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Backyard Fights Icon Kimbo Slice Gets a Heartfelt Tribute From Protege Jorge Masvidal on his 49th Birthday

Published 02/09/2023, 6:45 AM EST

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Kevin Ferguson, popularly known as Kimbo Slice, was one of the biggest names in the bare-knuckle boxing and street fighting circuit across the country. Also known as the ‘Mike Tyson’ of street fighting, Slice was an active fighter from 2003 till his demise in 2016. On his 49th birthday, Jorge Masvidal posted a heartfelt tribute to Slice, along with an animated picture of Masvidal and Slice.

Slice gained initial popularity by uploading his fight videos on YouTube. Eventually, he found his way up to UFC. Jorge Masvidal also has a street fighting background, and the two fighters go a long time back.

Jorge Masvidal’s Instagram Post for Kimbo Slice

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Masvidal is from Miami, which is exactly where Kimbo Slice fought. Even after nearly 7 years of his demise, Masvidal still remembers the street-fighting legend and posted a heartfelt tribute to him on Instagram.

“You gave me an opportunity of a lifetime and for that I thank you,” Masivdal posted on his Instagram. Not many know this, but Masvidal had several meetings with Kimbo Slice during his street fighting days. Once, Masvidal even faced the then-protege of Kimbo Slice, known as ‘Ray’.

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When Kimbo Slice Was the Referee for a Jorge Masvidal Street Fight

According to what Masvidal said in an interview with ‘MMA Junkie’, Kimbo Slice was the referee when Masvidal faced Ray in a street fight. Masvidal won that fight.

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Read More – “I Was There When He Died”- Mike Tyson Recalls MMA Legend Kimbo Slice’s Final Moments

Masvidal also mentioned that Kimbo Slice was courteous and polite to him, even after the former beat his protege. Slice even took Masvidal for a fancy dinner. Going out to a high-end restaurant with Slice was a big thing for Masvidal back then, as he wasn’t financially stable. ‘Gamebred’ even talked about how he thought they were going to ‘thug out’ of the restaurant without paying the bill. However, this was not the case.

In 2005, Kimbo Slice transitioned from street fighting to MMA. Slice was one of the primary inspirations for Jorge Masvidal to take up the sport of mixed martial arts. Many years later, Masvidal is one of the biggest names in the UFC.

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Watch This Story – Conor McGregor Accused of Ducking Jorge Masvidal Fight

The picture that Masvidal recently posted on Slice’s birthday had both of them standing in a fighting stance, with a street fighting background. It was a nostalgic moment for all Masvidal and Kimbo Slice fans to see Masvidal’s post.

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Written by:

Sushant Sharma

920Articles

One take at a time

Sushant is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. He has been actively contributing to the field of writing for over 2 years. He is a huge UFC fan and has been following it since 2016.
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Edited by:

Rohini Kottu