If you are an avid fan of MMA, then can you remember some of Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career?
Kimbo Slice, born Kevin Ferguson, was a Bahamian-American mixed artist, boxer, bare-knuckle boxer, and professional wrestler. He made his MMA debut at Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5 on June 23, 2007.
After a successful debut, Slice gave many other numerous memorable performances. The fighter sadly died of heart failure at age 42 on June 6, 2016. He was under contract with Bellator MMA until his death.
The fighter had only a brief career in MMA and headlined only a few fights. Nonetheless, his spot in the sport was undeniable. He had many loyal fans that helped his ratings and drew promoters to get famous fighter opponents.
Therefore, today we are looking back at some of Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career in his tribute. Although the player had few legit MMA fights, his performance made him one of the memorable names in the sport’s history.
So now, without further long talks, let us look at the top Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career!
Top Kimbo Slice Best Fights Of His MMA Career
We have prepared our top list with the help of trusted internet sources like LowKickMMA, TheSportster, etc. But before the details, let us first look at the rankings of Slice’s best fights at the table.
| Fights | Year |
| 9. Ray Mercer | 2007 |
| 8. Dada 5000 | 2016 |
| 7. Seth Petruzelli | 2008 |
| 6. Tank Abbott | 2008 |
| 5. Matt Mitrione | 2010 |
| 4. Ken Shamrock | 2015 |
| 3. Bo Cantrell | 2007 |
| 2. Houston Alexander | 2009 |
| 1. James Thompson | 2008 |
9. Ray Mercer
We are starting our list of top Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career with his first debut match against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer.
The match was held at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5 in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. Similarly, it was scheduled as a three-round exhibition with all professional rules of MMA combat.
Slice stood victorious in his debut match. He defeated Mercer with a submission. He guillotine choked Mercer at 1:12 into the first round of the game and won the fight.
This successful debut match was the beginning of Slice’s road to MMA.
8. Dada 5000
Our ninth Kimbo Slice best fight pick is his match against Dada 5000. The duo already had a prior rivalry due to their old street fight legacies back in Florida. Therefore, the fight was personal for Slice.
However, it was the most embarrassing fight for both the fighters. They immediately gassed out, and neither did much of anything at all.
Slice won the match via TKO as Dada collapsed from apparent exhaustion in the third round. The fight was held at Bellator 149 on February 19, 2016.
The fight, which many fans expected to be a slugfest, became comical. After the match, it was reported that Slice had failed his pre-fight drug test.
7. Seth Petruzelli
On October 4, 2008, Slice was supposed to fight with Ken Shamrock. However, the match could not occur as Shamrock received a cut to the left eye during a warm-up before the fight.
As a result, a replacement match occurred between Slice and Seth Petruzelli after receiving a raise in pay. The event happened in BankAtlantic Center, Florida, at Elite XC: Heat.
It was a landmark event in Elite XC, creating a whirlwind of pain for everyone involved. Pretuzelli won the match by TKO within 14 seconds into the first round of the game.
After the match, controversies surrounded Slice. His position as a top martial arts artist by CBS and EliteXC was questioned. There was even a preliminary investigation surrounding the fight and its outcome.
No wrongdoings were found after the investigation concluded. However, EliteXC was forced to file for bankruptcy in October 2008.
6. Tank Abbott
On number 6 of Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career, we have one of the shortest matches in MMA history. It was the main event match between Slice and Tank Abbot at Elite XC: Street Certified, 2008.
The match lasted only 43 seconds. The referee of the game, Troy Waugh, stopped the fight twice during the match. After Slice punched the back of the head, the game had to be controlled by the referee.
An impressive KO from Slice was all it took to win the match. His weight at the fight was reportedly announced at an all-time low. Additionally, Abbott was far past his prime giving Slice an upper hand.
5. Matt Mitrione
The fifth pick of Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career is his pay-per-view and official heavyweight debut at UFC 113 against Matt Mitrione. At the time, it was gaining momentum and gaining more popularity worldwide.
The match had garnered a lot of attraction, and it was Slice’s second UFC fight. Mitrione had made his pro TUF 10 finale debut five months before. However, Mitrione won the pay-per-view event in the second round via a TKO.
After suffering the loss, Dana White, president of UFC, stated that it was probably Slice’s last UFC fight. The following day, his release was confirmed.
4. Ken Shamrock
Slice’s match against Ken Shamrock on June 19, 2015, at Bellator 138 was dubbed “Unfinished Business.” Initially, the two fighters were set to fight back in 2008, but unfortunately, it was canceled.
The two fighters finally came face to face. While Shamrock had dominated most of the fight, Slice managed to make a comeback. He landed a series of punches that put Shamrock down and out.
While some observers criticized the match for appearing to be fixed, it was a spectacular comeback for Slice after his last MMA fight.
3. Bo Cantrell
We are down to the top three of Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career. On October 11, 2007, ProElite had signed Slice for his debut on the same year’s November 10 Elite XC: Renegade.
Initially, Mike Bourke was the chosen opponent for Slice. However, Bourke suffered a shoulder injury, after which Slice’s opponent changed to Bo Cantrell. It took Slice 19 seconds into the first round to defeat Bourke.
Slice won the match by submission due to strikes. Although a short one, it was one of the significant fights of Elite XC. Therefore, the fight ranks third of Kimbo Slice’s best fights of his MMA career.
2. Houston Alexander
On number 2, we have Kimbo Slice fight against Houston Alexander. The match occurred on December 5, 2009, at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweight Finale.
Many had speculated that the match would not leave the first round. However, the game started very slowly. Nonetheless, it was an exciting fight, and thus, we have ranked the fight as our second pick.
During the match, Alexander spends most of his first and third rounds with little engagement. Then in the second round, Slice landed punches and slammed him on his upper body. The fight displayed Slice’s ground game.
As a result, Slice won the match by unanimous decision. Unfortunately for Alexander, after his defeat, he was cut from the promotion after a few days.
1. James Thompson
And the top Kimbo Slice best fight of his MMA career is his 2008 fight at Elite XC: Primetime. His opponent for the match was James Thompson.
It was a match to remember as two mixed martial arts fighters came head to head. Thompson repeatedly took down Slice in one of the first two rounds. Similarly, Slice was also able to escape the guillotine choke from Thompson.
However, in the opening seconds of the third round, Slice threw a haymaker to Thompson’s left ear. As a result, Thompson’s cauliflower was ruptured and was followed by three punches from Slice.
The referee stopped the fight, and clearly, the match was over. Slice was the match’s victor, and it was undoubtedly one of the best fights of his MMA career.
Conclusion
Kimbo Slice is not the greatest MMA fighter, and controversies surrounded him. Time and again, critics had harsh words for him; however, he was a unique entity in MMA. His intimidating look and mixed martial arts skills made him a fan favorite.
His appearance and charisma made Slice responsible for some of the most outstanding ratings. Additionally, he was also internet famous. He only had eight fights and one debut fight in MMA with a respectable record of five wins.
Sadly, his life came to a halt too soon. His untimely death left many fans shocked. We hope you enjoyed our look back at these moments of Slice’s MMA career. Thank you for your time!
