In the beginning, it was almost as if Kimbo Slice was a caricature of a fighter. The story was almost too good to be true: A bodyguard for porn stars turned backyard brawler turned pro mixed martial arts fighter.
Slice, whose birth name was Kevin Ferguson, died tragically on Tuesday at the way-too-young age of 42. Police said no foul play is suspected, but the cause of death remains at this point a mystery.
It was a sudden and shocking end for the most unlikely of superstars.
Slice was a creature of the modern world, vaulted to fame via low-quality street fights aired on YouTube against guys with names like AstroPuff, Big Mac and Dreads.
It was like he was Mr. T reborn for the 21st-century audience. He had the bald head, usually covered by a skullcap. There was the big, bushy beard, the muscular body, dark glasses and requisite bling around his neck.
He got the last name Slice from one of his street fights when one of his punches sliced open the eye of an opponent.
The entire image was cartoonish, almost as if he were what a comic book writer envisioned a fighter should be.
Yet, however improbably, this man made it to the top of the sport, and he set ratings records wherever he went. He appeared in the main event of the first MMA bout ever to be broadcast on network television, defeating James Thompson on CBS on May 31, 2008.
The card averaged 4.85 million viewers and peaked at a record 6.51 million. The MMA demographic is 18-to-34-year-old males, and CBS saw a 271 percent increase in ratings among that group that night.
He resonated with people and, despite modest skills when compared with the elite MMA stars, he remained one of the great draws.
That undoubtedly was because of the warmth of his personality. He was a genuine, friendly and outgoing man. He had a fearsome visage when he was selling his fights and posing with his opponent, but anyone who knew him loved him. He was as friendly and non-threatening behind the scenes as he was fearsome in front of the cameras.
That warmth translated through the airwaves and fans picked up on it and were drawn to him.
As a result, he set ratings records for CBS. He set ratings records when he was on “The Ultimate Fighter,” and he’s set ratings records for Bellator on Spike.
Bellator president Scott Coker relied on Slice’s appeal as he tried to rebuild the promotion. He used the term “tent pole events” to describe the kind of fights he wanted to put in the main event. What the plan is, simply, is using the name recognition of mostly over-the-hill fighters such as Slice and Ken Shamrock to grab viewers, who then can theoretically see the other stars Bellator is developing.
What turned out to be his final fight, a win over Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris in February that was later changed to a no contest, was a farce. Harris had no ability to fight at that level and suffered cardiac arrest in the ring and nearly died.
Slice tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone, and also had an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) ratio. He was given a ridiculously light penalty by Texas. At a time when a UFC fighter would face a two-year ban for the same offense, Slice was quietly given a 90-day penalty by Texas, which amounted to no penalty at all.
But what showed Slice’s drawing power is Coker’s decision to immediately book Slice for Bellator’s July 16 show in London in a rematch against Thompson.
Slice was engaged to be married and leaves behind six children – three daughters and three sons. One of them, Kimbo Slice Jr., is an MMA fighter already.
Slice was the MMA supernova, rising from literally nothing to stand among the biggest stars in the sport.
He lifted himself up and made himself a star through the force of his personality as well as with his cunning and guile. He had a great marketing instinct and perfected the unique image he sought to create.
Kimbo Slice was, in so many ways, the American dream.
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