In-Depth

The Comprehensive Guide To Dada 5000

In-Depth



If you’ve followed the underground fighting scene over the last few years then you’ll know of one legendary name: DaDa 5000.

This pumped-up unit is taking the underground fighting scene to a new level with his Backyard Brawls Extreme Fighting Series, promoting the baddest, hardest, and most violent of fighting series, and making the illegal pay-per-view. It’s fighting at its simplest. With BYB Extreme now streamed live and the DaDa5000 inspired Dawg Fight documentary now available on Netflix, Fightstate takes a detailed look at the man and his legend. As Dada 5000 says,

“On this card, everybody is getting knocked out.”

Organized Brawls in His Mom’s Backyard

dawg-fight-brawlers

DaDa 5000 knows a lot about street fighting. The 280lbs beast of muscle has been fighting his whole life, growing up on the rough streets of Miami’s suburbs. He took this to a new level. Roping up a tiny ring in his Mom’s backyard, DaDa 5000 started the most brutal of organized fights. There are no rounds and not really any rules. Just two dudes kicking the shit out of each other, resolving local conflicts as a passionate audience looks on. If you’re in Miami then this isn’t a pay-per-view event. Just turn up at his Mom’s house and watch a brawl. Check it out…

This shit it real. Two guys fight until one of three outcomes.

  • Someone gets knocked out.

  • Someone gets smashed and is too injured to continue.

  • Someone taps out.

Dada 5000’s professional promotion has added one extra rule. There’s still no rounds, but after ten minutes the fight goes to the judges. But to be fair, it’s not often that these brawlers are going to make it that far.

The Original DaDa 5000 Promotion

promoter-dada-5000_large-001

Here’s the deal. DaDa 5000 is the promoter. DaDa 5000 is the organizer. The fights take place in his backyard. And DaDa 5000 is the referee. There’s no waiting for the call from Dana White to say you’ve got a slot on some pay-per-view fightnight in three months time. Give Dada 5000 a call and he’ll pit you against some other street fighter the very next day. There’s no money on the line. It’s just pride. And that’s what makes the original DaDa 5000 promotion so hypnotic. The man found a way to organize localized street duals into something formal. People want to fight on the streets without worrying about the police jumping in. They also want something organized, so some dude’s crew isn’t going to jump in when their man is getting beaten. Furthermore, there’s some safety involved here. A pumped-up steroid freak isn’t going to keep beating the shit out of someone who’s unconscious. Dada 5000 will step in and stop the violence when a fighter has won.

The Legendary “Sista” Eleanor Stewart

How many have a mom that would approve of you heading out to fight in a backyard brawl? It’s not likely. And how many reckon their mom would approve of you starting organized fights in the backyard? You can imagine the conversation. “Hi Mom, got some dudes coming around. We’re going kick the shit out of each other in your backyard.” The legendary mom letting all this happen is Eleanor Steward, otherwise known as Sista. She’s someone who has the respect of just about the whole of South Miami. You’re definitely not going to mess with Sista; a bad word in her direction and a hundred street fighters are going to be wanting to take you in the ring.

Dada 5000 – The Bareknuckle Promotion

dada 5000-001

His backyard promotion started generating publicity. ESPN picked up on it and featured it on their news magazine E:60. Here’s what the press release said about it:

“In a backyard in the Miami suburb of Perrine, Fla., stands a battered 12×12 boxing ring draped with yellow caution tape. Inside this ring, two men square off without gloves, no time limits and virtually no rules. Welcome to the world of Dada 5000, a man who has made his mother’s backyard a YouTube sensation with its bareknuckle bravado. E:60 presents an unvarnished view of the emperor and his backyard coliseum.”

Dhafir Harris has always said that he had a vision to turn this no rules backyard combat into something a little more organized.

The Dawg Fight Documentary

dada 5000 and billy corben-001

The brawling subculture of South Miami was picked up by film director Billy Corben. This was six years ago, when Dada 5000’s underground fighting scene was really kicking off. Corben was interested. But there wasn’t a distributor wanting to buy it. He was used to filming without a buyer, epitomized by his documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Unperturbed, Corben starting filming and creating his documentary about the bare-knuckled subculture world of Dada 5000. After making Dawg Fight, he was turned down by a series of buyers.

“The three most prominent reasons we get for rejection to produce Dawg Fight, was that it was too urban, too violent, and too real. To us, that was like a woman turning down because you’re too tall and too handsome.”

In the end, Corben decided to self-release the documentary. It went online on Netflix in March to critical acclaim. Here’s the trailer…

Dada 5000 and Dawg Fight

dada 5000 dawg-001

This project started through Corben’s knowledge of Kimbo Slice who had jumped into youtube fame. He’d heard of Dada5000 and his reputation, the guy who was considered the “Don King” of the backyard fighting scene. The documentary has its teeth not only in that these illegal fights are being staged, but in the professionalism that Dhafir Harris runs his organization. This wasn’t just a few guys. It was a whole scene taking place at his mom’s house. Corben started filming then acknowledges that the biggest mistake he made was releasing an online reel shortly after the project started. He wasted to lure in potential investors. All that happened were that short clips of the violence were posted on youtube by various media outlets. They would turn up, film for the day, and then piece together a sequence of two dudes kicking the shit out of each other. Which wasn’t what Corben wanted to achieve.

“We didn’t plan on shooting for two years. And we especially didn’t think we’d be doing it on our time and on our own dime. Every media that came through did these one-shot deals. ‘Hey, look at these guys fighting! It’s crazy!’ And then they left. We were trying to do something a little more ambitious. The co-producer kept writing checks, asking me, ‘Are we done yet? When are we going to be done?’ I would tell him, ‘I don’t know! I don’t want to do another bullshit story about backyard fighting.'”

The Characters of Dawg Fight

00 fight MHD ADD

Filming was completed in 2010 when Corben when Dada 5000 made his pro MMA debut. The project was finished not long after but it’s essential sat on Corben’s hard drive for the last five years. Nobody wanted to buy it. The film stays clear of strong links to MMA although there are some. Dada 5000 has fought professionally and current UFC bantamweight Alex Caceres is shown on the film. Another legendary character in the movie is Treon Johnson, who starts shadowboxing a public bus in one scene. Wearing a hockey mask and bandana, “the tree” turns up to the backyard and gambles all his money on himself. In 2014 he was killed by a police taser. This galvanized Corben into releasing the film regardless of whether a distributor was in place. Fortunately Netflix picked it up just in time, ensuring it reached a broad audience.

“When I heard from Dada that he died, I was devastated” says Billy Corben. “I went through the full stages of grief. I went to Alfred and said, ‘I don’t care about the money. We captured these guys’ story and no one will know if we don’t release it.'”

Underground Street Fighting Ruined by the Cops

00 fight MHD ADD

As soon as the film went out the cops were all over Dada5000. Perhaps they’d turned a blind eye for years? Or maybe they didn’t have the balls to bust an illegal fighting ring in South Miami? Either way, the exposure of Fight Dawg saw a dozen cruisers charging through Dada 5000’s neighborhood and shutting down his shows. No more backyard brawling. That what the cops thought anyway. Dada5000 was always looking at turning his illegal brawling into something completely professionalized. But how do you do something illegal and make it prime time entertainment? Simple, you do it beyond their jurisdiction. His first BYB Extreme event takes place on a ship that’s moored off the Miami shore. The fights are taking place in international waters on a cruise ship and nobody can mess, although we’d love to see Somali pirates try and raid this ship.

But check this out. Inclement weather meant that the fight had to be moved. A storm was blowing in and they couldn’t stick to the program. There’s no cancelling. They moved it to land and went ahead regardless. The location? Nobody is quite sure about that.

Turning Backyard Brawls into Pay-per-view Entertainment

00 fight MHD ADD

Fight fans have lots of options when it comes to MMA. The UFC puts on that many events that nobody really remembers what happens, then there’s Bellator MMA on Spike TV and a non-stop succession of hyped-up boxing bouts on HBO and Showtime. In June 2015, Dada 5000 added his own brand of fighting into the pay-per-view mix. The concept hasn’t changed since the original brawls in his Mom’s backyard. It’s a tiny ring and pretty much no rules. Here’s what Dada 5000 says about it:

“I really feel like Backyard Street Fighting Series is going to eclipse MMA and boxing…When you look at what the state of those leagues are, you’ve got guys training super, duper hard. They’re waiting on a call from Dana White or one of these boxing promoters that they’re not going to get. We are the middle area between MMA and boxing.”

The Backyard Street Fighting Series aims to offer what MMA and boxing don’t: continual excitement and more fights. Rather than just a handful of overly hyped bouts, this fighting series just keeps bringing the fighters into the ring. His concept is simple and people want it. More violence, more blood, more action, and more brutality. Here Dhafir Harris again:

“On this card, everybody is getting knocked out. We’ve got more excitement and explosion than a stick of TNT. It’s real. It’s no gimmicks and it’s no faking. It’s no stunt doubles. You stand there and get clocked upside the head; it’s not an illusion. That’s real pain. That’s real blood.”

The Almost Non-Existent Rules of BYB Extreme Fighting Series

Dada5000’s fight series does have rules. It’s not just two dudes fighting to the death, we’re not talking original Muay Thai from the 8th century. These distinct rules are stripping MMA to its basic roots.

  • Two competitors match up in a one-round fight that can last up to 10 minutes.
  • There are no gloves; it’s bare knuckled all the way.
  • No groin strikes, no hitting behind the head, and no attacks on a grounded fighter.

Fights takes place in a unique tiny fight area and that’s an essential part of the appeal. The other rule is that opponents aren’t allowed to grab the triangle fence ring. Dada5000 has found a niche, offering something that MMA fans can’t see elsewhere. Boxers and wrestlers have a ring, MMA fighters have the octagon, and these guys have the Trigon. It’s a three-sided diamond shaped cage.

“The ring is really small, you can’t run round, you gotta fight. That’s the purpose of it, you know, to promote confrontation…to do it anywhere else would literally be uncivilized.”

Dada5000 Giving Dudes a Chance to Fight

dada 50002-001

Dhafir Harris has been big on promoting the opportunity for fighters from all over the world to test their A-game in the trigon. “We’re an equal opportunity employer” he says, “we’re the gray area between MMA and boxing, and we’re not political.” In his first promotion night he paid homage to the guys who had created history through backyard brawls. He’s offering publicity and promotion to the series of badass fighters who have fighting for pride in Sista’s backyard. For his next promotion, Dada promises to pitch a series of dudes from the South Miami street brawling scene against guys from across the world who’d been emailing Dada 5000 asking for a shot. Ultimately, these guys are going to get a shot of making real money from their fights. That’s been part of the vision from the start. Harris promises to pay each fighter $1000 for the night, regardless of whether they win or lose. He compares this to his own MMA debut with Killa Gorilla Cedric James:

“I fought Cedric James on the documentary card, right? They only gave him 500 bucks. Five hundred dollars?! And he’s a pro athlete!! SIX FIGHTS IN BEFORE MINE – and that’s all they gave him, on that mega stage, was five hundred dollars? If you gotta pay your trainers and everybody out of that, that’s why people are getting away from the fight game, because they’re saying that it’s not worth it. Technically, it’s not worth it.”

Kimbo Slice and DaDa 5000

Thanks to UFC and The Ultimate Fighter, a lot is known about Dada 5000’s teammate, Kimbo Slice. Also born in the Bahamas and famous for dominating full combat street fights, Kimbo Slice made his MMA pro debut in 2007, defeating Ray Mercer, before knocking out Bo Cantrell just 19 seconds into a bout. After the Elite Xtreme Combat stopped operating, Slice entered UFC and won the Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. But after losing his official heavyweight UFC pay-per-view debut in 2010, Slice was cut from Dana White’s roster. He’s still around on youtube and was signed to Bellator MMA earlier in 2015. Just check out how this dude trains…

Kimbo and DaDa 5000 grew up as good friends and were both signed EliteXC. They continue to train together and benchpress fridges in each other’s backyard. It was Kimbo Slice’s backyard brawl fighting that became a youtube sensation. Through these fights, Harris says he always knew that the world had a “thirst for the backyard brawl.” Kimbo and Dhafir Harris were both running fights in the working class suburbs of Miami. Dada5000 was even fighting in these brawls.

Their friendship has since soured and Dada 5000 has been quick to point out their history as Kimbo’s go to guy. Dhafir was even his bodyguard at one point:

“I know Kevin Ferguson. Kimbo Slice came along later in life. One thing I learned about this business is this: Once you start to become a phenomenon, now you meet people who know what’s best for you. They just met you a second ago, but they’ll tell you what’s best for you like they knew you all your life. I was the one that was keeping his vision clear, so a lot of people was jealous of the relationship that we had.”

Building on the Kimbo Slice Legacy

It’s Kimbo’s legacy that Dada 5000 has been building upon. Here’s what he says about:

“I didn’t invent backyard fighting, bareknuckle fighting; but I’ve played the innovative role. I took a sport that’s been around for centuries and I took it from where it was left off with ‘Kimbo Slice,’ and what I did was alter its appearance. I made it more appealing, more accepted to the public’s eye. I caught the world’s attention.”

Dada 5000 Keeps It Real

01-dada-5000-001

This guy is the shit. We don’t want to blow too much smoke up his ass but everyone loves the story of a badass streetfighters who’s providing entertainment for violence loving public. He’s far more likeable than Dana White, the guy who used to do aerobics classes for divorced women in Vegas, then somehow rose to be worth $200 million. Fair play for making MMA a commercial success but you don’t have to be so cocky about it. Here’s Dhafir Harris keeping it real:

“A lot of people ask me, ‘What’s your five-year plan?’ I don’t have a five-year plan, because tomorrow is promising nothing,” Harris said. “Things like this don’t happen to me and where I’m from.”

But there is something Dana White in what Dada5000 has done. Just as White was able to professionalize and commercialize a sport that was inherently underground, Dada5000 has brought up a sport that has inherently illegal. He’s in a different league to his predecessor and friend Kimbo Slice. Here’s what Fight Dawg Billy Corben says about meeting Dhafir Harris for the first time and admiring the operation:

“Kimbo’s deal was to invite a few dudes over. But this was like a block party and Dada 5000 was like Don King – and that was fascinating.”

The Early Life of Dada 5000

Dada 5000 was born on Cat Island of the Bahamas in 1977 but moved quickly to Miami as a newborn to receive treatment for streptococcus meningitis. For six months it was life or death, with a young Dhafir Harris not leaving the hospital. Remarkably, he grew from a baby to the size of a three year old toddler during the medication. Before he was aged one the guy was bigger than most elementary school kids.

Far from being the Miami rough kid dropping out of school, Dhafir went to Miami Dade College and then got a degree at Barry University. His schooling was sporadically interrupted with violence. From an early age, Dhafir Harris was brawling and fighting on the street, never backing down.

Dada 5000 the Correctional Officer

Dada5000 has always been involved with the young tough guns of Miami. From 1997 to 2000 he worked as a correctional officer, trying to keep kids out of prison. Although only in his early 20’s, he was responsible for a range of young people who had far too much aggression and violence for the modern world. Boxing and sparring with them was part of the program. There’s rumors that Dhafir Harris was also allowing his students to fight each other in basic bouts. These are unconfirmed stories but it sounds plausible. From 2000 Dada 5000 worked for the Department of Children and Families for five years, before taking a leaving of absence to explore the possibility of promoting backyard brawling. As he financed his street fighting experiment he was working as a bodyguard for Kimbo Slice. And let’s be honest, you have to some badass if a pro MMA fighter is hiring you as a bodyguard.

While Slice was making it legit, Harris was putting on an increasing number of backyard shows. The unfiltered violence, the rawness of the talent, dudes swinging haymakers, the makeshift ring…it attracted Corben to make Dawg Fight and propelled him towards the promotion he runs today.

Dada 5000 Pro MMA Career

By this time Dada 5000 and Kimbo Slice were dominating the backstreets of Miami. They were working towards pro fighting. Dada 5000 made his MMA debut in Hollywood in the Action Fight League against Cedrick “Killa Gorilla” James. DaDa won by knockout in the first round. His second pro MMA fight was with the Mixed Fighting Alliance. He fough Timothy Papp and what do you think happened? Check this shit out…

What Dada 5000 Says About it All

“Get to kno me!!!! DADA5000 & BYB Extreme Fighting Series Bout to Break Records and Fuck the Game up!”

The big man is obviously excited about what’s going on. So you should check out his fighting promotion and get a piece of South Miami backstreet brawling into your fight calendar. And if you’re still not convinved, he’s a final word from Dada 5000.

“We’ve broke records for everything we’ve done, and it’s clear, anything that I throw up, it blows up.”



Page 1 of 1: