Slice would appear on the preliminary card, taking on Kaheem Murray in a bout pushed back from last March, when the coronavirus pandemic hit U.S. shores.

Also in action on the preliminary portion of Bellator 253 were Jeremy Kennedy and Matt Bessette. The two UFC veterans faced off in a key featherweight bout. Young prospect Jay Jay Wilson was back as well. And Jaleel Willis, who had been expected to make his Bellator debut earlier this year against Patricky Pitbull (until Pitbull withdrew from the fight last minute due to illness) was paired up with Mark Lemminger.

The Bellator 253 preliminary card kicks off at 4:15PM ET. Results will be available below. A live stream of all the action can be viewed in the embed above.

Bellator 253: Caldwell vs. McKee Preliminary Card Results

Jeremy Kennedy def. Matt Bessette by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Jaleel Willis def. Mark Lemminger by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jay Jay Wilson def. Sergio de Bari by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:20
Kaheem Murray def. Kevin Ferguson Jr. by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
Sullivan Cauley def. Jason Markland by TKO (elbows and punches), Round 1, 0:28

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Thanks to the coronavirus wiping out a March date, Slice has been on the sidelines over a year. At Bellator 253 this Thursday, he finally gets his long-awaited date with Kaheem Murray.

His last appearance was a disappointing No Contest against Craig Campbell. Originally a win for Slice, the victory was overturned due to illegal elbows. Despite that setback, and the onset of the pandemic, Slice is taking it all in stride. “I’m just me. I don’t try to control anything. I just roll with the punches,” he told Cageside Press recently. As long as his own health and that of his family is okay, he added, “then I’m okay.”

Slice, alongside A.J. McKee and Joey Davis, will be representing Team Bodyshop on Thursday. The team led by Antonio McKee saw one major change over the past year or so, as top prospect Aaron Pico moved down to New Mexico to join Jackson-Wink MMA.

When it comes to the change, “As far as wrestling-wise, we have that. I have Joey Davis, I have my coach Anthony McKee,” said Slice. Meaning despite the loss of a high-level wrestler and Olympic hopeful in Pico, Slice remains in good hands. However, “on a personal level, we lost a friend,” he added.

That’s the MMA game. Fighters move around. Especially young fighters starting out, which would include Pico, and Slice himself.

Luckily, Slice has learned from past generations of fighters. Take the pandemic itself. Slice has been able to keep the focus on fighting, not needing to worry about picking up work with so much off-time.

“I’m good at managing my money, and saving it. I’m young, so I’m learning to invest and where to put my money, things like that. I’m smart when it comes to that,” he said. Slice’s wife has also gone to school for nursing, and will be working in hospitals soon.

Once again lined up with Kaheem Murray, as he was in March, Slice has kept the approach simple, as always. “Just do my thing, you know? I don’t really worry about my opponent,” he explained. “Especially when it’s time to fight. He’s never fought anyone like me.”

The fight is set at 155lbs, and while Slice has dabbled in catchweights in the past, those days are over. “If I’m fighting now, it’s going to be at 155,” he stated. “I’m trying to move up in the ranks now.”

The lightweight is also looking forward to competing in an empty arena, which he thinks is “going to be better” for him, given his coach Antonio McKee’s ability to guide him step-by-step.

“When you’re watching, you’re going to hear him. He’s going to walk me through that fight every step of the way,” suggested Slice. “Not that it’s going to be easy, but the way he coaches, it’s going to be smooth if I just listen and pay attention to our little codes.”

Baby Slice takes on Kaheem Murray as part of the Bellator 253 preliminary card this Thursday, November 19 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The main card airs on CBS Sports following online prelims.

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Slice — 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 as Baby Slice has no problem being asked about his father, who passed away from heart failure in 2016.

“I definitely take pride in it. I love it actually,” Slice told Cageside Press ahead of the fight. “It’s like keeping that name alive, I’m keeping his name alive. The fact that you guys are still asking questions and want to know things is perfect. I embrace it. I’m his son, I’m his seed. It’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,” Slice said. “I thought he was an MMA fighter, bare knuckle fighter, yeah a lot of people know him. But it’s bigger than that, it’s huge actually.”

The ‘Baby Slice’ nickname came about for obvious reasons. “My dad was 250lbs, 6″3, he always told me ‘you’re my baby, you’re my baby son, my first son.’ I am the baby version of him, I am a little version of him. I was thinking ‘Little Slice’ but that didn’t work out right. It didn’t sound right. ‘Baby Slice’ just fit, it had a ring to it.” So Ferguson Jr. ran with it.

Names can lead to expectations. In the literary world, Joe Hill shunned the name King, so that he could be judged on his own merits rather than compared to his father — horror icon Stephen King. Kevin Ferguson Jr., however, has embraced his father’s nickname, becoming ‘Baby Slice’ to dad ‘Kimbo.’ He doesn’t mind the comparisons to his late father, rather, he welcomes them. “I actually like being compared to my dad. I like it a lot,” he said. “It brings up memories, it’s a great feeling.”

In his last fight, Slice walked away with what seemed like a quick, definitive win. His knockout of Craig Campbell at Bellator 232 was short-lived, however, overturned to a No Contest almost immediately due to an illegal blow to the back of the head.

“I don’t think it was an illegal blow at all,” said Slice. “They said I could have fought it, but I didn’t want to. I’ll just let 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 “one [strike] landed illegal,” he feels that blow connected “because of the first one. The first one knocked him out a little bit. He dropped into the second one.” After the second blow, recalled Slice, “the ref gave me one warning, he was like ‘watch the back of the head’ on the second punch. I heard him, I switched it.”

Even the the commissioner, said Slice, 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? But it’s all good, I’m 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 end, Ferguson was please with his improved performance. And was able to take away a lot of positives as a result. “My movement was different, 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 great, 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. You take it to the ground, you’re going to get beat up or submitted. We’re well-rounded in this gym. We have it all.”

Preparation, covering all the bases, is key for the team, the way Slice described things. “We prepare for every situation, every scenario that can happen, that’s possible to happen, we prepare 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 end up losing. There’s no panic here.”

At Bellator 241, Slice goes up against Kaheem Murray, who he noted “has good movement in like, the first round. But I’m just going to go out there and do my thing. I’m going to push the pace, and break him.”

Slice and his camp are more about focusing on their fighter, rather than over-analyzing an opponent. “We watch a little footage just to see what we’re working with,” he explained. “We don’t go in there blind, but we definitely prepare ourselves before anything. Before we try to work out a certain style for this guy. We don’t work out no style — our style wins fights.”

The fight is being contested at a 160lb catchweight, and asked about that, Baby Slice quipped that “I guess I’m a catchweight fighter.”

“I definitely can make 155 though. That’s my ultimate goal, is to fight at 55,” he continued. There’s an advantage to avoiding draining weight cuts early in one’s career, he agreed. “I’m just working my way into it. No rush. I only had one amateur fight. One amateur fight, and all my pro fights were at the big stage, the big leagues. I’m still learning, I’m learning a lot.”

Slice loves the sport, and sees his future will 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 see myself going far in the next two years. Definitely a top five fighter in the next two years.”

Bellator 241 goes down this Friday, March 13 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The card airs live on DAZN.

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Baby Slice (Kevin Ferguson Jr.) got back in the win column Saturday at Bellator 232, but the celebration didn’t last long. Monday afternoon, it appeared the win had been overturned by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, as a result of illegal strikes used in his fight with Chris Campbell.

The strikes in question were highlighted during the broadcast, and involved at least one strike to the back of the head. A number of blows in the finishing sequence landed, and at the time, Campbell appeared to be moving his head, complicating matters.

Per a report by MMA Fighting, commission President Michael Mazzulli utilized instant replay to review the finish. In a letter to Bellator CEO Scott Coker, Mazzulli wrote that ”In the case of the above-referenced bout, upon review of the tape, we have determined that the injury that stopped the bout was the result of an accidental foul; elbows to the back of the head,” and continued by adding that “since the bout was stopped in the first round of a bout scheduled for three rounds, we have determined that the result of the bout must be changed to “no-contest.”

Addressing the matter with MMA Junkie, Slice said that “I did what I was supposed to do. That was their decision. It was out of my control. I did my job,” before adding that Mazzulli told him the commission could overturn the win even if just one blow was illegal.

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Bellator 232 saw the conclusion of the Bellator Welterweight Grand prix — and in a rare case of things going according to plan, it was Rory MacDonald and Douglas Lima in the final. Lima, the man MacDonald had beaten to become champ in Bellator, had put on two stellar shows in the grand prix, and looked better than ever. MacDonald, meanwhile, had struggled against Jon Fitch, but bounced back opposite Neiman Gracie.

However, fighting Lima for the second time, MacDonald’s conservative game plan, designed to avoid the nasty leg kicks of the Brazilian, backfired. In the end, Lima reclaimed the title, won the million dollar grand prix, and get his revenge on MacDonald.

Full results from the event, plus a gallery of highlights, can be seen below.

Bellator 232: MacDonald vs. Lima 2 Results

Main Card

Douglas Lima defeated Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
Paul Daley defeated Saad Awad via TKO (punches), Round 2, 1:30
Patrick Mix defeated Isaiah Chapman via submission (kneebar), Round 1, 3:49
Manny Muro defeated Nick Newell via split decision (29-28, 27-29, 29-28)
Baby Slice defeated Craig Campbell via TKO (elbows), Round 1, 0:38

Preliminary Card

Ryan Hardy Evans defeated Demetrios Plaza via submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 3:03
Lance Gibson Jr. defeated Dominic Jones via KO (punches), Round 1, 1:58
Devin Powell defeated Marcus Surin via technical submission (mounted guillotine), Round 2, 5:00
Johnny Lopez defeated Dan Cormier via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Jornel Lugo defeated John Douma via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Zarrukh Adashev defeated Tevin Dyce via TKO (strikes), Round 2, 1:39

The post Bellator 232: MacDonald vs. Lima 2 Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

Uncasville, CT — After a tough loss to Corey Browning a year ago, and an ACL injury, Kevin Ferguson Jr., or Baby Slice (son of the late Kimbo Slice) returned to the Bellator cage Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The occasion was Bellator 232, the opponent Craig Campbell. And it was all over in under a minute.

A TKO win, thanks to some nasty elbows, put Campbell away early. With a fight so quick, there wasn’t much to pick apart, other than a questionable elbow in the finishing sequence that appeared to hit the back of the head.

Baby Slice addressed that blow post-fight, speaking to reporters including Cageside Press. Although initially, he was concerned about a possible 12-6 elbow.

“The first one was legal. If you watched it, he moved his head a little bit as I was going for the second one,” he explained. “That’s when the ref said ‘watch the elbows.’ So then I went back to — you just got to put a curve to it.”

“He told me backstage, anything straight down, that’s not good,” Slice added. “But as long as you have that little [curve] in it, you’re good to go.”

When it came to placement, “the ref said if you move your head and that’s where it lands, then it’s not his fault. That’s where it landed, that’s what happened. I don’t think it was illegal, I think everything was good.”

The officials seemed to agree with him. And now that he’s back in the win column, the Team Bodyshop fighter is looking to stay active, and get back in the cage “as soon as possible.”

“I’m going right back to training next week,” Baby Slice said. As for who Ferguson wants next, it’s an old foe. “A rematch. I want Corey Browning. It’s like a callout. It’s a callout for sure. Definitely want a rematch. Might as well start a rivalry. All the older guys are starting to retire, and there’s no good rivalries right now.”

“So listen, get another rivalry going. Let’s do it,” he finished.

Watch the full Bellator 232 post-fight press conference with Baby Slice above!

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Baby Slice, properly Kevin Ferguson Jr., returned to action Saturday night at Bellator 232. Slice’s return to the Bellator cage followed an upset loss at the hands of Corey Browning, and an ACL injury to boot. Saturday in Uncasville, CT, Slice took on Craig Campbell, who had previously competed in LFA. Campbell was 3-3 to start the night.

Slice opened the affair with a combination, as he looked to get back to his winning ways. He fired out a leg kick that was caught by Campbell, who clearly thought a takedown attempt would be a good idea. It wasn’t. As Campbell dropped down to shoot in, Slice unleashed a barrage of elbows and hammer fists. Campbell immediately slumped forward, as Slice added in a few more strikes for good measure. While replay would show that at least one of the strikes hit the back of the head, the one that set up the finish was an elbow just behind the ear.

Son of the late Kimbo Slice, training with Team Bodyshop, Ferguson Jr. continues to look like a solid prospect for Bellator.

Official Result: Kevin Ferguson Jr. def. Craig Campbell by TKO, Round 1, 0:38

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Uncasville, CT — If there was a common theme on Friday night at Bellator 207 in Uncasville, Connecticut, it’s that the night belonged to the unknowns. It was a night of upsets, a night of names you’d never heard of defeating names you most likely had, at least early on in the card. Kristi Lopez, Carrington Banks, Baby Slice. All three fell to their respective opponents, all three defeated in fights that most expected to be showcases for them.

Lopez went first, on the preliminary card, her first time setting foot in the Bellator cage in over a year. Against Sarah Click, a 1-2 fighter, it was expected Lopez would shine. Yet Click’s record was deceiving; she’d put her time in as an amateur, and from the get-go, she was more than happy to stand with Lopez, and deliver. While Lopez shone early, a late exchange saw Click take the upper hand, punctuated by a head kick. They’d go the full distance, but Sarah Click cruised to victory from there.

The main card opened with an upset few expected. Carrington ‘The Jetsetter’ Banks was a unanimous pick by many (including our own staff members) to score the win over Mandel Nallo. Nallo, hailing from Toronto, Canada and training with TriStar, was a virtual unknown. Yet in the first round, he nearly wrapped Banks up in a D’Arce choke. In the second, the floored him with a knee. Goodnight, Irene (more accurately, goodnight, Carrington). If fans didn’t know who Nallo was before, well, they did now.

Nallo clearly elated with that win #Bellator207 pic.twitter.com/dUHqRWnhAC

— Cageside Press (@mmatodaynews) October 13, 2018

Everything would settle in after that. Or so it seemed. Kevin Ferguson Jr., better known as Baby Slice, would storm out of the gates against Corey Browning, in the second fight in on the Bellator 207 main card. Slice seemed to have the advantage in size, speed, agility, and quickly had Browning down. Near-finishes followed. But Browning hung in there. Battled back. Put Slice in a crucifix at one point. Wore him down, and finally earned the TKO victory just over two minutes into the second round.

Click. Nallo. Browning. Not names anyone expected to be talking about following Bellator 207, but here we are nonetheless. Mandel Nallo will probably earn the biggest push from his performance Friday night, with ESPN’s Sport Center almost immediately pushing his finish of Banks as a knockout of the year contender.

This might be a candidate for knockout of the year. pic.twitter.com/VDB0UZo0qt

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 13, 2018

As the main card progressed, of course, the story got back on track. Lorenz Larkin won a decision. Sergei Kharitonov did the improbable and knocked out Roy Nelson, but Kharitonov is far from an unknown. Same with Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader in the main event.

Yet for a while, Bellator 207 was all about the unknowns, and that “anything can happen” feel is what makes MMA so much fun.

The post Bellator 207 A Night for the Unknowns appeared first on Cageside Press.

Corey Browning comes into his Bellator debut with a 3-2 record. The Tennessee native submitted two of his first three opponents, but has lost his last two bouts.

Kevin Ferguson Jr., AKA Baby Slice, lost in his professional debut, but responded by rattling off three first-round stoppages in a row heading into this bout. The son of the late Kimbo Slice has fought his entire professional career in the Bellator cage.

Baby Slice landed an early takedown and attempted an anaconda choke on the grappler. Browning broke free, allowing Slice to land some ground-and-pound. Slice pushed Browning against the cage as he attempted to stand and landed a hard knee to the head.

Slice landed another takedown, then avoided an armbar attempt, leading to a scramble. Slice ended up on top and landed an elbow that cut Browning open. Slice was swept, and Browning worked his way to a crucifix position. Browning landed several elbows to end the first round.

Browning started the second round in a big way by knocking down Baby Slice with a counter right hand. Slice powered through to gain top position and attempted an arm-triangle. Browning defended well, broke out of the submission and gained top position. Browning overwhelmed the tired Slice with ground-and-pound, leading to a second-round stoppage.

Corey Browning def. Baby Slice by TKO (Punches) in Round 2 (2:08)

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American Top Team, Jackson-Wink, Team Alpha Male, American Kickboxing Academy. Flip a coin, any one of these gyms is the best on any given day. Yet there’s a hundred other gyms on par that you have never heard of, at least not yet. Team Bodyshop is one of those.

Team Bodyshop may not be the household name that ATT is, however, former fighter and head trainer Antonio ‘Mandingo’ McKee Sr couldn’t care less. Cageside Press caught up with the always entertaining McKee last week, and wouldn’t you know it, the MMA pioneer hasn’t hung the gloves up quite yet.

Playing the role of underdog is something that McKee Sr (29-6-2) is used to. Having competed in mixed martial arts before the UFC even had lighter weight classes, ‘Mandingo’ was always fighting out of his proper weight class. “It feels good to be on the undercard and then become the big dog,” McKee told Cageside Press.

“I’m telling you, we’re racking up these wins at the Bodyshop. We have always been one of the top contending gyms, we had one of the best and longest winning streaks in all of Southern California.”

There’s no denying the talented stable of fighters calling the Bodyshop home. Baby Slice, Joey Davis, Antonio McKee Jr, and phenom Aaron Pico are all currently under the tutelage of the elder McKee. Be that as it may, Team Bodyshop has an open-door policy, “All these guys are free to come and go as they please,” McKee Sr explained.

“Our gym is based on love, it really is. We don’t have contracts here, any one of these guys can leave at any time, but they don’t.” McKee Sr continued, “Coaching has really made me step my game up, we all learn from each other.”

McKee father and son will be doing more than just training together come this September, ‘Mandingo’ revealed. “I think people are going to be impressed with the growth in my game,” McKee Sr said regarding his reported ‘Father & Son’ fight with Bellator MMA.

“I’m not going to go out there and do what I used to do, I’m much more comfortable on my feet [now]. I feel much better about fighting than I did back then, so now its about more than just me.”

As far as a possible opponent, “I don’t know, and I don’t care,” said the elder McKee. “But I do know they [Bellator] can’t put anyone my age in there,” McKee joked.

As for the younger McKee, his father fully expects him to grow into his frame, which would mean a move up to lightweight. “I believe 155 is in his future,” said McKee Sr on his son’s future weight class.

“AJ is still growing, he is still relatively thin for his frame and he is only going to get bigger and stronger. I’d say next year AJ is fighting at lightweight.”

Antonio McKee Sr is an impressive man. Whether he is building Team Bodyshop into the best camp you’ve never heard of, passing his knowledge on to the next generation of fighters, or competing in a father son fight at 48 years old, this MMA pioneer will do it his way.

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