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James Wade
Personal information
Full name	James Martin Wade
Nickname	The Machine
Born	(1983-04-06) 6 April 1983 (age 29) Aldershot, England
Home town	Aldershot England
Darts information
Playing darts since	2001
Darts	20g Unicorn James Wade
Laterality	Left-handed
Walk-on music	Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal ft. Armand van Helden
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2001–2004
PDC	2004 – present
Current world ranking	3
BDO majors - best performances
World Ch'ship	Round 2 2004
World Masters	Last 64 2002, 2003
World Darts Trophy	Round 2 2003
Int. Darts League	Quarter Finalist 2004, 2007
PDC premier events - best performances
World Ch'ship	Semi Finalist 2009, 2012
World Matchplay	Winner 2007
World Grand Prix	Winner 2007, 2010
Grand Slam	Runner Up 2010
Premier League	Winner 2009
Ch'ship League	Winner 2010
Desert Classic	Runner Up 2008
European Ch'ship	Semi Finalist 2009
UK Open	Winner 2008, 2011
Players Ch'ship Finals	Semi Finalist 2009
Other tournament wins
Tournament	Years
Bournemouth Mens Singles Bournemouth Open Championship of Darts Cosham Xmas Open Irish Masters Jocky Wilson Cup Pro Celebrity Challenge Swiss Open Vauxhall Autumn Open William Cross Pro Am Players Championships Players C'ship (EMI) Players C'ship (GER) Players C'ship (GIB) Players C'ship (HOL) Players C'ship (NUL) Players C'ship (SCO) Players C'ship (SPA) UK Open Regionals Regional (NWE) Regional (SCO) Regional (WAL) UK Open Qualifier	2010 2010 2010 2003 2005 2009 2008 2002 2006 2007, 2008 2009 2011 2008 2008, 2010 2009 2008 2011 2007, 2009 2007 2007 2010
Other achievements
2006 PDC Young Player of the Year 2006 Three Nine dart finishes during a calendar year (a record) 2007 PDC Player of the Year

James Martin Wade (born 6 April 1983 in Aldershot, Hampshire) is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007. He has since won the 2007 World Grand Prix, the 2008 and 2011 UK Opens, the 2009 Premier League, the 2010 World Grand Prix and 2010 Championship League Darts, and has been at a career-high ranking of second in the PDC Order of Merit. James Wade is officially the second most successful player in PDC history, after Phil Taylor.

Early career[link]

Wade reached the final of the British Classic in 2001 at the age of just 18, losing to John Walton but the following year he won the Swiss Open and then made his television debut at the 2003 Lakeside World Championship, but lost 2–3 in the first round to Dennis Harbour having missed eight darts to win the match in the fourth set. In other BDO Open events during 2003, he reached the Norway Open final, Belgian Open semi-finals and Dutch Open quarter finals.

At the 2004 Lakeside World Championship, he beat Shaun Greatbatch 3–0 in the first round, before losing to Darryl Fitton in the second round. Later in 2004, he reached a series of quarter-finals including the German Open, the Isle of Man Open and the prestigious International Darts League in May – which was his last tournament as a BDO affiliated player.

PDC switch[link]

In May 2004, despite having qualified for the final stages of many BDO tournaments, Wade took the decision to forfeit his automatic place in the 2004 World Darts Trophy and 2005 BDO World Championship to join the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) and the PDC circuit.

He made his PDC World Darts Championship début in 2005, losing in the first round to Mark Holden. He bounced back from this to win the Irish Masters in February and reach the last 16 of the UK Open later that year. He also qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic (beating the experienced Ronnie Baxter) and the World Grand Prix during the year as well. He also qualified for the 2006 World Championship, losing again in the first round, this time 3–2 to Wayne Jones, who would go on to reach the semi-finals, despite having won the first six legs for a two-set lead.

Wade reached the last 16 of the 2007 PDC World Championship losing to Terry Jenkins having earlier beaten New Zealand qualifier Warren French and Dave Ladley.

Major breakthrough[link]

He made his major breakthrough on television during the 2006 World Matchplay in July. He sensationally reached the final, beating four experienced and respected darts players, in his first ever appearance at the Winter Gardens. He beat Denis Ovens in the first round 10–1, having had darts to make it a 10–0 whitewash. In the second round he beat former World Championship finalist Kevin Painter 13–9, ending one leg with two double-20s to cause a minor controversy, and beat Chris Mason 16–4 in his quarter-final. In the semi-finals he came back from 1–5 down to beat Roland Scholten 19–17 in a tiebreaker, which requires the winner to win by two clear legs. In the final he played Phil Taylor but despite being 8–5 up, he lost 18–11.

He then returned to Blackpool in 2007 to claim the title – his first major televised tournament success and became the youngest player ever to win a PDC televised event in doing so. His route to the title and £50,000 cheque saw him beat Wayne Jones, Dennis Priestley, Mervyn King, Adrian Lewis and Terry Jenkins (who beat Taylor in the semi-final) in the final.

Although Wade's victory was nothing short of emphatic over the ever-tenacious Jenkins, many believe his semi-final victory over Lewis was one of the finest performances ever seen at the Winter Gardens^{[citation needed]}. He consistently checked out ton-plus scores whilst Lewis, fresh from defeating world champion Raymond van Barneveld, having a 3-dart average of over 100, was unable to keep up with the fast-improving Wade.

Wade also won the next PDC major tournament – the 2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin in October beating van Barneveld by 5 sets to 1 in the semi-final and repeating his Blackpool success over Jenkins in the final.

Wade's aforementioned successes in 2007 were rewarded with him winning the 2007 PDC Player of the Year. Wade became the second recipient of this award, following in the footsteps of Taylor in 2006. He was presented with it at the annual PDC Awards Dinner in January 2008.

Wade reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 PDC World Championship, being defeated 5 sets to 4 in a close encounter against John Part, who went on to win the tournament.

In January 2008, Wade became the first player to defeat Taylor in the Premier League, winning the match 8 legs to 6. Taylor however exacted revenge with a 16–8 victory in the final on 26 May 2008 after Wade had defeated van Barneveld in the semi-final.

On 8 June 2008, Wade beat American Gary Mawson 11–7 in the final to win the 2008 UK Open, claiming his third major trophy within a year. The following month, he reached the finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, losing 13–7 to Taylor. Then in July reached his 3rd World Matchplay final in a row, losing for the 2nd time in 3 years in the final to Taylor 18–9, making this the 3rd major final loss of the year against Taylor.

In the 2009 PDC World Championship, Wade reached a stage further than the previous year, reaching the semi-finals before losing 4–6 to van Barneveld.

Wade won the 2009 Premier League Darts tournament, defeating Mervyn King 13–8 at the Wembley Arena. However, he failed to defend his UK Open title in 2009 after losing to Peter Manley 9–8 in the third round. He then failed to reach the World Matchplay final for the first time, losing in the quarter-finals to Ronnie Baxter.

Wade lost to an on-fire Simon Whitlock in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Championship. Whitlock won 5–3 in sets.

Defending his Premier League title, Wade reached the final of the 2010 Premier League, where he played against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 10–8, hitting two nine-dart finishes during the match.

Wade won the 2010 World Grand Prix, beating Adrian Lewis 6–3 in the final. Four days later, he won his second major tournament inside a week by defeating Taylor 6–5 in the 2010 Championship League Darts final.

Wade reached another major final in 2010 at the Grand Slam, seeing both Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King squander match darts against him before Wade himself threw away an 8–0 lead against BDO player Scott Waites as Waites won 16–12.

2011 Season[link]

Despite the loss at the Grand Slam, Wade was touted by many as the favourite to win the 2011 World Championship due to his Grand Prix and Champions League Darts victories as well as Taylor's slight dip in form. However, Wade was beaten by world number 47 Mensur Suljovic 4–2 in the second round. He got of to a poor start in the Premier League of Darts losing 8–3 to an on form Mark Webster he went on to defeat World Champion Adrian Lewis 8–6 in week 2 and then lost 8–5 to Simon Whitlock, during the match he took some stick from the Belfast crowd.^[1] He regained some form in the latter weeks of the League drawing with Raymond Van Barneveld 7–7 while averaging over 100.^[2] In June he won the 2011 UK Open Darts title after an 11–8 win against Wes Newton.^[3]

2012 Season[link]

Wade dropped just one set to reach the quarter-finals of the 2012 World Championship, but was then involved in two of the best games ever witnessed at the event.^[4] He played John Part in the last 8 and raced into a 3-1 lead before the Canadian won three sets in a row. Wade took the game into a deciding set and the players broke each others throws twice to require a sudden-leg, which he managed to win by taking out 85 with Part on 40.^[5] He played defending champion Adrian Lewis in the semi-finals and looked to be heading for his first PDC World final as he led 5-1. Lewis pulled a set back, before Wade had a dart at double 18 to win the match. He missed and it proved to be a pivotal moment as Lewis took the set and reeled off 10 straight legs to complete a sensational comeback 5-6. Despite the loss, Wade moved up to third in the PDC Order of Merit overtaking Gary Anderson.^[6]

Wade once again gained automatic entry for the Premier League due to his Order of Merit ranking.^[7] He lost his first three matches, before winning the next three and went into the final game of the season knowing a win over Raymond van Barneveld would guarantee him a spot in the play-offs.^[8][9] Wade drew the match 7–7, but due to other results going his way he still qualified for the play-offs by finishing 4th in the league.^[10] He played Phil Taylor in the semi-finals, against whom he suffered heavy 2–8 and 1–8 defeats during the league campaign.^[8] The semi-final, however, was much closer as Wade led 4–2 in the opening stages, before the score became 6–6. Taylor then took out a 149 finish, with Wade on 57, to break and then closed out the match 8–6.^[11]

Nicknames[link]

Whilst it is somewhat traditional for a darts player to adopt a sobriquet, Wade has adopted several in his short career so far. His first nickname, The Gladiator was changed following his nine-dart exploits in 2006 to 009 – a take on James Bond's 007. This was used during the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship.

In November 2007, during the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts – he was introduced on television graphics as having "no nickname". In December 2007, following a competition which invited fans to provide him with a new nickname, Wade became known as Spectacular.^{[citation needed]} A play on the fact that Wade is one of the few players who wears spectacles when he plays. For his Premier League debut in January 2008 he unveiled another nickname – "The Machine" which is now regarded as his permanent nickname and used in his walk on in all tournaments.

Nine dart finishes[link]

He became the first player to hit three tournament nine-dart finishes in a calendar year during 2006. They came at the North-West UK Open Regional Final in March, the PDPA Players Championship at Hayling Island in June and he completed his hat-trick at the Vauxhall Men's Open in November. None of these achievements were in televised competitions.

Wade came within one dart of achieving the first ever nine-darter with a double start at the 2007 World Grand Prix in Dublin. In the semi-final against van Barneveld he hit double top to open the leg, then six treble 20s, treble 17 then missed a bullseye for a unique nine-darter.

On 20 November 2008, Wade completed his first live nine-darter hitting two 180s then T20, T19 and D12 against Gary Anderson in the second round of the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts which was shown on ITV4. However, Anderson went on to win the match 10–8, therefore Wade became the first man to hit a nine-dart finish in a major televised tournament in the UK and then go on to lose the match. (Michael van Gerwen had previously done so in a tournament on Dutch television.) Wade was also the first left-handed player to hit a live nine-darter.

Outside darts[link]

Wade quit his job at a garage in Aldershot twelve days before the World Matchplay 2006, to concentrate on becoming a full-time professional darts player.^[12]

Wade dated Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain but the pair split after roughly a year together. The pair had reportedly "drifted apart" from each other. Wade has admitted it hit him hard, affecting his darts.^[13]

In 2012, Wade, together with the seven other players who competed in the Premier League recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets For The Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.^[14]

World Championship Performances[link]

• 2003 (BDO) – First Round lost to Dennis Harbour 2–3
• 2004 (BDO) – Second Round lost to Darryl Fitton 1–3
• 2005 (PDC) – First Round lost to Mark Holden 0–3
• 2006 (PDC) – First Round lost to Wayne Jones 2–3
• 2007 (PDC) – Third Round lost to Terry Jenkins 3–4
• 2008 (PDC) – Quarter-finalist lost to John Part 4-5
• 2009 (PDC) – Semi-finalist lost to Raymond van Barneveld 4–6
• 2010 (PDC) – Quarter-finalist lost to Simon Whitlock 3–5
• 2011 (PDC) – Second Round lost to Mensur Suljovic 2–4
• 2012 (PDC) - Semi-finalist lost to Adrian Lewis 5-6

Career finals[link]

PDC premier event finals: 14 (7 titles, 7 runner-ups)[link]

Legend World Championship (0–0) World Matchplay (1–3) Premier League (1–2) Other (5–2) Performance timeline[link] Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score1 Runner-up 1. 2006 World Matchplay Taylor, PhilPhil Taylor 11–18 (l) Winner 1. 2007 World Matchplay Jenkins, TerryTerry Jenkins 18–7 (l) Winner 2. 2007 World Grand Prix Terry Jenkins 6–3 (s) Runner-up 2. 2008 Premier League Darts Phil Taylor 8–16 (l) Winner 3. 2008 UK Open Mawson, GaryGary Mawson 11–7 (l) Runner-up 3. 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic Phil Taylor 7–13 (l) Runner-up 4. 2008 World Matchplay Phil Taylor 9–18 (l) Winner 4. 2009 Premier League Darts King, MervynMervyn King 13–8 (l) Runner-up 5. 2010 Premier League Darts Phil Taylor 8–10 (l) Winner 5. 2010 World Grand Prix (2) Lewis, AdrianAdrian Lewis 6–3 (s) Winner 6. 2010 Championship League Darts Phil Taylor 6–5 (l) Runner-up 6. 2010 Grand Slam of Darts Waites, ScottScott Waites 12–16 (l) Winner 7. 2011 UK Open (2) Newton, WesWes Newton 11–8 (l) Runner-up 7. 2011 World Matchplay Phil Taylor 8–18 (l) Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 PDC World Championship Not PDC member 1R 1R 3R QF SF QF 2R SF World Matchplay Not PDC member DNP RU DNP RU QF SF RU World Grand Prix Not PDC member DNP 1R QF W 1R 1R W SF Las Vegas Desert Classic NH Non-PDC 1R 2R DNP 1R RU SF Not held UK Open Not held BDO 4R 6R 3R 5R W 3R QF W Premier League Darts Not held Did not play RU W RU RR Grand Slam of Darts Not held 2R 2R 2R RU 2R US Open Not held 3R DNP 3R SF NH German Darts Championship Not held 5R 3R QF Not held European Championship Not held 2R SF 1R QF Championship League Not held RR SF W RR Players Championship Finals Not held SF 1R QF BDO World Championship DNP 1R 2R Not BDO member Winmau World Masters DNP 3R 3R Not BDO Member References[link] ^ Planet Darts | Tournaments | 888.com Premier League Darts | PDC Premier League Darts | 888.com Premier League – Night Three. Pdc.tv. Retrieved on 27 August 2011. ^ Planet Darts | Latest News | Newsdesk | Newsdesk | 888.com PLD – Night 12. Pdc.tv. Retrieved on 27 August 2011. ^ "James Wade defeats Wes Newton to clinch UK Open title". BBC Sport. 7 June 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/darts/13681833.stm. Retrieved 8 June 2011.  ^ "2012 PDC World Championship Fixtures". Darts Database. http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/FixtureList.aspx?EventKey=3069. Retrieved 2 January 2012.  ^ "Wade comes through classic". Sky Sports. http://www1.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/7402540/. Retrieved 2 January 2012.  ^ "Lewis edges Wade epic". Sky Sports. http://www1.skysports.com/darts/news/12288/7405848/. Retrieved 2 January 2012.  ^ "Hamilton & Painter's Premier Delight". PDC. 3 January 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2565358,00.html. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ a b "2012 Premier League Results". Darts Database. http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/EventResults.aspx?EventKey=3889. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ "McCoy's PLD - Night 14 Preview". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2764841,00.html. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ "McCoy's PLD Night 14". PDC. 10 May 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2767653,00.html. Retrieved 16 May 2012.  ^ "Taylor's McCoy's Premier League Joy". PDC. 17 May 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2775584,00.html. Retrieved 18 May 2012.  ^ Wade returns to work after Matchplay win Planetdarts.tv ^ James Wade reveals personal problems The Scottish Sun ^ "Chas & Stars Record Charity Single". Planet Darts. 8 March 2012. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2641173,00.html.  5. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/sportdarts/3600811/I-lay-in-bed-all-day-crying-I-wished-I-could-have-a-heart-attack-and-die.html External links[link] James Wade's official web site James Wade wins PDC Player Of The Year award v t e Professional Darts Corporation · Top 20 PDC players in Order of Merit at 7 May, 2012     Phil Taylor Adrian Lewis James Wade Gary Anderson Wes Newton Simon Whitlock Andy Hamilton Raymond van Barneveld Mark Webster Terry Jenkins Kevin Painter Mark Walsh Justin Pipe Vincent van der Voort Wayne Jones Paul Nicholson Colin Lloyd Mervyn King Ronnie Baxter Andy Smith Persondata Name Wade, James Alternative names Short description British darts player Date of birth 6 April 1983 Place of birth Aldershot, England Date of death Place of death

Adrian Lewis
Personal information
Full name	Adrian Lewis
Nickname	Jackpot
Born	(1985-01-21) 21 January 1985 (age 27) Stoke-on-Trent, England
Home town	Stoke-on-Trent England
Darts information
Playing darts since	2003
Darts	21g Target 'Adrian Lewis'
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	Reach Up (Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag) by Perfecto Allstarz
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2002–2003
PDC	2003 – Present
Current world ranking	2
BDO majors - best performances
World Darts Trophy	Round 2 2007
Int. Darts League	Semi Finalist 2007
PDC premier events - best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner (2) 2011, 2012
World Matchplay	Semi Finalist (2) 2007, 2011
World Grand Prix	Runner Up 2010
Grand Slam	Semi Finalist 2011
Premier League	Runner Up 2011
Ch'ship League	Initial groups, Runner-up 2008
Desert Classic	Quarter Finalist (2) 2007, 2009
European Ch'ship	Runner Up (2) 2008, 2011
UK Open	Quarter Finalist 2010
Players Ch'ship Finals	Quarter Finalist 2010
Other tournament wins
Tournament	Years
British Teenage Open Chris de Roo Open Players Championship (AUT) Players Championship (CRA) Players Championship (GER) Players Championship (IRE) Players Championship (SCO) UK Open Qualifier UK Open Scottish Regional Final World Cup of Darts	2003 2004 2009 2010 2010 2009 2005, 2006 2011 2005 2012

Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985 in Stoke-on-Trent) is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) who is the reigning two time PDC World Darts Champion. He is nicknamed Jackpot, following a visit to a casino whilst competing at the 2005 Las Vegas Desert Classic when he "won" a $72,000 jackpot but was unable to claim the money as he was under-age by US gaming laws – despite being eligible in the UK.^[1] During the early part of his career until 2007, he was a protégé of multi-world champion Phil Taylor having practised together in their home city Stoke-on-Trent and made his television debut in 2004, aged 19 at the UK Open.^[1]

Early career[link]

Lewis had shown his potential at the age of 18 by winning the 2003 British Teenage Open and after competing at the 2003 Winmau World Masters he joined the PDC without ever qualifying or playing in the Lakeside World Championship.^[2]

Lewis reached a semi-final of the regional qualifiers for the UK Open in 2004, which provided his opportunity for a television debut at the 2004 UK Open in Bolton, where he narrowly lost his last 64 match to Dennis Harbour. His next television appearance came against his mentor Taylor at the 2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic where he went out 0–2 in the first round. He then went on to win his first match on television at the 2004 World Grand Prix beating former world champion Richie Burnett.

He failed to qualify for the 2005 PDC World Championships but back at Bolton for the UK Open he produced one of the rare whitewashes in the tournament history, beating Colin Monk 11–0 before falling to Chris Mason in the last 16. His World Matchplay debut came in 2005 and reached the quarter-finals before losing to Colin Lloyd.

Major Breakthrough[link]

During 2005, Lewis began to produce some promising results including a run to the quarter-finals of the 2005 World Matchplay. Towards the end of 2005, he matched Phil Taylor by winning both PDC Pro Tour events during a weekend in Scotland by taking the PDPA Players Championship and the UK Open Scottish Regional titles.^[3]

Lewis made his PDC World Championship debut in 2006, where he reached the quarter-finals by defeating Dave Honey, Dennis Priestley and Roland Scholten.^[4] He was involved in, what has become, an infamous match against Peter Manley. When 1–2 down Lewis successfully hit a blind 180, where he turned to face Manley as the last dart was in the air. Manley won the set and then appeared to say something while Lewis was throwing, which caused him to leave the stage. Lewis did return, but went on to lose the match 3–5.^[5]

His biggest breakthrough came in May 2006 when he joined the 15 other PDC players in the top 16 competing against 16 American qualifiers in the World Series of Darts which was broadcast on ESPN. Lewis' performance in this tournament made others refer to him as a major threat in years to come. He beat Lloyd, Denis Ovens and Priestley before falling in the final to Taylor.

His ranking continued to rise by reaching the later stages of the non-televised PDC Pro Tour events during 2006 as well as the quarter-finals of the UK Open in 2006 where he beat Wayne Mardle 11–10 in the last 16, before losing to John MaGowan 11–8 in the last eight.

2007–2010[link]

Between 2007 and 2010, Lewis produced inconsistent form and was often unable to follow up on big wins such as the 2007 World Matchplay in Blackpool where he beat the incumbent world champion Raymond van Barneveld 16–14 in the quarter finals before losing heavily 7–17 in the semi finals to James Wade.

He lost to Andy Jenkins in the last 16 of the 2007 World Championship, but was selected by Sky Sports as a wildcard for the 2007 Premier League.^[6][7] The event is prestigious as it involves the top 7 PDC players and the aforementioned wildcard. Lewis finished seventh in the league, winning five of his fourteen matches.^[8]

He reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the second time in 2008, but was defeated 2–5 by Kevin Painter.^[9] At the 2008 European Darts Championship, Lewis played his first-round match against Hannes Schnier with three plasters on his non-throwing hand – having attempted to catch a falling glass backstage but shattered in his hand. After winning the match 5–2, Lewis was taken to hospital for checks on two deep cuts.^[10] Lewis went on to beat Ovens 9–5 in the 2nd round, before producing arguably the best performance of his career with a 9–2 victory over van Barneveld in the quarter-finals. An 11–7 victory over Manley set up a final with Taylor. Lewis lost 11–5 but his performance in the tournament guaranteed him a place in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts.

Lewis was defeated in the second round of the 2009 World Championship, 3–4 by Paul Nicholson but did manage to end his title drought in September.^[11] He won his first PDC Pro Tour event in three years at the Austrian Players Championship, where he beat Carlos Rodriguez 6–4 in the final, which included a nine dart finish. He dedicated victory to his one month old daughter. He added another Pro Tour title the following month at the Irish Open Players Championship beating Andy Hamilton in the final by 6 legs to 4.

His form on television also improved during 2009 reaching the quarter finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix. During 2010 he also made the last eight of the World Championship, Players Championships and UK Open before reaching his first televised final on Sky Television in the 2010 World Grand Prix where he beat Phil Taylor for the first time on television in the semi finals but lost to James Wade in the final. There were further title successes in 2010, when he won Players Championships in Crawley and Germany to bring his overall Pro Tour title tally to seven.

2011 season[link]

World Championship win[link]

Lewis reached the final of the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship courtesy of victories over Tony Eccles, Mark Dudbridge, Robert Thornton, Vincent van der Voort and Mark Webster en route to the final, where he played Gary Anderson. The match-up ensured that, for the first time, the winner of the PDC World Championship would not have previously succeeded in the rival BDO World Championship. Lewis himself became the only player to have reached the PDC final without playing full-time on the BDO circuit.

During the first set of the match, Lewis became the first player to throw a nine dart finish in a World Championship final.^[12] Lewis went on to win the match 7–5 and with it the championship,^[12] guaranteeing him a place in the 2011 Premier League. He has also risen to his highest ranking of no.2. In addition, at 25 years old Lewis became the fifth youngest player to win a World Championship, behind Jelle Klaasen (21 in 2006), Eric Bristow (22 in 1980), Keith Deller (23 in 1983), and Mark Webster (24 in 2008), as well as the youngest ever PDC World Champion.

Rest of 2011[link]

In the 2011 Players Championship Finals Lewis lost 6–4 to Steve Beaton in the first round.

Lewis signed a one-year sponsorship deal with pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond in January 2011.

He got off to a winning start in the 2011 premier league of darts by beating the 2010 champion Phil Taylor 8–2, only to lose to Taylor 8–3 in their second meeting. Week 4 saw him get his first heavy defeat of the 2011 campaign, losing 8–2 to Mark Webster. He went on to defeat Gary Anderson in Anderson's home country of Scotland after both players were distracted by the crowd. Lewis was being booed and coins were thrown at him but he went on to win the match 8–3 and both players stated their disappointment with the crowd. During his walk on he had beer thrown over him.^[13] Lewis proceeded to make it to the final of the 2011 Premier League but lost 10–4 to Gary Anderson after beating Phil Taylor 8–3 in the semi final in the same night.

Lewis was eliminated in the third round of the 2011 U.K. Open by Terry Jenkins, who took a 9–7 match. He lost 17–10 in the semi-finals of the 2011 World Matchplay to James Wade. He hit another perfect 9 dart leg on the 31st July 2011 at the European Darts Championships against Raymond van Barneveld during their semi- final match which he won 11–10. He played Phil Taylor in the final and lost 8–11.^[14]

In the 2011 World Grand Prix, he played John Part in his first round match. He lost 2 sets to 1 after leading 1–0 in sets and 2–0 in legs.

He reached the final of the first players championship in Derby and was defeated 6–2 by Jamie Caven.^[15] In the Crawley Players Championship he was defeated in the final by Paul Nicholson 6–4 in a hard fought match, he had defeated Ronnie Baxter 6–5 in the semi final.^[16]

Lewis was now under the management of former World Champion Keith Deller and under his guidance he has appeared in several major finals, including his World Championship win.

2012 season[link]

Defending his title[link]

Lewis became the third player, after Eric Bristow and Raymond van Barneveld, to successfully defend their first World Championship title in the 2012 PDC World Championship, by beating Andy Hamilton 7–3 in the Final.^[17]

He almost exited the tournament on multiple occasions, beginning with his first round match against Nigel Heydon. He trailed 0–2 and was stung by a wasp during a break on his non-throwing hand, but nevertheless managed to claw his way back to 2–2. Heydon led 2–1 in the deciding set, but never had a dart for the match as Lewis won four of the last five legs to avoid an early exit.^[18] More comfortable victories ensued over Robert Thornton (4–2) and Wayne Jones (4–0), with Lewis seemingly heading for the semi-finals as he led Terry Jenkins 3–0 in the last 8, having only lost 2 legs.^[19] However, his opponent stormed back to level the match, before Lewis rediscovered his form to win the last two sets and clinch a 5–3 win. He said after the match that he had "lost his way" during Jenkins' fightback, but was delighted to be in the semi-finals.^[20]

His semi-final match with James Wade was hailed as one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Lewis trailed both 2–0 and 5–1, only to win the next 5 sets, including 10 straight legs, to incredibly win 6–5 and finished with a 161 checkout.^[21] After the semi-final Lewis stated: "That was the best win of my career, definitely".^[22]

The match eventually finished at 12:50am (GMT) and with Lewis required to give a drug test upon its completion, he stated he only got 4 hours sleep after going to bed at 5am.^[23] However, Lewis managed to never trail against Hamilton and was a double 12 away from hitting a nine-darter in the final for the second successive year. Lewis clinched victory with his third attempt at the match winning double and said afterwards he believed he could win 10 World Championship titles.^[17]

The tournament victory took Lewis' career prize money above the £1 million mark,^[3] and confirmed his number two status in the PDC Order of Merit.^[24] His semi-final comeback was named PDC Televised Performance of the Year at the PDC annual awards ceremony on 3 January.^[25]

Rest of 2012[link]

Lewis maintained his form for his next tournament of the season as he represented England and won the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts, with Phil Taylor. The pair needed a sudden-death leg to see off Canada in the second round, before defeating the United States and Wales to reach the final where they played the Australian team consisting of Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson. The final finished with the scores at 3–3 meaning that a sudden-death leg was required to decide the title. Australia missed four darts to take the crown and England two, before Lewis took out double 5 to win his first World Cup, stating that the victory meant more to him than his second world title won a month earlier.^[26]

Lewis was an automatic entrant for the Premier League due to his Order of Merit ranking.^[27] His first game was against Taylor, just four days after their World Cup win. Lewis led the match 6–1, before Taylor came back to draw 7–7.^[28] Taylor averaged 112.79 which is the highest ever average in a match without actually winning it.^[29] Lewis drew his next two matches before succumbing to a heavy 1–8 defeat to Gary Anderson. He had to wait until the 7th game of the season for his first win which came with a 8–3 defeat of Kevin Painter.^[30] Lewis went into the final match knowing a victory over Simon Whitlock would guarantee him a place in the play-offs,^[31] however he lost 6–8 to finish the season 6th in the table.^[32]

World Championship Results[link]

• 2006: Quarter-Finals (lost to Peter Manley 3–5)
• 2007: Third Round (lost to Andy Jenkins 3–4)
• 2008: Quarter-Finals (lost to Kevin Painter 2–5)
• 2009: Second Round (lost to Paul Nicholson 3–4)
• 2010: Quarter-Finals (lost to Phil Taylor 0–5)
• 2011: Winner (beat Gary Anderson 7–5)
• 2012: Winner (beat Andy Hamilton 7–3)

Controversies[link]

Lewis has been involved in several controversial matches during his career, including his debut World Championship in 2006. During his quarter final with Peter Manley he decided to leave the stage part-way through the match as he alleged Manley had been trying to upset him whilst he was throwing.^[33]

In April 2008, he argued with Kevin Painter during their quarter final match at the Holland Masters. This resulted in a 6 months ban for Lewis, as well as a 4 months suspension and a fine of £400.

At the 2009 World Grand Prix Lewis was playing Gary Anderson in the second round and during the first set the two players exchanged words after Anderson felt Lewis went into the exclusion zone while Anderson was throwing. Lewis won the match 3–2.^[34]

The final of the 2010 World Grand Prix saw Lewis in an ill-tempered clash which eventually he lost 3–6 to James Wade. Lewis accused Wade of putting off his throw, by "stamping" on the oche.^[35] The pair exchanged a brief handshake, which Wade appeared to look reluctant about. Lewis had also been involved in an incident with Taylor, just 24 hours earlier, during their semi-final match, where Taylor accused Lewis of playing up to the crowd to put him off.^[36]

During the 2012 PDC World Darts Championship, both Lewis and his opponent James Wade left the stage with Lewis trailing 2–0 in sets, after complaining of a 'draft' blowing across the stage. The 25 minute break seemed to provoke the crowd into heckling Lewis for the remainder of the game, Lewis went on to win the match 6–5.^[37]

Ranking and earnings[link]

Lewis has risen to second in the PDC Order of Merit – the PDC's world ranking system, and has been ranked 2nd since beating Gary Anderson to win his first World Championship final. He has won £1,153,717 during his six year career.^[3]

Personal life[link]

His first daughter, Myla Niamh was born in August 2009.^[38] In 2011, within a few days after winning the world championship, he broke up with his girlfriend.^[39] He supports his local football team Stoke City.^[40]

Outside of darts[link]

In 2012, Lewis, together with the other seven players who competed in the Premier League recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets For The Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.^[41]

Performance timeline[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Adrian Lewis' profile and stats on Darts Database

Planet Asia
Planet Asia performing in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Jason Green
Born	(1976-10-24) October 24, 1976 (age 35)
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Interscope, Avatar, Gold Chain, Wandering Worx
Associated acts	Cali Agents Dilated Peoples Tha Liks Zion I Talib Kweli Termanology Grand Agent Swollen Members Strong Arm Steady Blu Fashawn Lee Bannon Self Scientific Asterix (musician) Mizz Nina

Planet Asia aka King Medallions (real name Jason Green, born October 24, 1976)^[1] is an underground hip hop MC from Fresno, California who is a member of hiphop groups the Cali Agents, and Skhool Yard. He is also well known for his vast discography of mixtapes.

History[link]

During the 1990s, Planet Asia moved from Fresno, California to San Francisco, California and started rapping religiously. From 1997-2001, Planet Asia had been releasing various popular 12 inch singles. These singles such as "Definition of ILL" and "Place of Birth" were released by various labels such as Stones Throw and ABB Records. He reached full acclaim in 2001 when The Source gave him the First Round Draft Pick and Independent Album of the Year awards for How the West Was One. How The West Was One was recorded with fellow rapper Rasco under the group name Cali Agents and landed him a deal with Interscope Records.

While signed to Interscope Records, Planet Asia was not promoted like more popular Interscope acts Eminem and 50 Cent. The Fresno rapper stayed with Interscope until 2003 without releasing an album. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for the song "W" by Mystic. Planet Asia has collaborated with famous artists such as Linkin Park, Bun B, Talib Kweli, Tupac Shakur and Ghostface Killah.

In 2003, Avatar Records signed Planet Asia to an exclusive world-wide recording contract and in 2004 released Planet Asia's debut album, The Grand Opening, to positive feedback. It earned him another Independent Album of the Year award from The Source. Avatar also released 12" vinyl records including "Summertime In The City" b/w "G's & Soldiers" featuring Kurupt produced by J. Wells, "Its All Big" b/w "Right or Wrong", and "Real Niggaz" featuring Ghostface. His record "G's & Soldiers" featuring Kurupt was prominently featured in John Travolta's 2005 film "Be Cool" released by MGM. After leaving Avatar, Planet Asia started his own record label, Gold Chain Music, with Walt Liquor.

His next album, The Medicine, was released on October 3, 2006 on ABB Records. The entire album was produced by Evidence of Dilated Peoples, with co-production credits from The Alchemist, Nucleus & Bravo.

On June 26, 2007, Planet Asia released "The Jewelry Box Sessions: The Album" on Gold Chain Music. The album featured the single "Havin' Things".

In 2010, Planet Asia collaborated with Malaysian artist, Mizz Nina, on a song called Hope.

In 2011, Planet Asia was a judge on the Ultimate MC TV show alongside with Royce da 5'9", Sean Price, Organik, and Pharoahe Monch.^[2]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2002: Still in Training
• 2003: Life as It is (Unreleased)
• 2004: The Grand Opening
• 2006: The Medicine
• 2007: Jewelry Box Sessions: The Album
• 2008: Pain Language (with DJ Muggs)
• 2010: Crack Belt Theatre
• 2011: The Bar Mitzvah (Digital Only Release)
• 2011: Camouflage Jackets (with G-Force)
• 2012: Black Belt Theatre (February 28)^[3]

EPs[link]

• Planet Asia (1998)
• The Last Stand (2000)
• Cracks in the Vinyl (with Madlib) (2011)

Mixtapes[link]

• The Steady Gang Mix (2004)
• The Sickness Part 1 (2006)
• Direct from C.A. (2008)
• Planet Asia & The Architekt: Blak Majik (King Medallion vs. Arch Angel) (2008)
• DJ Muggs vs. Planet Asia: The Pain Language Mixtape (Mixed by DJ Warrior) (2008)
• Planet Asia Present: Turbin - The Boys a Problem Vol.1 (2009)
• Planet Asia & F. L. O. : Planet F. L. O. (2009)

Compilations[link]

• Collabos and Bullets (2003)
• Throwbacks (Classics 1997-2001) (2004)

with Cali Agents[link]

• How The West Was One (2000), Ground Control
• Head of the State (2004), Pockets Linted/Groove Attack
• Fire & Ice (2006), Pockets Linted Entertainment

with Skhoolyard[link]

• Representation EP (1997) - as Yard Massive
• A New Way of Thinking (2002)

with Gold Chain Military[link]

• Chain of Command (2010)

with General Monks[link]

• Each Step becomes Elevated (2011)

with Durag Dynasty[link]

• TBA (2012) (Produced by The Alchemist)

References[link]

External links[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2008)

• Planet Asia's Official Website
• Interview with DJ Muggs
• "Havin' Thangs MP3"
• Planet Asia's Career History
• Discography
• Last Plane to Jakarta review of The Grand Opening

Two Much is a 1995 romantic screwball comedy film based on Donald Westlake's novel of the same name, and is also a remake of the 1984 French comedy film Le Jumeau, which was also based on Westlake's novel. Directed by Fernando Trueba, Two Much stars Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah and Danny Aiello. It was released in the United States by Touchstone Pictures in 1996. Lew Soloff performed music for the film.

Plot[link]

Art Dodge (Antonio Banderas), a former artist, is struggling to make ends meet with his art gallery, ignoring bills and delaying to pay his assistant Gloria (Joan Cuzack) and his artist Manny (Gabino Diego). To survive, he is reading the obituaries and trying to convince the widows that the deceased purchased a painting shortly before dying.

Things take an ugly turn when Art is trying this scam with mobster Gene (Dany Aiello) whose father just died. Not only does Gene not fall for it, but he tries to have his henchmen beat Art up. Art barely escapes by hiding in the Rolls Royce of Betty Kerner, Gene's estranged two-time ex-wife and wealthy heiress. Betty is excited about helping the handsome stranger, and the two end up shortly thereafter making love. Betty being very impulsive, she wants to marry Art in two weeks. Because of the heiress fortune the news immediately makes the tabloids. Stuck between Betty who won't change her mind and Gene who still loves his ex-wife, Art doesn't like the idea of getting married with such short notice but decides to play along for now.

One morning, at Betty's mansion, Art seductively enters her shower naked, only to realize it's not Betty who's in there but her sister Liz (Darryl Hannah), an art professor. If Art is attracted to Liz, she stays very cold and distant, seeing him as nothing more than a gigolo who hit the jackpot. Art decides to invent a fake twin brother Bart (who wears glasses and has his hair down instead of wearing a ponytail) who is allegedly a painter who just got back from Italy. Bart and Liz instantly hit it off while Gene still tries to romance Betty. Bart and Liz can't stop talking about everything, he plays with her dog and even invites her to Manny's studio when he's not in, pretending to show her his art. When Liz's favorite painting in the studio turns out to have been actually made by Art (who gave it to Manny as an "advance" on what he owes him), Bart gives her the painting.

Thanks to his imaginary twin brother, Art manages to pursue a romance with both sisters. Because the two "twin brothers" must never be in the same place at the same time, it however involves a lot of running around, coming up with a lot of excuses and enlisting a very reluctant Gloria's help. One evening he needs to go out two separate dates with both Betty and Liz. At the restaurant with Betty, he decides to drug her wine, much to the horror of the sommelier (Vincent Schiavelli). This allows him to cut the date short and put a very sleepy Betty to bed. He then goes out with Liz (who chooses the very same restaurant) and ends up making love to her. The next morning, Art/Bart has to run back and forth between the two sister's bedrooms (whose two bathrooms share a private swimming pool) as he's supposed to be with them both at the same time.

In the evening before the wedding, Art spots Gene's two henchmen around his house and manages to escape them thanks to his dad's help (Eli Wallach). He tries to spend the night at Gloria's but he discovers she started dating Manny. Manny however gives him the keys to his studio where he can spend the night. At the studio, Art starts to paint again when he is interrupted by Gene's henchmen who found him and start beating him up, before Gene shows up. When Art proposes Gene to leave town, Gene tells him to go ahead with the wedding and threatens to break one bone for each tear Betty cries. After they leave, Liz arrives to the studio, thinking Bart got beat up. When Bart tells her he is Art, that he fell in love when he saw her in the shower and tries to kiss her, Liz thinks Art is trying to make a pass at her, not realizing Bart doesn't exist.

On the wedding day, Liz tells Bart his "brother" tried to kiss her, and that the wedding should be called off. Bart needs to "confront" Art in a study alone, with Liz and Gene listening outside -and, unbeknownst to anyone, also by Betty through the phone. When Gene enters the study, he confronts a lonely Art, and again threatens him if he doesn't marry Betty. He tells him that what Art or even himself want is irrelevant, and that the only thing that matters is Betty's happiness. During the wedding ceremony, Betty, shaken by Gene's selfless devotion, calls the wedding off and falls in Gene's arms acknowledging she still love him too. Gene and Betty elope. In the general confusion, Liz sees her dog wanting to play with Art and realizes Art and Bart are the same person. Bart then go see Liz, telling her a fake excuse to "go back to Italy" (which she of course doesn't buy), adding he's not worthy of her.

A few month later, Art's gallery has experienced a dramatic turnaround (Gloria owns and manages it, and Art is the artist) and is now very successful. At the inauguration of his work, Art notices Liz who still has feeling for him but is not sure who he is really. Art manages to convince her he is the one she had feelings for, and the movie ends with the two happily walking in the street, hand in hand.

Cast[link]

• Antonio Banderas as Art Dodge, "Bart Dodge"
• Melanie Griffith as Betty Kerner
• Daryl Hannah as Liz Kerner
• Danny Aiello as Gene
• Joan Cusack as Gloria
• Eli Wallach as Sheldon Dodge
• Gabino Diego as Mane
• Austin Pendleton as Dr. Huffeyer
• Allan Rich as Reverend Larrabee
• Vincent Schiavelli as Sommelier
• Phil Leeds as Lincoln Brigade
• Sid Raymond as Lincoln Brigade
• Louis Seeger Crume as Lincoln Brigade

Reception[link]

The film received negative reviews from critics and currently holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Awards[link]

Antonio Banderas was nominated for a Goya Award for his part, while both Melanie Griffith and Daryl Hannah received Golden Raspberry Award nominations for theirs as both Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress respectively.

Other[link]

• Banderas and Griffith's on-screen relationship also developed off-screen, leading to their 1996 marriage.
• This movie is a remake of a French movie called "Le jumeau" ("The twin"). It borrows the main plot of a man struggling with bills, inventing a fake twin to seduce two wealthy sisters, as well as the "morning after", need-to-wake-up-next-to-both-sisters scene.

External links[link]

• Two Much at the Internet Movie Database
• Two Much at AllRovi
• Two Much at Rotten Tomatoes
• Two Much at Box Office Mojo
• Film Photogallery at antoniobanderasfans.com

Kimbo Slice
Born	Kevin Ferguson (1974-02-08) February 8, 1974 (age 38) Nassau, Bahamas
Other names	Kimbo Slice
Nationality	Bahamian American
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	234 lb (106 kg; 16.7 st)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	77.0 in (196 cm)
Style	Boxing
Fighting out of	Miami, Florida, United States
Team	American Top Team
Years active	2007–2011 (MMA) 2011-present (Boxing)
Professional boxing record
Total	5
Wins	5
By knockout	4
Losses	0
Draws	0
Mixed martial arts record
Total	6
Wins	4
By knockout	2
By submission	1
By decision	1
Losses	2
By knockout	2
Other information
University	University of Miami Bethune-Cookman University
Spouse	Antionette Ray
Children	6
Notable relatives	Rhadi Ferguson
Notable school(s)	Miami Palmetto High School
Website	http://www.kimbo305.com/
Boxing record from Boxrec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: August 13, 2011

Kevin Ferguson (born February 8, 1974), better known as Kimbo Slice, is a Bahamian-American professional boxer, mixed martial artist and occasional actor. He became famous for street fights which were spread on the Internet, leading Rolling Stone to call him "The King of the Web Brawlers".^[1]

Slice left the underground fighting scene and signed a professional contract with EliteXC in 2007. After EliteXC declared bankruptcy in 2008, Slice became a free agent. Slice competed in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,^[2] where he lost in his first fight to veteran fighter, and eventual series winner, Roy Nelson. In his UFC debut, Slice defeated Houston Alexander in the The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights finale,^[3][4] but lost in his second UFC fight to Matt Mitrione at UFC 113.

Early life[link]

Ferguson was born in Nassau, Bahamas, but moved to the United States as a child, growing up in Cutler Ridge, Florida.^[5] Ferguson was raised with his two brothers by mother^[6] Rosemary Clarke.^[7] He went to Bel-Air Elementary School,^[5] where Ferguson was reportedly involved in his first fight at 13 as he tried to defend a friend. He continued his studies with Cutler Ridge Middle School and later with Richmond Heights Middle School.^[8] He attended Miami Palmetto High School, where he was the star middle linebacker.^[9] In 1992, his house in Perrine, Florida was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew,^[7] forcing him to live in his 1987 Nissan Pathfinder for a month.^[10]

For college, he attended both Bethune-Cookman University and the University of Miami, where he held an athletic scholarship^[11] and studied criminal justice.^[7] He was there for only a year and a half.^[12] In 1997, he had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins and was part of the pre-season squad, but was unable to get a place in the first team.^[8][13] Kimbo's cousin is United States judoka Rhadi Ferguson.^[14]

Early career[link]

Ferguson started working as bouncer for a strip club until high school friend and current manager, Mike Ember, offered him a job as limousine driver and bodyguard for RK Netmedia, better known as Reality Kings, a Miami-based pornography production/promotion company responsible for a number of popular adult subscription websites.^[9][10] Kimbo still maintains close ties with Reality Kings who now accompany him, as his fight entourage, under the name Team Kimbo.

In 2002, he was charged for carrying a concealed weapon^[10] and in 2003, he began his career in unsanctioned street fights. They were distributed through the Internet, mainly through the adult website SublimeDirectory and YouTube. In his first taped fight against a man named Big D, Ferguson left a large cut on his opponent's right eye which led Internet fans to call him Slice, becoming the last name to his already popular childhood nickname, Kimbo.^[10]

His only on-tape street fight loss was against Sean Gannon, a former Boston police officer who also trains in MMA. The popularity of the fight propelled both men into the MMA spotlight.^[15]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

To prepare for sanctioned MMA fights, Slice was trained by retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten and boxing instructor Randy Khatami at Rutten's school, EliteMMA, in Thousand Oaks, California. Slice made his MMA debut against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City on June 23, 2007. The match was scheduled as a three-round exhibition utilizing all professional rules of MMA combat. Slice defeated Mercer with a guillotine choke at 1:12 into the first round.^[16] In a post-fight interview, Slice stated that he would like to fight David "Tank" Abbott. Abbott, who was a spectator, stood up from his seat and accepted the call out. One of the matchmakers for CFFC asked Slice for his assurance so that an October 12 bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 6 between Slice and "Tank" Abbott could be organized. This event was later canceled due to a promotion dispute. On October 11, 2007, ProElite announced that they had signed Slice to a deal and that he would make his debut on the November 10, 2007 EliteXC.^[17] He was originally set to make his professional MMA debut against Mike Bourke, a reformed street fighter, but a shoulder injury from Bourke led him to face Bo Cantrell.^[18] Kimbo defeated Cantrell 19 seconds into the first round by submission due to strikes.

On February 16, 2008, Kimbo fought Tank Abbott in the main event at EliteXC: Street Certified. He won by KO 43 seconds into the first round due to strikes. At the fight his weight was announced at an all-time low of 234 lb (106 kg), a far cry from his street fighting days of 280 lb (130 kg).

On May 31, 2008, Kimbo fought in the main event of the first ever mixed martial arts event shown on prime time network television, EliteXC: Primetime. Though one of the judges had each fighter winning one of the first two rounds, Kimbo's opponent James Thompson won both on total points^[19][20][21] by repeatedly taking down Slice and grounding and pounding. In the opening seconds of the third round, however, Kimbo threw a haymaker to Thompson's left ear, which ruptured Thompson's cauliflower. This was soon followed by three unanswered punches to a standing Thompson, which led to a referee stoppage and the controversial win for Slice. Fellow EliteXC competitor Brett Rogers was particularly critical of Slice's victory, calling Slice's performance "garbage" in a post fight interview.^[22] Frank Mir was also critical of Slice, stating in an interview that "every time Kimbo Slice fights, it sets (mixed martial arts) back".^[23]

Fight with Petruzelli[link]

On October 4, 2008, a Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fight was supposed to take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida as part of CBS' Saturday Night Fights.^[24][25] However, Shamrock received a cut to the left eye during a warm-up only hours before the fight was to take place.^[26] This left the head of fight operations, Jeremy Lappen, to choose a replacement for the fight. Options were Seth Petruzelli, Aaron Rosa and Frank Shamrock. But Kimbo's team stated they did not want him fighting Frank no matter how much money was offered to them. So Lappen decided that Petruzelli was the best option for the main event. Slice agreed to take the fight after receiving a raise in pay, and took in $500,000.^[27] Petruzelli defeated Slice by TKO 14 seconds into the first round of the bout.^[28]

Interviewed on the popular radio show The Monsters In The Morning two days after the fight, Seth Petruzelli said that when they offered him a spot in the main event, EliteXC promoters added monetary incentives to dissuade him from using certain fighting techniques against Slice, in an attempt to protect their relatively unproven Internet star.

This added to the controversy surrounding the representation of Slice as a top flight martial artist by CBS and EliteXC.^[30] The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation started a preliminary investigation on the events surrounding the fight and its outcome.^[31]

However, Petruzelli retracted this statement a few hours later, claiming in a follow-up interview with MMA website FiveOuncesofPain.com that his previous comments on The Monsters had been misinterpreted.

On October 23, 2008, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation concluded its investigation of the bout and found no wrongdoing.^[33] By the end of October 2008, EliteXC was forced to file for bankruptcy.^[34] Many in the mixed martial arts community, including Jay Thompson, executive consultant to the company, attributed EliteXC and ProElite's failure due to Slice's loss to Seth Petruzelli.^[35]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

After Elite Xtreme Combat ceased operations, Dana White stated that if Slice wanted to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship he would have to win his way in by competing on The Ultimate Fighter TV show. White went on to say that he might create a show with heavyweights just for Kimbo Slice if he wanted in.^[36] That statement became reality on June 1, when Kevin Iole of Yahoo.com stated Slice would participate in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.

The coaches for the show were Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, both former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions.^[37] Slice was the number one pick for Rampage and the second pick overall. In his first fight of the show, Kimbo was defeated by Roy Nelson via TKO stoppage in the second round after repeated punches to the head in the crucifix position.^[38] Kimbo later turned down the opportunity to take Matt Mitrione's place in the quarter finals after it was revealed that he had arthritis in his knee.

Slice fought Houston Alexander on December 5, 2009, at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale at a catchweight of 215 pounds.^[39] In a fight that many thought would not leave the first round, Alexander would instead spend most of the first and third rounds circling Slice tentatively with little engagement. In the second round, however, Slice landed a back suplex on Alexander, which very well may have tipped the judges' scorecards in his favor. Slice would win the bout by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) and Alexander would be cut from the promotion only days later.

On May 8, 2010, Slice made his pay-per-view and official heavyweight debut at UFC 113 versus Matt Mitrione, losing in the second round via a TKO.^[40] Following the loss, Dana White stated that it was "probably Kimbo's last fight in the UFC".^[41] His release was confirmed the following day, alongside welterweight Paul Daley.^[42]

Boxing career[link]

In August 2010, it emerged that Kimbo Slice was intending to take up a career in professional boxing. He stated "I feel like a baby all over again. I'm thinking about this at night. I'm gonna be a problem in the heavyweight division. I'm going to be coming in with a bad demeanor. I want to see what it's like to break some ribs, break a jaw with one punch. This is a career move. I love fighting. I like to knock people the fuck out. I love engaging. Maybe some people think I'm crazy."^[43]

Roy Jones, Jr. has stated that he would like to fight Kimbo Slice, but claimed that Kimbo would likely have to have a number of boxing matches beforehand in order to gain experience and exposure in the sport.^[44]

Kimbo was set to make his debut in professional wrestling on February 5, 2011 against former Sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa at the Inoki Genome Federation's "Genome 14" event in Fukuoka, Japan,^[45] But Kimbo later pulled out of the match due to getting injured in practice.^[46]

Slice made his pro boxing debut on August 13, 2011. Slice fought in a four-round headlining attraction against 39 year old James Wade (0-1) at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.^[47] He won the fight via KO at 0:10 in the first round.^[48]

On October 15, Kimbo returned to the boxing ring, defeating Tay Bledsoe via KO in the first round.^[49]

On December 30, Kimbo defeated Charles Hackmann by UD, winning three out of four rounds.^[50]

Other media coverage[link]

A series called "Junk Yard Training" was released on yardbarker.com and youtube.com which featured LaDainian Tomlinson, running back for the San Diego Chargers, training in Kimbo's backyard. In 2009, Kimbo starred in an antivirus software advertisement called Caterpillar vs. Kimbo.^[51]

Ferguson was featured on The Iron Ring, a television series airing on BET which features MMA prospects. Slice was part of the selection process for the participants.^[52] He made his official acting debut when playing Bludge on Nickelodeon's holiday special, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh.

Personal life[link]

Ferguson currently lives with his family in Coral Springs, Florida, and is a single father to six children; three boys and three girls.^[8][53] He is engaged to long-time girlfriend, Antionette Ray.^[54]

Filmography[link]

Professional boxing record[link]

5 Wins (4 knockouts, 1 decision), 0 Losses, 0 Draws [55]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Win	5–0	Jesse Porter	KO	1 (4), 0:36	12/05/2012	Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma
Win	4–0	Brian Green	KO	4 (4), 2:57	24/03/2012	O'Reilly Center, Springfield, Missouri
Win	3–0	Charles Hackmann	UD	4	30/12/2011	Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma
Win	2–0	Tay Bledsoe	KO	1 (4), 2:17	15/10/2011	Heartland Events Center, Grand Island, Nebraska
Win	1–0	James Wade	KO	1 (4), 0:17	13/08/2011	Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	4–2	Matt Mitrione	TKO (strikes)	UFC 113	02010-05-08May 8, 2010	2	4:24	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Cut from UFC following loss
Win	4–1	Houston Alexander	Decision (unanimous)	TUF 10 Finale	02009-12-05December 5, 2009	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	UFC debut. Fought at Catchweight.
Loss	3–1	Seth Petruzelli	TKO (punches)	EliteXC: Heat	02008-10-04October 4, 2008	1	0:14	Sunrise, Florida, United States
Win	3–0	James Thompson	TKO (punches)	EliteXC: Primetime	02008-05-31May 31, 2008	3	0:38	Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win	2–0	Tank Abbott	KO (punches)	EliteXC: Street Certified	02008-02-16February 16, 2008	1	0:43	Miami, Florida, United States
Win	1–0	Bo Cantrell	Submission (punches)	EliteXC: Renegade	02007-11-10November 10, 2007	1	0:19	Corpus Christi, Texas, United States	MMA Debut

Mixed martial arts exhibition record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	1–1	Roy Nelson	TKO (punches)	The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights	02009-06-10June 10, 2009	2	2:01	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Preliminary round
Win	1–0	Ray Mercer	Submission (guillotine choke)	Cage Fury Fighting Championships V	02007-06-23June 23, 2007	1	1:12	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kimbo Slice at the Internet Movie Database
• Kimbo305.com (Official Website of Kimbo Slice)
• Professional MMA record for Kevin Ferguson from Sherdog
• Professional boxing record for Kimbo Slice from BoxRec