Kevin Ferguson Jr., aka “Baby Slice,” is slated to compete in his fourth professional MMA bout. He takes on Devon Brock (1-0) at Bellator 197 on Friday, April 13.
Ferguson Jr., 2-1 as a professional, said his camp is going very well and is ready to get the job done inside the cage. He had a rough start to his career when he was submitted by Aaron Hamilton, but he feels he’s made massive strides since.
“I’m getting better and better,” Ferguson Jr. told MMASucka. “I had no training prior to that. I’m really fresh in the game. I started my pro career earlier than most guys.”
That’s true. He had one amateur bout against Tom Brink, which he won via knockout, before Bellator made the call to his late father, Kimbo Slice, on his behalf.
As a result of his father being a professional fighter, Ferguson Jr. has been around the sport his whole life. It took him some time to master the ins and outs of training in it, however.
“Just learning how to train the right way,” he said. “That’s it. Learning the game.”
If you glance at Ferguson Jr.’s past fights, you may notice every one of them has been a catchweight:
1) vs. Tom Brink at 175
2) vs. Aaron Hamilton at 165
3) vs. DJ Griffin at 165
4) vs. Fred Freeman at 165
5) vs. Devon Brock at 160
“Baby Slice” has only fought lower in weight over the course of his career. What’s next after Brock?
“My next fight will be at 155 for sure,” Ferguson Jr. said. “That’s the plan. I’m a big guy, I normally walk around 190-200. At 155, I’ll get that belt.”
The 26-year-old said he’s looking to get in four or five fights in 2018, this being the first. He’s sharply improved from fight to fight thus far.
Ferguson Jr. was submitted by 0-2 fighter Hamilton in his professional debut. He has remedied that by focusing on training his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to work on his submission defense. Not only that, he showcased some submission offense in his last fight when he submitted Freeman with a first-round rear naked choke.
“This sport is MMA,” Ferguson Jr. said. “I can’t just be one dimensional. I have to learn everything, and I have to master it.”
Ferguson said he doesn’t know how he’s going to defeat Brock; only that he will. Their fight takes place on the main card of the event featuring a lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Brandon Girtz. Chandler, the former champion, is due to get a title shot if he wins.
