‘Baby Slice’ Promises To Continue His Late Father’s Legacy

The son of late-great mixed martial artist (MMA) Kimbo Slice, Kevin Ferguson Jr., is ready to make his own debut in the sport of MMA in the same promotion his father competed in, Bellator. Ferguson has been set to make his debut in Bellator on multiple occasions now, however, a string of issues involving his

The post ‘Baby Slice’ Promises To Continue His Late Father’s Legacy appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The son of late-great mixed martial artist (MMA) Kimbo Slice, Kevin Ferguson Jr., is ready to make his own debut in the sport of MMA in the same promotion his father competed in, Bellator.

Ferguson has been set to make his debut in Bellator on multiple occasions now, however, a string of issues involving his opponents have kept him out of the cage.

‘Baby Slice’ recently joined Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting on The MMA Hour last week to discuss his journey in the sport, stating he is taking it a lot more seriously after his father’s untimely death earlier this year:

“I take it more serious now,” Ferguson Jr. said. “It means a lot more to me now. At this point, it’s not even about the money or about the fame. It’s just about continuing the legacy. That’s my goal now, is to just continue the legacy and take the Slice name to the next level. To show the new Slice.”

While the situation of Ferguson’s debut being put off multiple times now is certainly a frustrating one for the young welterweight, he continues to keep a positive mindset about the situation as he promises it will only give him longer to sharpen his tools inside the cage:

“I’m gonna be more prepared, I’m gonna have more cardio, more technique, more power,” he said. “My skills are just gonna get better. I just feel bad for my opponent, whoever the guy is. He’s gonna get hurt in there.”

Although his father was very famous in the fight game at the time of his start in the amateur ranks in MMA, he refused to ask for help as he wanted to pave his own path in his journey to the big leagues:

“I didn’t ask for any help,” he said. “I wanted to show these guys that I was serious about it and this is something that I really wanted to do and that’s what I did. Now I have all the help that I need. I have all the right guys in my corner.”

Ferguson admits fighting is something that he has always wanted to pursue, as it is simply in his blood. He was reluctant to go to school as he would rather focus on training for a career in fighting, but out of respect to his father’s wishes he went to college where he studied photography:

Kevin Ferguson Jr.

“I’ve always wanted to be a fighter,” Ferguson said. “I didn’t want to go to school. I didn’t even want to go to high school honestly, I just wanted to be in the gym and fight.”

Due to Ferguson being the son of one of the most famous fighters to ever lace up a pair of gloves, many young talents are calling out the new pro to throw down inside the cage, something the 24-year-old welcomes with open arms:

“All these guys calling me out, I want them to call me out,” Ferguson Jr. said. “I want them to think they could step in the ring with me and step in the cage with me and step in the cage with me, because then they’re gonna be in for a rude awakening. I’ve been doing this for a while. I’m just ready to showcase my skills and let the world know.

“It’s really no pressure with [Kimbo Slice] being my father. It’s just more eyes on me. I got a bigger fanbase now because of him. All his fans are my fans.”

You can check out Ferguson’s full interview in the video player below:

The post ‘Baby Slice’ Promises To Continue His Late Father’s Legacy appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Bellator 162 To Feature Pro MMA Debut Of Kimbo Slice’s Son “Baby Slice”

kevin-ferguson-jr

On Monday, Bellator MMA officials announced the official debut of “Baby Slice,” the son of the late MMA superstar Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson.

Below is the official press release the promotion issued today with all of the details on Baby Slice’s debut, which takes place at the promotion’s Bellator 162 fight card.

PROFESSIONAL DEBUT OF ‘BABY SLICE’ SET TO ANCHOR PRELIMINARY PORTION OF ‘BELLATOR 162’ IN MEMPHIS ON OCT. 21

CHASE GORMLEY, JULIA BUDD, DAN CHARLES, & VIRGIL ZWICKER ALSO BACK IN ACTION

COMPLETE ‘BELLATOR 162’ CARD BELOW

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (September 26, 2016) – The preliminary portion of “Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove” at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Oct. 21 is official and amongst the 12 new additions, there is plenty of action to be consumed during the Bellator.com-streamed card.

Notably, the professional mixed martial arts debut of “Baby Slice” will finally take place, when the 24-year-old returns from injury to meet Rick Bing, who also will be lacing up the gloves for the first time as a pro. In addition, Steve Garcia (6-1) will face Ronnie Lawrence (1-0), Julia Budd (8-2) also returns from injury to face Arlene Blencowe (7-5), heavyweights Chase Gormley (13-5) and Bobby Brents (17-5) collide, and 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide National Champion Eryk Anders (4-0) takes on Brian White (5-4).

The completed preliminary portion joins a stacked main card highlighted by a middleweight main event pitting former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko (53-9) against Kendall Grove (23-15). In addition, former WWE competitor Bobby Lashley (14-2) and Josh Appelt (12-5) prepare to square off in a heavyweight co-main event, while a middleweight tilt between Hisaki Kato (6-2) and A.J. Matthews (8-5) is also set for the SPIKE-televised main card. Lastly, Goiti Yamauchi (19-3) and Ryan Couture (10-4) will face-off in a lightweight feature fight.

Tickets for the event are on sale now at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster or FedExForum Box Office. Main card action kicks off LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while prelims streams live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.

See below for the complete listing of “Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove” tilts, which amounts to 16 action packed bouts.

Complete “Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove” Main Card:
Middleweight Main Event: Alexander Shlemenko (53-9) vs. Kendall Grove (23-15)
Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Bobby Lashley (14-2) vs. Josh Appelt (12-5)
Middleweight Feature Bout: Hisaki Kato (6-2) vs. A.J. Matthews (8-5)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (19-3) vs. Ryan Couture (10-4)

Complete Bellator.com-Streamed Preliminary Card:
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Baby Slice (Debut) vs. Rick Bing (Debut)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Ricky Rainey (11-4) vs. Gilbert Smith (12-5)
Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Steve Garcia (6-1) vs. Ronnie Lawrence (1-0)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Chase Gormley (13-5, 1 NC) vs. Bobby Brents (17-5)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Julia Budd (8-2) vs. Arlene Blencowe (7-5)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Dan Charles (10-3-1) vs. Virgil Zwicker (14-5-1)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Tyler Hill (6-0) vs. Wade Johnson (10-1)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jonathan Burdine (4-4) vs. James Wallace (1-0)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Eryk Anders (4-0) vs. Brian White (5-4)
Catchweight (160 lb.) Preliminary Bout: Jaleel Willis (6-0) vs. Omar Johnson (4-0)
Light Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Chad Cook (10-10) vs. Grady Hurley (9-1)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Wessell (14-8) vs. Frank Tate (4-1)

kevin-ferguson-jr

On Monday, Bellator MMA officials announced the official debut of “Baby Slice,” the son of the late MMA superstar Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson.

Below is the official press release the promotion issued today with all of the details on Baby Slice’s debut, which takes place at the promotion’s Bellator 162 fight card.

PROFESSIONAL DEBUT OF ‘BABY SLICE’ SET TO ANCHOR PRELIMINARY PORTION OF ‘BELLATOR 162’ IN MEMPHIS ON OCT. 21

CHASE GORMLEY, JULIA BUDD, DAN CHARLES, & VIRGIL ZWICKER ALSO BACK IN ACTION

COMPLETE ‘BELLATOR 162’ CARD BELOW

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (September 26, 2016) – The preliminary portion of “Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove” at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Oct. 21 is official and amongst the 12 new additions, there is plenty of action to be consumed during the Bellator.com-streamed card.

Notably, the professional mixed martial arts debut of “Baby Slice” will finally take place, when the 24-year-old returns from injury to meet Rick Bing, who also will be lacing up the gloves for the first time as a pro. In addition, Steve Garcia (6-1) will face Ronnie Lawrence (1-0), Julia Budd (8-2) also returns from injury to face Arlene Blencowe (7-5), heavyweights Chase Gormley (13-5) and Bobby Brents (17-5) collide, and 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide National Champion Eryk Anders (4-0) takes on Brian White (5-4).

The completed preliminary portion joins a stacked main card highlighted by a middleweight main event pitting former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko (53-9) against Kendall Grove (23-15). In addition, former WWE competitor Bobby Lashley (14-2) and Josh Appelt (12-5) prepare to square off in a heavyweight co-main event, while a middleweight tilt between Hisaki Kato (6-2) and A.J. Matthews (8-5) is also set for the SPIKE-televised main card. Lastly, Goiti Yamauchi (19-3) and Ryan Couture (10-4) will face-off in a lightweight feature fight.

Tickets for the event are on sale now at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster or FedExForum Box Office. Main card action kicks off LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while prelims streams live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.

See below for the complete listing of “Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove” tilts, which amounts to 16 action packed bouts.

Complete “Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove” Main Card:
Middleweight Main Event: Alexander Shlemenko (53-9) vs. Kendall Grove (23-15)
Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Bobby Lashley (14-2) vs. Josh Appelt (12-5)
Middleweight Feature Bout: Hisaki Kato (6-2) vs. A.J. Matthews (8-5)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (19-3) vs. Ryan Couture (10-4)

Complete Bellator.com-Streamed Preliminary Card:
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Baby Slice (Debut) vs. Rick Bing (Debut)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Ricky Rainey (11-4) vs. Gilbert Smith (12-5)
Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Steve Garcia (6-1) vs. Ronnie Lawrence (1-0)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Chase Gormley (13-5, 1 NC) vs. Bobby Brents (17-5)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Julia Budd (8-2) vs. Arlene Blencowe (7-5)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Dan Charles (10-3-1) vs. Virgil Zwicker (14-5-1)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Tyler Hill (6-0) vs. Wade Johnson (10-1)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jonathan Burdine (4-4) vs. James Wallace (1-0)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Eryk Anders (4-0) vs. Brian White (5-4)
Catchweight (160 lb.) Preliminary Bout: Jaleel Willis (6-0) vs. Omar Johnson (4-0)
Light Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Chad Cook (10-10) vs. Grady Hurley (9-1)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Wessell (14-8) vs. Frank Tate (4-1)