The sports world is in shock with the sudden loss of Nassau Bahamian born, Florida bred, internet combat street fighter, actor, and mixed martial artist, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson.
Standing at 6’2 and weighing in at 234 pounds, Slice was known for slaughtering his opponents with his bare hands and rose to prominence as a web brawler. After leaving the underground fighting scene, Slice signed a professional contract with EliteXC in 2007. In his UFC debut, Slice defeated Houston Alexander in the The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights finale. Since January 2015, Slice was under contract with Bellator MMA.
During his high school years, he attended Miami Palmetto High School, where he was the star middle linebacker. For college, he attended both Bethune-Cookman University and the University of Miami, where he held an athletic scholarship and studied criminal justice. He was there for a year and a half
In August 2010, Slice announced his intention to become a professional boxer. He once stated , “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. With a professional boxing record of 7 fights with 6 by knockout and no losses, Slice proved that he was a forced to be reckoned with in the ring. As a mixed martial artist in UFC, Slice continued his superb track record with a total of 8 fights with 5 wins, with 3 by knock out. He only had 2 losses.
Slice made his pro boxing debut on August 13, 2011. Slice fought in a four-round headlining attraction James Wade at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. He won the fight via KO at 0:10 in the first round. On October 15, Slice returned to the boxing ring, defeating Tay Bledsoe by KO in the first round. On December 30, he defeated Charles Hackmann by unanimous decision, winning three out of four rounds. Slice’s next fight was in Australia on the Anthony Mundine vs Daniel Geale undercard on January 30, 2013.He defeated Shane Tilyard by TKO in the second round.
On June 6, 2016, Slice was admitted to a hospital near his home in Coral Springs, Florida. He departed this life a short time later of heart failure. He was 42.
Throughout his career, Slice was loved and admired by many, and will be severely missed. Bellator president Scott Coker “His loss leaves us all with extremely heavy hearts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ferguson family and all of Kimbo’s friends, fans, and teammates.” Actor Josh Peck tweeted, “Sad to hear about #KimboSlice. Like most fighters, he was a gentleman, and kind soul. You’ll be missed Bludge!!
