MARGATE, Fla.—Kimbo Slice, a professional mixed martial artist who for a time associated with Miami-based porn producer Reality Kings, died June 6 at the age of 42.
A cause of death was not immediately made available, but police officials in Coral Springs, Fla., said no foul play was suspected.
Slice, nee Kevin Ferguson, was born Feb. 8, 1974, in Nassau, Bahamas. In addition to MMA, Slice also was a professional wrestler and occasional actor. He first became known for mutual combat street fights that went viral on the internet, leading Rolling Stone to dub him “The King of the Web Brawlers.” In 2007 he signed a professional contract with EliteXC. He was under contract with Bellator MMA from January 2015 until his death.
Slice attended the the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in 2008 as a “bodyguard” of sorts for Reality Kings. He appeared in the company’s trade booth and was a huge hit with attendees. Reality Kings sponsored him in a 2008 fight against Tank Abbott, as well as a few other matches, with Slice slated to wear the RK logo on his shorts. Eventually, CBS and EliteXC executives jointly decided to prevent slice from displaying the logo during a live broadcast in May 2008.
“When I was with reality Kings they brought this guy to the show that year,” said Howard Levine of Exile Distribution, previously with Reality Kings. “He was massive and quite scary looking. I was introduced to him and he was a real sweet guy, soft spoken, and very cool to just have in the booth and hang with.
“They decided to offer $100 to any guy who would let Kimbo punch him in the thigh,” Levine continued. “Get punched 10 times, make $1,000. The first guy stood there, took the punch, his leg began to shake, and in 20 seconds he went down like a ton of bricks. End of game, no more takers. He was a really sweet guy, and he will be sorely missed. Much love and respect to his family and fans.”
The 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound Slice had a professional record of 5-2 with four TKOs. He was scheduled to headline Bellator 158 on July 16 in London against James Thompson.
Slice is survived by six children and a fiancee.
