Earlier tonight in Houston, Texas, Bellator MMA held the public weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s card, Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie. This is Bellator’s first “tentpole” show of the year, the theoretical super cards that Bellator presents as being a bigger deal than their regular monthly events. This card has come under fairly heavy criticism for not just the main events, but also that Bellator didn’t craft as compelling an undercard to get the “freak show” fights to divert eyeballs to as they could have. Still, it won’t be any less than interesting. Here’s how everyone weighed in:
Main Card: (Live on SPIKE – 9 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT)
Bellator Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (201.2) vs. Royce Gracie (190.8) [It’s not clear why this had to be booked as an openweight fight since they both ended up weighing in within the boundaries of the light heavyweight division.]
Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (232) vs. “Dada 5000” (265)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (156) vs. Derek Campos (155)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (205) vs. Linton Vassell (205.4)
Bellator Catchweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (149.2) vs. Daniel Pineda (148.2)
Preliminary Card: (Spike.com – 6 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT)
Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Justin Wren (247) vs. Juan Torres (259.8)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Davis Sylvester (144.2) vs. Jeremy Mahon (144.4)
Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Ruben Esparsa (184.2) vs. C.J. Hancock (185.6)
Bellator Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Yanez (134.6) vs. Ryan Hollis (134.8)
Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Isaac Villanueva (185.8) vs. Richard Knepp (184.8)
Bellator Catchweight Feature Fight: Mike Trinh (128.8) vs. Angel Zamora (129.4)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Jason Langellier (158.4) vs. Anthony Ivy (154)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Manny Lozoya (142) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (141.8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zakMRPUR5TM
Earlier tonight in Houston, Texas, Bellator MMA held the public weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s card, Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie. This is Bellator’s first “tentpole” show of the year, the theoretical super cards that Bellator presents as being a bigger deal than their regular monthly events. This card has come under fairly heavy criticism for not just the main events, but also that Bellator didn’t craft as compelling an undercard to get the “freak show” fights to divert eyeballs to as they could have. Still, it won’t be any less than interesting. Here’s how everyone weighed in:
Main Card: (Live on SPIKE – 9 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT)
Bellator Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (201.2) vs. Royce Gracie (190.8) [It’s not clear why this had to be booked as an openweight fight since they both ended up weighing in within the boundaries of the light heavyweight division.]
Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (232) vs. “Dada 5000” (265)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (156) vs. Derek Campos (155)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (205) vs. Linton Vassell (205.4)
Bellator Catchweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (149.2) vs. Daniel Pineda (148.2)
Preliminary Card: (Spike.com – 6 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT)
Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Justin Wren (247) vs. Juan Torres (259.8)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Davis Sylvester (144.2) vs. Jeremy Mahon (144.4)
Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Ruben Esparsa (184.2) vs. C.J. Hancock (185.6)
Bellator Bantamweight Feature Fight: Adrian Yanez (134.6) vs. Ryan Hollis (134.8)
Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Isaac Villanueva (185.8) vs. Richard Knepp (184.8)
Bellator Catchweight Feature Fight: Mike Trinh (128.8) vs. Angel Zamora (129.4)
Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Jason Langellier (158.4) vs. Anthony Ivy (154)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Manny Lozoya (142) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (141.8)
Bellator MMA officials held the weigh-ins for Bellator 149 on Thursday and you can watch them here: Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie will take place on February 19, 2016 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event will air live in prime time on Spike TV while the prelims will air live on Spike.com.
Bellator MMA officials held the weigh-ins for Bellator 149 on Thursday and you can watch them here:
Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie will take place on February 19, 2016 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event will air live in prime time on Spike TV while the prelims will air live on Spike.com.
Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie will headline the event while Kimbo Slice vs. “Dada 5000” will serve as the co-main event. The main card features five bouts. This is the first pole event for the promotion in 2016.
Here are the weigh-in results:
Main Card
Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)
Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (5-2) vs. “Dada 5000” (2-0)
Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (25-5) vs. Linton Vassell (15-5)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Derek Campos (15-6)
Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Wren (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (5-4)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)
When you take two men who fully believe in themselves and place them at a table together, interesting things tend to come about.
That’s what happened recently during a press conference to promote Bellator 149, as Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 stole the …
When you take two men who fully believe in themselves and place them at a table together, interesting things tend to come about.
That’s what happened recently during a press conference to promote Bellator 149, as Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 stole the show.
With Bellator president Scott Coker and main event fighters Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie between them, the two Miami “street fighters” nearly came to blows, as Slice called into question Dada’s manhood.
“Pull your pants down,” Slice said to his opponent. “I’ll show my nuts right now. Let me see your nuts. You’ve got baby nuts, Dada. I bet you my nuts are bigger than yours.
“Come on. Excuse me, Royce. I bet my nuts are bigger than yours.”
Slice actually started to disrobe before being calmed down.
The entire press conference can be seen in the video below. The card takes place Friday night live on Spike TV from the Toyota Center in Houston.
Watch the hilarious Bellator 149 ‘baby nuts’ face off with Kimbo Slice, Dada 5000, Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. It was, well, you just need to watch it….. Whether you appreciate Bellator’s jaunty approach to the mixed martial arts game or not, you have to admit it can be damn entertaining at times. The consensus #2 promotion
Watch the hilarious Bellator 149 ‘baby nuts’ face off with Kimbo Slice, Dada 5000, Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. It was, well, you just need to watch it…..
Whether you appreciate Bellator’s jaunty approach to the mixed martial arts game or not, you have to admit it can be damn entertaining at times. The consensus #2 promotion behind the UFC is always making their best attempts at signing current and former UFC stars, or just about anyone that can bring in ratings. As a result, you have a Bellator 149 main card that’s stacked with some very unexpected faces. Then there’s the return of Kimbo Slice for BMMA, as he looks to build on his knockout victory over Ken Shamrock, as he faces Dada 5000.
‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ is also on show in the main event, as Shamrock faces fellow UFC legend Royce Gracie for the third time in their storied careers. But the Bellator 149 press conference was all about the co-main event between street fighting sensations Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000.
In case you didn’t get the chance to see the press conference video, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check it out in all it’s crazy and entertaining glory right here:
Just…wow. A couple years ago we would have looked at this from a very different angle, but we now know that this is Bellator’s style. They like the pro-wrestling type reputation that’s stuck to them, and hey, they are making headlines on a regular basis. Forget the fact it’s because two grown men nearly exposed their testicles to prove they don’t have baby nuts, media attention is media attention, right?
With yet another massive night coming up tomorrow (Friday February 19, 2016) Bellator will likely overshadow the rest of the weekend’s mainstream MMA action, so be prepared for some shady fight highlights, weird confrontations, hilarious quotes and just all round awesome/circus MMA action courtesy of Scott Coker’s steam powered merry-go-round.
Bellator announced on Tuesday that Mike Bronzoulis has pulled out of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” due to injury, forcing Bellator officials to scramble to find a late replacement for Melvin Guillard.
Guillard, a veteran of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, will now be fighting Derek Campos on the undercard of the Bellator 149 event.
Headlined by Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie, Bellator 149 is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Bellator issued the following press release today regarding the Guillard-Campos fight:
MELVIN GUILLARD NOW FACES DEREK CAMPOS AT ‘BELLATOR 149: SHAMROCK VS. GRACIE’
JUSTIN ‘THE BIG PYGMY’ WREN RETURNS TO ACTION IN EVENT’S FEATURED PRELIMINARY BOUT
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 2, 2015) – An injury to Mike Bronzoulis has shifted things during the SPIKE-televised main card of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” on Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Now, the lightweight contest will pit Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) against Derek Campos (15-6).
In addition, Justin “The Big Pygmy Viking” Wren (11-2) returns to action in what will be his second appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, when he meets Juan Torres (4-4) in heavyweight fisticuffs.
The fights join a card that already features a double main event — Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) meets Royce Gracie (14-2-3) for a third time and Kimbo Slice (5-2) will fight the man who has been calling him out since their friendship ended years ago, Dhafir Harris, better known as “Dada 5000” (2-0). In featherweight action, Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) will look to continue his torrid pace when he meets Daniel Pineda (21-11) and former light heavyweight titlist Emanuel Newton (25-9) battles Linton Vassell (15-5).
Tickets for this mixed martial arts extravaganza start at just $50 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as HoustonToyotaCenter.com, the Toyota Center Box Office and Houston area Randall’s locations.
“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.
Guillard suffered a horrific broken hand during his Bellator MMA debut against Brandon Girtz earlier this year. “The Young Assassin” has made it clear that he intends on eventually fighting for the 155-pound title, and his road to the gold begins on Feb. 19 against a tough Texas native with plenty to prove. Of Guillard’s 32 wins as a professional, 23 victories have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.
Known as “The Stallion” to those familiar with his mixed martial arts career, Campos will come into his meeting with Guillard riding a two-fight skid. During his eight-fight tenure with Bellator MMA, the 27-year-old Texan has faced a plethora of top lightweight talent, going up against names the likes of: Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Brandon Girtz (2x), and Estevan Payan.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better story in all of MMA than the one that Wren can tell. The two-time National High School Wrestling Champion generated massive amounts of media attention on the road to his promotional debut at “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz,” where he defeated Josh Burns. His story begins several years earlier, in 2010, when Wren confronted an opponent tougher than any he could face in combat sports: addiction.
With an opportunity to continue fighting on the table, Wren left the sport and began his recovery process. A chance meeting with a friend led Wren on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he came across and developed a deep connection with the Mbuti Pygmies, many of whom were enslaved, living on only the scraps the slave masters would pay them with. Wren found his calling there and wanted to do everything in his power to help the Pygmies. With multiple visits to the Congo, including a stint that lasted a year, Wren started a foundation called “Fight for the Forgotten.” Through his efforts, Wren and his staff of 17 have systematically bought the land of the slave owners, and have thus far legally given 2,740 acres of rainforest to the Pygmies, effectively freeing them from slavery.
Partnering with other groups like Shalom University and joining forces with Water4.org, Wren and his charity are responsible for drilling 26 water wells to help provide both the Pygmies and the former slave masters with clean water, and have plans to drill hundreds more. In addition, the team has begun a sustainable farming project to benefit and provide food to both the Pygmies and non-Pygmies of the community.
Take a look below at the complete 19-fight “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” card and be sure to tune into SPIKE on February 19 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT for an event that has something for every fight fan.
Completed “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” Fight Card
Bellator MMA Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (5-2) vs. “Dada 5000” (2-0)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (25-5) vs. Linton Vassell (15-5)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Derek Campos (15-6)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Wren (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (5-4)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ruben Esparsa (1-0) vs. C.J. Hancock (Debut)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Adrian Yanez (3-1) vs. Daniel Santos (3-0)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Isaac Villanueva (9-7) vs. Richard Knepp (3-3)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Trinh (2-3) vs. Angel Zamora (2-2)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jason Langellier (2-0) vs. Anthony Ivy (1-0)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Manny Lozoya (Debut) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (1-5)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Amateur Bout: Leomana Martinez (2-0) vs. Casey Jones (2-0)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Chris Solis (2-0) vs. Alex Macedo (2-0)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Jonathan Davis (2-0) vs. Shawn Solis (1-0)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Amateur Bout: Hunter Scott-Gregg (1-0) vs. Ricardo Deluque (1-0)
Bellator announced on Tuesday that Mike Bronzoulis has pulled out of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” due to injury, forcing Bellator officials to scramble to find a late replacement for Melvin Guillard.
Guillard, a veteran of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, will now be fighting Derek Campos on the undercard of the Bellator 149 event.
Headlined by Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie, Bellator 149 is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 19th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Bellator issued the following press release today regarding the Guillard-Campos fight:
MELVIN GUILLARD NOW FACES DEREK CAMPOS AT ‘BELLATOR 149: SHAMROCK VS. GRACIE’
JUSTIN ‘THE BIG PYGMY’ WREN RETURNS TO ACTION IN EVENT’S FEATURED PRELIMINARY BOUT
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 2, 2015) – An injury to Mike Bronzoulis has shifted things during the SPIKE-televised main card of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” on Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Now, the lightweight contest will pit Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) against Derek Campos (15-6).
In addition, Justin “The Big Pygmy Viking” Wren (11-2) returns to action in what will be his second appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, when he meets Juan Torres (4-4) in heavyweight fisticuffs.
The fights join a card that already features a double main event — Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) meets Royce Gracie (14-2-3) for a third time and Kimbo Slice (5-2) will fight the man who has been calling him out since their friendship ended years ago, Dhafir Harris, better known as “Dada 5000” (2-0). In featherweight action, Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) will look to continue his torrid pace when he meets Daniel Pineda (21-11) and former light heavyweight titlist Emanuel Newton (25-9) battles Linton Vassell (15-5).
Tickets for this mixed martial arts extravaganza start at just $50 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as HoustonToyotaCenter.com, the Toyota Center Box Office and Houston area Randall’s locations.
“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.
Guillard suffered a horrific broken hand during his Bellator MMA debut against Brandon Girtz earlier this year. “The Young Assassin” has made it clear that he intends on eventually fighting for the 155-pound title, and his road to the gold begins on Feb. 19 against a tough Texas native with plenty to prove. Of Guillard’s 32 wins as a professional, 23 victories have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.
Known as “The Stallion” to those familiar with his mixed martial arts career, Campos will come into his meeting with Guillard riding a two-fight skid. During his eight-fight tenure with Bellator MMA, the 27-year-old Texan has faced a plethora of top lightweight talent, going up against names the likes of: Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Brandon Girtz (2x), and Estevan Payan.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better story in all of MMA than the one that Wren can tell. The two-time National High School Wrestling Champion generated massive amounts of media attention on the road to his promotional debut at “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz,” where he defeated Josh Burns. His story begins several years earlier, in 2010, when Wren confronted an opponent tougher than any he could face in combat sports: addiction.
With an opportunity to continue fighting on the table, Wren left the sport and began his recovery process. A chance meeting with a friend led Wren on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he came across and developed a deep connection with the Mbuti Pygmies, many of whom were enslaved, living on only the scraps the slave masters would pay them with. Wren found his calling there and wanted to do everything in his power to help the Pygmies. With multiple visits to the Congo, including a stint that lasted a year, Wren started a foundation called “Fight for the Forgotten.” Through his efforts, Wren and his staff of 17 have systematically bought the land of the slave owners, and have thus far legally given 2,740 acres of rainforest to the Pygmies, effectively freeing them from slavery.
Partnering with other groups like Shalom University and joining forces with Water4.org, Wren and his charity are responsible for drilling 26 water wells to help provide both the Pygmies and the former slave masters with clean water, and have plans to drill hundreds more. In addition, the team has begun a sustainable farming project to benefit and provide food to both the Pygmies and non-Pygmies of the community.
Take a look below at the complete 19-fight “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” card and be sure to tune into SPIKE on February 19 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT for an event that has something for every fight fan.
Completed “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” Fight Card
Bellator MMA Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (5-2) vs. “Dada 5000” (2-0)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (25-5) vs. Linton Vassell (15-5)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Derek Campos (15-6)
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Justin Wren (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (5-4)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ruben Esparsa (1-0) vs. C.J. Hancock (Debut)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Adrian Yanez (3-1) vs. Daniel Santos (3-0)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Isaac Villanueva (9-7) vs. Richard Knepp (3-3)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Trinh (2-3) vs. Angel Zamora (2-2)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jason Langellier (2-0) vs. Anthony Ivy (1-0)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Manny Lozoya (Debut) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (1-5)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Amateur Bout: Leomana Martinez (2-0) vs. Casey Jones (2-0)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Chris Solis (2-0) vs. Alex Macedo (2-0)
Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Jonathan Davis (2-0) vs. Shawn Solis (1-0)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Amateur Bout: Hunter Scott-Gregg (1-0) vs. Ricardo Deluque (1-0)
As loyal readers of CagePotato through thick and thin, you know what kind of respect we have for UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn. We’ve sung his praises from the highest mountain tops. We’ve named our future children after them (at least, BG has). Hell, we’ve even been luckily enough to be graced with his presence in the form of a brief but glorious mailbag column back in the day. Simply put, “The Beast” is the ultimate man’s man, a legend, and the kind of guy that could turn Ron Swanson into a prepubescent-voiced, salad-eating socialist if he so desired.
But like many fighters before him, Severn hasn’t exactly settled into retirement easily since collecting his 101st win back in 2013, especially when it comes to his former rivals Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Back in 2011, Severn tried to draw the Brazilian out of retirement for a match a UFC Rio that, for better or worse, never came to fruition. So from the moment it was announced that Gracie and Shamrock would be doing the damn thing one more time at Bellator 149, you just knew that Severn would have something to say about it.
As loyal readers of CagePotato through thick and thin, you know what kind of respect we have for UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn. We’ve sung his praises from the highest mountain tops. We’ve named our future children after them (at least, BG has). Hell, we’ve even been luckily enough to be graced with his presence in the form of a brief but glorious mailbag column back in the day. Simply put, “The Beast” is the ultimate man’s man, a legend, and the kind of guy that could turn Ron Swanson into a prepubescent-voiced, salad-eating socialist if he so desired.
But like many fighters before him, Severn hasn’t exactly settled into retirement easily since collecting his 101st win back in 2013, especially when it comes to his former rivals Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Back in 2011, Severn tried to draw the Brazilian out of retirement for a match a UFC Rio that, for better or worse, never came to fruition. So from the moment it was announced that Gracie and Shamrock would be doing the damn thing one more time at Bellator 149, you just knew that Severn would have something to say about it.
Now 57 years old, Severn is still ready to strap on the wrestling boots and manties at the drop of a hat, it would seem. Speaking with MMAJunkie, Severn not only preemptively put the Shamrock-Gracie winner on blast, but called for a “Masters Division” to give the Mark Colemans and Randy Coutures of the sport a place to keep throwing down.
“Well, they were on my to-do list in the first place,” said Severn. “So sure, I’d do it.”
“I think there is an appetite for, I don’t know, call it a masters division, like they have in other sports. And as long as it’s done right and those masters compete against other masters, I think it’s something people want to see. You just can’t put the 50-year-old guy against a 25- or 30-year-old guy, because the reality is that no matter how good your skills are, they are diminishing.”
In all honesty…this isn’t the worst idea we’ve ever-HEAR US OUT.
Look, guys like Severn, Gracie, Shamrock, and so on; they live to compete no matter how bad it affects their health. Us high-minded, all-seeing Internet writers can’t try and act like we understand the mindset of these guys all we want, but the truth is that we have no clue and never will until we step into the cage ourselves. The desire to test oneself at the ultimate level of any sport isn’t something that can simply be shut off, not by the worries of their training partners, life coaches, doctors, or even their damn families. So if soulless promotions like Rizin are content to sit idly by and continue giving guys like Kazushi Sakuraba fights until they literally beaten to death in the ring — which, they are — then shouldn’t we at least try to level the scales by having these old dudes compete against each other? We’re not being cruel, we’re simply softening the blow!
I dunno, I’m just saying that if these grizzled SOB’s still have some fight left in them, we let them fight. Not to mention, we’re sure that Royce could use the extra cash.
