As shocking as it may sound, the controversial heavyweight from the defunct Elite XC, Kimbo Slice, will be one of 16 contestants on season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show.

An article on Yahoo! Sports broke the story late last night, quoting UFC President Dana White as saying “It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him.”

In the past White has called Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, a “joke” and a “bum” among other less than flattering descriptions.

Slice, who has a 3-1 professional record, recorded the largest number of viewers for an MMA bout in history, with 6.5 million viewers, in a match where he defeated James Thompson by third-round stoppage. Having Slice on the 10th season of TUF should prove to be a ratings bonanza as he appears beside former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Sugar” Rashad Evans.

White worked hard to keep Slice’s appearance on the show a secret, hoping to have unveiled him Tuesday. Season 10, which is being called “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” was originally slated to feature a cast of eight heavyweights and eight middleweights, but the UFC quietly informed the middleweights who tried out that it was going with an all-heavyweight show.

And unlike in recent seasons, where the competitors had to win a fight to earn their way into the house, there will be no such arrangement this time. All 16 fighters – Spike and the UFC are keeping names of the others a closely guarded secret – will automatically move into the house.

Dana White urged reporters to be ready on Tuesday’s media day at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas, when pressed for further information about Slice.

Check out the full article by going to Yahoo! Sports by clicking the link.