Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice, has reportedly been signed by Bellator.
Neil Rooke of CombatPress.com first had the news, and MMA Junkie's John Morgan confirmed it:
In Temecula and can confirm the reports. @KimboSlice has been signed by @BellatorMMA.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) January 16, 2015
According to Rooke, the announcement is expected to be made during Bellator 132 on Friday, Jan. 16. Details about his debut with the MMA promotion are still unclear at this point.
Slice, who became an Internet sensation through a series of street fight videos in the early 2000s, currently holds a 4-2 official MMA record. He had a short stint with UFC, losing an exhibition fight to Roy Nelson before being knocked out by Matt Mitrione at UFC 110 and subsequently cut from the company.
He most recently spent time inside the boxing ring, going 7-0 with six knockouts, but he is now set to make his return to the Octagon.
While his MMA track record hardly features anything of note, Slice is still without a doubt one of the biggest draws in the world. An entertaining brawler with a unique history, he is one of the most popular individual figures in the sport, especially for those who don't follow MMA on a regular basis.
Front Row Brian put it simply:
There's less than 5 fighters in the UFC who are bigger or as big a draw as Kimbo Slice.
— FrontRowBrian® (@FrontRowBrian) January 16, 2015
It's hard to imagine the 40-year-old having much success after a nearly five-year hiatus from MMA, but that doesn't really matter. He's an entertaining fighter to watch, and this is undoubtedly a big pickup for Bellator from the business side of things.
