MMA legend Bas Rutten who famously trained Kimbo Slice for his four EliteXC fights has finally broken his silence on their split. The two parted ways shortly after Kimbo's infamous loss to Seth Petruzelli last October at EliteXC: Heat.

"I misjudged him," Rutten told Fighter's Only. "He turned into a whole different person. I told him a few weeks ago, I had a sit down with him. I told him that he was an asshole and that I have zero respect (for him] and I can't train people that I have no respect for. Can't ever. If they don't do what I say, they are out. I am there for the best interests of the fighters, I want them to win. If they don't accept that, bye bye."

Rutten stated that Slice was unwilling to listen to him during trainings sessions, which left him ill-prepared during fights.

"He just turned into a different guy," Rutten explained. "He didn't need to do the things that I told him to do. He wasn't going to go to the ground, you know? The day before the [Petruzelli] fight, I told him I wanted to go over heel hooks and escapes, and he said, 'Nah, its not going to go to the ground'. I said 'Ha, I like that attitude - but what if it does go to the ground?' but he said 'Its not going to go'. So I said, 'OK, but don't let me tell you 'I told you so' if he snaps your fuckin' leg in half. He said 'I don't know if that's a good thing for you to be telling me mentally, before a fight'! I said 'I don't think its a good thing for you not to be doing what I tell you, before the fight!'"

Rutten believes that Slice does have potential as a fighter but maintains that his attitude and work ethic are will continue to be issues for the former street brawler.

"He learned some things, but he started to forget them," Rutten said. "In the Thompson fight he did some great escapes in round number one but once fatigue hit him, he didn't do anything. [He's] lucky the fight didn't get stopped in the second round."

"If they don't do what I say, they are out. I am there for the best interests of the fighters, I want them to win," he stated. "If they don't accept that, bye bye."

Slice is currently in the midst of filming for the UFC's reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter". The season will feature 16 heavyweights viying for a six figure UFC contract. Slice's participation on the show has caused enormous interested and is expected to be the highest rated show in the series' 10 seasons.