UFC Pays Tribute To Kimbo Slice

At Fight Night 89 in Ottawa, the UFC paid tribute to the Internet sensation turned MMA standout Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson who recently passed away due to congestive heart failure. Kimbo was 42 years old when he died, and is survived by six children.

The video tribute to the late fighter gave a special look back into Kimbo Slice’s stint with UFC and the impact he made upon the sport. Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC Chairman and CEO, stated in the video regarding Kimbo, “He had the ‘it’ factor. You couldn’t get enough. You watch the fights and hoped that there would be another one to watch cause it was so interesting. He eventually went from being a backyard brawler to a professional fighter that made a tremendous impact on the sport.

The tribute also showed excerpts from interviews with Kimbo where he mentioned, “I don’t consider myself no big superstar. I don’t consider myself better than everybody else. I’m the average guy man, you know. I’m a family man. I just like to fight.” At 6-foot-2, 225 lbs., he was an incredible fighter and his loss was devastating upon the MMA community.

At the time of his death, Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said 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. Outside of the cage, he was a friendly, gentle giant and devoted family man.”

Kimbo’s final MMA record was 5-2 with 4 TKO’s. He next fight was scheduled for July 16 against in London against James Thompson to headline Bellator 158 before passing away on June 6, 2016.