Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson made a name for himself through backyard fight videos on Youtube. He racked up a catalogue of knockout videos and drew the interest of the public.
He parlayed his popularity into a mixed martial arts career, debuting in the EliteXC organization in 2007. After reeling off three consecutive wins, his hype came to a crashing halt at EliteXC: Heat in October 2008.
He was scheduled to face Ken Shamrock in the main event of the fight card, but Shamrock was forced out of the fight on event night due to a cut he received while warming up backstage.