Kimbo will test his TUF-ness
Kimbo Slice will be among the 16 heavyweight fighters to join Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter," which begins shooting this week in Las Vegas.
"He just really wants to fight right now," Slice's manager, Mike Imber, told Sherdog.com.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the news with Yahoo! Sports on Monday.
Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, was released from the Pro Elite organization May 13, according to a recent SEC filing.
The 34-year-old father of six also opted to pass on a potential multifight deal with Strikeforce, which had obtained an option to purchase the bearded Internet phenomenon's contract from Pro Elite last February.
Slice's management told Sherdog.com that the promotion was offering less than the fighter's Pro Elite contract had stipulated (the fighter was paid $175,000 and $500,000 for two of his last three bouts), though both parties split on amicable terms.
This cleared the way for negotiations with Zuffa, which owns the UFC, to cash in on one of the sport's fastest rising stars ever.
Though TUF hopefuls sign undisclosed contracts and make a reported $5,000 per fight they finish (submission or stoppage) on the series, Slice almost certainly will be afforded a different deal on the show. He is, by far, the highest-profile candidate to appear on a show that prides itself on harvesting undiscovered talent.
Slice, who earned fame from the brutal backyard beatdowns he dished out and aired over the Internet, fought three times for Pro Elite under its EliteXC banner. Two of those bouts were main-event attractions featured on CBS, and rank as the No. 1 and No. 3 most-watched fights in U.S. history, topping out at 7.3 million viewers.
Last June, Slice (3-1) became the second mixed martial artist to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine, after UFC superstar Chuck Liddell.
White has been critical of Slice's unmatched notoriety, as well as his questionable fighting ability.
"It should be interesting, given some of the things I've said about him," White told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.
The move also squashes rumors that Slice was set to embark on a career in professional boxing. Gary Shaw, who promoted the fighter under the EliteXC banner, was among those who made overtures for his services in the squared circle.
Slice still has much to prove in the Octagon. He is coming off a 14-second loss in October to Seth Petruzelli, a light heavyweight who was pulled up from the undercard after Ken Shamrock was deemed medically ineligible to fight that same day.
