UFC Hall of Famer and current Bellator MMA brand ambassador Royce Gracie (48 yrs old) will face Ken Shamrock (51 yrs old) in a trilogy fight on Bellator in February 19, 2016 in Hosuton, Texas.
Also announced for the card was a heavyweight fight between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (5-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and his former friend and bodyguard Dhafir Harris (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) – “Dada 5000.”
The event will be Bellator 149 and takes place Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card will air on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie. Tickets for the event go on sale Nov. 14.
Shamrock told Sherdog.com that he thinks that his size and skill level will be too much for Royce and that Royce is living in the past:
“A good big guy is gonna beat a good little guy every time, all skills being the same. That’s why as the sport has evolved. We’ve seen weight classes because we’ve realized….that David and Goliath is just not possible anymore. Everybody is skilled. I think that’s the biggest difference that Royce is gonna see, is that the skill level and the strength is gonna play a factor.
When I first fought Royce Gracie I only had two and a half years of experience of being a professional fighter. Royce had 20-something years already under his belt, already had so many fights under his belt. He already had the family, the experience and the knowledge of 100 years in his family. This time around though he’s fighting an educated and a seasoned veteran, not somebody who decided full of piss and vinegar to just go out there using his strength and will to win himself the fight. But now you’ve got a guy who’s got the experience and the savvy of a veteran who also has the fire and desire, but he’s also bigger and stronger.
You better wake up and realize it’s not yesterday; it’s today. Things have changed. We have knowledge. We understand the game. It’s not the same thing it was when he could go in anywhere and go in and do something because your skills are that much better. It’s not that way anymore. He better wake up.”
Shamrock wants Gracie to fight wearing a Gi:
I think it’d be a shame if he didn’t. You want to see a fight that’s balanced and that shows the skill level and skill set of Royce Gracie at his best, then he has to wear the gi.
UFC1: Royce Gracie chokes Ken Shamrock
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