Kevin Ferguson (born February 8, 1974), better known as Kimbo Slice, is a Bahamian-American boxer, mixed martial artist and occasional actor. Ferguson was raised with his two brothers by mother Rosemary Clarke. Kimbo still maintains close ties with Reality Kings who now accompany him, as his fight entourage, under the name Team Kimbo. in 2002, he was charged for carrying a concealed weapon and in 2003, he began his career in unsanctioned street fights. 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.

He went to Bel-Air Elementary School, where Ferguson was reportedly involved in his first fight at 13 as he tried to defend a friend. 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. 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. 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 by repeatedly taking down Slice and grounding and pounding. On October 4, 2008, a Kimbo Slice vs. So Lappen decided that Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. However, Petruzelli retracted this statement a few hours later, claiming in a follow-up interview with MMA website FiveOuncesofPain.com that his previous comments on The Monsters had been misinterpreted. 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.