Kimbo Slice is winding down training with Bas Rutten in Thousand Oaks, Calif., before heading home for the Oct. 4 CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.
The Miami streetfighter turned mixed martial arts fighter will make his second EliteXC appearance in South Florida when he faces aging Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock.
Slice plans to arrive the week of the fight and work out in a private Fort Lauderdale gym.
"Once again I am fighting back in the crib," Slice said last week during an open workout. "It feels like the backyard except we have a cage in EliteXC. I'm ready for anything that can possibly go down."
Slice is learning more, said Rutten, a legend in mixed martial arts who along with boxing coach Randy Khatami saw potential in Slice the first time they saw him fight.
"People don't understand you just don't walk into this sport and learn it overnight," Rutten said. "He listens and learns and picks up on everything we tell him. He can fight."
Slice said he is probably more prepared than he's been in his first three MMA fights but admits he's still a rookie. He has stopped smoking to improve his cardio.
"Bas has done everything he can to help me," Slice said. "Bas and Randy have been my team and made me a complete and well-rounded fighter. Randy has taught me to throw punches the right way. I could probably rupture a spleen or damage a kidney if I had to.
"I've worked on punches, takedowns, takedown defenses, chokes, armbars, you name it; my camp has pushed me harder than ever before," Slice said. "I'm like a sponge. I pick up something from everyone I work with.
"Anything that Shamrock tries on me, I am prepared for. I am looking forward to beating Ken and kicking his butt. I am hoping to see the best of Ken because he'll see the best of Kimbo."
While hardcore fans are still on the fence about Slice, the sports biggest draw, the rest of the card has more time-tested fighters including Jake Shields, Gina Carrano, Paul Daley, Murilo Rua and Benji Radach.
The undercard is loaded with local talent including Crafton Wallace, Seth Petruzelli and ATT's Lorenzo Borgomeo, who fought on the last local EliteXC card in Coral Gables and Nicolae Cury, making his pro debut. Cury is an instructor in Coconut Creek.
Inside the cage
Jeff Monson,of American Top Team Coconut Creek, heads Saturday's Vengeance Fighting Championships in Concord, N.C. Monson is one of three ATT fighters on the card. Monson will fight Mark Kerr. Also on the card is ATT instructor Marcus (Conan) Silveira, a UFC veteran. He will fight John Savage, another former UFC fighter. ATT's Carmelo Marrero will fight Denis Gomes. The card will air live on DonKingtv.com. ...
ATT's Wilson Gouveia looked impressive in his first middleweight appearance on the Ultimate Fight Night 15 card. He got Ryan Jensen to submitt with an armbar at 2:04 of the second round and was awarded submission of the night. Alessio Sakara, also of ATT, won knockout of the night for his high-kick KO of Joe Vedepo at 1:27 in the first round.
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