Bellator fighter ‘Dada 5000’ is ‘recovering nicely’ after health scare at fight
The family of Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris issued a statement Saturday after rumors surfaced the fighter had fallen briefly into critical condition at a Houston hospital following his Friday night loss to Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson on a Bellator MMA card.
According to the statement, Harris suffered severe hydration and renal failure after staggering around the ring and falling face first to the mat after absorbing several punches in the third round.
Harris had competed just twice professionally in his career and had not participated in a sanctioned fight in more than five years.
“The Harris Family would like to inform Dada’s friends and fans that Dada is ok and resting comfortably in a Houston-area hospital under the care of an incredible staff of doctors and nurses,” the statement read. “The doctors have now informed us that Dada had accumulated extremely high levels of potassium in his blood which led to severe dehydration, fatigue and renal failure. The high potassium levels were likely caused by his 40lbs weight loss in preparation for the fight.
“Thanks to the EMTs and doctors, Dada is now recovering nicely.”
Harris was booked in the fight by Bellator officials because of a long-standing rivalry with Ferguson. Harris worked with Ferguson as the two became famous through street-fighting videos on YouTube.
There was a falling out between the two, however. As Ferguson found mainstream fame in mixed martial arts, Harris returned to Miami where he promoted backyard fighting events.
Harris was the subject of the documentary “Dawg Fight.” The last scene of the film features Harris calling out Ferguson after winning his first professional fight.
More than six years later, Bellator president Scott Coker decided to make the fight happen.
It wasn’t pretty. Both fighters showed clear signs of exhaustion in the opening minutes and were barely moving by the time the third round started.
Eventually, Harris appeared to succumb to exhaustion as much as the punches landed by Ferguson.
“Dada showed the heart of a lion in the cage — not backing down throughout. He worked extremely hard preparing for the fight and stepped forward for three rounds against a tough veteran. He kept digging through the adversity- leaving it all in the cage for his fans and supporters. You can never take that away from him,” the statement continued. “We’d like to thank all those who have supported Dada as well as express our sincere appreciation to Scott Coker, and the good people at Bellator and Spike who have been on-site to visit Dada and support the family.
“We ask for the public and media to respect Dada’s privacy as he recovers.”
Harris was taken from the cage on a stretcher after receiving oxygen.
— Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj
