Posted by Stephen Rhodes on December 3rd, 2009 under Octagon Buzz Exclusive

Thomas sent this in:

This isn’t Kimbo Slice’s first rodeo. As he approaches his highly-anticipated UFC debut this Saturday night against Houston Alexander, he’s already an old pro when it comes to the whole media circus that has surrounded him ever since he hit the world of mixed martial arts in 2007. So there will be no deer in the headlights look, no stammering under constant interrogation from the press, and no hint of him getting flustered by all the attention.

He’s just going to be Kimbo, and so far that’s worked out pretty well for the man born Kevin Ferguson.

“You’ve got to just roll with the punches,” Slice told UFC.com. “I’m a God-fearing man, and regardless of what people see and how they judge me, I pray to my Lord and savior every day. I’m raised by my mother, I’ve got kids, and I keep it real in every way whatsoever. I’m the same guy as the guy that shops at K-Mart. They go in Winn-Dixie, I’m in Winn-Dixie, they go in Publix, I’m in Publix. Then they see me on TV and it’s like ‘there’s that guy again,’ and they feel like they can relate to that. I’m one of theirs. The guy they see on TV, the guy they like so much, and the guy they see on the internet is the same guy who shops where they shop. They can pat me right on the shoulder and say ‘hey, what’s up man?’”

He’s not exaggerating either. For someone who has achieved as much worldwide notoriety as Slice has ever since his streetfighting days were immortalized on youtube.com, you would have to look pretty hard to find someone as unaffected by fame and all the trappings of it. There’s no talking in the third person, no crazed demands made by a cast of thousands at his beck and call, no elevation of himself at the expense of his opponents. He’s got the same crew he’s been with for years, and while some things have to change as the demands on his time grow, when it comes down to it, he’s just a guy who likes to fight and who found a way to make some money with it. It’s the American dream in a nutshell, and his story has struck a chord with fans around the world.

Yet with every success story comes a backlash, and following an exhibition victory over former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer and three pro MMA wins over Bo Cantrell, Tank Abbott, and James Thompson, the wolves started to come out, waiting for the Kimbo bubble to burst. It apparently happened when he was halted in the first round by Seth Petruzelli in October of 2008, but then the Bahamas native threw the world a curve when he decided not to enter pro boxing or make huge paydays in Japan, but instead to become a competitor on season ten on The Ultimate Fighter. It was one of the more brilliant moves made in sports over the last few years, and the reason why is because – win or lose – Slice was putting his neck on the line and saying ‘hey, I want to be taken seriously as a fighter.’ The fact that he lost his only match on the show to eventual finalist Roy Nelson is irrelevant; he went in there, competed, and also let a nationwide audience see him and the personality behind the menacing glare. That was the biggest victory, as fans and his fellow fighters saw that he was more than just a media creation. He was just another fighter like them, trying to make it.

“It’s just like when you were a kid with your parents, depending on what type of parents you had, but definitely your teachers, they kinda teach you to never judge a book by its cover,” he explains. “I guess I was the complete opposite of everyone’s impression of me. They kinda judged me before they even got to know me, but I didn’t go into the house trying to portray someone that I’m not. What you see is what you get, camera on or camera off, I’m a real dude. My kids know that about me, my friends know that about me, and putting me in that house and after putting the cameras on us 24 hours a day, now the fans are able to know that about me. I’m a real guy. The same guy you see in the street, that’s the guy you saw in the house. And that’s one of the things that people are able to relate to. I’m not phony.”

But is he ready for prime time in the UFC? Saturday night will begin to tell that tale, and while Kimbo has been on the big stages before and can deal with all the extraneous stuff that goes along with a fight, he does admit that the lead in to this fight – which is being fought at a catchweight of 215 pounds – does have a different feel.

“Considering that I’m cutting weight and that it’s my first fight in the UFC, it means a little bit more to me than all the other fights. But as far as pressure, you feel the pressure and everything weeks out, but coming close to the fight, you kinda bite down on your teeth and you know you’re getting ready to get in there, so that pressure goes out the window,” said Slice, who also revealed that this may very well be his last weight cut. “I’m a natural heavyweight. The last time I was at this weight, I was in middle school.” (Laughs)

He is making the sacrifice though in order to meet Alexander, a natural light heavyweight, halfway for this weekend’s bout. On paper, this fight is the true definition of the phrase ‘Don’t Blink’, and everyone – yes, everyone – is expecting some standup fireworks from these two bangers, who have quite a bit of respect for each other.

“I kinda like the guy to be honest with you,” said Slice of Alexander. “I’m a fan of him, so to fight him would be a damn good thing. It’s kinda like how I feel about Mike Tyson. I like him so much to the point to where, win or lose, I wanted to fight him. Regardless of reputation or anything, I’m sure of my game and now I’m being trained by some of the best trainers out there, so I’m confident with what I’m coming with.”

He should be confident after a training camp with Ricardo Liborio and the American Top Team squad in Coconut Creek, Florida, and while Slice admits that it will take more than one camp for him to truly get to the point where you can see everything he’s been learning, he has started on the road from brawler to mixed martial artist.

“They’re teaching me the ABC’s of jiu-jitsu and the ABC’s of becoming a mixed martial artist, and that’s what I think I was lacking in the whole beginning of my career,” he said. “I was just kinda thrown out there and I said ‘hey, let’s just go for what we know.’ And I really went on heart and guts. I fought guys who all had the ability to just mop the cage with me but who were unable to do so because of the heart and the way I was coming. Now I’m up under ATT, who are really giving me the ABC’s of everything and I think I’m gonna be somewhat of a threat to a lot of the guys that I fight as time goes on.”

The first name on that list will be Houston Alexander. And as is his custom, you won’t hear any trash talking of his opponent. Kimbo’s just going to be Kimbo, and that should be enough for a fight you won’t want to miss.

“Just let it play,” he said. “Let the cameras roll and don’t move from your seats because somebody’s getting knocked out. I’m coming in to knock this dude out or to be knocked out. And that’s the fun part of it. I’m not afraid to be hit. I’m not afraid to get knocked the hell out, wake up a few minutes later, well-rested, shake his hand and say ‘hey man, good fight, I’m still a big fan of yours’ or however it goes. I’m coming to fight, and that’s what you get with me. I’m coming to knock someone out.”