Shamrock, Gracie set for 3rd fight in epic MMA rivalry

Dada 5000, who also suffered a fractured orbital bone, fell to the mat at 1:32 of the third round and was stretchered out of the ring. 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.

If you watch close enough, Slice’s knockout punch did not even land. Check it out here.

Mixed martian arts legends Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie are headlining the Houston event.

However, a family statement put out after the fight had us feeling sorry for Dada 5000. Dallas Winston of Bloody Elbow wrote that “The competitors almost need to be carried to the center of the cage on a stretcher”.

I’m not sure where Bellator goes from here, but I would guess it will be hard to get the general public to take the promotion seriously after these shenanigans. Despite Pineda previously only going to judge’s decision four times in his career, Sanchez ended up with the split-decision win. 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 fighters quickly gassed (wIth Kimbo somehow blowing himself up while controlling Dada in mount) and the fight turned into an utter embarrassment.

Shells of their former selves, the two circled the cage for an extended period, before they worked from a clinch… and while they jockeyed for position, Gracie threw a knee that grazed Shamrock’s cup. A great video package can tell a story and interviews might make you invested in a fighter, but there’s nothing quite as exciting as seeing two guys who don’t like each other forced to interact.

Except for a brief dalliance in the 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation, Shamrock has never stopped fighting.

“I’m disappointed”, Ken said later.