Ken Shamrock has had a seen it all, done it all sort of career. He has been a UFC champion, and appeared in the first ever UFC event. He has been a Pancrase champion, wrestled in Japan, and went on to become an intercontinental champion in the WWE. As a pro wrestler, he was probably underrated. As a mixed martial artist, he was a pioneer - but time waits for no man. Friday night at Bellator 149, Shamrock met longtime rival Royce Gracie, the man who beat him way back at UFC 1, for the third time in their respective careers. The fifty-two year old Shamrock hadn't won since 2010, and had recently lost to Kimbo Slice in Bellator. Gracie, however, hadn't fought in over nine years, and at forty-nine years old himself and a decade removed from the action, it looked like Shamrock might finally get his revenge (their second fight ended in a draw). It wasn't to be. Just around two minutes into the first round, Gracie connected with a series of knees, then pounced on a fallen Shamrock and pummeled him with hammerfists until the ref stopped the fight. That was the end, right? Not really. An enraged Shamrock began berating Gracie and motioning that a low blow had taken place that the ref had missed. Screaming "he did it on purpose," Shamrock took some time to regain his composure. A later replay would show he was correct - Gracie did indeed knee him in the groin prior to a second knee to the head. The fight should have been paused to allow Shamrock to recover from the low blow, but the ref wasn't in a position to see it. Gracie, for his part, was dismissive of the low knee, saying "I'm a fighter" and stating that he came from an era were such things were legal. Shamrock, clearly disappointed, apologized for accusing Gracie of an intentional foul, but Gracie didn't initially deny the charges, though he was more selective with his words at a post fight press conference. Where does this leave Ken Shamrock? He has a previously announced fight against fellow ex-WWE/UFC star Dan Severn in March at a frankly weird PPV event called UR Fight, which has boxer Roy Jones Jr. fighting a fan, wrestlers Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio in a pro wrestling bout, and Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen competing in a grappling contest. Beyond that, however, it seems Shamrock's career as a fighter may finally have run its course. At that point, Shamrock, who seemed open to future pro wrestling endeavors, might be looking for a return to the squared circle - but just who with (as the WWE seems unlikely at this stage) is the question.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
