Kimbo was waiting for a heart transplant when he died, says newspaper

Kimbo passed away at the age of 42. Photo: Disclosure

Kimbo Slice, an MMA fighter with stints in the UFC and Bellator, was in line for a heart transplant shortly before he died last Monday (6), in Florida, in the United States.

Slice, whose real name was Kevin Ferguson, had become ill at home and went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath and nausea. According to the North American newspaper “Sun Sentinel”, he was admitted to the ICU after being diagnosed with heart problems and a liver tumor – which does not necessarily mean that it is cancer of the organ.

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The athlete's family had been informed that Kimbo would need a heart transplant. The fighter was about to be transferred to a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio (USA), where he would be in immediate line to obtain a new organ. However, he did not survive and died at the scene.

Kimbo, who was 42 years old, gained fame in the United States at the beginning of the last decade, with videos of amateur fights that he held in backyards. Due to his success, Slice was drafted by the EliteXC organization, where he had his first four professional MMA fights.

After beating the likes of veterans Tank Abbott and James Thompson, Kimbo was knocked out by Seth Petruzelli, which directly affected EliteXC's popularity. Furthermore, Petruzelli revealed at the time that the organization had asked him to hand over the victory to the popular Slice – EliteXC could not resist the scandal and closed its doors.

Kimbo then participated in the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, in an edition that only featured heavyweight fighters. Despite being quickly eliminated in the face of Roy Nelson, the athlete had two fights in the UFC, defeating Houston Alexander and losing to Matt Mitrione.

Years later, Kimbo signed with Bellator and made his debut with the organization in 2015, beating former UFC fighter Ken Shamrock. At the beginning of the year, he starred in one of the most controversial fights in MMA history, against Dada 5000, in which both showed great physical and technical unpreparedness. During the fight, Dada 5000 suffered cardiac arrest and kidney problems, but eventually recovered.

Kimbo was scheduled to have a rematch with James Thompson at Bellator 158, on July 16, in the organization's debut in England. He left behind six children and a longtime girlfriend.