Report: ‘Kimbo Slice’ died of heart failure, needed heart transplant

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson was hospitalized three days prior to reports surfaced about his “dire” health condition. He was subsequently diagnosed with heart failure.

Citing information from the Broward County’s medical examiner’s office, the Sun-Sentinel today reported that the fighter was admitted with severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath and nausea. Doctors found a liver mass and congestive heart failure, advising his family a heart transplant was necessary.

Ferguson was placed on a ventilator in intensive care before he passed away on Monday at the age of 42.

Multiple attempts to reach the Broward County’s medical examiner’s office were unsuccessful. A public records request from MMAjunkie is pending.

One of the world’s best known and most popular fighters, Ferguson’s death shocked the MMA community. He had been scheduled to headline Bellator 158 on July 16 in London, facing James Thompson in a rematch of a 2008 fight that broke ratings records. When he did not attend a press conference in London for the April event, Bellator President Scott Coker said the fighter had become “ill” and doctors “asked him to stay” in the U.S.

In a statement released after Ferguson’s passing, Coker said the promotion is “shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family.”

An Internet sensation in the late 2000s for his backyard brawl videos, Ferguson was signed by the now-defunct EliteXC promotion. He trained under UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten and won his first three fights, including one against Thompson watched by 6.51 million viewers, before a highly publicized upset at the hands of Seth Petruzelli.

After EliteXC’s demise, he signed on to the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” drawing record ratings for the reality show. Eliminated early on the show’s tournament, he fought twice in the UFC, going 1-1 before his release.

Ferguson (6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator in June 2015 and again was ratings gold with a knockout of Ken Shamrock watched by 2.3 million people. In February, he bested Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris by TKO before 2.7 million viewers, but the bout’s result was overturned when he tested positive for a steroid and an elevated T/E ratio. He settled with the overseeing Texas Athletic Commission, receiving a 90-day suspension and the revocation of his fight license in addition to a $2,500 fine.

source MMAjunkie