Kimbo Slice, one of the most popular fighters in the history of the young sport of MMA, has died at the age of 42.
Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson was taken from his South Florida home to Northwest Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale Monday afternoon where he later passed.
Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed Slice’s death in a statement:
“We are all shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family. One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that trancended the sport.”
“Outside 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.”
No foul play is suspected at this time. It is being handled as a medical incident.
Slice rose to stardom more than 10 years ago after videos of his street fights went viral on YouTube. He appeared on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. His last UFC fight ended in a second round KO loss to Matt Mitrione in UFC 113. However, Slice defeated Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138 last summer and Dhafir Harris at Bellator 149 in February.
Slice tested positive for steroids following the Harris fight and had to forfeit the win. He had been scheduled to a rematch of James Thompson at Bellator 158 in London on July 16.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports. Follow him on Twitter or like the channel on Facebook.
Photo: Getty
