10 UFC Fighters Who Died This Past Decade
1. Kimbo Slice
The most well-known member of our list is a street fighter from Nassau, Bahamas, whose given name was Kevin Ferguson. However, the world knew him as Kimbo Slice — a nickname he earned while fighting on the streets of South Florida.
Slice had a very eclectic professional background that included everything from being a member of the NFL's Miami Dolphins practice squad to working as a bouncer for local strip clubs.
He first rose to prominence in 2003 when he began participating in unsanctioned street fights that were distributed on the internet. In 2005, he began training mixed martial arts at the Freestyle Academy in Miami and would eventually sign with EliteXC.
With Slice having already gained considerable notoriety as an internet sensation, EliteXC soon made the then-undefeated street fighter the focal point of their promotion. However, when Slice lost his first bout to a little known opponent named Seth Petruzelli, in just 14 seconds, interest in both Slice and the promotion as a whole began to a subside. As a result, EliteXC soon folded.
The Nassau native would resurface shortly after (in 2009) with the UFC, as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. While Slice was eliminated in the first round of the televised tournament, he was given a chance to fight on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. The internet phenom made the most of his opportunity by scoring a decision victory over Houston Alexander. He would go on to lose his next fight in the UFC (against Matt Mitrione) and was released from the promotion.
After roughly five years away from the sport, Slice would sign with Bellator in January of 2015. He would resume his role as a headlining act for his last two fights against Ken Shamrock and a co-main event bout with Dada 500.
In June of 2016, fight fans were shocked to learn that the 42-year-old MMA superstar had died of heart failure.