MMA fighter Kimbo Slice has died at age 42.
Kimbo Slice has died
Popular mixed martial arts fighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson was stricken at his South Florida home and taken to the Northwest Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, a spokeswoman for the Coral Springs, Fla., Police told 18 Karat Reggae
The fighter subsequently died at the hospital.
Documentary filmmaker Billy Corben tweeted that Slice had died but subsequently deleted the tweet. Later, the American Top Team, where Slice trained, tweeted that he had died.
Sgt. Carla Kmiotek of the Coral Springs police told 18 Karat Reggae no foul play is suspected. She said the department dispatched a team of officers to Slice’s home because he is a public figure in order to control whatever crowd might gather.
Slice burst into prominence a little more than a decade ago, when videos of his infamous street fights were viewed millions of times on YouTube. He initially signed with Elite XC and drew huge ratings for his fights on CBS.
In 2009, he signed a deal with the UFC to appear on Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He was eliminated by Roy Nelson in the opening round, but appeared on the season finale and defeated Houston Alexander. He fought once more in the UFC and was knocked out in the second round of UFC 113 by Matt Mitrione.
Slice fought his last two fights in Bellator and drew huge television ratings for each. He defeated Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138 on June 19, 2015, and Dhafir Harris, aka Dada 5000 at Bellator 149 on Feb. 19. However, Slice tested positive for an anabolic steroid following that fight and the victory was turned to a no contest.
He had been scheduled to rematch James Thompson at Bellator 158 in London on July 16. Slice also had seven pro boxing matches and was 7-0 with six knockouts.
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