Jorge Masvidal credits Kimbo Slice for helping launch his fighting career

Jorge Masvidal has credited Kimbo Slice with launching his fighting career, recounting how the internet sensation gave him early opportunities on his influential backyard-fighting platform. Speaking to Daniel Cormier, the former UFC title challenger and BMF champion described a fortuitous connection that began at Miami's Freestyle Fighting Academy.

Masvidal and Slice trained together at the same gym after discovering their shared Miami roots and mutual friends. When one gym owner recognized Masvidal's talent, he asked Slice to watch the young fighter spar, leading to an invitation to compete on Slice's viral platform. "I always give him big props because he put me on his platform," Masvidal said. "He didn't have to."

The backyard events operated in secrecy due to legal risks, with fighters receiving minimal notice. Masvidal recalled being given just two hours to reach an event behind a laundromat in Liberty City. Before his bout, Slice offered crucial tactical advice. "Keep your left hand up. He's got a really, really good right," Masvidal remembered being told. That early exposure on Slice's platform helped establish Masvidal's reputation and contributed to his eventual rise in professional MMA, making Slice an unlikely but pivotal figure in his path to UFC stardom.