fKimbo Slice is the primary of 10 matters that will probably be mentioned in-depth on Vice TV’s latest Darkish Facet collection.
Darkish Facet of the Cage debuts Wednesday night time at 10 p.m. ET on Vice TV, and it kicks off with Kimbo Slice: Rise of a Yard Brawler. The episode options Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock, and extra to assist inform the story of Slice, whose actual title is Kevin Ferguson.
One of many present’s government producers Tim Healy says the concept for the present got here after his firm helped inform the story of the early days of the Final Combating Championship.
“My manufacturing firm, Rail Splitter Footage, we produced Darkish Facet of the 90’s for Vice, and after we had been brainstorming episodes, we got here up with let’s inform the story of the UFC,” Healy instructed MMA Combating. “The promotion has gotten so common over the past decade that we figured quite a lot of viewers don’t perceive the early days and what they confronted as an organization. So we did a two-parter, we did 2 hours on the darkish facet of the UFC and it did actually, rather well. It was acquired rather well and even past that, it was a blast to make.
“We had a lot enjoyable doing it and it rated actually, rather well. So when these rankings got here in, we reached out to Vice immediately and we mentioned, ‘Look, there’s one thing right here. We wish to do extra at nighttime facet house, let’s do Darkish Facet of the Cage. Let’s simply dive into combined martial arts and let’s dedicate a complete collection to those tales.’ And that was a few yr in the past, and Vice was receptive. They jumped proper on it and so they greenlit these 10, one-hour episodes, and that’s actually the backstory of the genesis of the concept.”
Different matters being featured on season one of many new program embody Diego Sanchez, Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Matt Hughes, and the rise and fall of Pleasure FC.
Healy mentioned the primary 10 episode matters had been pretty apparent to all concerned, and kicking issues off with Slice appeared to be one of the simplest ways to go — particularly since he would probably be one of many extra misunderstood athletes for those who didn’t know him.
“You’ll be exhausting pressed to seek out anybody to say one unhealthy factor about about Kimbo,” Healy defined. “He was clearly a pressure to be reckoned with, however I by no means met him, however from what everybody says, he was simply the nicest man.”
The story of Slice discusses his notorious yard combating days that made him a YouTube legend, to his underground struggle with Boston police officer Sean Gannon, his transition to the world of combined martial arts, up till his premature loss of life in 2016 on the age of 42.
Slice all the time had that star high quality, and even again when the game was gaining increasingly more notoriety, Slice performed his position completely — by means of the ups and the downs. However the extra you hear about Slice’s path by means of his profession, the extra you perceive that he might have been nearly a decade forward of his time.
“However he turned a scholar at a late age. Whenever you have a look at what occurred to him, how he was type of the one of many greatest athletes and was sitting on the sofa on the Jimmy Kimmel present and making the late night time rounds, after which instantly every little thing falls aside at Elite XC. After which the man goes on The Final Fighter the place guys originally go. So he was a man that wasn’t afraid to essentially put it on the market to place himself out on a limb to attempt to succeed at one thing. So I believe he would have tailored to all these different alternatives in fight sports activities actually, rather well.
“I imply, it was simply tragic what occurred to the man.”
Some of the notorious fights of Slice’s profession came about at Bellator 149 — simply 4 months earlier than he handed away — taking up fellow avenue fighter and bitter rival “Dada 5000.” The struggle was one of many weirdest in MMA historical past, however in the end ended with Slice incomes a knockout win within the third spherical earlier than it was overturned to a no-contest attributable to a optimistic steroid check by the Texas Division of Licensing and Regulation.
Because the present dives deeper within the memorable heavyweight tilt, the sadder it turns into in hindsight.
“[The Dada 5000 fight was] tragic,” Healy mentioned. “I imply, whenever you watch that struggle within the episode and Huge John McCarthy, who reffed that struggle, he talks about how he nearly feels type of responsible as a result of he was urging Kimbo — you hear him within the [cage] saying, ‘You must do one thing. You’ve bought to maneuver,’ not realizing the man had a coronary heart situation.
“It’s like, whenever you watch that struggle, you haven’t any thought what’s occurring inside that man’s physique and the way sick he was.”
Try an unique clip of Wednesday’s premiere episode beneath.
