The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN his return to mixed martial arts, Bahamian-born fighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson proved he remains a big draw to the fighting scene and now another former Ultimate Fighting Championship icon looks to take him on.

According to the Daily Sport, English UFC pioneer Ian Freeman has said that he is eager to face Slice after he recently defeated Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138.

At the “Unfinished Business” card on Spike TV, 2.1 million viewers tuned in to watch Slice escape an early rear-naked choke hold to defeat Shamrock by knockout at the 2:22 mark in the first round.

One of those viewers was Freeman, who was once a rival seeking a bout with Shamrock, but has now turned his attention to Slice since he emerged with the win.

Bellator’s previous high-water came in November, when 1.8 million viewers tuned in to see Tito Ortiz defeat Stephan Bonnar at Bellator 131.

“I’ve wanted to fight Ken Shamrock for years. But every time we signed the fight, three times in total, Shamrock pulled out and the fights never went ahead. Now that Kimbo has beaten Shamrock, I want the bigger and better fighter,” Freeman said. “Kimbo and I are both old school. I still train hard and I feel I have the tools to beat Kimbo.”

Freeman, 48, elaborated on the challenge to Slice with SB Nation.

“Kimbo is old-school like me. He’s younger, but old-school. I’m not a fool, I’m not going to come back into fighting and challenge a young gun, that’s just silly. But there’s something about an old-school fight, that people love to watch,” he said.

“I love it when people think I’m too old. I’ve yet to gas out. I still train three hours a day, five days a week and when my guys get ready for fight camp, so do I. And I’m more skilled now than I was 10 years ago. Sure age isn’t on my side, but neither is it on Kimbo’s side. I’m not saying I’m gonna win easy, but I will win. Kimbo is a dangerous striker, but I’m a dangerous ground and pound specialist and my submissions are also good now. I’m more skilled now than I was in my prime. Fifteen years as a coach have made my skill level increase dramatically. I know one thing for sure, my shoot would have been a lot faster and better, my RNC would have put Kimbo to sleep and I wouldn’t dive after being hit twice.”

Freeman was the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion and the final Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the first British person to fight in the UFC as well as the first person to beat Frank Mir.

He made his MMA debut in 1999, debuted in the UFC at UFC 24 in 2000 and retired in 2013 with a professional record of 20-7-1

Slice, 41, improved to 5-2 in MMA last weekend while the loss dropped Shamrock to 28-16-2.

Slice became an Internet sensation when his series of street fights became popular on Youtube.com. He converted a career as a backyard street fighter into becoming one of the most sought after fighters in MMA history.

His career as an MMA fighter in the UFC was short lived however, limited to just two fights.

After the brief but much-hyped stint in the world of MMA, Slice looked to capitalise once again on his notoriety, with an attempt at professional wrestling.

He then ventured in pro boxing in 2010 and he posted a 7-0 record up to 2013 before it was announced on January 16, 2015 that Bellator MMA had signed him to a multi-fight deal that started with the much anticipated showdown with Shamrock.