Morning Report: Jorge Masvidal thinks Kimbo Slice would have been ‘2-time heavyweight champion’ if he’d trained MMA earlier

Jorge Masvidal has competed for MMA titles on the highest degree, and he’s assured Kimbo Slice might have achieved the identical.

The truth is, had Slice began his MMA coaching earlier, Masvidal believes his fellow Miami combating legend would have been a champion twice over.

Masvidal not too long ago appeared on the JAXXON podcast, the place he opened by discussing the late Slice, born Kevin Ferguson, who died in 2016. At his peak, Slice was one of the well-known fighters in North America, a status that he constructed as a road fighter in Florida nicely earlier than becoming a member of the UFC in 2009.

It wasn’t till Slice was 35 years previous that he made his octagon debut following a stint on The Final Fighter 10. Masvidal pictured a state of affairs the place Slice pursued MMA 20 years earlier, a path that would have led to heavyweight gold.

“He was a cool dude,” Masvidal mentioned. “So f*cking humble. It simply bothers me that he began MMA so late, as a result of that man was so gifted. If he would have began, like, 14, 15, 16 years previous, neglect about it. This man would have been a two-time heavyweight champion. He would have been a critical f*cking downside.

“He began coaching like, at 35, 36 years previous for the UFC.”

Slice went on to compete eight occasions in MMA, compiling a 5-2 document (together with a 1-1 mark within the UFC) with a memorable no-contest towards Dada 5000 (initially a TKO for Slice that was later overturned as a result of Slice failing a pre-fight drug check) in 2016 that will be the ultimate struggle of Slice’s life and the final one to this point for Dada.

Regardless of the combined outcomes, Slice’s outings had been recurrently thought of appointment viewing. He headlined the primary MMA occasion on American community tv when he fought James Thompson at a 2008 EliteXC occasion, his TUF bout in 2009 reverse Roy Nelson drew over 5 million viewers, and he drew one other two million viewers to Bellator when he fought Dada.

Masvidal mirrored on what made Slice particular when JAXXON podcast host Quinton Jackson—Slice’s coach on TUF 10—complained about his coaches on the truth present giving Slice over-complicated recommendation.

“Don’t take that wild edge from him since you he’d go from right here to ‘wham!’ simply clogging someone,” Masvidal mentioned. “Tremendous athlete, however simply began a bit of late.”

The connection between Masvidal and Slice goes again to when Slice was on his solution to turning into an web sensation for his thrilling road fights. Masvidal was featured in a single such clip, battling a protégé of Slice’s, and the 2 struck up a friendship afterwards.

When Masvidal went on to turn out to be a standout on the American High Staff fitness center in Coconut Creek, Fla., he was later joined by Slice, who even at his superior age nonetheless confirmed promise.

“After that he got here to American High Staff and I’m going to say he did his entire profession off of there after The Final Fighter,” Masvidal mentioned. “All the way in which as much as his final struggle, he was with us. I wouldn’t roll with him, solely to start with I believe we wrestled a few occasions. We’d spar very frivolously, simply transferring round… he was big.

“Again then I used to be at 155, so it was an excessive amount of of a weight distinction. So he’d handle me once we work out, however we’d simply attempt to present one another issues. I had quite a few professional fights already, however he was a f*cking expertise and a imply motherf*cker.”

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It’s unhappy to me that there are many newer MMA followers that don’t have any grasp of what a large star Kimbo Slice was when he burst onto the scene. We’re speaking mainstream protection, like ESPN magazine cowl boy years earlier than he joined the UFC. Folks with no real interest in combating knew who Kimbo was. There’ll by no means be one other.

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