Bellator 162 lineup complete for Memphis, including delayed pro debut of 'Baby Slice'

Next month’s lineup for Bellator 162 is complete with a whopping 12 fights on the preliminary card, including the highly anticipated pro debut of Kevin Ferguson Jr. – “Baby Slice.”

In a welterweight bout, Ferguson (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will take on Rick Bing (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who also will be making his pro debut, at Bellator 162, which takes place Oct. 21 at FedEx Forum in Memphis. The main card will air on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

The promotion announced that fight today, along with 10 other new bouts for the prelims. Ricky Rainey (11-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) meets Gilbert Smith (12-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in an already announced welterweight bout; Steve Garcia (6-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) takes on Ronnie Lawrence (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at bantamweight; heavyweights Chase Gormley (13-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Bobby Brents (17-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) have been booked; Julia Budd (8-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) fights Arlene Blencowe (7-5 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout; and Dan Charles (10-3-1 MMA, 3-2-1 BMMA) takes on Virgil Zwicker (14-5-1 MMA, 3-2-1 BMMA) at heavyweight.

In addition, welterweights Tyler Hill (6-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Wade Johnson (10-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will meet; Jonathan Burdine (4-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on James Wallace (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at lightweight; Eryk Anders (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets Brian White (5-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at middleweight; Jaleel Willis (6-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Omar Johnson (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will fight at a 160-pound catchweight; Chad Cook (10-11 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets Grady Hurley (9-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at light heavyweight; and Mike Wessell (14-8 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) fights Frank Tate (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout.

Ferguson, 24, made his amateur MMA debut earlier this year, downing opponent Tom Brink in just 83 seconds at an event held in Massachusetts. He was supposed to fight Johnny Tomasian at Bellator 160, but an injury forced him from the card.

Ferguson’s father, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, died unexpectedly in June, days after he was diagnosed with a liver mass and congestive heart failure. One of the world’s best known and most popular fighters, he was 42 at the time of his death.

A former street fighter and porn set security guard, Ferguson was already 33 by the time he launched his professional MMA career, and his skills never quite matched his renowned drawing power. Despite an intimidating and larger-than-life persona that made his fights an easy sell, the usually soft-spoken father of six was a favorite among promoters, media members, fellow fighters and other industry insiders during a career that saw him compete under the UFC, Bellator and Elite XC banners. Now his son is following in his footsteps.

With the additions, the Bellator 162 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike, 9 p.m. ET)

• Kendall Grove vs. Alexander Shlemenko
• Josh Appelt vs. Bobby Lashley
• Hisaki Kato vs. A.J. Matthews
• Ryan Couture vs. Goiti Yamauchi

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 6:45 p.m. ET)

• Rick Bing vs. Kevin Ferguson Jr.
• Ricky Rainey vs. Gilbert Smith
• Steve Garcia vs. Ronnie Lawrence
• Bobby Brents vs. Chase Gormley
• Arlene Blencowe vs. Julia Budd
• Dan Charles vs. Virgil Zwicker
• Tyler Hill vs. Wade Johnson
• Jonathan Burdine vs. James Wallace
• Eryk Anders vs. Brian White
• Omar Johnson vs. Jaleel Willis
• Chad Cook vs. Grady Hurley
• Frank Tate vs. Mike Wessell

For more on Bellator 162, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.