In the eyes of many, Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock were at their best in the 90s.
That is more or less 25 years ago which technically places these two icons in the company of legends who should either be taking it easy, coaching, or maybe sitting back and doing analysis that retired competitors have been known to do.
Somehow that is not yet in the vocabulary of the two fighters.
Gracie is 49 while Shamrock is 51, both way beyond their prime if age is to be seriously considered. But one cannot take away from either the competitive spirit that resides in individuals, with age a non-factor.
The two will be facing off yet again as the main event for Bellator 149 which will be held in Houston on Feb. 19, 2016. Even though they are in the main event, no one is really expecting anything special from the two. Nonetheless, there is the drama that exists between the two rivals.
Gracie and Shamrock still hold a beef against the other and, apparently, such has become the storyline for this match. As reported by Yahoo Sports, it turns out that Shamrock still holds a grudge against Gracie and his folks for their manipulations behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) scenes back in the days.
And that is one of many stories to tell surrounding Gracie and Shamrock, including the bragging rights on who is the superior fighter between them.
Gracie last competed in 2007, hacking out a decision win over Kazushi Sakuraba, while Shamrock is looking to rebound after losing to Kimbo Slice at Bellator 138 back in June.
Both have met only twice during their prime. Gracie won the first one at UFC 1 via submission, while their second meeting at UFC 5 in 1995 ended in a draw.
Will those records matter when the two face off in February 2016? If so, it seems that Shamrock may be more fired up than Gracie, seeing he hasn't technically won over his Brazilian rival.
