TUF 10 Profile: Why Kimbo Slice Is Not the Next Ulitmate Fighter

The UFC’s signature reality series The Ultimate Fighter returns for its 10th season on Wednesday, Sep. 16 on Spike TV.

Marketed as the "heaviest" season ever, this is the first time in the show’s history that it will feature an all heavyweight cast.

The gold team will coached by “Sugar” Rashad Evans, while the silver team is led by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

This article is part of a 16-part preview of each of the 16 cast members.

The fighters are ranked on a one to five-star basis. A five-star rating means you are one of the favorites to win the show, while a two-star rating means you are a dark horse to make the finals.

The following rankings were originally posted at ultmma.com. 

Kimbo Slice

6'1"

Four Star

Florida

3-1

Signature win: February 16, 2008 KO's MMA legend Tank Abbott in 43 seconds

Kimbo Slice aka Kevin Ferguson is by far the biggest name ever to set foot in The Ultimate Fighter house. With that name recognition comes big ratings and high expectations for a 35-year-old fighter with less than five pro fights under his belt.

Kevin Ferguson transformed into Kimbo Slice in the backyards and alleyways of Florida. The street fights were filmed and eventually became viral on YouTube where Slice became an internet celebrity. Upstart MMA promotion Elite XC signed Slice in October of 2007 and the rest is history. 12 months and four fights later Elite XC shut down operations after Slice suffered the first loss of his career live on CBS versus 11th hour replacement Seth Petruzelli.

Slice's game is on his feet in the center of the cage where he is free to stand and bang with his opposition. The problem is that in this tournament Slice is at best on the outskirts of the top five strikers in the house. Fighters like Roy Nelson, James McSweeney, Zak Jensen and Darrill Schoonover among others have all proven to be better stand-up fighters than Slice over the course of their MMA careers.

The amount of elite level wrestlers in the house will also present problems for Slice. Questions about his takedown defense and how he works off his back also loom large for the ex-street fighter.

Other legitimate questions now must be asked regarding Slice: How will Slice's chin hold up after being knocked out by Petruzelli? And how is Slice holding up mentally after being KO'd for the first time in his career?

Tommy Messano is the editor-in-chief of www.ultmma.com . His MMA articles have appeared on www.sherdog.com , www.wcl.com , Fight Ground Magazine and www.espn.com

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