UFC Hall of Famer and current Bellator MMA brand ambassador Royce Gracie will face Ken Shamrock 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.
Gracie spoke with MMAjunkie before Shamrock’s fight vs Kimbo. When he was asked if he would accept a fight with Shamrock, Gracie said:
“Of course,” said Gracie. “Body feels good, not injured, healthy, same weight from 20 years ago, so, yah.”
Gracie has not fought since 2007.
Shamrock says that he wants Royce to wear a gi. That would be illegal under current MMA rules.
At UFC 1, Gracie submitted Shamrock via choke from the back in just 57 seconds in 1993. They fought again in 1995 at UFC 5, and it ended up as a draw after 36 mins.
UFC 1
Aftermath of UFC 5
Shamrock told MMAFighting about his unfinished business with Gracie:
“He still believes that fight was a draw and it is, on the record. And so it would just really be nice to be able to go back there.”
“I will make sure that he got to wear the gi. If you beat him without the gi, you didn’t beat Royce Gracie. That’s how he won all the titles.
“When you take the gi off of him, you’re not fighting that guy that did all that. You’re fighting half the guy that did all that. If they offered me the fight without the gi, I’d say no. Because if I beat him, I didn’t beat him. So it would definitely be with the gi on.”
Since returning to MMA in 2000 after a three and a half year hiatus in the WWF from 1996-1999, Shamrock, who will turn 52 about a week before the fight, has a 4-11 record. He made his Bellator debut in June against Slice at Bellator 138 and lost by first-round TKO.
