to compete in the UFC, he would need to earn his spot by participating in The Ultimate Fighter reality television series. White even suggested he might create a heavyweight-specific season for Slice. This became a reality on June 1, 2009, when it was announced that Slice would participate in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights (Season 10).

The coaches for the show were former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans. Slice was the number one pick for Coach Rampage and the second pick overall. In his first fight on the show, Slice was defeated by Roy Nelson via TKO stoppage in the second round after repeated punches to the head while in the crucifix position. The broadcast of this fight achieved a 3.7 rating, becoming the highest-rated MMA show in U.S. history, with the fight itself drawing 6 million viewers.

Despite his defeat in the preliminary round, Slice chose to remain on the show, unlike some eliminated contestants. He continued to train with the remaining participants, forming friendships and honing his combat skills, particularly in ground fighting and defense. Slice later declined an opportunity to replace Matt Mitrione in the quarter-finals after it was revealed he had arthritis in his knee. Slice's presence on The Ultimate Fighter brought record-breaking viewership. Given his humble demeanor and apparent potential as he fought and refined his skills, the UFC decided to offer him a contract despite his elimination by Nelson, though it was of lesser value than the coveted six-figure deal awarded to the tournament winner.

2.4. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Following his time on The Ultimate Fighter, Kimbo Slice had two official fights under the UFC promotion.

Slice made his official UFC debut when he fought Houston Alexander on December 5, 2009, at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale at a catchweight of 215 lb ^{(215 lb)}. Many observers expected this fight to end quickly, but Alexander spent most of the first and third rounds tentatively circling Slice with minimal engagement. In the second round, Slice managed to secure a suplex, which likely influenced the judges' scorecards in his favor. Slice won the bout by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, and 30-27). Alexander was released from the promotion days later, while Slice earned another opportunity to compete at a higher level within the UFC.

On May 8, 2010, Slice made his pay-per-view and official heavyweight debut in his second UFC fight at UFC 113 against fellow Ultimate Fighter veteran Matt Mitrione on the Main Card. He ultimately lost in the second round via TKO. Slice demonstrated the improved ground fighting skills he had gained from The Ultimate Fighter, landing an explosive takedown early in the fight and seemingly winning the first round on the judges' cards. However, Mitrione began to wear down Slice with hard leg kicks, eventually gaining mount.

Following the loss to Mitrione, Dana White stated that it was "probably Kimbo's last fight in the UFC." Despite this, White praised Slice, saying, "He's impressed me as a human being and as a fighter, and I like him and the guys who represent him very much. I'm glad to have met Kimbo Slice," noting that the former street brawler had progressed further in the promotion than he had anticipated. Slice was subsequently released from his contract the following day, along with welterweight Paul Daley. Slice concluded his brief stint in the UFC with an Octagon record of 1 win and 1 loss (1 KO loss), and an overall professional MMA record of 4 wins and 2 losses.

2.5. Bellator MMA

Following his dismissal from the UFC, Slice became a free agent. His manager, Mike Imber, confirmed that Slice was considering all options in the free agency market, including mixed martial arts and newly available boxing opportunities. It was later revealed that Slice attempted to negotiate a contract with the promotion Strikeforce, but terms could not be agreed upon due to disputes over his fight pay. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker also stated at the time that he was not in a hurry to sign Slice after his UFC release. In August 2010, Slice, then aged 36, announced his retirement from MMA competition to pursue a career in professional boxing.

In June 2014, reports surfaced that Bellator MMA was interested in signing Slice. He remained inactive as both a boxer and mixed martial artist throughout 2014, formally accepting Bellator's offer and signing a multi-fight deal on January 16, 2015, nearly five years after his initial retirement from MMA and more than two years since his last combat sports appearance.

On June 19, 2015, Slice made his Bellator debut at Bellator 138, defeating MMA icon and veteran Ken Shamrock by first-round TKO. The fight drew significant attention, setting a Bellator record of 2.4 million viewers. However, some observers noted that the fight appeared to be fixed, resembling a professional wrestling match. Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith countered these claims, attributing the fight's appearance to Shamrock's lack of technique and durability, and stating that if it was fixed, Bellator was not involved.

On February 19, 2016, at Bellator 149, Slice faced Dada 5000. The two had a strong rivalry stemming from their past street fighting legacies in Perrine, Florida. In the first round, both fighters showed immediate signs of exhaustion. Slice went on to win an uneventful fight via TKO when Dada 5000 collapsed from apparent exhaustion in the third round. Following the bout, it was reported that Slice had failed his pre-fight drug test. Lab results detected traces of the anabolic steroid nandrolone. He also had an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 6.4:1, exceeding the maximum allowed limit of 4:1. On May 2, 2016, Slice settled with the Texas Athletic Commission, receiving a fine of 2.50 K USD and having his license in the state of Texas revoked. The result of the bout was also officially changed to a no contest. Despite being widely criticized by sports analysts, the fight attracted approximately 2.5 million viewing households, surpassing the previous Bellator record set by the Kimbo vs. Shamrock fight.

In April 2016, Bellator President Scott Coker announced on ESPN's SportsCenter that Slice would have a rematch against James Thompson in the main event of Bellator 158, scheduled for July 16, 2016, at London's O2 Arena. However, Slice died of heart failure before this fight could take place.

3.1. Transition to boxing

In August 2010, Slice publicly announced his intention to become a professional boxer. He expressed excitement about this new chapter, stating, "I feel like a baby all over again. I'm thinking about this at night. I'm gonna be a problem in the heavyweight division. I'm going to be coming in with a bad demeanor. I want to see what it's like to break some ribs, break a jaw with one punch. This is a career move. I love fighting. I like to knock people the fuck out. I love engaging. Maybe some people think I'm crazy."

3.2. Debut and notable bouts

Slice made his professional boxing debut on August 13, 2011, in a four-round headlining attraction against 39-year-old James Wade (0 wins, 1 loss) at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. He won the fight via KO at 0:10 in the first round.

On October 15, 2011, Slice returned to the boxing ring, defeating Tay Bledsoe (2 wins, 3 losses) via KO in the first round. He concluded 2011 by defeating Charles Hackmann (0 wins, 1 loss) by unanimous decision on December 30, winning three out of four rounds, bringing his professional boxing record to 3 wins and 0 losses (2 KOs).

In 2012, Slice had three fights. He defeated Jesse Porter (3 wins, 4 losses) and Howard Jones (5 wins, 4 losses), both by first-round KO. A more prominent bout occurred on March 24, 2012, against fellow mixed martial artist Brian Green (27 wins, 17 losses) in Springfield, Missouri. The fight nearly went the distance, with Green winning all four rounds on the judges' scorecards. However, in the closing seconds of the final round, Slice landed a left uppercut that dropped and knocked Green out, marking a mild upset. The fight was met with controversy and accusations of being fixed or staged, particularly after Green admitted to wearing 20 lb ^{(20 lb)} ankle weights to deceive the state commission, leading to heavy ridicule and beliefs that he took a dive. Green vehemently denied taking a dive, claiming his previous comments were misinterpreted.

Slice's next fight, and the highest profile of his boxing career, took place in Australia on January 30, 2013, on the undercard of the Anthony Mundine vs. Daniel Geale fight. He defeated Shane Tilyard (6 wins, 6 losses), a former two-time ANBF Queensland champion and IBF Pan Pacific cruiserweight title challenger, by TKO in the second round.

When Slice initially announced his move to boxing, Roy Jones Jr. had expressed interest in fighting him but suggested Slice would need several boxing matches beforehand to gain experience and exposure. Despite Slice accumulating a professional record that would seemingly be sufficient, a fight with Jones Jr. never materialized. Additionally, there were strong rumors, and Slice appeared open to the idea, of a bout against Eric "Butterbean" Esch, who had even called out Slice early in his MMA career in 2008. This rumored fight also never came to fruition. Slice concluded his professional boxing career with an undefeated record of 7 wins and 0 losses (6 KOs).

3.3. Boxing record

Kimbo Slice's professional boxing record is as follows:

4.1. Professional wrestling

After departing from the UFC and announcing his intention to venture into other aspects of combat sports, Slice was scheduled to make his professional wrestling debut on February 5, 2011. He was set to face former sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa at the Inoki Genome Federation's "Genome 14" event in Fukuoka, Japan. However, Slice withdrew from the match shortly before the event, citing an injury sustained during practice.

4.2. Acting and media appearances

Slice was featured in a series called "Junk Yard Training," released on yardbarker.com and YouTube.com, which showcased LaDainian Tomlinson, a running back for the San Diego Chargers, training in Kimbo's backyard. In 2009, Kimbo also starred in an antivirus software advertisement titled Caterpillar vs. Kimbo.

Slice was featured on The Iron Ring, a television series broadcast on BET that highlighted MMA prospects. Slice was involved in the selection process for the show's participants. He made his official acting debut playing the character Bludge on Nickelodeon's 2008 holiday special, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh. In 2009, he played an inmate named JC in the fighting film Blood and Bone. He also appeared in the films Locked Down (2010) as King, Circle of Pain (2010) as Reg, The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012) as Zulu Kondo, and Dawg Fight (2015) as himself, a boxer.

7.1. Public perception and impact

Slice is widely regarded by many as a legendary figure in the sport of mixed martial arts. He set a Spike TV record, which stood for 15 years during the network's operation, by participating in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. The episode featuring his fight against Roy Nelson, despite his early elimination from the tournament, garnered over 6.1 million viewers, surpassing any other UFC content aired on the broadcasting network. Slice's unique journey from internet street fighter to professional combatant played a crucial role in popularizing MMA, making him a cultural icon with a distinctive appeal that drew massive audiences to the sport. He was famously dubbed "The King of the Web Brawlers" by Rolling Stone.

7.2. Criticisms and controversies

Throughout his career, Kimbo Slice faced several criticisms and controversies. Allegations of fixed fights arose multiple times, notably after his bouts against Seth Petruzelli, Brian Green, and Ken Shamrock. While investigations often found no wrongdoing by the promotions, these accusations persisted among some observers. His fight against Dada 5000 was officially changed to a no contest after Slice failed a pre-fight drug test, testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone and having an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone ratio. Critics, including fellow fighters like Brett Rogers and Frank Mir, also voiced critiques of his fighting style, often describing it as limited, and questioned aspects of his career management.

7.3. Championships and accomplishments

Kimbo Slice received several recognitions during his career. In 2009, UFC.com recognized him as the #10 Newcomer of the Year (tied with Yoshihiro Akiyama & Todd Duffee) and also noted his fight against Houston Alexander as the #9 Upset of the Year.

8.1. Mixed martial arts record