The main event of Bellator 149 featured the trilogy match between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, more than twenty years after they last fought.
Ken Shamrock first fought Royce Gracie at UFC 1, losing by rear naked choke in just under one minute of the first round. They would fight to a draw in the rematch two years later at UFC 5 in a match that lasted thirty six minutes and six seconds.
Now both much older, the two fought hopefully for the last time to settle the rivalry.
A triumphant return to the cage for @realroyce! #Bellator149https://t.co/N0FJbjyMc1
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 20, 2016
Official Result: Royce Gracie defeated Ken Shamrock by TKO (Punches, Round 1, 2:22)
Ken Shamrock waited two decades to get another fight with Royce Gracie.
Friday night, Gracie welcomed him back to the Octagon with a move straight out of the era when mixed martial arts was called no holds barred fighting.
Gracie landed a knee to the groin early in their Bellator 149 main event at Houston’s Toyota Center. When the low blow wasn’t called by the referee, Gracie followed up with a big knee to the head, followed by a series of punches to the downed Shamrock.
The bout was waved off at the 2:22 mark of the opening round, giving the 49-year-old Gracie, the tournament winner at UFC 1, 2, and 4, a victory in his first fight since 2007.
About Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is one of nine children, seven of whom are boys. His training in Jiu-Jitsu began at a very early age as a game with his father Helio. He never pushed any of the children to take formal classes until they wanted to do so. However, they often went to the Academy in Rio after school and on weekends.
Royce began competing in tournaments at age eight. He received his blue belt at age 16 and was promoted to black belt in less than two years. Royce moved to the United States at age 18 to live with his brother, Rorion. They began teaching private classes out of their garage, sometimes for more than ten hours a day. Together they opened the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy 30 years ago in Torrance, California. Although Royce no longer teaches there because of his rigorous travel schedule, it remains one of the largest martial arts schools in the country.
Royce’s reputable career as a fighter began in 1993 after defeating three opponents in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in Denver, Colorado. His brother Rorion came up with this innovative challenge as a way to show Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the world. Discipline after discipline was defeated by the slight 6’1, 180 pound Royce Gracie. The viewers were in awe.
site: roycegracie.com
About Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock is known as the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” and a godfather of mixed martial arts (MMA). Shamrock is a worldwide recognized MMA fighter and is an inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. Along with fighting in the UFC, Shamrock also wrestled in the WWF and was the first ever Pancrase Heavyweight World Champion in Japan. In addition to fighting, he is the founder of the Lion’s Den, a renowned fighting school where some of the world’s best fighters have trained.
Outside of fighting, Shamrock is a businessman who is involved in various ventures and looking for the next opportunity. Shamrock is an international speaker for venues spanning from TED Talks to ministry functions. Shamrock is also the founding father of Lion’s Den Ministries, a non-for profit that serves as a mouthpiece to troubled youth and young adults. Furthermore, Shamrock has written two books, Inside the Lion’s Den and Beyond the Lion’s Den, and has appeared in several films.
source: kenshamrock.com
