In what will go down in one of the biggest surprises in MMA in recent history, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson has been officially cast for the upcoming tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The news was first reported by Yahoo! Sports on Monday, which quoted UFC President Dana White as confirming the story.
Slice is currently in Las Vegas for the taping of the show, which commenced on Monday. TUF 10 will consist of 16 heavyweight fighters competing for a six-figure contract with the UFC. Plans to also feature middleweights on the next season were scrapped and there will be reportedly not be a qualifying round, meaning Slice’s spot inside the TUF mansion is guaranteed.
Slice first rose to fame as a YouTube street fighting sensation and later crossed over to professional mixed martial arts. After beginning his career with a 3-0 record, Slice suffered his first career loss this past October when he was TKO’d by late replacement Seth Petruzelli just 14 seconds into their encounter.
Slice’s contract had been acquired by Strikeforce following the acquisition of select assets from ProElite earlier this year but an exclusive negotiation window recently expired, allowing Slice to sign with the UFC. Slice’s alliance with White comes in light of the fact that the UFC President has been extremely critical of him in the past.
