On Friday, Bellator 149 saw the historic return of Royce Gracie facing Ken Shamrock in a rubber match. Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 faced off in the co-main event in a clash of two well known street fighters. The event had mixed reactions and even a controversy of the main event where Royce Gracie won by 1st round TKO. Allegedly, Ken Shamrock was kneed in the groin before he was knocked out before the referee could even see it.
But the main focal point that should be discussed is Dada 5000 and the heart failure he suffered after his loss to Kimbo Slice. According to numerous reports and confirmed by Bellator, Dada 5000 was taken out of the cage in a stretcher after he lost due to exhaustion.
He had severe dehydration and high levels of Potassium after the bout. Dhafir Harris’s family put out a statement that suggested that his extreme weight cut could have been the culprit for his heart failure. Harris is in stable condition now but this is a serious wakeup call for Bellator.
Scott Coker has made no secret that he wants to put on fights that fans want to see.
“We want to put on the most entertaining events possible for you,” Coker said in an open letter to fans. “Our goal is to make every Bellator event big.”
Coker has gone out to make fan favorite fights such as Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock and “King Mo” vs. Rampage Jackson. But Friday saw what happens when things do not go the way they should have.
Dada 5000 had no place to be fighting in a sanctioned MMA fight. His last fight was five years ago and is mostly known for his street fighting credentials. He came in at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds and clearly showed his fatigue and novice MMA experience inside the Bellator cage. Joe Rogan went to Twitter to call his bout with Kimbo Slice, “the worst fight i’ve ever seen.”
By the mid-way point of the 2nd round, both Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 were exhausted. Both fighters did not have much left in the tank. This is not the type of fight that fans should be seeing on national television. Mixed martial arts should be a display of incredible athletes and their incredible skills.
We did not see many skills or forms of martial arts from Slice and Dada 5000. It was a ‘street fight’ as advertised and saw one fighter suffer a serious medical condition. There is a platform for street fights and sloppy backyard fighting called YouTube. But national television should be a display of true forms of martial arts.
On Friday, Bellator 149 saw the historic return of Royce Gracie facing Ken Shamrock in a rubber match. Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 faced off in the co-main event in a clash of two well known street fighters. The event had mixed reactions and even a controversy of the main event where Royce Gracie won by 1st round TKO. Allegedly, Ken Shamrock was kneed in the groin before he was knocked out before the referee could even see it.
But the main focal point that should be discussed is Dada 5000 and the heart failure he suffered after his loss to Kimbo Slice. According to numerous reports and confirmed by Bellator, Dada 5000 was taken out of the cage in a stretcher after he lost due to exhaustion.
He had severe dehydration and high levels of Potassium after the bout. Dhafir Harris’s family put out a statement that suggested that his extreme weight cut could have been the culprit for his heart failure. Harris is in stable condition now but this is a serious wakeup call for Bellator.
Scott Coker has made no secret that he wants to put on fights that fans want to see.
“We want to put on the most entertaining events possible for you,” Coker said in an open letter to fans. “Our goal is to make every Bellator event big.”
Coker has gone out to make fan favorite fights such as Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock and “King Mo” vs. Rampage Jackson. But Friday saw what happens when things do not go the way they should have.
Dada 5000 had no place to be fighting in a sanctioned MMA fight. His last fight was five years ago and is mostly known for his street fighting credentials. He came in at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds and clearly showed his fatigue and novice MMA experience inside the Bellator cage. Joe Rogan went to Twitter to call his bout with Kimbo Slice, “the worst fight i’ve ever seen.”
By the mid-way point of the 2nd round, both Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 were exhausted. Both fighters did not have much left in the tank. This is not the type of fight that fans should be seeing on national television. Mixed martial arts should be a display of incredible athletes and their incredible skills.
We did not see many skills or forms of martial arts from Slice and Dada 5000. It was a ‘street fight’ as advertised and saw one fighter suffer a serious medical condition. There is a platform for street fights and sloppy backyard fighting called YouTube. But national television should be a display of true forms of martial arts.
Last night, it was not at all an uncommon reaction for someone to laugh at the fight between Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000; hell, even the athletic commission representatives at ringside were. The fighters quickly gassed (wIth Kimbo somehow blowing himself up while controlling Dada in mount) and the fight turned into an utter embarrassment. Eventually, Dada went down in cartoonish fashion, seemingly due to exhaustion more than anything else, and Kimbo won. There was concern when Dada had to be stretchered out of the cage, but that subsided as it became more clear that he “just” lost due to exhaustion since he didn’t appear to sustain much in the way of traumatic blows to the head.
That changed this afternoon when Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter tweeted this:
This was quickly followed up by a statement from the family of Dada (real name Dhafir Harris), where this was the extent of the medical information:
The doctors have now informed us that Dada had accumulated extremely high levels of potassium in his blood which led to severe dehydration, fatigue and renal failure. The high potassium levels were likely caused by his 40lbs weight loss in preparation for the fight.
Thanks to the EMTs and doctors, Dada is now recovering nicely.
There were already a lot of questions about Texas’s athletic commission going into Bellator 149, and there are a lot more after. At first, it was bad enough, with not only Dada vs. Kimbo and Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock being booked, but everyone learning Gracie could wear a gi if he wanted to (he didn’t) because it was never removed from their allowed apparel list. Then Gracie was allowed not to wrap his hands. Now it appears that a fighter was in such bad physical condition that just trying to fight nearly killed him. Something needs to be done; whatever is up with that commission is not funny anymore.
Last night, it was not at all an uncommon reaction for someone to laugh at the fight between Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000; hell, even the athletic commission representatives at ringside were. The fighters quickly gassed (wIth Kimbo somehow blowing himself up while controlling Dada in mount) and the fight turned into an utter embarrassment. Eventually, Dada went down in cartoonish fashion, seemingly due to exhaustion more than anything else, and Kimbo won. There was concern when Dada had to be stretchered out of the cage, but that subsided as it became more clear that he “just” lost due to exhaustion since he didn’t appear to sustain much in the way of traumatic blows to the head.
That changed this afternoon when Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter tweeted this:
BREAKING: Multiple sources confirm Dhafir Harris was in critical condition overnight. His heart stopped and he was placed on a ventilator.
This was quickly followed up by a statement from the family of Dada (real name Dhafir Harris), where this was the extent of the medical information:
The doctors have now informed us that Dada had accumulated extremely high levels of potassium in his blood which led to severe dehydration, fatigue and renal failure. The high potassium levels were likely caused by his 40lbs weight loss in preparation for the fight.
Thanks to the EMTs and doctors, Dada is now recovering nicely.
There were already a lot of questions about Texas’s athletic commission going into Bellator 149, and there are a lot more after. At first, it was bad enough, with not only Dada vs. Kimbo and Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock being booked, but everyone learning Gracie could wear a gi if he wanted to (he didn’t) because it was never removed from their allowed apparel list. Then Gracie was allowed not to wrap his hands. Now it appears that a fighter was in such bad physical condition that just trying to fight nearly killed him. Something needs to be done; whatever is up with that commission is not funny anymore.
One of the most bizarre fights in mixed martial arts (MMA) history went down last night as street fighting sensation turned fighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson took on bitter rival and fellow Florida street fighter Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris in the co-main event of Bellator 149 from Houston, Texas. To put it lightly, it was
One of the most bizarre fights in mixed martial arts (MMA) history went down last night as street fighting sensation turned fighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson took on bitter rival and fellow Florida street fighter Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris in the co-main event of Bellator 149 from Houston, Texas.
To put it lightly, it was simply one of the worst fights fans have ever seen, but the fact of the matter is that fans weren’t expecting much more than to be entertained which seems to be what Scott Coker and Spike TV are going for as of late.
Anyways, the fight lasted longer than expected, carrying on until the third round when both men could barely stand due to exhaustion.
Dada 5000 would face plant into the canvas not even from a punch, but simply because he couldn’t stand anymore, and that’s where things became scary.
He was soon taken out on a stretcher and taken to the hospital for what was thought to be precautionary reasons, but it turned out to be much more.
Detailing the whole situation via Twitter, Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter reported that Dada 5000 was in critical condition last night likely due to a massive weight cut, but has fortunately been stabilized as of now:
BREAKING: Multiple sources confirm Dhafir Harris was in critical condition overnight. His heart stopped and he was placed on a ventilator.
Bellator sent out the following to their media list a few minutes ago to update everyone n the condition of Dhafir Harris, better known as Dada 5000, after his loss, seemingly via exhaustion,…
Bellator sent out the following to their media list a few minutes ago to update everyone n the condition of Dhafir Harris, better known as Dada 5000, after his loss, seemingly via exhaustion, to Kimbo Slice last night at Bellator 149:
The Harris Family would like to inform Dada’s friends and fans that Dada is ok and resting comfortably in a Houston area Hospital under the care of an incredible staff of doctors and nurses.
The doctors have now informed us that Dada had accumulated extremely high levels of potassium in his blood which led to severe dehydration, fatigue and renal failure. The high potassium levels were likely caused by his 40lbs weight loss in preparation for the fight.
Thanks to the EMTs and doctors, Dada is now recovering nicely.
Dada showed the heart of a lion in the cage- not backing down throughout. He worked extremely hard preparing for the fight and stepped forward for 3 rounds against a tough veteran. He kept digging through the adversity- leaving it all in the cage for his fans and supporters. You can never take that away from him.
We’d like to thank all those who have supported Dada as well as express our sincere appreciation to Scott Coker, and the good people at BELLATOR and Spike who have been on-site to visit Dada and support the family.
We ask for the public and media to respect Dada’s privacy as he recovers.
As you may know, MMA fans were ‘treated’ to the sideshow spectacle of Kimbo Slice’s ‘win’ over fellow backyard brawler DADA 5000 in the co-main event of last night’s Bellator 149 from Houston, Texas. It was billed as a faceoff for the ‘street crown,’ but what it turned out to be was just straight-up embarrassing.
As you may know, MMA fans were ‘treated’ to the sideshow spectacle of Kimbo Slice’s ‘win’ over fellow backyard brawler DADA 5000 in the co-main event of last night’s Bellator 149 from Houston, Texas.
It was billed as a faceoff for the ‘street crown,’ but what it turned out to be was just straight-up embarrassing. Obviously predicted to be a brawl featuring little to no technical expertise; it was, in reality, something much worse, perhaps something akin to drunken slugfest featuring two frat boys at the local tavern after both fighters completely gassed long before the first round was over.
Slice may have scored his second straight stoppage win in Bellator when it was all said and done, but it came at the expense of a fight that was undoubtedly one of the worst pro MMA fights to ever take place and a disservice to the spirit of the many martial arts that inspired the spirit of MMA.
In short, it was just plain terrible. It should go down as one of the more glaring examples of laughable MMA bouts of all-time. Do you think it was the worst?
Sometimes the story of a fight can be told in just a single moment.
In the case of Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 at Bellator 149 on Friday, that moment occurred near the end of the second round, when Slice—apropos of nothing—got so exhausted he…
Sometimes the story of a fight can be told in just a single moment.
In the case of Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 at Bellator 149 on Friday, that moment occurred near the end of the second round, when Slice—apropos of nothing—got so exhausted he almost lay down inside the cage.
Like most of the rest of the fight, it was bizarre and hilarious, nearly inexplicable. Nobody had ever seen anything quite like it—and we probably never will again.
The sequence occurred during one of the two men’s many ponderous clinching sessions against the fence. Slice—who had just landed a winging right hand and an upper cut on his rookie opponent—simply sank to his hands and knees as if to say, let’s just take a break here.
It would be tempting to say he collapsed, but that would imply the use of more energy.
This was more of a slump.
Perhaps another indicator of exactly how this fight had gone was that it didn’t end there. In fact, Slice came back to win the contest via TKO in the third round after Dada (real name: Dhafir Harris) also collapsed, from an accumulation of blows and his own abhorrent conditioning.
The victory gave the 42-year-old Slice (real name: Kevin Ferguson) his second in a row since returning to the cage after a five-year absence. The identity of the winner, however, was completely beside the point in the story of this bout.
This was—without exaggeration or hesitation—the worst fight in modern MMA history.
And because of that, it also became kind of great.
“I’m so winded right now,” Slice said to Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith inside the cage when it was finally, mercifully done. “I wish it could have been a little different, but hard work and the victory was ours.”
For many of the people who stayed up to watch the show live and free on SpikeTV, it was all a tremendous amount of fun. You know, in the same way a slapstick comedy or a terrible ’80s pop song can be fun. This was 11-plus minutes (and, God, it seemed longer) tailor made for instant reaction on social media.
And react people did:
Slice and Dada had done yeoman’s work piquing the public’s interest for this bout, which we were told would settle a years-old grudge between the two former street fighters. They each cut inspired promos, appeared in well-crafted video vignettes and swore a blue streak at each other during the prefight press conference.
Only once the actual athletics started did we realize it had all been a necessary distraction. For this biggest fight of both their lives, it appeared neither man had come in shape to go a single round, let alone three.
The action started slowly and ground to a full stop on several occasions. Slice and Dada both threw their share of pawing power punches but neither man proved capable of providing the titanic slugfest they’d promised during the lead-up.
Slice shot for a takedown in the first 20 seconds and was visibly winded midway through the opening stanza. From time to time, Dada looked like the fresher fighter, and he landed some strikes, but couldn’t summon the ability to force a stoppage.
We got an inkling that might be the case earlier in the week, when Dada debuted his skills during prefight media workouts. Members of the press—including Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter—quickly dubbed him the worst professional fighter they’d ever seen. Though he assured us he would have more to offer come fight time, the extent of the con we were about to witness had begun to reveal itself.
Dada looked so bad, I briefly worried putting him in there with Slice might be a dangerous mismatch. As it turned out, the only danger was that one of these men would keel over from a heart attack.
Slice’s takedowns devolved from double-leg shots, to trips and eventually to him just sort of falling over on top of Dada. Once he got things to the ground, he didn’t seem to know what to do next. On the feet, his punches looked sapped of their once fearsome power, perhaps permanently.
A more adept opponent might have capitalized on Slice’s obvious weaknesses—or at least on that moment when he nearly put himself down for a nap in the second—but Dada wasn’t up to it. Though he came in 2-0 in smaller organizations, he’d been idle since 2011 and this fight amounted to his substantive MMA debut.
Referee John McCarthy’s disgust was palpable. Before the fight even began, he had to issue multiple admonishments to the fighters about where to stand and the importance of following his instructions. As things wore on and the men wore out, McCarthy implored them to fight, to work, to even move.
McCarthy called for seven restarts, including one while Slice was in mount position on the ground. The ref threatened to take a point from Dada between rounds for again not standing in the proper place and scolded him for grabbing Slice’s shorts once after a takedown.
During the short moments when the fight segued from a complete stall to merely happening in slow motion—think the “turtle” speed setting on a riding lawn mower—Slice and Dada did their best to brawl.
The end result, however, looked like something that should have happened in a backyard or salvage lot and been captured on one of the grainy YouTube videos that rocketed Slice to quasi-fame more than a decade ago.
This was his second fight in Bellator and, though his strange appeal has persisted with fans thus far, it’s hard to believe it can go on much longer. It’s impossible to think matchmakers could put Slice in the cage with any legitimate fighter and not have him come out on the wrong end of a nasty loss.
For Dada, this was probably always going to be his only rodeo. Leading up to the fight, he claimed filming had begun on a second documentary about his life. The first, 2015’s Dawgfight, had given him the notoriety to get him into this match with Slice in the first place.
After his performance, though, it remains unclear who would want to see the film’s sequel.
The only moments of real drama came after the fight was over. Dada had been ruled out by McCarthy after accepting a series of strikes, stumbling in a dazed, cartoonish circle and collapsing at the base of the fence. Reports from inside the arena said he lay there for a long time and eventually had to be taken out on a stretcher.
There were some tense moments, waiting to find out if Dada was OK. In the end, though, several media members tweeted that he was alert, accepting oxygen and would be transported to a hospital for observation.
And so we will all live on to fight—such as it were—another day.
This fight was terrible, but will no doubt score killer ratings for Bellator. Even if the viewing audience wasn’t totally sure what to make of it, it inspired strong reactions from nearly all sides.
In a way, perhaps that made the whole thing strange success for all involved.
Sometimes the story of a fight can be told in just a single moment.