Kimbo Slice: A Crash Course with Destiny

     One of the greatest things about MMA is the

accessibility and attitude of the super stars.  As a fan of
MMA and as a writer for this prestigious site, I have been
fortunate enough to come into contact with a variety of big
names in MMA.  I have hob-nobbed with GSP, had drinks
with Tito Ortiz, and had cigars with Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva
after our daughters were born along side one another.  I
have had very pleasant exchanges with Dan Henderson,
Scott Smith, and Gegard Mousasi, all of whom were
friendly and happy to pose for a picture or sign an
autograph.  It seemed that the more talented the fighter,
the more down to earth and respectful of the fans he was. 
With that being said, it seems that in MMA, like in life, the
people who take good fortune for granted are always the
last who should. 
     Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice, has a
career due to a grassroots fame he garnered off of
youtube.  He is not particularly gifted as an athlete; he was
disassembled in his Ultimate Fighter debut by Roy 'Big
Country' Nelson who has a physique more associated with
a competitive eater than a MMA fighter.  He is not
particularly tough; he was TKO'd in 14 seconds by Seth
Petruzelli who took the fight on a days notice.  All Kimbo
had in his favor was a fan base comprised of people who
were rooting for a street brawler to make good in a world
populated by professional athletes. 
      One would think that Kimbo would be grateful for fans
that have been the sole reason for his career despite a
clear absence of talent but, this past Saturday, at
Strikeforce: Miami, I witnessed something that will forever
shatter my image of this near-do-well.  Kimbo and his
entourage were seated in the box next to mine and,
having had some run-ins with him in the past, I watched to
see how he responded to fans while he was at an MMA
event. The fans remained respectful of his privacy and did
not approach him during the fights.  Just as Diaz finished
off Zaromskis, a few fans lingered outside of Kimbo's box
anxiously awaiting a chance to get a picture with their
sports hero.  Kimbo came out of his box and was greeted
with a kid saying "how about a picture Kimbo" to which
Kimbo responded "I'm here with my shortie, I gotta keep
moving" and proceeded to have his entourage of thugs
circle around him and push him through the crowd. 
      Normally, I would not make an issue of an athlete not
wanting to sign an autograph if he were at dinner with his
family (although most do) but Kimbo was at an MMA event
populated by the very people who pay to see him.  It
would even be excusable if this were the first time I have
seen this happen, but I have personally witnessed Kimbo
shut down his fans on 4 separate occasions.  I could even
turn a blind eye to his lack of respect for the fan if he built
his career on talent, but the fact remains that Kimbo was
outclassed every time he stepped into the cage with a real
MMA fighter.  His only real marketability is that people
want to see the fighter they saw on youtube.   Well folks,
that back yard brawler fighting for his 'bread' was replaced
by an ungrateful prima donna the day he got a $500,000
purse for losing a 14 second match to Seth Petruzelli.
      On Jan 30th at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise,
Florida, Kimbo Slice lost the most devastating fight of his
career without ever throwing a punch or even stepping into
the cage.  By not breaking his stride for a 10 year old fan
asking for an autograph, Kimbo refused to fight for his fans
and this may be the final K.O. of an already shaky career.