When Will Baby Slice Fight Again
Interview Nick Newell, who fights at Bellator 241 this weekend, and you'll exist hard pressed not to inquire about his arm. He's a bonafide elite athlete, the existent article, but at that place are narratives that are simply hard to avoid. Newell is a congenital amputee. It's substantially unheard of for a pro fighter. In the aforementioned vein, speak to Baby Slice — properly Kevin Ferguson Jr. — and it'due south nearly incommunicable not to bring up his father, the belatedly Kimbo Slice.
Piece — Ferguson Sr. — was a larger than life figure in mixed martial arts, in an era brimming with stars. A Youtube brawler turned UFC fighter. And despite his own fight pending at Bellator 241, the man known equally Baby Slice has no problem being asked almost his father, who passed abroad from heart failure in 2016.
"I definitely take pride in information technology. I beloved it really," Piece told Cageside Press ahead of the fight. "Information technology's like keeping that proper noun alive, I'm keeping his name alive. The fact that you guys are still request questions and want to know things is perfect. I embrace it. I'm his son, I'thousand his seed. Information technology's perfect, I love it actually."
At times, it does blow him away, the number of lives his father touched. "For sure. I didn't know how many people he touched or his stardom, his limit," Piece said. "I thought he was an MMA fighter, bare knuckle fighter, yes a lot of people know him. But it'south bigger than that, it'southward huge actually."
The 'Baby Piece' nickname came about for obvious reasons. "My dad was 250lbs, half dozen″3, he ever told me 'you're my baby, you lot're my baby son, my get-go son.' I am the baby version of him, I am a piffling version of him. I was thinking 'Little Slice' only that didn't work out right. Information technology didn't sound right. 'Baby Slice' just fit, it had a ring to information technology." Then Ferguson Jr. ran with it.
Names can lead to expectations. In the literary world, Joe Colina shunned the proper name Male monarch, so that he could be judged on his own merits rather than compared to his male parent — horror icon Stephen King. Kevin Ferguson Jr., however, has embraced his begetter's nickname, becoming 'Babe Slice' to dad 'Kimbo.' He doesn't heed the comparisons to his late father, rather, he welcomes them. "I really like existence compared to my dad. I like it a lot," he said. "Information technology brings up memories, it'due south a great feeling."
In his last fight, Slice walked abroad with what seemed like a quick, definitive win. His knockout of Craig Campbell at Bellator 232 was short-lived, however, overturned to a No Competition almost immediately due to an illegal accident to the back of the caput.
"I don't recollect it was an illegal blow at all," said Slice. "They said I could have fought it, but I didn't want to. I'll merely permit the commissioners do their thing. It is what it is, at that point."
Slice said he's found support from just about everyone who watched the fight. And while he admits that "1 [strike] landed illegal," he feels that blow continued "considering of the first one. The first one knocked him out a piffling bit. He dropped into the 2nd one." After the second blow, recalled Piece, "the ref gave me one warning, he was like 'watch the back of the head' on the second dial. I heard him, I switched it."
Even the the commissioner, said Piece, agreed he had switched his placement when he called to inform him over the overturned result. "He said I did nothing wrong, but if I did nothing wrong, why was it a no contest? Just it's all proficient, I'yard moving on, looking forward to my next fight and working hard for that fight. No hard feelings, no love lost."
Despite his last outing coming to an early cease, Ferguson was please with his improved performance. And was able to have away a lot of positives as a result. "My movement was dissimilar, I threw hard kicks, I saw a lot of improvement."
Slice trains with Team Bodyshop, which has produced talents like A.J. McKee and Joey Davis. Working with the camp, and head coach Antonio McKee, has been bang-up, said Slice. "We have everyone, we have everything I need. No one's gong to go in and out-wrestle me, no one's going to out-strike me. Y'all take it to the ground, you're going to get trounce up or submitted. We're well-rounded in this gym. We have it all."
Preparation, roofing all the bases, is fundamental for the team, the way Slice described things. "We prepare for every situation, every scenario that tin can happen, that's possible to happen, we set for it," he said. "If something bad does happen, we know how to get out of it. There's no panic. A lot of people panic. A lot of fighters panic, that's how they cease up losing. There's no panic here."
At Bellator 241, Piece goes up confronting Kaheem Murray, who he noted "has good movement in similar, the first round. Simply I'thou just going to become out at that place and do my affair. I'1000 going to button the step, and break him."
Piece and his military camp are more about focusing on their fighter, rather than over-analyzing an opponent. "We watch a niggling footage just to see what we're working with," he explained. "Nosotros don't get in there bullheaded, but we definitely prepare ourselves before annihilation. Before nosotros try to work out a certain style for this guy. We don't work out no mode — our style wins fights."
The fight is being contested at a 160lb catchweight, and asked about that, Infant Slice quipped that "I guess I'm a catchweight fighter."
"I definitely tin brand 155 though. That'due south my ultimate goal, is to fight at 55," he continued. There's an advantage to avoiding draining weight cuts early in ane's career, he agreed. "I'm simply working my way into it. No rush. I only had 1 amateur fight. One apprentice fight, and all my pro fights were at the large stage, the big leagues. I'm still learning, I'm learning a lot."
Slice loves the sport, and sees his time to come volition be at lightweight, and in the top of the division. "I have the skills, I have all the skills. I'm well-rounded" he said. "I come across myself going far in the side by side 2 years. Definitely a summit five fighter in the next two years."
Bellator 241 goes down this Friday, March thirteen at the Mohegan Sun Loonshit in Uncasville, CT. The carte airs live on DAZN.
Source: https://cagesidepress.com/2020/03/11/bellator-241-baby-slice-interview/
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