Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice was born February 8th 1974. The 36 year olds trademark appearance is a full beard, clean-shaved head and gold teeth.
In his early days, Slice was a star defensive football player for Miami Palmetto High School in the Pinecrest area of Miami, Florida. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed both his home and school, forcing him to live out of his 1987 Nissan for a month. During this time his focus changed and he starting mixing with the wrong type of people. Despite this, he attended University at Miami studying criminal justice. After a year and a half studying, Slice earned a tryout for the Miami Dolphins but was unable to secure a place in the team.
Frustrated with his rejection from the Dolphin’s, Slice decided that he would look for a job rather than return to education. He found work as a bodyguard for a Miami-based pornography production/promotion company called Money Talks, a site all the lads will be familiar with (High Five).
While this was paying the bills, Slice sought after other activities to get the adrenaline running. He became an underground street fighter, a hobby which was to make him an overnight sensation. His brutal knockouts took the fight world by storm. Kimbo appeared in eight street fight videos, winning seven of them. His only loss was to Boston police officer, Sean Gannon.
Looking to take his fighting ability to the next level, Slice made his sanctioned MMA debut against former world champion boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury 5, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on June 16, 2007. The match was a three-round exhibition which Kimbo won by guillotine choke. In 2007 he was signed by EliteXC. Kimbo's next fight was Bo Cantrell which he won easily, forcing Bo to tap via strikes in 19 seconds.
His MMA fights drew attention from UFC president Dana White, but he was far from impressed. He claimed that Kimbo wouldn’t last a second in the UFC. Slice responded by competing in the Ultimate Fighter 10. In his only fight on the show he lost to the experienced Roy Nelson via TKO stoppage in the second round. Despite his loss, his hard work and humble approach earned the respect of Dana White and many UFC fans.
On December 5, 2009, Kimbo was given his big chance and fought Houston Alexander at the Ultimate Fighter Finale. Kimbo won by unanimous decision but it was far from a classic fight.
Next up for Slice was former football player Matt Mitrione at UFC 113. Kimbo lost via TKO and was cut from the UFC following the fight. White explained that his decision was due to ineffectiveness but stated that he has huge respect for Kimbo.
Following his cut from the UFC, Slice’s future will probably consist of ‘freak show’ fights against the likes of James Toney. It’s a shame that he wasn’t able to enter Mixed Martial arts earlier as he had the raw ability to succeed. During TUF 10 it was clear that he was desperate to learn from his coaches but was unable to break through the old habits he had picked up. Even though his MMA career didn’t take off as I would of hoped, I’ve grown to love Slice and feel he is a worthy addition to the #7 Hall of Fame.
