Before he was a mixed martial arts (MMA) champion and reality TV personality, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson was a street-fighting sensation on YouTube. Slice was hospitalized close to his South Florida home on Monday for undisclosed causes, and died Monday night. He was 42. "One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that transcended the sport," said Scott Coker, president of MMA promotion company Bellator. "Outside of the cage he was a friendly, gentle giant and a devoted family man. 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."
Slice moved from viral street-fighting videos to professional MMA in 2008, signed with UFC in 2009 and did one season of the reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter, then went back to MMA with Bellator in January 2015. His last fight was in February, and his three-round TKO victory over Dhafir "Dada 5000" Harris was subsequently overturned when Slice tested positive for banned substances, Rolling Stone reports. He was scheduled to fight James Thompson in London next month for Bellator 158. Kimbo Slice leaves behind six children.
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