Kimbo Slice Vows MMA Return: 'I'm Here to Stay'

Kimbo Slice may have finally gotten a piece of Ken Shamrock, but the YouTube star says his road to redemption doesn't end at Bellator 138. Speaking with media following the Bellator 138 post-fight press conference, Slice said that his fighting days are not over just yet:

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Kimbo said he definitely wants to keep fighting #Bellator138

— Combat Press (@CombatPress) June 20, 2015"

"I believe I'm here to stay," he said in an interview with Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com. "I'm still learning, back to training on Monday, and it's not going to stop here."

For those who missed it, Slice posted a huge come-from-behind win over a bonafide MMA legend in the card's main event. Shamrock dominated Slice in the early going of their bout, taking him down repeatedly and nearly submitting him with a rear-naked choke. Remarkably, Slice escaped and quickly landed a series of right hands that left Shamrock in a heap, earning the knockout victory at 2:22 of Round 1.

While Slice is well past his athletic prime at age 40, he said he was in no rush to get back into the cage. When asked if a quick turnaround was possible, Slice did not quite come off as a hungry up-and-comer, saying his next bout "would have to be the right kind of fight, respectfully," but did not shut the door on fighting in the near future.

"Being a senior fighter, once you get over 35 and get close to your 40s...you want to just be smart in your opponents," he said. "To fight again in 2015, yeah I feel great. It would be up to the matchmakers, my manager, Scott [Coker]. Wherever the chips lie, I'm there."

Unfortunately, Bellator has a relatively limited number of options available for Slice, who is in an awkward position of deserving a fellow name-brand opponent, but nobody that is in the thick of title contention. While luring another MMA legend out of retirement is likely the best choice, former Strikeforce fighter and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker may have slid into the discussion with his recent admission, via Thomas, that he wants to return to the cage.

With the sheer amount of attention Slice's fight garnered, however, Bellator will likely be clamoring for him to return reasonably quickly. We shall see what the future holds for him and Bellator.