One of the most feared Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters in the United States, Kimbo Slice was born Kevin Ferguson in Nassau, Bahamas, and grew up in Florida. Ferguson attended Miami Palmetto High School, then parlayed his hulking, barrel-chested frame into a successful career as a bodyguard and bouncer at several companies, most notably the Florida-based Internet porn conglomerate RK Netmedia. The said outfit learned of Ferguson's after-hours participation, for cash, in local street brawls, which inspired the company to begin filming Ferguson's fights and disseminate them online, imparting him with the stage name of Kimbo Slice.
Slice's reputation as a seemingly indomitable brawler grew via the Internet, and his popularity spread like wildfire -- encouraging him to formally train in Mixed Martial Arts under the aegis of underworld fighting coach Bas Rutten. Slice subsequently fought for such MMA organizations as the EliteXC and the CFFC (Cage Fury Fighting Championships). Cinematically, Ferguson landed a role in director Ben Ramsey's 2008 martial arts saga Blood and Bone. Four years later, he could be seen in the straight-to-video sequel The Scorpion King 3:Battle for Redemption. Slice's career cooled after that, though he did briefly return to MMA. Slice died in 2016, at age 42.
