Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson became an Internet sensation, fighting in non-sanctioned bare-knuckle fights in backyards, shipyards, warehouses and basements around the country.

His fights have been dowloaded millions of times on YouTube, turning the 6-2, 250-pounder into an underground superstar.

But before there was Kimbo Slice, there was David "Tank" Abbott, a street-fighting legend from Huntington Beach who was one of the pioneers of mixed martial arts.

Kimbo Slice and Tank will meet in the main event of "EliteXC: Street Certified" on Saturday night at 10 on Showtime at BankUnited Center in Miami, Fla.

Tank broke onto the scene in 1995 when he entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship 6 tournament. The Ultimate Fighting Championship was originally formed in 1993 to determine which form of martial arts was the best and most effective in a no holds barred setting. Karate or Jiu-Jitsu? Judo or boxing? Wrestling or Tae Kwon Do? Which style would come out on top?

Tank relied on his strength, punching power and brawling instincts. He needed 18 seconds to KO 400-pound Hawaiian John Matua. He took out Paul Varelans, a 6-8, 300-pounder, in 1 minute and 53 seconds in the semifinals. In the finals, he battled Oleg Taktarov for 17 minutes and 45 seconds before losing via a rear-naked choke. Tank lost the UFC 6 tournament, but he won over many fans with his all-or-nothing style.

"When I was stomping around in the streets, they didn't have anything such as an MMA or cagefighting or anything like that," Abbott said. "I showed up at the steps of the Ultimate Fighting (Championship) and said, 'Hey, I want to fight.' And they said, 'You have to be a black belt or something like that.'

"I said, 'I just got out of jail for beating somebody up, in fact, a cop's son. Isn't this supposed to be about fighting?' And they said, 'Yeah, but you've got to have some kind of black belt or something.' And I said, 'That's not what I'm about. I'm about fighting in the streets.'

"They called me a couple of days later and said we came up with this thing called Tank Abbott. It's from the 'Every Which Way But Loose' movie with Clint Eastwood.' There is a guy in there who is a street-fighting legend by the name of Tank Murdock, and Clint went and fought him. But that's where Tank came from."

Tank, 42, is well past his prime at this point in his career. He has lost seven of his past eight fights. He took most of those fights on short notice and came in ill-prepared and out of shape. But he contends his experience will give him the edge when he takes on Kimbo, 34.

"I will give him his props," Tank said. "Kimbo goes out there, he's tough, he's got (guts) and he's got heart. Those are things you can't teach. But I've been swinging around wrestling rooms for over 30 years and I've been in boxing gyms for over 20, and I've been in the street a lot longer than that. You can never tell. All you can say is Kimbo is a tough man as far as his heart and his (guts) and his mind, but I don't know how polished he is."

Kimbo has left street fighting behind and devoted himself to MMA. He has been training with MMA legend Bas Rutten, a former three-time King of Pancrase and UFC champion. He fought former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Ray Mercer in an exhibition fight under professional MMA rules on June 23 and submitted him with a guillotine choke in 1 minute and 12 seconds. He made his pro debut against Bo Cantrell at "EliteXC: Renegade" on Nov. 10. But that fight didn't reveal much because Cantrell lasted 19 seconds and tapped out under a barrage of punches.

"I'll take on anybody," Kimbo said. "Everybody says I'm the new kid on the block or whatever. But it's the era. Being street certified mixed with MMA, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling. You combine that and you're going to have a type of fighter like myself. I'm not one dimensional. Whatever anybody wants to do, I'm down to do. You want to take it to the ground, let's take it to the ground. You want to stand up, let's stand up. I'm down for that. That's my thing, that's what I'm about. That's how I live. That's my life. I don't even see Tank. I'm seeing through him."

Tank believes he has plenty of fight left in him and he plans to prove it against Kimbo.

"I've been stomping the streets for a long time," Tank said. "I tell you one thing, if Kimbo was back in my era, stomping around Orange County, California, he would have been long gone a long time ago."

ELITEXC: STREET CERTIFIED

AT BANK UNITED CENTER, MIAMI, FLA, SATURDAY

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m., tape delayed)

Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. David "Tank" Abbott

Antonio "Big Foot" Silva vs. Ricco Rodriguez

Yves Edwards vs. Edson Berto

James "Colossus" Thompson vs. Brett Rogers

Kyle Noke vs. Scott Smith

UNDERCARD (Streamed live on proelite.com at 4:30 p.m.)

Dave Herman vs. Mario Rinaldi

John Doyle vs. Rafael Feijao

Jon Kirk vs. Yosmany Cabezas

Eric Bradley vs. Mikey Gomez

Lorenzo Borgameo vs. Mike Bernhard

CARLOS ARIAS/The Register

carias@ocregister.com

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