After cancelations at Bellator 160 and 162, Kevin Ferguson Jr., is set to make his professional MMA debut November 19 against Aaron Hamilton. The son of the late "Kimbo Slice," Ferguson is affectionately nicknamed "Baby Slice." He was victorious in his lone amateur MMA bout earlier this year.
An injury forced Ferguson out of a planned August fight with Jonathan Tomasian. Ferguson was set to fight Rick Bing in October, but Bing monumentally missed weight and the fight was canceled.
You can see the press release Bellator issued below.
One week ahead of ?Bellator 165: Chandler vs. Henderson? at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Bellator MMA is pleased to announce the highly anticipated professional mixed martial arts debut of Kevin ?Baby Slice? Ferguson Jr. will come against Aaron Hamilton in a welterweight bout during the preliminary portion of the card on Nov. 19.The contest anchors an electric preliminary card and joins a Spike-televised main card that features a lightweight world title main event pitting current champion Michael Chandler (15-3) against Benson Henderson (24-6). In the evening?s co-main event, undefeated British phenom Michael ?Venom? Page (11-0) and California?s own Fernando Gonzalez (25-13) duke it out in a welterweight thriller and Adam Piccolotti (8-0) takes on Brandon Girtz(14-4) in a lightweight clash. Lastly, a light heavyweight showdown pitting Linton ?The Swarm? Vassell (16-5) against Francis Carmont (14-4) and female flyweight action pitting Keri Melendez (Debut) against Sheila Padilla (2-0) are also set for the main card.
?Bellator 165: Chandler vs. Henderson? airs LIVE and FREE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Spike and completes three consecutive weeks of championship fights on the Viacom-owned network. Tickets for the event remain on sale and can be purchased at Bellator.com, as well as SAP Center Box Office and Ticketmaster.
After originally being slated to make his professional debut at both ?Bellator 160? and ?Bellator 162,? ?Baby Slice? will now look to showcase his fine-tuned mixed martial arts repertoire on Nov. 19. The son of the late, great ?Kimbo Slice,? made a splash in the world of MMA during an amateur contest in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where he delivered a brutal knockout punch just 1:23 into the first round. In what is unquestionably one of the most talked-about debuts in promotion history, Slice hopes to parlay his amateur success with a memorable performance on the professional circuit and carry on the legacy that his father let behind. Hailing from Miami, Florida, the Team Body Shop product now has his eyes set on joining teammate A.J. McKee as one of Bellator MMA?s top young prospects.
Hamilton will once again compete in his home state of California, after previous bouts against the likes of Max Griffin. ?The Snake? will be making both his Bellator MMA debut and welterweight debut, as the 185-pound slugger attempts to trim down for what is surely the biggest fight of his career. Hamilton last competed in March and hopes to spoil the long-awaited debut of Slice.
Fightful.com will have full coverage of the event.
Photo courtesy of Bellator MMA.