M’Baku Actor Cast as MMA Fighter Kimbo Slice in Biopic Backyard Legend

You can imagine that when Holder Productions and Webros Entertainment originally pitched the idea for a Kimbo Slice biopic, titled Backyard Legend, the first question that might have seemed impossible to answer is “who the hell can we cast that is as big and intimidating as Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson?” Thankfully, like everyone else on the planet, someone at the companies must have seen Black Panther and Infinity War, two films with feature actor Winston Duke.

Weighing in at a beefy 6 ft 4 in, Duke played the role of M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari tribe. While he initially clashed with Black Panther protagonist T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman), with his tribe being the only one who refused to submit to the rule of the Black Panther, M’Baku eventually became an invaluable ally. Alongside finding his body and bringing him back to life – even after being presented the opportunity to take the strength of the Black Panther for himself – M’Baku and his tribe even assisted the Avengers in Infinity War.

Considering how much critics and fans raved about those two supporting roles, it is no surprise that Duke landed the role as the star in Backyard Legend.

As the film’s title would suggest, Kimbo Slice is one of the most interesting stories in MMA history. Once homeless, Slice became a viral sensation when his backyard fights, in which he would avidly compete in for money, started to make their way to YouTube.

Thanks to that notoriety, the brawler eventually signed scene and signed a professional contract with EliteXC in 2007. That, in turn, led to an opportunity to compete on the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights season. After losing his first series of fights to eventual winner Roy Nelson, Slice made his UFC debut on the show’s season finale, in which he defeated Houston Alexander. He finished his career with a record of 5-2, until he passed away at the age of 42.

At the moment, Backyard Legends does not have a release date.