Kimbo the “cage-fighting teddy bear”

If you need a reason to root for Kimbo Slice (aka Kevin Ferguson), then Loretta Hunt’s profile of the backyard brawler-turned-Ultimate Fighter contender over on Sherdog just might do the trick. At the very least it humanizes the thug and also speaks to how the UFC is working to sell him to fans.

Remember, this is the guy who the UFC built the entire tenth season of the show around when his contract became available, sending many of the previously scheduled middleweight and light heavyweight contenders packing. Now, they’ve got to make their investment pay off, figure out how to soften Slice enough for mainstream audiences without alienating his hardcore fans.

While Slice basically gets all Popeye about it and says “I yam what I yam” yada-yada, but it’ll be up to the UFC (and the boys in the TUF editing department) to show us who they think he is, especially given his chances – he’s 35 years old, a reject out of Every Which Way But Loose, and he got knocked out by UFC castaway Seth Petruzelli. Oh, yeah, and he’s got six kids, including two named Kevin, a Kevina (poor girl) and a Kevlar (like the bulletproof vest, but at least it’s a boy).