“Baby Slice” hopes to build on the legacy of his father Kimbo, evolve the Slice name

Just shy of one year ago, the combat sports world was rocked by the news that street fighter turned mixed martial arts icon “Kimbo Slice” (née Kevin Ferguson) had passed away at just 42 years of age.

Last Friday, when Bellator touched down in London, England, Slice’s son Kevin Ferguson Jr. – who fights with the monicker “Baby Slice” – scored the first win of his pro MMA career. Baby Slice earned this win by stopping DJ Griffin with first-round strikes.

In the wake of this win, which occurred in the same city that the elder Kimbo’s last fight was supposed to occur in, the young Ferguson spoke to MMAJunkie about the experience.

“I definitely felt a lot of emotions,” he said. “All the hard work and dedication that I put in paid off tonight.”

“I didn’t want to get over-excited before the fight and blow my gas tank, or do something stupid, until the fight,” he said. “I just tried to stay calm and stay focused – do what I was trained to do. If I get that finish, all the emotions come out then.”

Baby Slice then explained that his objective is to build on the legacy of his world-famous father, and establish himself as a true mixed martial arts talent. He believes he took the first steps to this end in London.

“I want to continue the legacy and take the legacy to the next level,” he said. “I want to evolve the ‘Slice’ name. My dad was a brawler, a striker. He didn’t like going to the ground. He liked staying on his feet. As you can see, I defended a triangle [choke], I defended an armbar. So I’m showing that I have some ground skills and I can defend the ground.”

What do you think of Baby Slice?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/21/2017.