People called it a freakshow. They called it a bum fight. They called it… well, they called it the co-main event of Bellator 149 last night (Friday, Feb. 19, 2016) from inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The lead up to the event was marred with a bizarre series of exchanges between Slice and Dada 5000, whose real name is Dhafir Harris, culminating in an accusation that the latter fighter has “baby nuts”, a statement that went mildly viral.
Despite the massive shift in betting odds late, people expected the fight to be lopsided. It was anything but as both men gassed out, making it more of a “last man standing” endurance test than a fight.
The men began the fight with no touch of gloves to symbolize their hostility for one another. Slice took the center of the cage and led with an overhand right before Harris panicked and rushed at his opponent, getting taken down easily.
Slice moved into full mount 40 seconds into the fight and struggled to find his balance before landing body shots while Harris hung on for dear life, apparently unsure as to how to escape. Harris finally found a way to escape after a full two minutes of mount and the two got back to their feet.
When the two were separated from the fence with 1:30 left in the round, Slice looked wobbly and exhausted on his feet. Still, it was nothing that wild swinging for the fences couldn’t fix. The first round ended without anybody really knowing who won the mess we witnessed.
Slice started the second round with a leaping left hook but soon found himself covering up from a withering attack by Harris, forcing a takedown by Slice.
After some ground and pound, Slice surprisingly let “Dada 5000” back up and the two traded haymakers before the fight went back to the mat. “Big” John McCarthy stood them up with 2:40 left in the round, but Harris struggled to find his feet.
Sensing weakness, Slice landed some heavy shots but at the end of the exchange both men looked ready to take a dirt nap. McCarthy once again forced separation as the two men began running out of steam.
As the seconds ticked away in the second round, Harris literally rolled over in complete exhaustion, allowing Slice to get the full mount. Amazingly, in what might be an MMA first, McCarthy stood Kimbo up from a full mounted position.
The round ended with both men looking ready for an oxygen tent.
Both fighters needed to be helped off the stool just to start the third, but once the two met in the middle of the cage they seemed to remember how to punch. Harris backed Slice up against the cage with a series of punches, forcing yet another separation.
Eventually, Harris collapsed, not from punches, but exhaustion, handing Slice the TKO stoppage at 1:32 into the third.
Painful. Surreal. It really happened.
For full results from Bellator 149 including play-by-play updates and commentary click here.