After two rounds of little offense, Kimbo Slice survived a battle of fatigue against Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris on Friday night in Houston at Bellator 149, winning by TKO in the third round.
For two-and-a-half rounds, a fight that was billed between two high school friends turned into a battle determined by who could stay on his feet the longest. After a slam by Slice in the first round, the connected punches were at a minimum.
Dada 5000 went down on the canvas without being touched, ending the fight with three minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the third round, via Barstool Sports:
Slice moved to 6-2, handing Dada 5000 his first MMA loss in his Bellator debut. Ben Fowlkes of USA Today questioned why Slice was still an active fighter:
Here’s a round-by-round fight breakdown.
First Round
Slice came out as the aggressor, trying to go for the face early. Dada 5000 kicked his way toward separation before lunging at Slice. With ease, Slice picked up his former bodyguard and slammed him with force.
Despite the takedown looking routine, it’s not often Slice gets the advantage in this regard, as Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report pointed out:
For the next two minutes, the fight turned to who could get the advantage on the ground. No punches were thrown, and no holds were applied. The Houston crowd filled the Toyota Center with boos, as both heavyweights looked gassed toward the end of the first round.
Due to the lack of offense, the slam by Slice was the key heading into the second round as he seemed to win Round 1 easily.
Second Round
With boos continuing to echo louder, Slice and Dada 5000 tried to go for the knockout blow, but they were both beyond fatigued.
They looked lethargic and failed to land any convincing shots. Toward the end of the second round, the heavyweights were swinging at air and not connecting on any punches. UFC featherweight fighter Cub Swanson could easily pinpoint the talent gap between trained MMA fighters and street fighters:
WSOF fighter Joao Zeferino thought this fight failed to live up to the billing:
Much like the first round, both fighters tried to be the offensive enforcers while on the ground, but it was to no avail. Both fighters looked fatigued and appeared to not have much leg strength. Heading into the final round, they would have to come out giving all they had left, which may not have been much.
Third Round
Slice was the aggressor in the third round, but he continued to miss the mark on Dada 5000. After landing a couple of jabs, Dada 5000 appeared on his last legs. Finally, Harris fell to the floor, and the referee called for the bell.
The tale of the tape noted a 25-pound difference between the two fighters (Dada 5000 at 257 pounds, with Slice weighing in at 232), which could have possibly played a factor, as Todd Grisham of ESPN jokingly thought:
It got to the point where athletes thought this fight was comical, like Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams:
The fight turned out to be a disappointment, but a win is a win. Seeing how Slice defeated Ken Shamrock in his previous fight, it’s difficult to see how he struggled so heavily against Dada 5000. But Slice got the win, and that six in the win column is what matters.
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