MMA pioneers Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie to finish trilogy at Bellator 149
It's a rematch 20 years in the making, and ... well ... it's also a rematch no one was asking for.
MMA pioneers Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock are set to finish their trilogy on Feb. 19, 2016 when Bellator hits the Toyota Center in Houston. The promotion made the announcement during Bellator 145 on Friday night.
The two men squared off in the semifinals of UFC 1 way back in 1993, with Gracie submitting the former King of Pancrase via rear-naked choke.
The rematch would happen nearly two years later in a superfight at UFC 5, as Shamrock and Gracie battled to a 36-minute draw. It was the last UFC bout Gracie participated in until UFC 60, when he was absolutely demolished by Matt Hughes.
Shamrock last stepped into the cage at Bellator 138 in June, losing to Kimbo Slice via TKO after dominating the former boatyard brawler on the ground for nearly two minutes.
Gracie, on the other hand, hasn't competed since 2007, when he triumphed over fellow legend Kazushi Sakuraba via unanimous decision at a K-1 HERO's event.