Kimbo Slice, the YouTube sensation and ratings king of combat sports, was a perfect signing for Bellator MMA on January 16th, 2015. However, due to heart failure, on June 6th, 2016, Kimbo Slice (Kevin Ferguson) unexpectedly passed away at the age of 42.
Kimbo from the very beginning was a ratings magnet in MMA. Made famous from his viral YouTube street fights, he began co-headlining and then headlining events for Elite XC. From his first event with Elite XC onward, Kimbo became a TV record-breaker for the sport. He appeared on the first ever MMA show in a primetime slot on a major American network, and his bout against Josh Thompson became the most watched MMA fight in US television history. The record was held for 3 years and averaged 4.85 million viewers. Slice was also featured on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10, which became the most watched in TUF history due to his appearance. Bellator was on to a winner. Playing second fiddle to the UFC and having little brand recognition outside of the MMA bubble, Kimbo’s MMA return would be the key for exposing Bellator to the masses.
Kimbo Slice’s Time With Bellator MMA
During his tenure at Bellator, he fought Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138, Dada 5000 at Bellator 149, and was scheduled to fight at Bellator 158 in a rematch with Josh Thompson before his unexpected passing. Dissecting each of these cards, you can see how officials at Bellator looked to utilize Kimbo. Using his popularity to draw the viewers to the event, this helped provide exposure for their top talent and increased attention and interest for fighters and future Bellator events. This was clearly evident for the 138 and 158 fight cards that featured exciting and talented fighters such as Patrício Freire, Michael Chandler, Daniel Mason-Straus, Paul Daley, Michael Page and Linton Vassell.
For all of the skeptics and critics, Kimbo consistently achieved monstrous TV ratings throughout his career, and that was no different during his tenure with Bellator. For Bellator, Slice helped expose their promotion and fighters, even breaking the promotion’s previous all-time TV ratings record when he headlined Bellator 138 against Ken Shamrock.
How Does Bellator MMA Move Ahead?
One of the ways to fill the void Kimbo has left is to continue signing stars already established in the sport. Bellator has shown their bidding power for free agents with the acquisition of many MMA legends and talented fighters. This is evident with a roster already including high profile and big name fighters such as Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva, Phil Davis, Josh Thompson and Benson Henderson, who were all signed after their UFC contracts expired. Along with signing marquee fighters, Bellator, since Scott Coker took over as President, has been investing heavily in young prospects, including the signing of a few Olympic wrestlers.
Since the rise of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, the UFC has focused on acquiring big names over talent, having recently signed pro wrestler CM Punk and re-signed Brock Lesnar. This makes luring the big names over to Bellator even harder for the promotion, which appeared to sign Kimbo at just the right time. Looking at the market for big name fighters possibly available for signing, there really is only one huge draw who has recently returned from retirement – ‘The Last Emperor’ Fedor Emelianenko.
But in the end, not even the legend that is Fedor could replace Kimbo Slice for Bellator. If you spoke to a random person on the street and asked them to name five MMA fighters, you are more than likely going to hear Kimbo’s name mentioned. Slice has become synonymous with MMA with the mainstream and casual fans. The only other current MMA athletes who could draw the similar rating numbers are all currently tied down to the UFC (Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar). It’s easy to see that in this current MMA landscape, it will be very difficult to find someone to replicate the ratings success Kimbo brought and the amount of media attention he gathered. Bellator could look to continue at chipping away at UFC’s roster, promising fighters a bigger payday and the opportunity for sponsorship money. Or they could potentially look to draw other popular athletes from different sports and bring them over to bring similar attention Brock Lesnar and CM Punk have for the UFC. Boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, for example, has expressed interest in the past.
All we know is that Bellator will have trouble filling the void Kimbo Slice has left. The promotion’s future is murky, and we can only wait and see what the future holds for Bellator MMA’s popularity.
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