Dark Side of the Cage debuts with story of Kimbo Slice, including ‘tragic’ Dada 5000 fight

fKimbo Slice is the primary of 10 subjects that will probably be mentioned in-depth on Vice TV’s latest Darkish Aspect collection.

Darkish Aspect of the Cage debuts Wednesday night time at 10 p.m. ET on Vice TV, and it kicks off with Kimbo Slice: Rise of a Yard Brawler. The episode options Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock, and extra to assist inform the story of Slice, whose actual identify is Kevin Ferguson.

One of many present’s government producers Tim Healy says the thought for the present got here after his firm helped inform the story of the early days of the Final Preventing Championship.

“My manufacturing firm, Rail Splitter Photos, we produced Darkish Aspect of the 90’s for Vice, and after we have been brainstorming episodes, we got here up with let’s inform the story of the UFC,” Healy instructed MMA Preventing. “The promotion has gotten so well-liked over the past decade that we figured plenty of viewers don’t perceive the early days and what they confronted as an organization. So we did a two-parter, we did 2 hours on the darkish facet of the UFC and it did actually, very well. It was obtained very well and even past that, it was a blast to make.

“We had a lot enjoyable doing it and it rated actually, very well. So when these scores got here in, we reached out to Vice straight away and we mentioned, ‘Look, there’s one thing right here. We need to do extra at midnight facet area, let’s do Darkish Aspect of the Cage. Let’s simply dive into combined martial arts and let’s dedicate a whole collection to those tales.’ And that was a couple of yr in the past, and Vice was receptive. They jumped proper on it they usually greenlit these 10, one-hour episodes, and that’s actually the backstory of the genesis of the thought.”

Different subjects being featured on season one of many new program embody Diego Sanchez, Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Matt Hughes, and the rise and fall of Satisfaction FC.

Healy mentioned the primary 10 episode subjects have been pretty apparent to all concerned, and kicking issues off with Slice appeared to be one of the best ways to go — particularly since he would doubtless be one of many extra misunderstood athletes in case you didn’t know him.

“You’ll be exhausting pressed to search out anybody to say one dangerous factor about about Kimbo,” Healy defined. “He was clearly a drive to be reckoned with, however I by no means met him, however from what everybody says, he was simply the nicest man.”

The story of Slice discusses his notorious yard combating days that made him a YouTube legend, to his underground battle with Boston police officer Sean Gannon, his transition to the world of combined martial arts, up till his premature loss of life in 2016 on the age of 42.

Slice all the time had that star high quality, and even again when the game was gaining an increasing number of notoriety, Slice performed his position completely — by means of the ups and the downs. However the extra you hear about Slice’s path by means of his profession, the extra you perceive that he might have been virtually a decade forward of his time.

“I feel one of many huge takeaways, I feel while you watch the episode is he wasn’t this younger man when he began his MMA profession, like he was actually late to the sport,” Healy mentioned. “He had a late, late begin, he’s combating in backyards in Miami, and Bas Rutten talks within the episode about his degree of dedication, proper? And the heart that it took to get into the game at a late age. He had no floor recreation in any respect, so he had no submissions. When he misplaced to Sean Gannon in that well-known battle in Boston, it was as a result of Gannon was hitting him with guillotine chokes and he didn’t know easy methods to react or easy methods to get out of a choke.

“However he grew to become a scholar at a late age. Whenever you have a look at what occurred to him, how he was sort of the one of many greatest athletes and was sitting on the sofa on the Jimmy Kimmel present and making the late night time rounds, after which instantly all the things falls aside at Elite XC. After which the man goes on The Final Fighter the place guys at the start go. So he was a man that wasn’t afraid to actually put it on the market to place himself out on a limb to attempt to succeed at one thing. So I feel he would have tailored to all these different alternatives in fight sports activities actually, very well.

“I imply, it was simply tragic what occurred to the man.”

One of the crucial notorious fights of Slice’s profession happened at Bellator 149 — simply 4 months earlier than he handed away — taking up fellow avenue fighter and bitter rival “Dada 5000.” The battle was one of many weirdest in MMA historical past, however finally ended with Slice incomes a knockout win within the third spherical earlier than it was overturned to a no-contest resulting from a optimistic steroid take a look at by the Texas Division of Licensing and Regulation.

Because the present dives deeper within the memorable heavyweight tilt, the sadder it turns into in hindsight.

“[The Dada 5000 fight was] tragic,” Healy mentioned. “I imply, while you watch that battle within the episode and Large John McCarthy, who reffed that battle, he talks about how he virtually feels sort of responsible as a result of he was urging Kimbo — you hear him within the [cage] saying, ‘It’s a must to do one thing. You’ve acquired to maneuver,’ not realizing the man had a coronary heart situation.

“It’s like, while you watch that battle, you don’t have any thought what’s occurring inside that man’s physique and the way sick he was.”

Try an unique clip of Wednesday’s premiere episode beneath.