Kimbo Slice Passes Away At Age 42
Kimbo Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, was hospitalized in Florida today with an undisclosed condition. The news was first reported by TMZ, which calls the situation “dire” and says that it “does not look good.” MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has confirmed that the fighter is in the hospital:
Can confirm reports that Kimbo Slice was admitted to a local Fla. hospital. I'm told at this time that he's not in good shape, sadly.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 7, 2016
Slice beat Dada 5000 at a Bellator event this past February, but the result was declared a no contest after Slice failed a steroid test.
It goes without saying that we are hoping for the best here…
UPDATE: Kimbo Slice’s gym tweeted that the fighter has passed away:
The ATT Family and South Florida community lost a legend today. RIP Kimbo. pic.twitter.com/sjs8ctyJMd
— American Top Team (@AmericanTopTeam) June 7, 2016
The death has been confirmed by Helwani at MMAFighting.com. This is a very sad evening; in addition to being, by many accounts on social media tonight, a valued friend and family member, Slice’s fight videos were some of the first YouTube clips I can remember going viral. He will be missed.