For years, Kimbo Slice has wanted to beat up Ken Shamrock. He finally got his chance at Bellator 138 and didn’t take it for granted. He defeated the 51-year-old via first-round TKO in the main event from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
MMAjunkie tweeted out the official result:
Shamrock appeared to be headed for a submission victory in the fight’s opening moments. He immediately took Slice down and worked his way to a rear-naked choke that he simply was unable to finish the fight with.
When the two got back to the feet, it was the beginning of the end for Shamrock. Slice began throwing punches and connected with Shamrock’s chin against the fence. Soon thereafter referee John McCarthy was saving Shamrock from further damage.
The win makes a goal Slice had since 2008 come to fruition. Then 3-0 in his MMA career, Slice was set to take on Shamrock at EliteXC: Heat. Unfortunately for the former street fighter, it was the beginning of the end of his MMA run.
Shamrock was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a cut. The unheralded Seth Petruzelli stepped in on short notice and proceeded to knock Slice out in 14 seconds. EliteXC ceased operations by the end of the year, and Slice went on to an uninspiring 1-1 run in the UFC.
All the time that passed between the fight that never was and his Bellator debut factored into his desire to win the fight.
“To me it matters,” Slice told Brett Okamato of ESPN. “To my friends and family, it matters. … I don’t know how this dude can win this fight. This fight is bred for me. The time that went by—it’s my time to fight. Shamrock has a big mouth. Everybody knows it, and everybody wants to see me smash his mouth.”
While it must be personally satisfying for Slice to finally settle the score, the real winner in this bout just might be Bellator. Slice is known for his ability to draw within the MMA community. His EliteXC bout against James Thompson remains the golden standard for ratings in the world of MMA.
Bellator CEO Scott Coker understands this, and while hardcore MMA fans might scoff at a 51- and 41-year-old headlining an event, it’s all part of the Bellator plan. Coker had this to say about the way he envisions Bellator operating in the future, per Mike Wellman of Bleacher Report:
Next year I think we’ll be doing six big “tentpole” shows instead of four. I see this growing. We’re going to continue to grow our roster…You’ll see some fun fights. You’ll see some ‘hardcore’ fan fights, and some really entertaining fights.
To me, that is where Bellator is headed. November 15th we kind of put our stake in the ground. That was us saying, “This is the new Bellator.”
The November 15 event he was referring to is Bellator 131, which featured Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar in the main event.
It also featured some of the best homegrown talent on the Bellator roster. Coker’s idea is that you’ll come for the has-been’s settling an old score, but you’ll stay for the likes of Will Brooks, Michael Chandler and Patricio Freire.
With Bellator just announcing that Ortiz will headline an event that also features a four-man one night tournament, it’s clear Coker is willing to take risks to make the promotion stand out.
Slice’s win over Shamrock means his role as cash cow might not be over quite yet. The win opens up some intriguing possibilities for the heavyweight. Bobby Lashley, who also competed on the Bellator 138 card, recently stated he’d be open to a fight with Slice, according to Karim Zidan of Bloody Elbow.
Slice might not be a viable Bellator contender, but he proved he’s still capable of being a viable needle-mover in the promotion’s quest to gain popularity.
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