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VICE TV recently released their first look at their upcoming 'Dark Side of the Cage' series premiere on the late Kimbo Slice. The series premiere is scheduled to air this coming Wednesday, Jan. 8. at 10 pm ET, with new episodes airing weekly.
The former street fighter-turned-MMA star rose to superstardom during the early years of YouTube and took advantage of his surging popularity. His streetfights generated millions of views, which resulted in Slice being offered an opportunity to compete for EliteXC and later the UFC.
The backyard brawler unfortunately passed away due to heart failure in 2016 and saw tributes pouring in from the MMA community on social media.
Ahead of the highly anticipated series premiere, VICE TV posted a clip to their X account including comments from combat sports photographer Esther Lin and UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten. Lin described Slice's star power at the time and noted that he was a trailblazer for internet personalities:
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"Kimbo [Slice], was like, one of the first internet celebrities"
Rutten heaped praise on Slice and highlighted the significant risk he took by embarking on an MMA career despite his lack of experience and training:
"For a guy like that who was this high on the internet to take a professional fight, that says everything about his personality."
Check out the first look at the 'Dark Side of the Cage' series premiere on Kimbo Slice below:
When did Kimbo Slice make his UFC debut?
After years of criticism from UFC president Dana White, Kimbo Slice eventually found his way in the promotion and made his official octagon debut on 'The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights' finale in December 2009.
The former street fighter-turned-MMA star had been invited as a contestant on the show and proved that he was full committed to improving. Despite losing his preliminary round matchup against eventual winner Roy Nelson, Slice was offered another opportunity and made his official debut against Houston Alexander.
Slice turned in an impressive performance and earned a unanimous decision over Alexander after the judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in his favor.
Check out highlights from Kimbo Slice's debut against Houston Alexander below:
