Shamrock: I’m better than I was 15 years ago
Ken Shamrock, now fifty-one years old, hasn’t competed professionally in five years, but according to him, he is more than prepared to fight again.
The recent announcement that Ken Shamrock would be returning to MMA to fight Kimbo Slice for Bellator MMA, was met with skepticism by the media and fans. Shamrock, now fifty-one years old, hasn’t competed professionally in five years, but according to him, he is more than prepared to fight again:
Shamrock doesn’t hold any delusions of grandeur here. He seems to understand what this is all about, saying Slice gets ratings and that’s why the fight is happening.
“He aged just like I did,” Shamrock said. “We both are out of our prime. I’m doing this because I love it. I want to get in there and fight. I feel great. I believe that I could put on a great show and I believe that I’m better than I was 15 years ago.”
Around that time, Shamrock was in the UFC fighting for the light heavyweight title. Since 2002, he only has three victories in 12 fights. The MMA pioneer already knows what the pundits will say — he’s just asking for a chance to change their minds.
“They’ve gotta be the same people,” Shamrock said, “that step up and say, ‘We were completely wrong about this guy. He was in shape. He whipped his ass. Man, we’ve gotta give him his props.’ As long as they’re OK doing that, if they want to open their mouths before the fight and they want to say those types of things, I’ve got no problem with that.”