How many fights did Kimbo Slice have in the UFC? Exploring the street fighter’s legend inside MMA’s most coveted organization

Despite not making his professional mixed martial arts debut until the age of 33, Kimbo Slice was able to carve out a legacy in the sport. The street fighting legend won his first exhibition bout against Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships V via first-round submission.

He then joined the Elite Xtreme Combat promotion, where he made his professional debut later that year. Slice would win the first professional bout of his career via first-round TKO, defeating Bo Cantrell. He returned against David 'Tank' Abbott, winning the bout via first-round knockout.

Slice's third professional bout would headline the first mixed martial arts event on primetime network television as he defeated James Thompson via third-round TKO. He suffered his first career loss in his next bout, losing to Seth Petruzelli via first-round TKO.

After the promotion filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations, Dana White revealed that Slice's way into the UFC would be via The Ultimate Fighter, noting that he would create a heavyweight division edition of the reality television series for the internet star. While he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Roy Nelson, Kimbo was still given a UFC contract, making his promotional debut at the The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale.

Slice defeated Houston Alexander via unanimous decision, marking the only bout of his career that went to the judges scorecards. He returned to fight Matt Mitrione at UFC 113, losing the bout via second-round TKO. Following the bout, he was released from the promotion after going just 1-1 in two fights and subsequently retired from mixed martial arts to pursue a career in boxing.

After five years, however, Kimbo Slice returned to the octagon, facing Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138, winning the bout via first-round TKO. He followed that with a third-round TKO victory over his longtime rival Dada 5000 at Bellator 149, however, the victory was overturned to a no-contest after he failed a test.

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How did Kimbo Slice fare in his boxing career?

Kimbo Slice competed in seven boxing matches between Aug. 2011 and Jan. 2013. The street fighter turned mixed martial artist won all seven bouts, with six of his victories coming via knockout. While he had success in boxing, he ultimately returned to mixed martial arts to compete in Bellator.

Sadly, less than four months after his final mixed martial arts bout, Slice passed away at the age of 42 due to congestive heart failure. His rise from backyard street fighter to mixed martial arts star has led many to attempt to follow in his footsteps.