Slice: It’s ‘One of My Best Fights’
Loretta Hunt Sep 29, 2009
Those not interested in the Kimbo
Slice-Roy Nelson
showdown going down on “The Ultimate Fighter 10” this Wednesday on
Spike TV need not read any further.
Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, fielded questions from the media Monday during a teleconference call and did nothing to dwindle interest in what will probably be the highest rated episode ever for the cable network.
Slice, 35, faces arguably the most experienced fighter in the bunch
in Roy
Nelson, a former IFL heavyweight champion and a Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt.
“I knew a little bit of Roy from the IFL,” said Slice during the call. “I saw him when he fought ‘Big Ben,’ Ben Rothwell. I saw when he fought (Andrei) Arlovski,” said Slice. “I knew he was game and he was a fighter.”
It wasn’t surprising that once Slice’s coach, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, lost the ability to select the matchups, rival coach Rashad Evans sent Nelson after the bearded “big buck.”
Slice, who admitted he knew very little about the rest of the cast even if he’d had a say in selections, said he wasn’t disappointed by the order in which the matchups played out.
“I wouldn’t want it no other way, man. If I have to lose a fight, I’d rather lose to a guy like that, or someone with a big name, because it just makes sense to have two big names go at it head-to-head,” said Slice. “That’s cool that it’s happening right now. It gets it out of the way and (for the rest) of the duration of the show, people get to see how I react and interact with others after a fight and it’s in the middle of the season, so it worked out perfectly."
Whatever millions of viewers see on Wednesday, Slice seems to have passed the test by his own standards, at least.
“This fight is very exciting,” said Slice. “This is probably, I would say, not hands down, but pound-for-pound a good fight, one of my best fights…I was impressed with my performance. I was impressed with everything. I’m not crying about nothing.”
Slice’s reaction to the aired episodes has focused on how the other heavyweights responded to him. Misconceptions about the father of six, who became an Internet legend for his unscripted and unedited backyard brawling videos in Miami, seemed to run rampant at first.
“I kinda already knew guys were gonna talk sh--, not knowing who I am, not knowing me,” said Slice. “I’m already getting phone calls from some guys apologizing for talking sh-- in the house, so it’s all good.”
Slice, who resides outside Miami, said he’s pitched his tent at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., to train for an anticipated Dec. bout, more than likely for the show’s live finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. Head instructor Ricardo Liborio has been entailed with task of continuing Slice’s transformation from one-dimensional bruiser to multi-dimensional competitor.
Even by Slice’s own evaluation, Liborio has his work cut out for him. When asked how far his ground skills have progressed since entering the professional leagues two years ago, Slice conceded he’d advanced very little but said he's working on it.
“You’re gonna learn a lot, but you’re not going to master anything in two years," he said. "Mixed martial arts, it’s that type of training where you learn with life. The more you roll, the more you learn. As long as you live, you’re gonna learn as you live… It’s not something you learn and you got it, then you go, go, go and kick someone’s a--. No, no, no. That’s something that you have to continue to do.”
Slice said he’ll look to make ATT his homebase, at least for his next few fights.
“I want to do this one training from home,” said Slice. “I need a camp now. I need to belong to a home.”
In other notes:
• Shooting down this week’s obnoxious rumor that Slice pulled a gun after getting armbarred in training at ATT: “First of all, I carry my gun wherever I go. I don’t have to leave and come back with nothing,” said Slice. “I was at ATT a couple of years ago and I got armbarred, but I didn’t go get no pistol or nothing like that or come back with no pistol. I got armbarred and didn’t like it, but I know how to defend that sh-- now, so I won’t be having that problem anymore."
• Shooting down rumor No. 2 that Slice declined three rematch opportunities with Seth Petruzelli, the only man to beat him so far: “Seth needs to careful now because we both live in the same backyard and I know that little sissy ice cream shop he got and I could walk in there at any given time and say, ‘What’s up, man?’ No one never approached me with no rematch with Seth and I never turned that sh-- down. That right there is BS bullsh--.”
Slice said if Petruzelli were to re-sign with the UFC and the promotion and fans wanted it, he’d gladly take the rematch.
• On coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s retirement revelation: “He’s not walking away from the UFC. Rampage is chasing his career right now,” said Slice. “Fighting was his job…his bread and butter. He’s an actor as well. Right now, he’s just putting fighting on hold.”
Though Slice said he hasn’t spoken with Jackson recently, he whole-heartedly supported Jackson’s decision.
• Speaking of acting, Slice is reporting in a week and a half to Texas to shoot a small role in a film, but said the 2- to 3-day shoot won’t affect training.
“A three-month training camp is what I’m used to,” said Slice. “I’m in camp now for my fight in December. I’m never away for two weeks or three weeks or anything like that. I wouldn’t do anything that takes three weeks of my time when I know I have a fight coming up. That would be just stupid on my part.”
• Slice told reporters his stamina has never been an issue in a three-round fight, citing his bout with James Thompson at EliteXC.
• Though he weighs a comfortable 230 pounds most days, Slice said he’d be willing to shed the pounds to fight at light heavyweight if the promoters asked him to do so.
• Slice seemed open to a training jaunt with rival coach, Rashad Evans, who voiced his interest in bringing Slice to his famed camp.
“That would be a possibility,” said Slice. “Greg Jackson’s camp, I’ve heard, is the best that’s out there right now. Anyone who’s trying to become a fighter or if you’re fighter and you want to become a better fighter, other than American Top Team, Greg Jackson’s camp is the best one out there.
• Momma Slice seemed to believe backyard brawling was a better alternative to drug dealing or burglary:
“I couldn’t get selling drugs, or stealing something for somebody or breaking into someone’s house. I couldn’t get caught with a mother like mine, so I had to find another way to make a living,” said Slice.
Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, fielded questions from the media Monday during a teleconference call and did nothing to dwindle interest in what will probably be the highest rated episode ever for the cable network.
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“I knew a little bit of Roy from the IFL,” said Slice during the call. “I saw him when he fought ‘Big Ben,’ Ben Rothwell. I saw when he fought (Andrei) Arlovski,” said Slice. “I knew he was game and he was a fighter.”
Slice’s inclusion on the show can be likened to the goose that
continues to lay the golden eggs. The show’s initial two episodes
rated as the series’ two most-watched events thus far, as the
Bahamian-born streetfighter’s notoriety seems to know no bounds.
This, coupled with the fighter’s inexperience in the cage, made
Slice a prime target by the remaining 15 heavyweights that joined
the cast.
It wasn’t surprising that once Slice’s coach, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, lost the ability to select the matchups, rival coach Rashad Evans sent Nelson after the bearded “big buck.”
Slice, who admitted he knew very little about the rest of the cast even if he’d had a say in selections, said he wasn’t disappointed by the order in which the matchups played out.
“I wouldn’t want it no other way, man. If I have to lose a fight, I’d rather lose to a guy like that, or someone with a big name, because it just makes sense to have two big names go at it head-to-head,” said Slice. “That’s cool that it’s happening right now. It gets it out of the way and (for the rest) of the duration of the show, people get to see how I react and interact with others after a fight and it’s in the middle of the season, so it worked out perfectly."
Whatever millions of viewers see on Wednesday, Slice seems to have passed the test by his own standards, at least.
“This fight is very exciting,” said Slice. “This is probably, I would say, not hands down, but pound-for-pound a good fight, one of my best fights…I was impressed with my performance. I was impressed with everything. I’m not crying about nothing.”
Slice’s reaction to the aired episodes has focused on how the other heavyweights responded to him. Misconceptions about the father of six, who became an Internet legend for his unscripted and unedited backyard brawling videos in Miami, seemed to run rampant at first.
“I kinda already knew guys were gonna talk sh--, not knowing who I am, not knowing me,” said Slice. “I’m already getting phone calls from some guys apologizing for talking sh-- in the house, so it’s all good.”
Slice, who resides outside Miami, said he’s pitched his tent at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., to train for an anticipated Dec. bout, more than likely for the show’s live finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. Head instructor Ricardo Liborio has been entailed with task of continuing Slice’s transformation from one-dimensional bruiser to multi-dimensional competitor.
Even by Slice’s own evaluation, Liborio has his work cut out for him. When asked how far his ground skills have progressed since entering the professional leagues two years ago, Slice conceded he’d advanced very little but said he's working on it.
“You’re gonna learn a lot, but you’re not going to master anything in two years," he said. "Mixed martial arts, it’s that type of training where you learn with life. The more you roll, the more you learn. As long as you live, you’re gonna learn as you live… It’s not something you learn and you got it, then you go, go, go and kick someone’s a--. No, no, no. That’s something that you have to continue to do.”
Slice said he’ll look to make ATT his homebase, at least for his next few fights.
“I want to do this one training from home,” said Slice. “I need a camp now. I need to belong to a home.”
In other notes:
• Shooting down this week’s obnoxious rumor that Slice pulled a gun after getting armbarred in training at ATT: “First of all, I carry my gun wherever I go. I don’t have to leave and come back with nothing,” said Slice. “I was at ATT a couple of years ago and I got armbarred, but I didn’t go get no pistol or nothing like that or come back with no pistol. I got armbarred and didn’t like it, but I know how to defend that sh-- now, so I won’t be having that problem anymore."
• Shooting down rumor No. 2 that Slice declined three rematch opportunities with Seth Petruzelli, the only man to beat him so far: “Seth needs to careful now because we both live in the same backyard and I know that little sissy ice cream shop he got and I could walk in there at any given time and say, ‘What’s up, man?’ No one never approached me with no rematch with Seth and I never turned that sh-- down. That right there is BS bullsh--.”
Slice said if Petruzelli were to re-sign with the UFC and the promotion and fans wanted it, he’d gladly take the rematch.
• On coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s retirement revelation: “He’s not walking away from the UFC. Rampage is chasing his career right now,” said Slice. “Fighting was his job…his bread and butter. He’s an actor as well. Right now, he’s just putting fighting on hold.”
Though Slice said he hasn’t spoken with Jackson recently, he whole-heartedly supported Jackson’s decision.
• Speaking of acting, Slice is reporting in a week and a half to Texas to shoot a small role in a film, but said the 2- to 3-day shoot won’t affect training.
“A three-month training camp is what I’m used to,” said Slice. “I’m in camp now for my fight in December. I’m never away for two weeks or three weeks or anything like that. I wouldn’t do anything that takes three weeks of my time when I know I have a fight coming up. That would be just stupid on my part.”
• Slice told reporters his stamina has never been an issue in a three-round fight, citing his bout with James Thompson at EliteXC.
• Though he weighs a comfortable 230 pounds most days, Slice said he’d be willing to shed the pounds to fight at light heavyweight if the promoters asked him to do so.
• Slice seemed open to a training jaunt with rival coach, Rashad Evans, who voiced his interest in bringing Slice to his famed camp.
“That would be a possibility,” said Slice. “Greg Jackson’s camp, I’ve heard, is the best that’s out there right now. Anyone who’s trying to become a fighter or if you’re fighter and you want to become a better fighter, other than American Top Team, Greg Jackson’s camp is the best one out there.
• Momma Slice seemed to believe backyard brawling was a better alternative to drug dealing or burglary:
“I couldn’t get selling drugs, or stealing something for somebody or breaking into someone’s house. I couldn’t get caught with a mother like mine, so I had to find another way to make a living,” said Slice.
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