UFC President Dana White once said Kimbo Slice was an embarrassment to the sport of mixed-martial arts and tossed in a few other expletives in degrading the backyard brawler turned MMA sensation.
Then Slice got knocked out by some no name in his last fight, which you'd think would validate White's comments. Instead, White has become Slice's unlikely opportunity at redemption, according to Yahoo Sports.
Slice will headline a group of heavyweights competing in season 10 of the reality TV show "The Ultimate Fighter," which will begin taping on Wednesday and will air this fall. For those of you who are not familiar, think of the show as "The Real World" with a cast of psychotic, short-tempered hulking men with the skills to kill a small battalion with their bare hands -- all living under one roof.
Slice will either be trained by elite UFC fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson or former light-heavyweight champ "Sugar" Rashad Evans. He probably doesn't stand much of a chance to win the entire thing, but Slice could tilt the scales in his favor if he somehow convinces producers to hold bare-knuckle fights in the backyard of the house.
If Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, is able to outlast the other 15 contestants and win the competition, he would win a UFC contract, something White said he would never give the cult icon.
Some could say White is a hypocrite for hopping on the Slice gravy train. We call him a savvy business man.
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Slice headlined the most viewed MMA card of all time, and with a fledgling company with limited funding, no less. In May 2008, 6.5 million people watched Slice bust the ears of James Thompson en route to a TKO victory that was aired on CBS.
On Oct. 4, CBS also broadcasted the 14 second knock out loss Slice suffered at the hands of a journeyman fighter who was a late replacement for Ken Shamrock.
