Kimbo Slice is No Longer Undefeated

Fast-rising newcomer to the world of MMA (mixed martial arts) cage fighting, Kimbo Slice, whose real name is Craig Ferguson, no longer has a perfect professional record. He lost Saturday night in front of his own hometown crowd in Sunrise, Florida, and millions more on cable television via the program EliteXC (Elite Xtreme Combat) and CBS Broadcasting. But Kimbo's first loss as a professional fighter comes with a great deal of controversy, too.

It was announced over a month ago that the popular ex-street fighter and internet sensation turned professional fighter Kimbo Slice was set to fight mixed martial arts legend Ken Shamrock. The bout has been greatly publicized ever since the announcement, and was highly anticipated by fans all over the world. The match was seen in the eyes of many as the only saving grace for a sports program, EliteXC, which was on the brink of folding due to poor ratings. The fight of Kimbo Slice versus Ken Shamrock, however, never happened.

At the beginning of the program on Saturday, October 4, 2008 the announcement was made that Ken Shamrock would not be fighting in his scheduled match due to an injury he had suffered while training. Instead, the 6'2", 240 pound Kimbo Slice was to take on the relatively unknown Seth "Silverback" Petruzelli, standing only 6 foot tall and weighing just over 200 lbs. Kimbo agreed on very little notice, although he had been focused on Ken Shamrock and training to fight against the veteran's signature style of cage fighting and certainly not Petruzelli's.

Petruzelli came out strong and energetic, landing a stiff jab directly underneath Slice's eye as the much larger Kimbo initiated combat with an opening charge. Slice then fell down to all fours, and Seth Petruzelli took full advantage by pummeling his opponent with a barrage of fists. It had only gone 14 seconds into the first round before the referee would step in between the fighters, calling it a win for Petruzelli, whose record now stands at 11 wins and 4 losses, and a TKO for Slice, now with a professional MMA record of 3-1.

The future of EliteXC, Kimbo Slice and Seth Petruzelli is all unknown. What is known is that a little-known underdog, Seth Petruzelli, took down the giant known as Kimbo Slice, a task that nobody else had managed to do. And it only took him 14 seconds.