Kimbo Slice needed a heart transplant prior to his death
Former UFC fighter Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson was in need of a heart transplant prior to his death on Monday from congestive heart failure.
The Sun-Sentinel in Ferguson's home of Florida obtained a report from the Broward County medical examiner's office that states he had been admitted to the Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Fla., on June 3 complaining about abdominal pain, shortness of breath and nausea.
Doctors found a liver mass and determined that Ferguson had congestive heart failure and was in need of a transplant.
The 42-year-old fighter was on a ventilator before being prepped for travel to Cleveland, where he would be placed on the organ donor list to receive a new heart, but Ferguson died at 7:30 p.m. on Monday before he could make the trip.
According to the report, Ferguson had no history of drug use and no trauma or foul play were suspected at the time of his death.
Kimbo Slice became a household name via a series of street fighting videos that went viral on YouTube and other outlets, as he famously took on opponents in bare-knuckle brawls in backyards, shipyards and other areas around South Florida.
His exploits eventually led to him being signed to fight in MMA, and he fought on national television in one of the highest-rated bouts of all time when he knocked out James Thompson in 2008.
Ferguson later signed with the UFC and made an appearance on Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter", but he was released after two more fights inside the Octagon.
Ferguson is survived by his wife and six children.
