MMA fighter Kimbo Slice demonstrates MMA fighter techniques at CBS's "Elite XC Saturday Night Fights" Press Conference at CBS Radford Studios on May 19, 2008 in Studio City, California. (Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
Kimbo Slice is considered as one of the pioneers of MMA and had his first fight years back
Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice, is one of the earliest known MMA fighters.
He is considered a pioneer in the world of MMA and had been fighting for a while before he even got to the top promotions.
Kimbo was a nickname he carried with himself and he got the second name Slice after his one of his opponents left with a huge gash on the face.
Slice was always an athlete and played a lot of football during his college and high school days. He even tried out for the Miami Dolphins and made it to their pre-season but was cut from the team.
Slice worked odd jobs, like a bouncer for a strip club, before becoming the bodyguard for adult site Reality Kings.
It was in 2005 that he started training in MMA but his fighting career start way back in 2003. Slice’s first fights were in unsanctioned backyard street sights which were shared on adult websites.
It was during one of his first taped fights that he got the Slice second name, but his professional MMA career started a little later.
Although Slice was a legend before coming into the world of MMA, his career in the Octagon didn’t fare all that well.
Slice’s MMA record stands at five wins two losses and one no contest. The American fought a couple of times in the UFC but his first fight was for the EliteXC promotion.
He was 3-1 in that brand before going 1-1 in the UFC. His first MMA fight was 2007 and his last UFC fight was in 2010.
However, Slice made a return after five years to Bellator and beat Ken Shamrock. His next match was a no-contest result at Bellator 149 despite defeating rival Dada 5000. However, the victory was overturned after Slice tested positive for a banned substance.
Slice was also a great boxer and held a record of seven wins and no losses in his professional boxing career.
Slice was born in the Bahamas but moved to the US when he was small. He was brought up by mother Rosemary Clarke with two other brothers.
Slice has six children with three sons and three daughters. One of his sons, Kevin Jr., is also an MMA fighter.
Slice was engaged to his long-time girlfriend too but sadly passed away in 2016.
Slice might have been a legend in the backyard fighting scenes, however, he didn’t spend too much time in the big leagues of professional MMA.
He did have some big fights for the UFC and Bellator, and that got him a decent amount of money.
Reports suggest that he has a net worth of $500,000, and most of it came via his fighting career. Slice also featured in a few commercials, TV shows and web series too.
Slice was to fight at Bellator 158 but sadly passed away in 2016. He was admitted into a hospital in Coral Springs, Florida and died due to a heart failure.
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