Death In Entertainment
Kyle Ploof, Alejandro Dowling and Ben Kissel discuss Hollywood murders, true crime, on-set deaths and more!
Death In Entertainment
The Reason Your Uncle Thinks He Can Fight: Kimbo Slice (Episode 159)
The raw power of Kimbo Slice's fists catapulted him from backyard brawls to mainstream arenas, but the real knockout punch in his story was his resilience against life's hardest hits.
When Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida in 1992, it washed away Kimbo's college football scholarship and left him homeless, sleeping in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder while working 13-hour bouncer shifts at a strip club for pocket change. While most would have broken under such pressure, Kimbo's response was to fight harder.
His viral backyard fights weren't just brutal spectacles—they represented a man who refused to be defined by circumstance. From those grainy, 240p YouTube videos emerged a cultural phenomenon who would eventually headline primetime network television events, becoming the first true crossover star from internet fame to legitimate combat sports.
What makes Kimbo's story so compelling isn't just how he fought opponents in the cage but how he battled against skeptics who dismissed him as a YouTube novelty. Despite Dana White's initial criticism, Kimbo's authenticity and drawing power ultimately forced the fighting world to take him seriously. His transitions between MMA and boxing demonstrated versatility that defied expectations, culminating in an undefeated 7-0 professional boxing record.
The tragedy of Kimbo's premature death at 42 from heart failure adds poignancy to his legacy—a reminder that sometimes the hardest fights happen outside the ring. Yet what remains isn't just highlight reels of knockouts but the blueprint of how determination can transform someone from sleeping in a car to headlining arenas.
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Death in Entertainment is hosted by Kyle Ploof, Alejandro Dowling and Ben Kissel.
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Some legends are born in the spotlight. Others are born in the backyard, bare-knuckle brawling next to a rusty lawnmower. Today, we honor the man, the human wrecking ball, kimbo Slice. Before YouTube was for cat videos and TikTok challenges, it was a place where you could watch a bearded tank of a man punch the soul out of someone's body in 240p resolution. Before influencers were selling protein powder and crypto scams, kimbo was out here handing out free dental work with nothing but his fists. In a dream Back when the algorithm was just. Have you seen this dude knock a guy out next to a broken lawn chair? So grab your mouth guard, maybe some smelling salts, and prepare to relive the legend of the man, the myth, the reason your uncle thinks he can fight Kimbo Slice.
Speaker 4:That's today on Death in Entertainment Murder, injury and death, oh my god, shocking new details that has stunned the entertainment world.
Speaker 5:Um, this makes me a little nervous. The hair stood up on my arms Just like in the movies.
Speaker 6:What do you call this thing?
Speaker 7:anyway, death M Of entertainment.
Speaker 1:Greetings Ditto Universe.
Speaker 7:Hi there.
Speaker 3:What up?
Speaker 1:What is going on? Everybody, my name is Kyle Plouffe.
Speaker 7:I Hi there. What up? What is going on? Everybody? My name is Kyle Ploof, I'm Ben Kissel and I'm Alejandro Dowling.
Speaker 3:Thank you all so much for joining us on Death in Entertainment. Check out the Patreon patreoncom. Slash, diebud. Okay, Bud and Death in Entertainment join forces to bring you the best quality shows every single week. Today's episode is no different. Super excited to discuss this man. You've seen him on the internet. Now it's time to get to know his story. It's the life and, I guess, death of Kimbo Slice.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, we're getting a slice of life here, yeah.
Speaker 7:I was going to say that, but then I sensed it was coming, so I'm glad.
Speaker 1:Nice, yeah, well, you know what he sensed a lot of punches were coming, so he was able to win a lot of fights.
Speaker 3:I don't know if he really dodged many punches, though he was one of those guys that could just take a beating, but then keep on ticking.
Speaker 1:He could eat some punches, and we're just going to let you guys know that we are a about death.
Speaker 3:we will have some laughs, all right not at kimbo's expense, though, because he will come back from the grave and beat the shit out of all of us oh, absolutely hell, no, yeah, no, just whoever kimbo was mad at at their expense yes, true just a little warning.
Speaker 7:It's gonna be brawl or nothing, oh boy here, go, let's do it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Kimbo Slice, that is not his given name. Oh, he wasn't born Kimbo Slice. He was not born Mr Slice. He was not named after the orange soda.
Speaker 3:Oh damn.
Speaker 1:He was born, kevin Ferguson, in Nassau, bahamas. I didn't even know people were born in the Bahamas.
Speaker 3:What do you mean? You just think they hatch out of eggs. Yeah, I thought it was just people that go on vacation there. I don't know anyone actually lived there. I will say kevin ferguson. Yeah, not the name I expected no that is a name of a nerd at mit, not a backyard fighter in miami that's true.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you don't see ferguson in ufc usually no, usually.
Speaker 1:Uh, he was born february 8th 1974 and not much is known about their time in the bahamas, but what I do know is that he moved to the slums of south miami as a child and he was raised. He had a brother, devon, and sister, renea, and they were raised by their mother, rosemary clark. Okay, so the dad was not around all right, another one of those I know it ain't right.
Speaker 3:It's hard to be a child without a father.
Speaker 1:Yes. And all of those people his immediate family nicknamed Kevin Kimbo from an early age.
Speaker 3:Okay, I mean, I guess Kevin Kimbo works out. Maybe he likes to eat bimbo the white bread. Yeah, kimbo.
Speaker 1:Kevin, the bimbo, kimbo and things. They did not go as well as they would have hoped. Moving to a new town Because when you go to a new place you're like, oh, it's a new start, this is going to be great. But being the new kid sucks. I've been the new kid many times, because you can go either two ways You're either the mysterious new kid that people like if you have some charm Right, or if you're like me, with like no social skills whatsoever.
Speaker 3:I moved seven times by the time I was in eighth grade. Now were these court court ordered?
Speaker 1:They, they might've been uh seven times by the time I was in eighth grade. It was absolute hell. I got the shit kicked out of me wherever I went, so cause you always have to like fight the toughest kid?
Speaker 3:Oh, it's prison rules.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Middle school and prisons.
Speaker 7:There, yeah, middle school in prisons, there's a venn diagram of as soon as you show up, you gotta fight, yeah, unless they deemed you cool right on arrival, like you're either james dean or you're ferguson from clarissa explains it all right, or kevin. That's what I thought of when you said that, for some reason that red-haired brother.
Speaker 1:I love it so he did have to fight. And you like. At this point you don't have a second to really become socialized, you don't even know who you are, you're just in survival mode constantly.
Speaker 3:Right, and this is Miami in the 80s and he's growing up in sort of a poor area, I'm sure there was a lot of violence, a lot of gang activity, things like that yeah.
Speaker 1:People mess with him all the time Because at the time he was just kevin with shitty clothes and he talked weird because he was from the bahamas. Um, he avoided confrontation as long as he could and got into a couple little scraps, but at 13 years old he saw an older guy who was 26 years old, beating the shit out of his friend. And it really sucks to be this guy, because you have just unlocked something in someone who became a professional fighter right, and because he, he, uh, he saw his friend getting beat up. That dude caught a legendary beating 26 years old getting beat up by a 13 year old dude.
Speaker 3:That's embarrassing. Yes, you got him doubled up by age. Oh, you can't go back and tell your friends what happened. No, you better make up a story like you got hit by a bus or something. I was going to say you got to get a bus ticket to a new state You're out of town and then this 13-year-old boy came and he wouldn't stop punching me in the face and I didn't know what to do.
Speaker 7:Hey man, or is there a chance that he let him win for fear of getting arrested?
Speaker 3:No, I don't think that they were thinking like that.
Speaker 1:No, this dude caught a legendary beating, and it was Kimbo's first ass-whooping that he ever dished out.
Speaker 3:And I love it. He was defending his friend. Yes, that's what we're supposed to do. You're supposed to defend your friends.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the guy thanked Kimbo, but Kimbo should have been thanking that guy for getting the shit kicked out of him, because it allowed him to become who he would be so the guy was getting his ass kicked and he's like thank you, kimbo.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 1:I would have been like no, thank you. Now I'm an animal, so let's fucking go, let's do it, it's his origin story.
Speaker 7:That's like when michelangelo found the paintbrush. Yes, exactly, yeah and realize he likes painting guys nuts I thought you were gonna say that.
Speaker 3:I thought you going to say pizza and you were going to reference TMNT, but you're talking about the painter, yep, the naked guys.
Speaker 7:My references span centuries.
Speaker 3:Just a little bit more hair on the left testicle. I think we'll be.
Speaker 7:Oh, very nice, A little bigger. There we go, god's going to love this.
Speaker 1:So people started to learn that Kimbo was not the guy to mess with. Not only was he standing up for himself and defending his friends, he also started to turn that aggression into success in the athletic world. He attended Miami Palmetto High School, where he was the star middle linebacker, oh wow, I could see that.
Speaker 7:Yeah nothing gets past him right.
Speaker 1:So if we know anything from guys like brian urlacher or ray lewis, the middle linebacker is the generally the biggest, toughest player on the field they're the brains of the defense yes they're the court, they're qb of the other side of the ball yes, not only are they complete brawn, but they are. They got the brains yeah he ends up graduating palmetto high in 1992 and receives a sports scholarship to the? U, which is the university of miami. The miami hurricanes what year is?
Speaker 3:that 92, so this is peak u. Yeah, this is where the this is the documentary is made about the uh, early 90s university of miami.
Speaker 1:Right, yes, and this is a big part of the story, because in 1992, before he even gets to campus, hurricane Andrew makes landfall in South Florida. So Hurricane Andrew was a Category 5 storm. It hit South Florida on August 24, 1992. School season starts in September, so it caused so much damage it became the most expensive hurricane in US history at the time, with damages estimated at $26 billion. Damn.
Speaker 7:I remember that from when I was a kid Hurricane Andrew.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I remember Bob was like the winter storm, andrew was the summer one.
Speaker 3:Bob, hurricane, bob, hurricane, bob, yeah, bob has got a new man, hurricane Bob's, coming over. Yeah, he's not as cool as hurricane dad, but I guess hurricane bob is all right. He's got a cool truck brings us to disney world, yeah bob didn't catch on as much as andrew yeah well.
Speaker 1:In massachusetts it dropped like three feet of snow on us and does it smell like farts around here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's hurricane bob bob uh.
Speaker 1:So it made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds reaching 165 miles an hour. Yeah, it destroyed or damaged over 25,000 homes. I think some people perished. It killed 65 people, wow, and, like I said, it was $26 billion in damages, which wasn't surpassed until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sandwiches, which wasn't surpassed until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. So, when the dust clears, his house, his high school and parts of his campus were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, forcing him to live in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder. After the damage, the school tightened up budgets and scholarships, which one of his ended up being no more.
Speaker 3:They rescinded his scholarship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because of Hurricane Andrew. Yeah, they're like it. Blew away. Yeah, so his college. Because of Hurricane Andrew. His college, yeah, they're like it blew away.
Speaker 7:Yeah, it's gone sorry, it's over there somewhere.
Speaker 3:If you can find it and bring it back, kind of like Lord of the Rings, you can come here.
Speaker 7:but yeah, and how meaningful the name of his vehicle A.
Speaker 1:Pathfinder.
Speaker 3:Oh indeed, that's what he was searching for.
Speaker 1:But how do houses flip over in this tiny little pathfinder? But maybe he was in it and that's why it wasn't moving.
Speaker 3:Even the storm was afraid of Kimbo. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:But his college career ended before it even started. He ended up scoring a tryout with the Miami Dolphins, but unfortunately they were not interested.
Speaker 7:Could you imagine turning down Kimbo Slice to be on your defense Right?
Speaker 3:Even just the motivation, because he was a great. He was a motivator in many ways when he would speak. Right, you want that guy in your locker room absolutely and he's a good teammate.
Speaker 7:I mean, he was sticking up for his friend.
Speaker 3:He's beating the shit out of grown adults yeah, I do wish the nfl would have a little bit of like what the nhl does, where there's just a person that fights yeah, you just call them into them into the game and then there's guaranteed a brawl and then they leave and they all have CTE and they're all depressed and commit suicide.
Speaker 6:But for that moment, it's really fun.
Speaker 3:As a fan, it's really fun to watch.
Speaker 7:I think with the NFL there's already enough banging heads going on that if you added actual street fighting.
Speaker 1:There's more broken hands off the helmets and all that.
Speaker 7:There'd be a lot of Aaron Hernandez's.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 7:Hernandi.
Speaker 3:Can't have too many more of those.
Speaker 1:So now he needs to look for work because, you know, his college dreams are gone. They're in the taillights.
Speaker 7:So he goes to the local McDonald's and applies.
Speaker 1:Kind of something like that. He landed a bouncing job with a strip club because he was just a giant human of a man.
Speaker 3:That makes sense. That checks out yeah.
Speaker 1:At this time. He was huge. He was naturally gifted as an athlete, but he was also enhancing his natural gifts with anabolic steroids.
Speaker 3:Also I got to say I don't really go to the. As you know, my hoedays are done, both being with and being one. Yes, okay. But when you go to a strip club you know there's a person opens up the curtain like five minutes. You imagine you're getting a lap dance and all of a sudden Kimbo Slice just opens up the curtain. You're like five minutes. You're like well, well, this is just over, we can just end it now because I'm horrified, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it sucks because he was really struggling. He said he would work a 13-hour shift from 5 pm to 6 am and the club would give him $30.
Speaker 7:What oh come on.
Speaker 1:This is 1993 money, but still.
Speaker 7:Oh, that's not so that's at least $35. Exactly, there's a lot of money being thrown around in those places.
Speaker 1:I know they paid him more and it was probably all in ones. It's disgusting, but that's what they told him. They said you're opening the door for guys, so guys that come in and out are told to give you a dollar when they enter an exit. But they weren't doing it oh, you got a tip.
Speaker 7:Yeah, he's like I hope, I hope I'm getting tips from these people that are walking in that's not on them, though, though, come on, the owner should be making sure he's taken care of.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 7:Who knows to tip the bouncer?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, well, he's opening the door.
Speaker 3:I mean basically but you know, in a strip club you just assume everything's a tip. You go to the bathroom, you got to tip a guy. You're just throwing money around in those places.
Speaker 1:One day his old high school buddy, this guy, Mike Ember, comes in and is like holy shit, Big Ferg, Because that's what they called him. Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 7:Big Ferg, we haven't heard that one. Yeah, it was Kimbo K-Duck yeah.
Speaker 1:So his family called him Kimbo, but everybody at school called him Big Ferg.
Speaker 3:Big Ferg is amazing, kimbo, big Ferg Slice.
Speaker 1:So it had been so long. He's like it's great to see you and he's like what have you been up to? He's like I'm just working here, but I'm looking for more. And he goes hey, I just started this company that needs a bodyguard and a valet driver. The name of my business is called Reality Kings.
Speaker 3:Wait the.
Speaker 1:Reality Kings, the Reality Kings, the Reality Kings, wait, the Reality Kings, the Reality Kings, the.
Speaker 3:Reality Kings that I have no idea what that is, because it's disgusting. Naughty, because it's naughty.
Speaker 1:Yes, if you've ever been on Pornhubcom, you have seen the moniker Reality Kings.
Speaker 3:I'm starting to think. It's not really reality, though, and they're not really kings no.
Speaker 1:So he's got this smut company that needs a driver, and so Kimbo's driving porn stars around in his busted 1987 Pathfinder with missing windows and his sweat on every seat.
Speaker 3:That's the business, baby.
Speaker 7:Do you think he opens with this? Survived Hurricane Andrew.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they call me Big Ferg me big ferg.
Speaker 1:Uh, one night after work, mike actually saw kimbo sleeping in his car and he's like what are you doing? And he was just like ah shit, like I got caught. This is where I live, oh man. And so it broke his heart and he was like dude, I'm just starting this company, I don't have a lot of money, but I could have figured something out for you, because it was like months that he had no idea that he was living out of his car, wow. But he said that kimbo was too proud and didn't want anyone to worry about him. So that's when mike was like we gotta find a way to make you some quick money yeah and he's racking his brain for a while.
Speaker 1:He's like I'll give you a call I mean, what about? Porn, I mean that's, but if you're using steroids, you might be lacking in the area you're saying, the kimbo slice is a small penis not the small penis. It reduces the size of your balls and your penis a little bit, but it's more noticeable on the balls. Okay, but you also can't get hard as much anymore. So, like when you're doing steroids, you need to be doing viagra and shit too or you could just stick a little hot sauce up his ass.
Speaker 7:Hey, hey, there we go like pa odenkirk.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, the old montana, the old montana, two-step. Hey, here we go. That's what I thought.
Speaker 1:They put the ass into basco so he gives him a call and he goes can you still fight? And kimbo goes yeah, and he goes. You want to fight a guy, a guy on camera today for 1500 dollars and just to clarify, that's fight, not fuck.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, the fuck it's after yeah he goes.
Speaker 1:If you win, it's 3000 and he goes today. Fuck yeah, let's go. So the same day, kimbo's is fighting this guy, big d. Who this dude was like? Running through people in the south, just whooping their asses on camera, destroying them.
Speaker 7:Also a good porn name, by the way, big D.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and an attribute yeah, so at this point, the internet YouTube. It's still in its infancy to some degree, but they were starting to show these fights. Yes, so there was an underground already that Kimbo got plugged into.
Speaker 1:Yes, Mark out Mark.
Speaker 3:Oh, you got me Go on already. That Kimbo got plugged into.
Speaker 1:Yes, so he's saying to him hit me.
Speaker 4:When he let him take those punches, where he just took them without defending himself, I mean I was like what the f*** are you doing? And then, once the fight kind of got going and some of those punches were landing, big D kept telling him to stop or hold up. I'm like, f*** this, you want him to stop? That's cool, we'll go the other way, because it wasn't about beating him up, it was about just winning whatever was at stake Come on finish it bird.
Speaker 3:Come on, finish that. Win F***. Stop playing s***. Finish that, finish it. What's?
Speaker 1:up Chill when you put your hands up and go chill dog that's it.
Speaker 3:You're done, dude. Okay, what are we fighting here?
Speaker 4:yeah, come on after a certain point, I think big d had enough, you know when his eye was into his face and that's where half of his name came from I guess, slice was one way to describe how his eye looked he looked like sloth, yeah from the goonies yeah, he made him look like the toxic avenger baby ruth
Speaker 1:wow. So people were saying he sliced his face up, and so that's where the name comes from kimbo slice, because that's what he does to people he'll slice you he definitely did so.
Speaker 3:That's a three thousand dollar payday, yeah, which is 30 times what he's used to yes, so hopefully he didn't sleep in his car that night so now a star is born.
Speaker 7:Yeah, kimbo slice, a slice is made.
Speaker 3:Yes, it is. Yes, it's a dirty business, though.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:There's something about it. It's not bumfights, which are truly atrocious. That's horrible. Yeah, Because these are two people that are able.
Speaker 7:Oh, totally, these are willing.
Speaker 1:Yes, consenting, adults.
Speaker 3:Yes, but it's still nasty. I mean, it's chicken fighting for humans cock fighting for humans yeah.
Speaker 7:I'm not talking porno, hey, there's a lot of. There's a gray area, thin line, between porn and fighting. I think yeah, no way.
Speaker 1:So now this video against Big D. It goes so viral, it gets millions and millions of views instantly and Mike becomes his manager. Now he's like we're in this together Wow.
Speaker 3:And to your point, alejandro people don't get into porn or street fighting because they're billionaires and super rich. You got to make some money somehow.
Speaker 7:Yeah, exactly when I was thinking of that pay raise for that video. He's ready for his moment. I mean, this guy survived the worst hurricane in US history and he was not accepted in the NFL and he's been struggling. It's like fuck yeah, where do I start? Where do I hit?
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely Exactly. So Mike is getting all these calls with offers to fight Kimbo, ranging from semi-professionals to just amateur guys that want to get their people just as famous as he is now.
Speaker 3:Just different personalities than me. Yeah, I just look at that guy's eyeball swelled out of his brain. Man, that guy would beat the shit out of me, yeah, and then he got his ass kicked. No, I'm good. What's the guy's name?
Speaker 1:Kimbo Slice oh, I'm fine man, man. So they end up getting a call from the totally not scummy organization, the boston police department, saying we got a cop up here that wants to kick your ass.
Speaker 3:and this guy's giant what the fuck is wrong with boston?
Speaker 1:dude, they're such fucking assholes. Uh, the guy's. The guy's name is sean gannon and he's a mountain of a person, doesn't he have better things to do, like protecting and serving. No, he's trying to serve up somebody else.
Speaker 7:Serve a slice yeah.
Speaker 3:This is going to really take a lot of time away from my corruption.
Speaker 7:That I really like to do here with the Boston Police Department. My planting of evidence.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he's trying to plant a couple punches on this guy, but street fighting rules are very clear. This is a fight. No submission holds no chokes. You're just swinging until someone or both of us go down so this there is no hoist, crazy no there's no like oh, he's using muay thai.
Speaker 3:This is just a brawl this is just awl.
Speaker 7:There's no stay away from the face and the head.
Speaker 1:No, you're punching each other almost exclusively in the face.
Speaker 7:I mean, I thought street basketball was rough. Yeah, this is even worse, yeah.
Speaker 3:It's an entirely different sport and much more violent.
Speaker 7:Right and has nothing to do with each other.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, so let's hear what the Boston Police Department was up to.
Speaker 6:From the start, the fight does not disappoint. Gannon pulls out a martial arts move called the guillotine. Choke Sounds comfortable In street fights. Choke Sounds comfortable In street fights. Choke holds are banned. Oh they are. Kimbo exhausts himself, fighting his way out of several holds. It was a moment where you saw that he wasn't invincible, that he was indeed human. He wasn't invincible, that he was indeed human.
Speaker 5:Sean gannon got beaten to smithereens. His face requires several days to recover but sean gannon won the internet doesn't care, that's's such bullshit, dude.
Speaker 1:He was choking him out and he fought his way out of like five different chokeholds and beat the hell out of the guy, but the Boston police were like no, we won. And there's nothing you could say or do, so it's like okay, the internet was like all right, fuck these guys. Kimbo is still the man and we like him even more now because you guys are pieces of shit.
Speaker 3:Right. Yeah, I don't like all these chokeholds that officers put on people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true too.
Speaker 7:And for the non-fighting fans out there, that's kind of like when Adam Lambert came in second in American. Idol Right, absolutely, but everyone was like clearly he was the winner.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know it's much better not to win those competitions. You want to come in like fifth yeah, like, uh, what's her name?
Speaker 7:jennifer hudson yeah, she was not the winner, then she's an oscar winner suddenly hey, that beautiful woman you know so, and I was also thinking, to fight a cop like that's also got to be cathartic for kimbo, because how often do you get to legally fight a cop like that?
Speaker 3:To a bloody pulp. Yeah, he made him look like Pumpkinhead too. He was swelling all over the place.
Speaker 1:He put him in the hospital for a week and Kimbo didn't have to go.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that must feel kind of good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but he still wanted the money, but they were in the training ground of the Bostonoston police department so they weren't able to leave with the money, which is so infuriating he flew to boston for that.
Speaker 7:Yes, that is such horse shit yeah yeah, I mean, at least he made him look like pizza.
Speaker 1:The hut from space so I mean, it's like they pretty much just straight up robbed him in front of the whole world. Yeah, that's why everyone was like all right, right, kimbo's still the man and we like him even more now because you guys are fucking scumbags, mm-hmm.
Speaker 7:So that's cool, though that pretty much he wins, then yeah.
Speaker 1:He won the people's opinion and, yeah, the court of public opinion was on his side. Yeah, so Kimbo and his team. They started showing up and advertising themselves at boxing matches and MMA events, hoping to get some TV time. They end up bumping into Mike Tyson at an event and Tyson recognizes him, goes up to him and he's like, hey, I'm a big fan.
Speaker 7:Whoa, maybe slice me sometime.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness, but he goes.
Speaker 1:But do me a favor, say what you're doing, don't try for the big time.
Speaker 7:Well, I mean, it's sort of good advice, he goes.
Speaker 1:It's all bullshit. So like, don't try for like the big stage because it's all corrupt and sucks. But he needs money and he goes yeah, but you made a hundred million dollars yeah, but so the cop match was corrupt yeah, exactly the cops are just like we win. Yeah, so would you rather win 15001,500 or fucking $25 million. Right, let's think about this here. So he was like, yeah, thanks, I'm a huge fan of yours too, but let me think about my own career. But take a hike, yeah.
Speaker 3:Man, if Kimbo was still alive, I'd love to watch him fight. Jake Paul yeah.
Speaker 1:Jake Paul yeah oh man, that would be awesome, but then it would be sad if he took the fall like everybody else does.
Speaker 3:He would have to Gotta get that money, but at least he would get his money. So it'd be like big fur, it's alright.
Speaker 7:You gotta love the Paul brothers, where they have enough money to make everybody fall.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 6:They can buy every fight.
Speaker 1:They really do. Checks in the mail, yeah. So that made him and his team push even harder for professional fights so they got to start calling in an actual training team. Ufc champion and hall of famer boss rootin picks up the phone oh, I used to fight with him in my video game. Oh nice yes, he's a legend and he said he would take on a coaching role with his team see, see, that's what I was thinking.
Speaker 7:Why didn't the UFC recruit them sooner?
Speaker 1:Because they're the elitist, they're like this guy's trash. He's not an actual fighter.
Speaker 7:Really, even though he clearly would do well in the UFC. We'll see.
Speaker 3:We'll see. Yeah, ufc is a different beast. Yeah, they definitely allow chokeholds, that's for damn sure. Yeah, beast.
Speaker 1:Yeah they, they definitely allow chokeholds, that's for damn sure. Yeah, yeah, they want you to be a complete fighter, and at this point, kimbo slice is only just punching the shit out of people, and that doesn't necessarily work in the ufc right and ufc was coming off the 90s and early 2000s where everyone's like it's a blood sport.
Speaker 3:It's not even a sport. Yeah, it's savage. You know, john mccain was trying to get it banned nationally. Maybe, kimbo, they looked at him and be like maybe this isn't the best representation. He's a backyard fighter from Miami.
Speaker 7:That makes a lot of sense. Actually it's before Joe Rogan was Joe Rogan. He was just the fear factor guy at the time.
Speaker 3:Highest paid actor on television. You know how much money he made feeding people testicles A lot, it was crazy. He was the highest paid performer on TV for like five years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and for the last season they wanted to bring him back and he's like I'll do it for $20 million. Think of the big. Oh, never mind, they're like OK, jesus.
Speaker 3:So the last season he got $20 million of this elephant, oh nice From the inside out and you're telling me I get $10,000, whole dollars because of this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know, after taxes and fees.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay. I'm paying to be here.
Speaker 1:Yes, they said Bas Rutten took a look at him. They went through a whole training regimen and he was like you already do have good footwork for someone with no training, but they needed to teach him how to kick as well as do other punches, because he didn't even do a straight punch. It was always like these roundhouses that would just crush people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I learned most of my footwork avoiding big old puddles of semen because I used to be a bouncer at a strip club and you step on cum at the start of the night. You're going to smell like fish the whole evening. It ruins the entire shoe.
Speaker 1:How to pull off submissions, not to mention defend against submissions and block attacks.
Speaker 3:I was going to say the defend thing. You can't just get hit in the face constantly as your defense. No.
Speaker 7:But he could take a hit like no other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was begging for it. He put his hands completely down, being like hit me Against the toughest guy in the backyard brawling arena at the time. It's so crazy.
Speaker 7:In some ways, isn't that the greatest asset you have as a fighter being able to take punches?
Speaker 1:and not go down. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:But for Kimbo all this extra training would be worth it. Street fighting was getting him $1,500 or so, but at the lowest levels of professional fighting. At that time you're getting $7,000 to fight plus another $7,000 to win, so financially it's a step up yeah, that's not. It's not bad, no even though he does have to pay boss root and other people in the thing, he's still gonna make a little bit more money and his cash is not covered in.
Speaker 7:Cum, yeah, strip club or blood, yeah, very nice. Wow, well, blood, that's fine.
Speaker 1:Fluidless cash. Oh, you gotta love it. What do I do with this?
Speaker 7:Put a deposit on something On it.
Speaker 3:So at no point was this in a labia, huh.
Speaker 1:So he's also being protected by the training, the combat rules and just an overall healthier lifestyle, because obviously you're not fighting in backyards, you know, drinking beers or doing steroids or whatever the fuck you're doing. Yes, they found him his first fight right away. In 2006, slice signed to fight against former WBO heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist boxer Ray Mercer.
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, of course.
Speaker 1:Slice was 33 years old at the time. Who would be facing a 46-year-old Mercer?
Speaker 7:Mercer.
Speaker 1:May. Hey, yes, indeed, this is a big difference in age, but it doesn't matter. When it comes down to it, you're still fighting a heavyweight champion and a golden Olympic boxer.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:It's still going to be tough.
Speaker 3:And 46, not out of the realm of. I mean, obviously he's not at his peak Right. But you look at George Foreman. He recaptured the title at like what? 45?
Speaker 4:Something like that.
Speaker 3:So you can still win in your mid-40s. Take it from me, I'm 43.
Speaker 1:He is so. The match is scheduled as an exhibition, which just means it doesn't count towards your professional record. Like I said, at the time, kimbo was training at the Boss Rootin' School based in Thousand Oaks, california, so he had to move from Florida to California. Out here and Slice and Mercer fought at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5. Whoa In Atlantic City on June 23, 2007.
Speaker 3:This is exactly what Atlantic City is made for. Yes, off-brand MMA yeah.
Speaker 5:He had to play catch-up. Starting combat sports at 33 years old is a tough journey.
Speaker 3:This man is making his cage debut right here for the CFFC.
Speaker 6:In Kimbo's first pro fight against former boxing heavyweight champ Ray Mercer, Kimbo was sent to earn $50,000 to fight with a $25,000 bonus to win Unprecedented amounts for a rookie fighter. It's a sign of Kimbo's internet popularity.
Speaker 5:You'd be lucky as just a general pro fighter to make $1,000. As a UFC fighter during that time, $7,000 to fight, $7,000 to win.
Speaker 6:I knew what his worth was. Lots of MMA fans don't share that opinion.
Speaker 1:People wanted to say like, oh, he's not really even a good fighter, so they did not expect him to even win this fight against someone who was a boxer and not an actual MMA fighter as well, but he went in and wipes the floor with him in the first round.
Speaker 3:That octagon ring was really tiny too yeah. There's not a lot of room to move in there.
Speaker 1:So you're in there with him, wow.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I didn't realize that UFC was so elite.
Speaker 1:Yeah they are Slice, ended up defeating Mercer. With what A guillotine choke.
Speaker 3:Whoa the choke, whoa the irony. Yes, I learned this from the Boston PD.
Speaker 1:Yeah, One minute and 12 seconds into the first round, they sold 20,000 pay-per-view buys. He made some money and, like I said, it's not easy, even though he was older, to take down a former heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. In the post-fight interview, slice stated that he would like to fight David Tank.
Speaker 3:Abbott, this guy. For those that don't remember, he was so scary, terrifying he would just. He felt you felt like if you looked at him wrong in a bar he would just beat the living shit out of you for no reason. You wouldn't even know it happened, you wouldn't even know.
Speaker 7:Anyone named Tank had to live up to that name.
Speaker 3:Yep, yep, he was on the Joe Rogan Experience. Have you heard of it? Anyway, now it's so bizarre because he's just an old man. It's so weird and if you just see him now you're like no way, how could this guy be one of the scariest motherfuckers of all time? Yeah, he was.
Speaker 1:Well, he was there in the crowd and he was scary as ever, and he stood up from his seat and accepted the fight that Kimbo Slice challenged him to. Wow, and so this is how you build ratings and get people interested, especially in these smaller leagues that we're trying to get to the big time. Yeah, so people were pumped for that fight. Unfortunately, that event was canceled because of contractual disagreements and all that stuff, but that allowed Kimbo to actually sign with Elite XC, which was coming up, and it would be the first of its kind regularly shown MMA federation on one of the major three networks.
Speaker 3:That is one thing that I will give Dana White credit for. He organized the sport. Yeah, because the problem with fighting is there's no governing body. Yeah, so that's why we don't get great boxing anymore, like the matches you want to see never happen. No one wants to damage their records, so yeah it's kind of unfortunate yes, that fight would have been amazing tank versus kimbo that would have been a brawl yeah, they, this elite xc.
Speaker 1:They were brand new. They had a partnership with cbs, which was like just a really weird deal, because you would think that they'd do better on fox with, like, the younger crowd and you know, they got the simpsons and yeah, fox is a little more lowbrow yes, not in a bad way just no, yeah. So it's just weird. It's like you got, you know, reruns of matlock and then it's next you got cage fighting. It's very, very odd followed by jag. What?
Speaker 7:yeah, it was on for like 20 years. You never met anyone that watched it.
Speaker 3:No, no, that's like a mattress store, where you're like have you ever been in a mattress store? You're like, no, why do? Why do they exist? We don't know, I know, but we all have one.
Speaker 7:Yeah, we all know they exist. So there's some weird front with Jag and mattress stores.
Speaker 3:Something's going on. Maybe that was the Weinstein tunnel of talent.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at this point Dana White and the current UFC roster guys are saying how terrible of a fighter Kimbo is, and not because they're looking to like do business with him by being like, oh, we'll challenge him to a fight. It's because they were actually nervous, because if elite xc, they actually had the opportunity to overtake the UFC because they were on an actual broadcast primetime network. Right, they were on, but UFC was on like Spike TV and pay-per-view only. Yeah, yeah. So they had to find their audience. They were being given an audience. If Kimbo succeeded, they could have taken UFC out of business, and so any chance they got Dana White and then the fighters were paid to say Kimbo Slice sucks and they really trashed them. It was just bad.
Speaker 3:Right, that is just not nice.
Speaker 7:Yeah, it's not nice. No, especially when someone works so hard. Yes, and they deserve their success.
Speaker 3:I also just don't think he's a threat.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:He's a backyard fighter, I don't know. They could have worked with him and had one big UFC. They could have gotten some money off this guy, right, well, again, yeah, some money off this guy right again. Yeah, he's perfect for the ufc because he's trainable right look at what he's like when he's not trained yeah, and even if he loses, the ufc is still going to have those. There's no refund on the ticket. Yeah, right, so yeah, I think that was a mistake by dana big time, um, but yes and no, it's.
Speaker 1:It is a crazy head that it comes to. But before then, slice's first fight was against Bo Cantrell at Elite XC Renegade. And how did Kimbo do?
Speaker 3:How did he do?
Speaker 1:He defeated Cantrell in 19 seconds, so he beat Ray Mercer in a minute. He beats Cantrell in 19 seconds by knocking the guy into next week, landing a variety of elbows and body punches, and Cantrell didn't land one punch.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:So on February 16, 2008, Slice did get his fight against Tank Abbott in the main event at Elite XC Street Certified. Oh, it's certified.
Speaker 3:Yeah, by the streets. Well, thank you. I want to thank the city council for certifying this Street. Certified, pretty cool. Yeah, got a new stop sign over there. Do you know what ever thinks about that? I'm is your city council member. No one thinks about the stop sign that I've put in, right? You ever talked to a city council member? I?
Speaker 7:you know the paint.
Speaker 3:They'll be like you know, the paint there on the side of that. I helped paint that. I put that there sign that I mean I didn't do it. I told somebody to do it. I pointed that though I'd imagine be riveting that's so interesting councilman yeah, you can't park on this side of the road on thursdays. I did that.
Speaker 1:I mean, there was legislation up there so kimbo beat tank abbott in 43 seconds whoa one of the scariest people ever, and kimbo just wiped the floor with him. No shit done pro record two, and oh, not bad. People also noticed that he was slimmer because at the fight his weight was announced at an all-time low, of 234 pounds for skin very svelte very for him?
Speaker 3:is that good or bad?
Speaker 1:uh, it could be good, it could be bad, but it lets you know he's a little bit more fit, okay, because during his street fighting days he was over 280 pounds, and that's all you know.
Speaker 7:Anabolic steroids and I wonder if you have a little more uh meat on you, if it's easier to take the punches they say no.
Speaker 3:No, apparently you're supposed to have the thing called muscle so blubber does not block I don't the pain. What the fuck? I mean, that's what. What it's bullshit. What are we doing over here? Yeah?
Speaker 1:so I've gained this way for no reason, buddy, you and me both I wanted to take a punch, but I'm gonna die like houdini yeah, on may 31st 2008, slice fought in the main event of the first ever mixed martial arts event shown on prime time network television elite xc prime time against james thompson and james thompson was huge, just giant, giant guy. During this fight, people were seeing kimbo as a human being instead of a one-man wrecking machine, because this dude, james thompson, was working on him. He was so well something that Kimbo never was and that's the crappy thing about being such an insanely tough guy that has supreme knockout power is that you never actually have to push yourself into getting good cardio conditioning because you're wrecking people in just a few seconds.
Speaker 3:And then when you hit them with a knockout punch and they don't get knocked out, that's got to be crazy. Like oh wait, what Now did you know you were supposed to fall down?
Speaker 1:Yeah, once you run into someone with an iron jaw, it's going to make life hell for you. So Thompson had just wiped the floor with him for the first two rounds.
Speaker 3:And that actually goes for porn too, Once you meet someone with an iron jaw's gonna be a rough day.
Speaker 1:Ouch, can you just lay off it a little? But his coaches, they look over and they see that thompson has the world's biggest cauliflower ear and they're like just punch that. Oh just, they're like don't, don't, let up on it, just punch the shit out of that cauliflower ear dang you ever see?
Speaker 3:ever see Resident Evil 4? Yeah, treat it like one of those, yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's exactly what Kimbo does. The third round starts, it's the final round and just a matter of seconds into the third round, kimbo punches the shit out of that ear so hard it pops like a zit.
Speaker 3:If anyone hasn't, if you want to just Google cauliflower ear busted or whatever, yeah, oh, it's something gross.
Speaker 1:Everyone from the photographers to the judges, to the spectators all got covered in blood and pus from that explosion.
Speaker 3:Wow, this is what we paid the money, this is what we paid the big bucks for.
Speaker 7:Well, don't people like watching pimples being popped? Oh, I do, yeah, so this sort of mixes genres here. That's true. You think it's an?
Speaker 3:ASMR thing. Yeah, someone taking a sip of their beer not knowing, a bunch of pus just went in it. This Natty Light tastes somehow better, is it?
Speaker 7:weird. Kimbo should have slurped it up afterwards, just to be even more animalistic.
Speaker 3:He should have gotten a contract with the afterwards. Just to be even more animalistic, he should have gotten a contract with the soda company For sure, soda pop.
Speaker 7:Yeah exactly, is Slice still around?
Speaker 3:No, I don't know, it's not. I don't think it's not I don't think so I'll do some research. Guys, don't worry about it, I'm on it. We need to know.
Speaker 1:Vanta is, I think, up there now with the premier orange soda. Yeah, and Sunkissed, I think I don't know, kiss this. Hey that's what Kimbo told him. So he followed it up with three unanswered punches to the standing Thompson, which led the referee to stop the fight in a very controversial win for Kimbo Slice.
Speaker 3:Wow, and Slice Soda is still around, whoa Wow.
Speaker 1:And Slice Soda is still around. Whoa hey, so now he's undefeated.
Speaker 7:Three wins. Controversial what? Because it was so messy.
Speaker 1:Because he was getting his ass kicked, because he was, yeah, he was getting destroyed. And then he was just like I'm going to pop your ear and then it bleeds everywhere. They can't stop the bleeding, so they then it bleeds everywhere, they can't stop the bleeding, so they call the fight. Yeah, what are you gonna do? It's the last man standing. Yeah, I mean, he was actually showing technique, right? Yeah, yeah, what can you do?
Speaker 3:place on the punches where they needed to be, placed that guy shouldn't have had so many uh cauliflower here, right so nasty, made a stir fry out of him.
Speaker 1:You know, good lord so now they need to step it up against a big name. In late 2008, Kimbo was set to fight the most dangerous man in the world Dan Severn. Ken Shamrock.
Speaker 3:Oh Ken Shamrock oh no.
Speaker 7:Ken Shamrock, yes, wow, he sounds dangerous.
Speaker 1:He sounds lucky.
Speaker 3:He is dangerous.
Speaker 7:He's a little green, though, yes.
Speaker 3:He's just like green, though. Yeah, he's just like three and a half feet tall. What am I supposed to do with this? Oh, you'll see.
Speaker 7:There was a porn star with a similar name. By the way, what Shamcock?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes indeed. So let's hear what Dana White thinks about this bout.
Speaker 6:Kimbo versus Shamrock. You're one of the first people I thought of when that fight was put together, because I could just imagine if you were flying the wall. What are your thoughts on that bout?
Speaker 5:Ken is way past his prime. It gets to the point where it's dangerous for that guy to still be fighting. That being said, he still might beat Kimbo. Kimbo sucks.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much for your time.
Speaker 3:You suck dana come on, bro, he would not let up.
Speaker 7:Not let up on it, he can be a real prick, but is that a bit of wrestling, so to speak, a little performance?
Speaker 3:I would assume so, because at this point dan and white, he just kind of got in control of the ufc. He sees everything as competition. So I would assume it's kind of kayfabe-ish. But also you take that seriously because that's the boss.
Speaker 7:But also interesting because you two started off the podcast saying you wouldn't want to insult Kimbo to his face. No, but look at Dana, he doesn't care.
Speaker 1:Well, he's not doing it to his face.
Speaker 7:Did they meet?
Speaker 1:You know they're past, Mike Cross.
Speaker 7:Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. But this fight against Ken Shamrock. It's heavily advertised, people are pumped for it, they do interviews, talk and smack back and forth, and it even gets all the way to the day before the fight to do a weigh-in.
Speaker 3:This is professional radio.
Speaker 1:So when they're supposed to square up for the pictures, you know where they put their dukes up and everybody gets the pictures. Before the big day of the fight, kimbo actually turned his back To Ken Shamrock and Shamrock shoves him and the two start to tangle up. But then the entourages get involved and every the entourages are fighting each other I love that and it's, you know, classic.
Speaker 1:But kimbo was doing it for the cameras to get some attention. Shamrock was for real because he found out just before that weigh-in that he was getting paid way less compared to kimbo. Some asshole let it slip and there was a pretty vast difference.
Speaker 3:But shamrock agreed to the amount he got yeah, also ken's gonna have a huge career in wwe. He's making millions of dollars yeah come on, let kimbo have his money exactly so.
Speaker 1:He has a dispute with the elite promotions that night, but they stand firm and say he's not getting any more money. We're locked into a contract. So on october 4th the next day, 2008, the Kimbo Slice versus Ken Shamrock fight was scheduled to take place at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, florida, as a part of CBS's Saturday Night Fights that is so crazy.
Speaker 3:This was on CBS.
Speaker 7:I know it's so weird. I don't remember CBS doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't either. It's very odd.
Speaker 7:They used to play Howard Stern reruns on Saturday nights too Did they really. They had an exploratory period where they wanted to get out of the Murder. She Wrote crowd yeah.
Speaker 1:Right. However, two hours before the fight is even supposed to take place, the stadium's already full. The event has already started. Ken Shamrock comes in being like I just got back from the hospital.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:He received a gash to his left eye during warm-ups in his hotel room. Why the fuck are you doing warm-ups in your hotel room?
Speaker 3:This has got to be a joke.
Speaker 1:They said the cut was so straight when they looked at it that it looked like as if it was done on purpose with a sharp knife or razor.
Speaker 3:He cut himself.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:So he's a cutter? Yes, I mean in pro wrestling, that's how you make yourself bleed.
Speaker 1:You get color is what they call it. Yeah, the red blood.
Speaker 3:Maybe he learned from some of his future peers.
Speaker 1:But he knew, since he just got fresh stitches, that he was not going to be allowed to fight. So that left the head of fight operations, Jeremy Lappin, to choose a replacement.
Speaker 7:And does he get to keep any of the money?
Speaker 1:Shamrock yeah no.
Speaker 7:No.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 7:So stupid, then I mean, it would have been good publicity yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, maybe he was scared.
Speaker 1:So they had options from earlier in the card. They had two guys, seth petrozzelli and aaron rosa, that they could have swapped fights and went against um, went against kimbo and then ken goes. Well, what about frank, shamrock, you want to fight frank?
Speaker 3:that's his brother.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they go no we're not fighting your brother, dude, get the fuck out of frank stallone of the shamrock. Seriously, quite literally.
Speaker 3:He was a badass. He was a badass though, yeah, frank Shamrock. Oh, okay, yeah, but he was tinier, so I don't know how that fight would have gone.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So Slice's team stated they did not want him fighting Frank, no matter what or how much money was offered to them. So Lapin decided that Petrozzelli was the best option for the main event. Petrozzelli was offered $60,000 for the fight, plus $40,000 for the win, plus an extra $20,000 if he knocked him out.
Speaker 7:That's pretty good.
Speaker 1:So $120,000 if he got a knockout win.
Speaker 7:And what's Kimbo's take home for this?
Speaker 1:He was originally scheduled to make like $200,000, but because of the delays and the controversy surrounding this, they had to find a replacement. They agreed to give him $500,000.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:Very nice. It's his biggest payout to date and for the rest of his career.
Speaker 3:Win or lose, right? Yes, guaranteed $500,000. I'll go get knocked out for $500,000. Seriously.
Speaker 1:I'd take the $1,500,000 right now. Petrozzelli defeated Slice in 14 seconds oh no.
Speaker 3:So this is kind of the mike tyson moment. Where is he ever going to come back again?
Speaker 1:yeah, so kimbo was like so on edge because they were saying you're fighting, you're not fighting, you're fighting, you're not fighting, you're getting 500 grand.
Speaker 1:Okay, now you're in there and he's like ah, he's like I thought I wasn't even going to be fighting tonight. I don't even know this guy, I don't know his technique, I've studied no tape on him. And so he gets clipped like barely in the jaw and it looks like it's a knockout. But his son went on and talked about this in depth. His front knee just kind of collapses and he goes straight to the ground. But it's because his tendons in his knee snapped at that point. So he really didn't get knocked out. He had to get knee surgery, which no one even knew about. They tried to keep it silent so that they didn't know that he was hurt. You said, kimbo's son.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay yeah, so 14 seconds into the first round he's knocked out um tko. It was such an insane turn of events and so stunning that the promotions company was actually investigated for putting on a fixed fight wow, more like tk no yeah, indeed they. But if you're really asking yourself that, why would that benefit the company?
Speaker 3:no, I at all, it wouldn't. I can't imagine anyone was happy about this.
Speaker 7:Everyone was pissed yeah, it wasn't even a good fight to watch, even yeah, it was yeah terrible.
Speaker 1:They ring the bell and it's over. Yeah, they were eventually found to have committed no wrongdoing, but the damage was done I'm sure the bookies were happy to make other arrangements oh yeah, I'm sure nobody got murdered over that seriously, why are we?
Speaker 3:there's a run on cement, yeah there's a run on cement. Yeah, there's a run on cement here at the Ace Hardware. What happened? They said they're making shoes out of them. Yeah, weird.
Speaker 1:So Elite XC had to file for bankruptcy and go under Because of this one. Yes, they lost so much money on this fight.
Speaker 7:So it all goes back to Ken Shamrock.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:I wonder if it was an inside job.
Speaker 1:So here's the rumor From Dana White.
Speaker 3:Let's get to it.
Speaker 1:Here's the rumor. Since Kenny Boy was a good old UFC boy, he actually is rumored that he did it on purpose, at Dana White's request, oh, to help sink the company once and for all. It's never been proven, but I can certainly see that as being true.
Speaker 3:Dana White definitely benefited.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mean vince mcmahon tried to do this shit to uh dana white. Like the people who are in competition want to steal, you know, your people away from you and they also want to make your people look weak.
Speaker 3:Yes, and obviously pro wrestling's different. Yeah, but what vince would do when someone was leaving the company was kind of bury them right make them look bad in the ring, give them a cornyny gimmick, and then, when they left, they're like, yeah, good riddance. So Kimbo certainly is now much weaker than before.
Speaker 7:And the entire event. You know it wasn't UFC affiliated, so just to make that look bad too.
Speaker 1:Right. Exactly because that was his competition that he was really worried about.
Speaker 7:Because like I said, they were on primetime national television CBS. That's like a stamp of approval from the masses. Yes, and that's what Dana White is yearning for.
Speaker 1:Right. And so when this happens, elite XC goes under and, all of a sudden, dana White has a change of heart. Oh, and he's like Kimbo, I'd love to offer you a UFC contract. Oh, that's sweet, but you'd have to earn it, like all the other schmucks on UFC's reality TV show, the Ultimate Fighter.
Speaker 3:Oh, you're going to do the Ultimate Fighter. I remember that show. It was a good show. Yeah, rampage Jackson yes, I remember him yeah, so they made him.
Speaker 1:You know like you want to get in on this. You yeah, so they made him. You know, like you, you want to get in on this. You got to dance, yeah. So kimbo was like all right, fine, and he was chosen number one overall by quinton rampage jackson. There he is, and even though he lost his match that you know, rampage set him up for him. He was the only one that was allowed to stay on the show and kept training seriously and, uh, eventually earned himself a contract through the ufc, even though he technically should have been eliminated for losing. Okay, and this should be like the pinnacle of his career, and in a sense it is, but this is like where the fans are, this is where money could be yeah, but you really have to stand out as a performer but is kimbo looking to get into the ufc?
Speaker 7:oh yeah, or like that's what he wants ultimately.
Speaker 1:He would love to be the heavyweight champion of the world UFC fight.
Speaker 7:I wasn't sure. Maybe he has higher aspirations, Maybe he wants to do his own league or something Well at that point there was no Jake Pauls of the world out there doing $100 million fights.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:At this point he's reached the top. If you become the heavyweight champion of the world, that is the top.
Speaker 7:That's it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but he ends up fighting six times in the UFC and goes four and two Okay, which is totally respectable.
Speaker 7:Yeah, that is.
Speaker 1:But when he lost his last fight, dana White was like that's going to be it for him.
Speaker 3:That's just the way it goes.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean that's one issue with the UFC. It's so hard to follow one of the athletes because again they can get knocked out in 10 seconds. Yeah, and then all of a sudden, they're gone and you're like what happened to that guy?
Speaker 1:Turnover rate is so high yeah.
Speaker 7:You remember when Conor McGregor fucked up his leg and it was just like oh yes. It was the biggest bummer oh.
Speaker 3:Biggest bummer. Oh yeah, Like it was just over nothing to see. If you want to have fun, also check out Andrew Silva breaking his leg in all the wrong places. That's nasty. Have you ever seen that, Alejandro you know I'm trying to think Kicks the guy and literally his toe touches the other side of his leg, and it is nasty.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like that ball that you hit on a rope and it just swings around. That. Yeah, it's like that ball that you hit on a rope and it just swings around. That's what it looks like, yep. So in August 2010, kimbo Slice, at the age of 36, announced his retirement from MMA competition to pursue a career in professional boxing.
Speaker 3:Oh, he's going with boxing, that's really not retiring Right.
Speaker 1:Well from MMA.
Speaker 7:From MMA yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Dana White did end up becoming a huge kimbo slice fan in and out. Of the ring. Nice, he was like he was. You know someone to behold in the ring and he's a. He said he's a fantastic human being, one of the nicest people he's ever met in his life I was yeah, but then he let him go, oh yeah I mean, that's just business, yeah, but I feel like kimbo could have had a career in commentary.
Speaker 1:He probably could have Right, yeah, because he was kind of a character. Right he was, and he wasn't bad on the mic. Yeah, you're right, he was like a very charismatic guy.
Speaker 2:That felt huge, just because at the time most people still kind of considered MMA like human cockfighting. Do you like punching people? Yeah, you do.
Speaker 5:Do you ever feel bad afterwards? Nah, you never do. Nah, you never. Even if a guy's like spitting out his teeth, you there.
Speaker 6:Nah, not at all, but when the fight's over with, I'll say what's up, help him out. Whatever Be like yo, you gotta go to the doctor, man, get that checked out.
Speaker 2:Kimba always had charisma. He could make you laugh. The fact that he was goofy and happy was very disarming. It's fun to see somebody who's so scary and also not scary.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I miss fat Kimmel Back when Jimmy Kimmel was Jimmy Kimmel.
Speaker 7:Yep, back when he did blackface, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Good old days. He did black body For Carl Malone. I love that deleted scene when he had sex with that 13-year-old relative. Oh gosh.
Speaker 7:Hey, I didn't do it. I never heard that one Carl.
Speaker 1:Malone, carl Malone, yeah.
Speaker 7:Oh my.
Speaker 3:God, oh, right, right, right, yeah he was quite the guy. Quite the guy, what a guy. That was a take on carl malone.
Speaker 7:that carl there's, we could do a whole thing. He also wasn't too kind to magic johnson?
Speaker 3:no, he was. He's kind of an ass. Yeah, from what I've heard, I don't know, maybe, maybe it's all lies yeah, just from everything I've ever read or heard about him, yes, so instead of going into commentary, he did go into boxing and that's really probably what he should have done from the start.
Speaker 1:He said I want to see what it's like to break some ribs, break a jaw with one punch. This is a career move. I love fighting, I like to knock people the fuck out. I love engaging. Maybe some people think I'm crazy.
Speaker 3:Find your passion. You know, if you do what you love for a living, you don't work a day in your life. That's really good. I've always wanted to break somebody's ribs.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I mean, that's who should be boxing this person that thinks this way. I never woke up and thought that hey. I'd like to knock someone's lights out today. It's not great when you're applying for a job at 7-Eleven Right, although maybe it is who knows, these days in North Hollywood it would help to have some boxing skills.
Speaker 1:So what do you like to do, sir? I like to knock people the fuck out. So funny.
Speaker 3:You say that I was getting us our beverages before the show, our energy drink, yes, and somebody just walked into the 7-Eleven, stole a bag of chips and walked out and the guy was like, what do you want me to do? Chase him. Oh man, apparently you can just do that now I was unaware that is so rude? Yes, very rude.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he makes his pro boxing debut August 13th of 2011. He fights a 39-year-old, james Wade, at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, not Florida, oklahoma.
Speaker 7:Oh wait.
Speaker 1:What a twist there's a Miami Oklahoma.
Speaker 3:Baby, we're going to Miami, Oklahoma.
Speaker 1:Oh shit, there's $30 tickets to Miami.
Speaker 3:You promised me a life in Miami, harold. We're here, oklahoma, miami.
Speaker 1:Oklahoma. He won the fight in 10 seconds.
Speaker 3:All right, he's back baby, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then he keeps going. He ends up. After all is said and done ends up 7-0.
Speaker 3:Okay, At 30,. What 7?
Speaker 7:Yeah, that's not so bad.
Speaker 1:That's amazing yeah uh, yeah, that's not so bad, that's amazing yeah so he ended up you know in uh 2013 retiring with the record of 7-0. Six ko's not bad.
Speaker 3:Go out on top come on, I love that for him but he was not done.
Speaker 1:In june 2014, it was reported that he had signed a contract to fight with Bellator MMA.
Speaker 7:That's his full name.
Speaker 3:No, it's the company he's not fighting. Bellator MMA.
Speaker 7:It sounds like a person. No, it's like the UFC. I am Bellator.
Speaker 3:Sir, can you pull your pants up please? Ah yes, bellator pants fall down. Yes, sir, can you pull your pants up please? Ah yes, bellator pants fall down.
Speaker 1:On January 16, 2015, nearly five years since his retirement and more than two years after an absence from combat sports, Bellator announced that they had signed Slice to a multi-fight deal. And he goes in. And who is the first person he fights? He's not getting away with it this time. Shamrock, Ken, Shamrock All right, let's go.
Speaker 7:Time to turn this guy into a shake. You know what I mean?
Speaker 3:I love that Make him green.
Speaker 1:Oh, let's see. He was so pissed about his first fight and what he did to him Made him look like a schmuck Fucking, made him lose in 14 seconds that Kimbo was like hey, I'm gonna beat your ass, all right I love the dude wipes on his
Speaker 3:ass, but he's just not able to put.
Speaker 1:So he's in a choke right now, and ken shamrock is like the king of submissions once you're in, you're not getting out. And uh, let's see what he does here he's still with it.
Speaker 7:saw that arm drop but he's still with it.
Speaker 2:shamrock full, full commitment but has crossed his angles, lost both hooks, still deep still tight, but if Ken doesn't get this, will he have any arm strength left?
Speaker 4:And Kimbo's out.
Speaker 1:Uh-oh, oh, to his feet and unloading with the right hand Make me look like an asshole. It was all ken shamrock, buh-bye. All he sees is the boston pd in his eyes, yeah, and he's shaved his chest like uh, lesnar, oh, I love it like the sword. Okay, so he ends up knocking out Ken Shamrock, wow.
Speaker 3:Sweet revenge.
Speaker 1:Oh, that has got to be the tastiest revenge.
Speaker 7:And great for dude wipes because it sponsors right on his ass the whole time.
Speaker 3:That's where you use it.
Speaker 1:Dude, wipe him off the floor.
Speaker 7:That's brilliant.
Speaker 1:Dude, where's my wipes?
Speaker 7:What a comeback, what a great ending to that fight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, On February 19, 2016, at Bellator 149, Slice went up against this dude Dada5000.
Speaker 3:Is this a person? He's a product. Okay, that is a person. That's not a company. I don't know. Actually I'm with you. I have no idea, Dada5000 sounds like a special needs robot. Yeah, we got the Dada 5000. It mostly throws our spoons on the wall. It kind of fucks with our forks.
Speaker 1:They faced off because they were both products of the South Miami backyard brawler scene.
Speaker 7:The Florida Miami.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, exactly In the first round. Both these guys got so tired immediately.
Speaker 3:Dada 5000 power ring down.
Speaker 7:Losing power. Plug me in.
Speaker 1:Plug me in. Even though Slice. He ended up getting a TKO because Dada 5000 collapsed from exhaustion. Dada went bye-bye. Following the bout, it was reported that Slice had failed his pre-fight drug test and lab results found traces of anabolic steroids.
Speaker 3:Oh, please, traces Come on.
Speaker 7:Let the guy be who isn't on steroids.
Speaker 1:He had an elevated testosterone level, with a ratio of 6.4 to 1, which is above the maximum allowed limit of 4 to 1.
Speaker 3:Whatever?
Speaker 1:So that took his. The Texas Athletic Commission fined him and revoked his license, and they also changed the bout to a no contest.
Speaker 3:Oh so yeah it's not the biggest issue in texas.
Speaker 1:Let kimbo fight yep, and it was a shitty fight. No one liked it, but the fight attracted 2.5 million view, 2.5 million viewing households, breaking the record of 2.4 million set by kimbo and Shamrock.
Speaker 3:Wow, this guy sells.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So in his Swan song he wanted to go out in style. So in April 2016, bellator announced on ESPN SportsCenter that Slice would have a rematch against James Thompson, the guy with the cauliflower earring.
Speaker 7:Yes, I remember him.
Speaker 1:In the main event of Bellator 158, which would take place on july 16th 2016 at london's o2 arena I paid 1500 for the splash row.
Speaker 3:Let's go. I want to get some of that ear pus on me, yeah they bring balls to fill with parts of the cauliflower.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you think he would just wear something over it this time. Oh you can't really cover it up.
Speaker 3:I don't think you're allowed to.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I don't know if they allow headgear or like a fake ear.
Speaker 3:Basically what he has.
Speaker 7:Do you think that Mike Tyson thought that Evander Holyfield's ear was made of cauliflower that night?
Speaker 3:And that's why he tried to take a big old chunk out of it.
Speaker 7:I'm a vegan, hungry.
Speaker 3:Can't even imagine biting into the puff pastry that is cauliflower ear. I'm starving. Pop it in your mouth, yes.
Speaker 7:Put it in my mouth.
Speaker 3:All right, my God, I'm disgusted.
Speaker 7:I have trouble biting the hot pockets.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, uh, messy but in june of 2016 there were some complications here on the flight home the plane almost made an emergency landing for him.
Speaker 4:I think his heart might have stopped. They land the ambulance and everybody was actually there and we started hearing he needs a heart transplant. You know, I thought we'd let the weekend go by, but he called me on Sunday and it was the first time he ever said this to me and I could hear it in his voice. He said you know, mike, he was, he would. He was like. You know, I'm scared. I never heard his voice say that and you know I never heard him say that he was scared oh yeah, so he had a heart attack on the plane.
Speaker 1:Yes, and so they found um a number of different things. He had heart damage. So when you take steroids for that long, um steroids they obviously make your muscles bigger, but they don't. They can't tell the difference between your heart muscles and your actual muscles. So your heart will get bigger and then it will start like collapsing in on itself. That's how a lot of wrestlers have died.
Speaker 7:A lot of athletes have died because your heart gets too big and starts not being able to do the work that it used to be able to do I see, and isn't it a lot of strain on the heart oh yeah, everything going on around it yes so maybe that's what happened with the grinch yeah, he had congestive heart failure yeah, he was just starting to juice he may have had a good christmas, but I'm not sure he was alive by new year's.
Speaker 1:No, right, right yeah, so he was uh diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Uh, like he said they, they were talking about a heart transplant, but it was not um very long that he lived. After this admission to the hospital, it happened. The admission was june 3rd 2016 and he was dead on june 6th wow, at the age of 42 they couldn't have done it sooner, like it wasn't, like we need to do this right now.
Speaker 1:Well, you need a donor, of course yeah, exactly, you need somebody to do it, but then you also need to be put on a list, and right. Yeah, yeah, I just wasn't sure.
Speaker 7:In those situations where they know they need it this second, yeah, if there's anything that can be done but then they take into consideration age and what you've done to end up in this position.
Speaker 3:I think they should have had him be able to fight somebody and take his heart out.
Speaker 1:Just some 80-year-old lady beating the shit out of her.
Speaker 3:I don't know. If he wants that heart, he needs a fresh one.
Speaker 1:It might be better than the one he had, though, oh that's true, oh boy, yeah, it's really brutal. So he was only 42 years old, which is a baby.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's so much younger than I thought he was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, he just looked like such a big man for so long because he had so much testosterone going through his veins. An autopsy also revealed that he had a mass on his liver, so it is just.
Speaker 7:There was a lot going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 7:Exactly so it is, just there's a lot going on. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's a tough life, not to mention aside from the steroids. I can't imagine taking that many punches right in your life. Is that great for you?
Speaker 1:can't be that good. No, can't be definitely not. But he seemed like he was with it for the most part because he wasn't taking a lot of punches, like he was the one delivering.
Speaker 3:That's what they say with ufc fighters as opposed to boxers, because there are so many different ways to win and lose a fight. Taking a lot of punches, he was the one delivering. That's what they say with UFC fighters as opposed to boxers, because there are so many different ways to win and lose a fight. They don't have as much CTE. I'm sure it still exists.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the people who do slap fights. Oh, my God, that's another Dana White frigging joint.
Speaker 3:I don't get that one. I'll never understand it. He loves it.
Speaker 7:I just never understand it he loves it, I just fucking hate it.
Speaker 3:Kyle was showing me some best of clips the other day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's shocking it's, it's a pretty one note.
Speaker 3:Yeah, once you see one you're just like I see, then he gets.
Speaker 1:That happens again and yeah, those guys are gonna get cte before the ufc fighters they have to already have it just to even want to do it for like five thousand dollars.
Speaker 7:That's the prize yeah, it's trash just one time. It seems like it could give you a lot of damage. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So the CEO of Bellator said we're all shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family. Dada5000 said that Kimbo showed the world that a guy from the backyard circuit can make it in professional sports and do the impossible.
Speaker 3:There, and that's coming from Dada5000.
Speaker 1:Goddamn right, goddamn right.
Speaker 7:You don't just throw compliments around.
Speaker 3:No, he doesn't. That's not a Roomba, that's my wife. Dada5000 has spoken.
Speaker 1:So I mean, that really is you know?
Speaker 7:What a legacy.
Speaker 1:Absolutely RIP.
Speaker 7:That brings us to Final.
Speaker 4:Thoughts.
Speaker 3:I'm going to go with. My final thought is RIP Kimbo Slice. And, yeah, he really put, he brought fighting to the next level and I appreciate him for that because I like the UFC brought fighting to the next level, and I appreciate him for that because I like the ufc and, um, yeah, talk about just someone who really probably had very little chance for success and he did it yeah, yeah, this, uh, this life, uh, you don't choose this life, this life choose you.
Speaker 1:Um, this he's actually done the impossible Going literally from backyard fights and becoming so famous that nobody could deny him after. That is very impressive, and I think that is the lasting impact that he's going to have on me anyway that you can take it from the backyard and take it to the big time.
Speaker 7:And in multiple arenasc and boxing boxing street fighting. Yeah, and also you said it chooses you. That's so true with him, like he was told, like you'd be good at this. Yep, you know he was scouted in a way right and just you know and it's knocked it out of the park.
Speaker 3:He would only be 50-some years old.
Speaker 1:Jeez yeah.
Speaker 3:He'd still be a baby. Could have been a commentator, he would have been great too.
Speaker 7:He would have been a great commentator. Gosh, a character somewhere, Probably a good actor too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he did make his acting debut in a holiday special of Drake and Josh.
Speaker 4:Oh.
Speaker 1:And then he was in like a fighting movie called like blood and bone or something oh, that's what you want there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, blood and bone and drake and josh both the bees.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I think something bad happened to those kids I don't know nothing controversial about nickelodeon or drake and josh yes not at all well ripice.
Speaker 1:Yes, and do you hear that You've got mail? Hey, we got some mail in the mail bag.
Speaker 7:Yay.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 7:Kyla Sanders says episode 158, hotel room 158.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what does it mean Selena's? Last words were 158, and it ended up being the number of the episode, which is pretty crazy.
Speaker 3:It's like a sign yes, absolutely, we got Dan. He says my favorite new true crime podcast. Glad to hear Ben again. Missed you, bud. Oh, yes, indeed, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I wanted to give a shout out to Marcy and Tulsa because she did leave this a little bit ago and we haven't read it yet. She loved the David Lynch Epps Said I'm enjoying listening to the show Evolve into what it's going to be with the two of you and Ben, especially the David Lynch two-parter. It was good and I learned more about David more than I ever knew. Touched my heart because I lost my wife who was always a big fan, and I didn't really get it.
Speaker 7:Love you guys oh wow, that is yes, that's powerful.
Speaker 3:David Lynch lives forever. Yes, so does.
Speaker 1:Kimbo Slice. Yes, and we love you right back, marcy, so thank you guys so much for listening Another episode down.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you all so much for listening. We'll be back next week and don't forget check out OK Bud and the Patreon, patreoncom slash diebud. You can watch the show and comment live.
Speaker 7:All right, hail yourselves and until next week, don't go dying on us.
Speaker 4:You have just heard a true hollywood murder mystery I have never seen anything like this before the movies, broadway, music, television, all of it a place that manufactures nightmares okay, everybody, that's a wrap
Speaker 3:good night. Please drive home carefully and come back again soon.