MMA fighter Kimbo Slice dead at 42

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Kimbo Slice had to vacate a win after testing positive for steroids. Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

Bellator heavyweight and popular slugger Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson today died in his home state of Florida.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/06/06/kimbo-...ed-in-florida/

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mma/...-42/ar-BBtWRiO

A police rep told MMAjunkie officers were sent to Slice’s home as a courtesy after he was admitted to the hospital, but they found no issues.

Coker’s full statement:

"We are all shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family.

One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that transcended the sport.

Outside of the cage he was a friendly, gentle giant and a devoted family man. His loss leaves us all with extremely heavy hearts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ferguson family and all of Kimbo’s friends, fans, and teammates."

Ferguson, who turned his YouTube stardom as a Miami-based bare-knuckle boxer into a professional MMA career, almost immediately became one of the sport’s biggest draws upon his 2007 pro debut. He headlined a series of highly rated EliteXC shows on CBS and was one of the sport’s biggest stars despite fighting outside of the world’s top MMA promotion.

However, he eventually signed with the industry-leading UFC after EliteXC’s financial collapse, which came shortly after Slice’s first career loss – an embarrassing 14 second TKO defeat to Seth Petruzelli.