Title: The Remarkable Journey of Who Is
Kenneth is], the visionary mind behind the prominent blog "Who Is," has become a familiar figure in the blogosphere. With an unwavering commitment to their craft and a strong passion for sharing knowledge, they have created a platform that educates, entertains, and inspires readers from all corners of the globe. This blog post will take you through the incredible journey of Who is, shedding light on their background and their rise
The world knew him as Kimbo Slice he was a Bahamian-American mixed martial arts fighter. He became famous for street fights which helped him become a internet sensation.
(Kevin Ferguson)
February 8, 1974 - June 6, 2016
With great sadness, we mourn the sudden passing of Kimbo Slice, born Kevin Ferguson, a beloved mixed martial artist, professional boxer, and actor. Kimbo Slice was an unforgettable figure whose charisma and talent captured the hearts of fans worldwide.
Born in Nassau, Bahamas on February 8, 1974, Kimbo moved to Cutler Ridge, Florida as a child, where he grew up with his brother Devon and sister Renea, raised by their mother, Rosemary Clarke. Kimbo's natural athletic prowess emerged early on, attending Miami Palmetto High School as a star middle linebacker. He continued his education at Bethune-Cookman University and the University of Miami, studying criminal justice.
Kimbo Slice first rose to fame as a bare-knuckle boxer in underground mutual combat street fights, gaining notoriety as "The King of the Web Brawlers." After transitioning to professional mixed martial arts in 2005, Kimbo joined EliteXC and Cage Fury Fighting Championships, scoring notable victories over MMA pioneers Tank Abbot and Houston Alexander. He also competed in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights and later signed with Bellator MMA, where he achieved a triumphant win against Ken Shamrock.
Beyond the ring, Kimbo faced adversity head-on, exemplified by living in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder after Hurricane Andrew destroyed his home. Kimbo's magnetic personality and unmistakable presence opened doors in the entertainment industry, including a role as a limousine driver and bodyguard for Reality Kings. His ties with the Miami-based pornography production company led to the formation of his fight entourage, Team Kimbo.
To prepare for sanctioned MMA fights, Slice was trained by retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten and boxing instructor Randy Khatami at Rutten's school, EliteMMA, in Thousand Oaks, California. Slice made his MMA debut against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. The match was scheduled as a three-round exhibition utilizing all professional rules of MMA combat. Slice defeated Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 into the first round.[16] In a post-fight interview, Slice stated that he would like to fight David "Tank" Abbott. Abbott, who was a spectator, stood up from his seat and accepted the call out. One of the matchmakers for CFFC asked Slice for his assurance so that an October 12 bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6 between Slice and "Tank" Abbott could be organized. This event was later canceled due to a promotion dispute. On October 11, 2007, ProElite announced that they had signed Slice to a deal and that he would make his debut on the November 10, 2007 EliteXC.[17] He was originally set to make his professional MMA debut against Mike Bourke, a reformed street fighter, but a shoulder injury from Bourke led him to face Bo Cantrell.[18] Kimbo defeated Cantrell 19 seconds into the first round by submission due to strikes.
On February 16, 2008, Kimbo fought Tank Abbott in the main event at EliteXC: Street Certified. He won by KO 43 seconds into the first round due to strikes. At the fight his weight was announced at an all-time low of 234 lb (106 kg), a far cry from his street fighting days of 280 lb (130 kg).
On May 31, 2008, Kimbo fought in the main event of the first ever mixed martial arts event shown on prime time network television, EliteXC: Primetime. Though one of the judges had each fighter winning one of the first two rounds, Kimbo's opponent James Thompson won both on total points[19][20][21] by repeatedly taking down Slice and grounding and pounding. In the opening seconds of the third round, however, Kimbo threw a haymaker to Thompson's left ear, which ruptured Thompson's cauliflower. This was soon followed by three unanswered punches to a standing Thompson, which led to a referee stoppage and the controversial win for Slice. Fellow EliteXC competitor Brett Rogers was particularly critical of Slice's victory, calling Slice's performance "garbage" in a post-fight interview.[22]Frank Mir was also critical of Slice, stating in an interview that "every time Kimbo Slice fights, it sets (mixed martial arts) back"[23].
On October 4, 2008, a Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fight was supposed to take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida as part of CBS' Saturday Night Fights. [24][25] However, Shamrock received a cut to the left eye during a warm-up only hours before the fight was to take place[26]. This left the head of fight operations, Jeremy Lappen, to choose a replacement for the fight. Options were Seth Petruzelli, Aaron Rosa and Frank Shamrock. But Kimbo's team stated they didn't want him fighting Frank no matter how much money was offered to them. So Lappen decided that Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. Slice agreed to take the fight after receiving a raise in pay, and took in $500,000[27]. Petruzelli defeated Slice by TKO 14 seconds into the first round of the bout.[28]
After Elite Xtreme Combat ceased operations, Dana White stated that if Slice wanted to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship he would have to win his way in by competing on The Ultimate Fighter TV show. White went on to say that he would create a show with heavyweights just for Kimbo Slice if he wanted in. That statement became reality and on June 1, when Kevin Iole of Yahoo.com stated Slice would participate in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. The coaches lined up for the show are Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, both former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions.[36] In his first fight of the show, Kimbo was defeated by Roy Nelson via TKO stoppage in the second round after repeated punches to the head in the crucifix position.[37]
Kimbo Slice's extraordinary journey inspired countless fans as he showcased unwavering determination and passion for life. He is survived by his six children, Kevin II, Kevinah, RaeChelle, Kiara, Kevlar, and Kassandra, along with the countless friends and fans whose lives he touched.
Kimbo Slice leaves behind a legacy of resilience, grit, and unforgettable performances in the world of combat sports. His presence will be deeply missed, but his memory will live on through his indomitable spirit and achievements.
Jackson appeared for a second time as a coach on the reality series The Ultimate Fighter opposite Rashad Evans. They were scheduled to fight at UFC 107, but this bout was cancelled when Jackson took a movie role to play B. A. Baracus in The A-Team feature film. On 29 May 2010, Jackson is expected to fight Rashad at UFC 114 in Las Vegas.
Early life and career
Jackson was born June 20, 1978, and was raised in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, Jackson had his first taste of combat sport as a wrestler for Raleigh-Egypt High School where his successful career was punctuated by All-State honors. Originally, Jackson had intended on pursuing a career in professional wrestling upon finishing high school, but ultimately ended up extending his amateur career at the junior college level before discovering mixed martial arts. Impressed by the success of other wrestlers in MMA, Jackson decided to try his own hand at the sport. Jackson built up an impressive record of 11 wins and 1 loss fighting for a variety of smaller scale American promotions, including King of the Cage, Gladiator Challenge and Dangerzone.
Pride Fighting Championships
For all his early successes it was not on his native soil but rather in Japan's Pride organization that Jackson rose to fame in the world of mixed martial arts. Entering Pride in 2001, the Japanese originally marketed Jackson as being a homeless guy. Jackson, still a relatively unknown fighter, first was matched at Pride 15 against fellow wrestler and Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba, who was at that time Pride's most prominent domestic fighter. Jackson lost due to a rear naked choke from Sakuraba, but his performance opened the eyes of Pride's fan base and its executive office.
After beating pro-wrestlerAlexander Otsuka in a fight for the Battlarts promotion, Jackson was invited back for Pride 17 where he scored a knockout victory over Otsuka's training partner, Yuki Ishikawa. In his next fight, Jackson was disqualified for an accidental low blow against Daijiro Matsui.
Jackson then went on to defeat Masaaki Satake, Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman and Mikhail Illoukhine in successive Pride bouts. He also made forays into kickboxing with a pair of victories over kickboxer Cyril Abidi, under K-1 rules. The first kickboxing bout between Abidi and Jackson was on July 14, 2002. Many expected Jackson's wild style of striking would not translate into the K-1 ring, thinking he would be outclassed by such a schooled and disciplined striker as Abidi. Instead, Jackson overwhelmed Abidi from the opening bell, and knocked him down less than a minute into the bout. Jackson then scored a hard underhand right to the chin of Abidi, knocking him out only 1:55 into the very first round.
Later in the year, Abidi wanted to prove his loss to the undisciplined Jackson was nothing more than a fluke, and faced him on the New Year's Eve Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye card, again in a K-1 rules bout. Jackson laid a lot of criticism to rest by once again defeating Abidi, this time not by early knockout, but via a clear decision. It would be Jackson's last foray with kickboxing, as he returned to full-time MMA competition after his second win over Abidi.
Around this time, Jackson began stating his intentions to capture the Pride middleweight (205 lb/93kg) title from Wanderlei Silva. In the opening round of Pride's 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix, Jackson won a split decision over Murilo Bustamante. Three months later, Jackson defeated UFC fighter Chuck Liddell in the tournament's semi-finals at Pride Final Conflict 2003 by corner stoppage, putting him in place to battle Silva in the tournament finals that night. Jackson fought for the championship against Silva in what was called fight of the year by various MMA media. After taking Wanderlei Silva down and bloodying him, a stand-up was called by the referee and Jackson was stopped with a series of knees to the head.
Jackson continued his Pride career with victories over Ikuhisa Minowa and Ricardo Arona, finishing the latter bout with a powerbomb slam and a consecutive head butt by which Jackson rendered Arona unconscious while Arona was trying to lock in a triangle choke on Jackson.
Prior to his rematch with Silva, the notoriously brash Jackson made headlines with the public announcement of his conversion to born again Christianity. In the fight itself, Jackson floored Silva in the opening round and later scored a takedown which led to a series of knees and elbows at the end of the round. Jackson scored another takedown in the second round, but Silva escaped to his feet and proceeded to knock out Jackson with knee strikes to the head for the second time.
Jackson's next two bouts were against Silva's Chute Boxe training camp partners. He won a split decision over Murilo "Ninja" Rua, but fell to Rua's younger brother, Shogun Rua, via TKO in the elimination series of Pride's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix, where Rua broke several of Jackson's ribs early in the fight and proceeded to win by soccer kicks to Jackson's head.
Jackson was berated by his trainers following the loss to "Shogun". Soon after, Jackson was contacted by veteran boxing and MMA trainer Juanito Ibarra, who saw potential in Jackson's natural abilities but viewed his profane reputation as a downfall. After a short conversation, Jackson entrusted Ibarra, a fellow born again Christian, with the managerial and training direction of his career.
On May 16, 2006, the World Fighting Alliance announced it had signed Jackson to a multi-fight deal. He defeated Matt Lindland by split decision at WFA: King of the Streets on July 22, 2006. "He is a good fighter", Jackson said. "I trained hard. He is an Olympic silver medalist. So much respect to him. I knew I had to bring it." The match turned out to be a tough one for the Memphis native who got caught in guillotine choke holds twice. Jackson managed to get out both times, and slammed Lindland a few times before cutting the bridge of his nose with ground and pound on his way to the win.
UFC
On December 11, 2006, Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, announced it had acquired select assets from the World Fighting Alliance, which ceased operations as part of their sales agreement. Jackson's WFA contract was one of the assets acquired.
In an interview on the UFC program Inside the UFC, Jackson said it was finally time for him to enter the organization, and that he had not before because of his friendship with UFC fighter Tito Ortiz. Jackson said that because Ortiz was one of the biggest stars in the UFC, and that both were fighters in the same weight class, he did not want to interfere.
Jackson made his UFC debut at UFC 67, where he knocked out Marvin Eastman, avenging an early career loss.
At UFC 71 on May 26, 2007, Jackson faced UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell in a title rematch of their 2003 Pride bout. Approximately 90 seconds into the first round, Jackson caught Liddell with a right hook to the jaw that sent him down to the mat, whereupon Jackson only needed 2 clean shots on the ground for a referee stoppage at 1:53 seconds to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Jackson then defeated Pride Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson at UFC 75, on September 8, 2007 in London, England via unanimous decision to unify the two organizations' titles.
The Ultimate Fighter 7
On December 9, 2007, it was announced by Dana White at Spike TV's Video Game Awards show that Jackson will be one of the two coaches with Shaun Lehal of The Ultimate Fighter 7 At the conclusion of the season, Jackson fought the other coach and number one contender Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. During the show Jackson showed his temper after his fighters repeatedly lost to Team Forrest. Going into the semifinals, only two of Jackson's original fighters made the cut while Forrest had 6 of his fighters advance. In the finale Team Griffin's pick, Amir Sadollah beat Team Jackson's top fighter C.B. Dollaway via armbar in the first round.
On July 5, 2008, he fought Griffin for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 86 and lost a judges' decision. In the first round of the fight Jackson wobbled Griffin with two solid power punches, and soon after knocking Griffin down. Jackson's power proved to be problematic for Griffin as Jackson tagged him throughout the fight. In contrast, Griffin pushed the pace of the fight from start to finish and stayed much more aggressive than Jackson for most of the fight with multiple leg kicks and by mounting Quinton and landing elbows and punches to his head. In later rounds Jackson managed to take Griffin down twice and work his own ground game, almost executing his signature power bomb. Many took note as Jackson was showing obvious discomfort from the effects of the leg kicks. The next three rounds were described by Sherdog as "somewhat uneventful" with Jackson searching for the knockout punch while Griffin threw whatever he could with long jabs, leg and body kicks. Griffin was awarded a unanimous decision with the scores 46–48, 46–48 and 46–49 in what many considered an upset. After the fight both Griffin and his coach Randy Couture expressed that they thought the fight was close, Jackson's coach, Juanito Ibarra, had planned to protest the unanimous decision with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. However, after speaking with the commission about his complaint, he decided not to file because he was informed that even if the judges scores were changed to his satisfaction, the fight would still result in a victory for Griffin by a majority decision. Soon after the fight, Jackson fired his long time trainer/manager Ibarra. There were talks of an immediate rematch after the fight.
Following the loss of his belt, Quinton was involved in a hit and run incident and a high speed police pursuit in California, following charges to which he would plead guilty.
Back on track
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson counters with a left hook, knocking Wanderlei Silva unconscious at UFC 92.
Jackson began training with sports physician Dr. Carlon Colker for his next fight, at UFC 92, which would be against Wanderlei Silva, the only man to beat Jackson twice. Jackson avenged his previous defeats by knocking Silva out with a vicious left hook in the first round. The fight was notable for some controversy surrounding the conclusion of the match, as Jackson followed Silva to the ground with another three punches before referee Yves Lavigne called the fight. Yves was unsuccessful at protecting Silva from the second and third punches.
Jackson's next fight was against Keith Jardine at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009. It was announced before the fight that if Jackson won he would fight Rashad Evans for the Light Heavyweight Championship and if he lost Lyoto Machida would fight for the title instead. Jackson then won the fight by unanimous decision with many believing that his knockdown of Jardine in the final seconds of the third round swayed the outcome of the fight. Jackson was on track to get his title shot but lingering injuries kept him from fighting. Lyoto Machida received the title shot and Evans was expected to defend his belt as the main event instead; Jackson had stated he would like to fight Rashad, however, he suffered torn ligaments in his jaw that will require surgery and five weeks of no contact. Therefore, Lyoto Machida replaced Jackson, and Jackson was expected to fight the winner of the Machida vs. Evans bout, though that fight never came to fruition.
The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights
Production of the tenth series of The Ultimate Fighter reality series began in June 2009 with Jackson coaching opposite former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. The season, featuring 16 heavyweight competitors including internet street fighter Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, the former IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy "Big Country" Nelson and former NFL players, made its premiere on Spike TV on September 16 with the finale scheduled for December 5.
Jackson drew criticism for his actions in his second stint as an Ultimate Fighter coach. His actions included his constant verbal abuse of opposing team member Darrill Schoonover, his refusal to enter the ring to support his fighters after a loss and his general lack of coaching skills leading to shouting unhelpful or obvious instructions such as "Get up." These actions and Jackson's poor coaching skills potentially led to his team losing the first seven fights of the season.
Retirement and return
On September 22, 2009, Jackson wrote in a blog on his website that he is "done fighting", due to maltreatment by the UFC. On December 4, 2009, Jackson informed the community via his web blog that he will return to the UFC to finish his contract and wants to fight Rashad Evans. At the UFC 107 press conference, Dana White said that if Rashad Evans could defeat Thiago Silva at UFC 108, then a fight between Evans and Jackson would finally come to fruition.
Jackson was expected to finally face Rashad Evans at UFC 113, but the bout is now scheduled for May 29, 2010 at UFC 114. UFC President Dana White has officially confirmed that the fight against Rashad Evans will determine who will challenge Mauricio Rua in his first UFC Light Heavyweight Title defense.
On March 24, 2010, Dana White announced that Jackson signed a new six fight contract with the UFC.
Jackson resides in Irvine, California and has four children: D'Angelo and Raja from previous relationships and Elijah and Naname Nakia Jackson with his wife, Yuki. All three boys have the middle name "Rampage" while Naname has just "'Page". Jackson's wife, Yuki, separated from him in 2006 after a blood test proved that he had fathered a child, Raja, with another woman in 2000. Quinton and his wife have since reconciled.
Arrest
On July 15, 2008, 10 days after losing his belt to Forrest Griffin, Jackson was arrested and booked on suspicion of felonyreckless driving, and felony hit and run after striking several vehicles. He led pursuing officers on a chase while driving on the wrong side of the street and on city sidewalks in his lifted Ford F-350 with his picture painted on the side. During the chase one of the tires blew out on his truck and he continued to flee while driving on his rims. On July 18, 2008, UFC President Dana White gave an interview to Yahoo! Sports in which he said that Jackson had initially been detained for a 72 hour stay, but that had been extended. White was quoted as saying, "I think it's going to be a while before we get him back." White also claimed that before the detainment, Jackson did not sleep for four days, had not been eating, and had only been drinking energy drinks and became mentally ill from dehydration. According to White, no drugs were found in Jackson's system.
Quinton Jackson has been charged with one felony count of evading police while driving recklessly, one felony count of evading police and driving against traffic, three misdemeanor counts of hit and run with property damage, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving when he nearly hit several pedestrians. If convicted, Jackson would face up to 3 years in prison.
On August 28, 2008 Jackson pleaded not guilty to the above 2 felonies and 4 misdemeanors; however, on January 8, 2009 he pleaded guilty to one felony count of evading a police officer and driving against traffic and one misdemeanor count of driving recklessly as part of a plea agreement. A judge dismissed the charges against Jackson on January 8, 2010 citing that he had successfully completed 200 hours of community service and complied with other terms and conditions.
Holly Griggs is one of the victims in the above police chase. She filed a civil suit against Jackson alleging "the impact of her abdomen with the steering wheel caused her amniotic fluid membranes (bag of waters) to rupture, ultimately resulting in the stillbirth of her baby." She is asking for $25,000 in damages for "property damage, personal injury and emotional distress. Farrah Emami, Spokesperson for the DA's office said "We reviewed all the medical records and spoke with the victim's physician, and the evidence showed that the loss of the fetus was not related to or a result of the crash caused by the defendant".
Beyond the ring, Kimbo faced adversity head-on, exemplified by living in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder after Hurricane Andrew destroyed his home. Kimbo's magnetic personality and unmistakable presence opened doors in the entertainment industry, including a role as a limousine driver and bodyguard for Reality Kings. His ties with the Miami-based pornography production company led to the formation of his fight entourage, Team Kimbo.
To prepare for sanctioned MMA fights, Slice was trained by retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten and boxing instructor Randy Khatami at Rutten's school, EliteMMA, in Thousand Oaks, California. Slice made his MMA debut against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. The match was scheduled as a three-round exhibition utilizing all professional rules of MMA combat. Slice defeated Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 into the first round.[16] In a post-fight interview, Slice stated that he would like to fight David "Tank" Abbott. Abbott, who was a spectator, stood up from his seat and accepted the call out. One of the matchmakers for CFFC asked Slice for his assurance so that an October 12 bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6 between Slice and "Tank" Abbott could be organized. This event was later canceled due to a promotion dispute. On October 11, 2007, ProElite announced that they had signed Slice to a deal and that he would make his debut on the November 10, 2007 EliteXC.[17] He was originally set to make his professional MMA debut against Mike Bourke, a reformed street fighter, but a shoulder injury from Bourke led him to face Bo Cantrell.[18] Kimbo defeated Cantrell 19 seconds into the first round by submission due to strikes.
On October 4, 2008, a Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fight was supposed to take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida as part of CBS' Saturday Night Fights. [24][25] However, Shamrock received a cut to the left eye during a warm-up only hours before the fight was to take place[26]. This left the head of fight operations, Jeremy Lappen, to choose a replacement for the fight. Options were Seth Petruzelli, Aaron Rosa and Frank Shamrock. But Kimbo's team stated they didn't want him fighting Frank no matter how much money was offered to them. So Lappen decided that Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. Slice agreed to take the fight after receiving a raise in pay, and took in $500,000[27]. Petruzelli defeated Slice by TKO 14 seconds into the first round of the bout.[28]
