Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie.
If this was 1996, the rematch between these two mixed-martial-arts legends would have been amazing.
Unfortunately it never came to fruition. Until now.
Wait, what?
Two decades later, Bellator MMA is making this what-if match a reality. Gracie, 49, and Shamrock, 52, will headline Bellator 149 on Friday in Houston.
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No, it won’t be as good as it could have been had it taken place after their epic 35-minute draw at UFC 5 — in 1995. But will it be compelling television? Absolutely.
Yeah, they’re past their prime, but like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, I would totally watch them go at it one more time.
While the sport’s biggest talents are in the UFC, Bellator has carved its own niche of putting together intriguing fights ever since Scott Coker took over as president of the company.
“It all stems from me being a fan, and that’s what I am,” . “This really comes down to what fights do I want to see?”
Last June, Kimbo Slice — who rose to fame on YouTube early in the 2000s for his unsanctioned street fights — took on Shamrock. It was never a fight I ever dreamed about, but one I made sure to watch.
It’s MMA porn. It’s a guilty pleasure that begs to be watched simply out of curiosity.
It’s why I’ll watch Slice vs. Dada 5000 — also on the Bellator 149 card — in a sanctioned match between two men who rose up in the world of street fighting. It’s why I’ll watch Fedor Emelianenko, who at his peak was arguably the best MMA heavyweight ever, if he ends up signing with Bellator. Heck, it’s why I’ll watch former pro wrestler CM Punk when — and now looking more like if — he makes his debut in the UFC.
While the marquis matchup for this quarter is UFC bantamweight champ Conor McGregor taking on lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos next month, Shamrock-Gracie III is the bout that’s stuck in my mind.
“People are like, ‘Oh, he’s old. He can’t shoot anymore, he can’t dunk, he can’t pass the ball, he can’t run — well, go do what he does. Simple,” . “Come do what I do, come fight my fights.”
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The is out.
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Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or @joenguyen
