Dhafir Harris, more commonly known as Dada 5000, is making his comeback to fighting.
Dada 5000, infamously associated with his 2016 Bellator heavyweight bout with Kimbo Slice, is making his comeback to combat sports, as the co-founder of the BYB bare-knuckle boxing promotion. Harris fought Slice at Bellator 149 in a fight that disappointed many as both men looked exhausted after the first round, with Slice earning a late TKO (which was later overturned due to a failed drug test) in the third round. Harris spent two weeks in the hospital as a result of the contest, suffering from cardiac arrest and kidney failure, along with severe dehydration.
Harris gained popularity by featuring prominently in the 2015 documentary Dawg Fight, highlighting the culture of ‘no holds barred’ unsanctioned combat in America. 5000 hasn't been seen since his fight with the late Slice who passed away just a few months later due to heart failure.
Fans haven't seen Harris since but now he is making his comeback for Back Yard Brawls, a company he co-founded with business partners Mike Vazquez and Jose Suris. In a press release on the official website, they assure that the former streetfighter has “fully recovered” from his injuries from his lone Bellator appearance. No opponent or venue has been revealed yet.
“People identify with us because we came from backyard brawling on the dark side of Miami,” Harris explained in the press release. “Backyard is where we came from and bare-knuckles fighting is the next step in the evolution of fighting. We started this (BYB), fighting in the mud, this wasn’t done overnight. We were the first, people came to the backyard to watch, and now I’m inviting everybody on our journey.
“I was a promoter before being a fighter. I started a business and BYB Brawl is going to be the biggest combat sport. People may think this is kind of nuts, but they dofeel it’s going to blow up.”
A New Promotion BYB announced today a Bare Knuckle event with former PRIDE/Strikeforce/Bellator veteran Sergey Kharitonov faces former UFC/KSW James McSweeney in April 17th
— Bruno Massami (Бруно Массами) (@BrMassami) March 26, 2021
Other names like Dada 5000, Juan Pina, Rene Rodriguez and Askar Mozharov are expected to compete. pic.twitter.com/ayajs1yKAW
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