Kimbo Slice will fight legally for the first time on June 23

[bigboydan]

MMA News: Kimbo Slice vs Ray Mercer Odds Up in Bodog Sportsbook
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007


Kimbo Slice will fight legally for the first time on June 23 (Video Courtesy of Youtube.com)


Generally, mixed martial arts fighters don’t like being compared to street fighters. MMA takes skill. It’s a sport for professional athletes in prime physical condition. Street fighting is for bums and slobs. There’s no such thing as a “professional street fighter”.

Unless, of course, you are Kimbo Slice (0-0-0).

Standing 6-2 and weighing 260 pounds, Slice, AKA Kevin Ferguson, is a professional street fighter from Miami, Florida. Sure, his name sounds like a soft-drink but he’s a man to be taken seriously, especially if you are facing him in a bare-knuckle slug-fest in somebody’s backyard.

Although he has never had an MMA fight, Slice has become infamous among fans thanks to videos of his street fights that have been released onto the internet. The following record is posted on wikipedia.org:

Opponent Height Weight Fight Winner
(Big D) 6′1" 270 #1 Slice
Rasta (Dreads) 6′0" 240 #2 Slice
Sean Gannon 6′3 295 #3 Gannon
Afro Puff 6′5" 300 #4 Slice
Big Mac 5′11" 300 #5 Slice
Adryan 6′1" 240 #6 Slice
The Bouncer 6′3" 300 #7 Slice
Chico 6′4" 240 #8 Slice



Slice’s one loss came at the hands of Sean Gannon (1-1-0) a police officer from Boston, Massachusetts who, after defeating Kimbo, was given a shot in the UFC where he was beaten badly by Branden Lee Hinkle (12-9-0)

June 23 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Slice will make his professional MMA debut against former world champion boxer Ray Mercer (0-0-0). Slice is the favorite to win in the Bodog Sportsbook, enjoying a line of -205. Mercer is the underdog at +165.

In an interview with touchgloves.com, Slice explained his strategy. “I’m gonna bang it out,” he said. “He wants to bang, we are gonna bang.”

Card for Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, June 23 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Kimbo Slice (-205) vs. Ray Mercer (+165)
Josh Rhodes vs. Noah Inhofer
Devidas Taurosevicius vs. Kevin Roddy
Gregor Gracie vs. Josh Lydell
Dante Rivera vs. Alexis Aquino
Mike Varner vs. Nick Serra
Jim Miller vs. Anthony Morrison
Nick Catone vs. John Howard
Doug Gordon vs. Lyman Good
Brian DeMuro vs. Al Buck
Wager on mixed martial arts in the Bodog Sportsbook.

See more MMA fights every week with Bodog Fight on ION TV or on The Fight Network.

[bigboydan]

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[goldengoat]

kimbo will not stand and trade long with mercer or else he will get ko'd

he will try to take him down

[bigboydan]

Heres a press release on this fight guys

Mercer vs. Kimbo
06/19/2007

Press Release

The Cage Fury Fighting Championship might not be a household name like the UFC but they are hosting a fight this weekend that is sure to peak the interests of all fight fans. Ray Mercer has an extremely impressive resume which includes an Olympic gold medal and a WBO World Heavyweight Title. Over the years, Mercer has fought some of the best heavyweights of our times including: Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko. With his professional boxing career behind him, Mercer has decided to take a crack at the world’s fastest growing sport: Mixed Martial Arts. Mercer’s opponent is a menacing looking man that goes by the name Kimbo Slice. Although Kimbo might not be a household name like the fighters listed above, he has developed a cult like following due to his bare knuckle fights on YouTube. Any quick search of YouTube will list various backyard fights against untrained and overweight bouncer types that go by the names “Afro Puff”, “Dreads” and “Big Mac”. Although these fights weren’t sanctioned by any governing body, you can definitely witness Kimbo’s raw ability and power. Kimbo is also new to the MMA world and has never displayed any type of ground game in any of his fights. It should be noted that back in 2003 he squared off against a MMA trained fighter by the name of Sean Gannon who later fought in the UFC. Gannon definitely got the better of Kimbo in this brawl although Kimbo’s team argued that Gannon used knee strikes and a guillotine choke; two moves that supposedly weren’t agreed upon.

Since both fighters are basically unknowns on the ground and come from extremely different backgrounds, it will be very interesting to see how this fight goes. Although Kimbo is extremely powerful and only 31 years old compared to Mercer’s 46, you have to give the stand up advantage to Mercer. The ex-champ was always known for his heavy hands and rock solid chin. Of course you can’t discount the fact that he is a trained boxer. This alone gives him a clear advantage while the fighters are on their feet. Kimbo will most likely try to take this fight to the mat as quick as possible. Because both fighters are extremely unproven, who knows what will happen once on the ground. Kimbo has been training with MMA veteran Bas Rutten. Mercer, on the other hand, reportedly has been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and supposedly has some type of background in wrestling.

When handicapping this fight, don’t forget to factor in who might want this fight more. In 2005 Mercer fought in a kickboxing fight against Remy Bonjasky where he quit after being kicked in the head. For this reason and the age difference, Kimbo has been placed as the favorite in this bout. You might be able to question Kimbo’s technical skills and experience but there is no way you can his heart and desire.

To bet on this fight and all of the other upcoming MMA fights, log on now to Sportsbook.com. The first in the industry to host MMA and offer odds, Sportsbook.com is the place to cash in on Kimbo vs. Mercer.

Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5

Ray Mercer +155 vs. Kimbo Slice -185

[bigboydan]

Checkout some Kimbo Slice training Grappling Techniques

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[BatemanPatrickl]

Sean Gannon took that asshole down and his boys had to jump in when the knees and chokeholds weren't to their liking. If you are a street fighter, anything goes!

I hate Bimbo and hope he gets his ass handed to him.

[bigboydan]

I still think Kimbo will win this match BatemanPatrickl.

[BatemanPatrickl]

I still think Kimbo will win this match BatemanPatrickl.

I don't know man. Fighting trained athletes is different than fighting slobs on the street.

[moses millsap]

It's a joke that this is a PPV event.

[bigboydan]

It's a joke that this is a PPV event.

I know you'll end up watching it though even despite the so called "price"