Mixed martial arts fighter and former University of Miami student Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson will return to UM to fight David Lee “Tank” Abbott Saturday at the BankUnited Center. The fight will be featured as the main event of the night that begins at 7:30 p.m.
“I don’t think nothing about Tank,” Slice said on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. “To fight Tank now, I’m looking forward to that.”
This will be Slice’s third fight as a member of Elite Extreme Combat, the mixed martial arts league. Currently, Slice boasts a 2-0 record after defeating Bo Cantrell, in a bout that lasted 19 seconds, and Ray Mercer.
Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that mixes boxing, kickboxing, striking, wrestling and submission fighting. In the last several years it has become increasingly popular.
Slice, 34, was a Miami-based street fighter before he took up mixed martial arts. He made his MMA debut on June 23, 2007.
Originally from the Bahamas, Slice attended Miami Palmetto Senior High where he became the ninth-ranked linebacker in the nation for football. He later attended UM on an academic scholarship, but stayed for little over one year. Slice now resides in Miami with his family.
The Elite Extreme Combat event will feature some of the best fighters in mixed martial arts, including Florida natives Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett and Edson Berto. The opening bouts will be streamed on proelite.com starting at 7:30 p.m. and the main event can be seen on Showtime at 10 p.m.
Tickets for the fight are still available and range from $60 to $600.
Rory Lincoln may be contacted at r.lincoln@umiami.edu.