Tag: Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice: Bellator 138 Predictions and Pre-Fight Comments

Looking to bring eyes to its product, Bellator MMA is bringing back Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice to headline Bellator 138 on Friday.
An MMA pioneer, Shamrock has far more experience than his opponent. However, he hasn’t competed in more than four years…

Looking to bring eyes to its product, Bellator MMA is bringing back Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice to headline Bellator 138 on Friday.

An MMA pioneer, Shamrock has far more experience than his opponent. However, he hasn’t competed in more than four years and is now 51 years old. There aren’t many 40-year-olds who are having success in this sport, let alone 50-year-olds.

Now 41 years old, Slice is no spring chicken either. The UFC veteran hasn’t stepped into a cage since he was released by the world’s top MMA promotion more than five years ago. With only six professional MMA bouts, he was never able to evolve into more than a brawler.

With this peculiar bout approaching quickly, here is a look at what both men are saying heading into the Bellator 138 main event.

 

What Ken Shamrock Is Saying

At his age, Shamrock was bound to field questions about why he is still competing in MMA.

After suffering knockouts in seven of his past nine appearances, Shamrock’s health is a concern. He last picked up a win in October 2010, so MMA seems to have passed him by.

Shamrock seems to understand the criticisms surrounding his return, telling Luke Thomas at MMA Fighting in May that he can’t say his detractors are wrong given his most recent performances.

Although he is cognizant of the fact that his age could be holding him back, he doesn’t seem to have any doubt in his mind that he will beat Slice on Friday. Shamrock recognizes that he’s accomplished much more than Slice in the MMA world and doesn’t believe his opponent can beat him despite being 10 years younger.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden, Shamrock said: 

I’ve been saying forever that I needed to do this again. Inside of me, I knew I had something more. People who are given second chances often squander them. This is my second chance, and I promise you I am going to go into that ring and give everything I have. 

And it’s not just about winning. It ain’t about winning a three-round decision. It’s about finishing him in the first round. It’s not a fight I want to go to a decision. I want to finish this guy because I can.

Shamrock has never been short on confidence, and it’s hard to blame him for believing in himself heading into this matchup. Even with his advanced age, Shamrock has 39 more professional MMA bouts than Slice, which should give him an edge at Bellator 138.

 

What Kimbo Slice Is Saying

While Shamrock has been fielding questions about his decision to return, Slice has been the more aggressive verbal promoter in this matchup.

In 2008, Slice and Shamrock were supposed to meet under the Elite XC banner. However, a Shamrock cut caused the bout to be cancelled.

Slice has not been shy about using that withdrawal as trash-talk ammo, as he did during the Bellator 138 conference call:

I just hope they f—-n pad his hands up, so he don’t cut himself, and they keep all sharp objects away from him this time. Like what is he gonna do next time, gonna shoot himself in the foot? I don’t know what Ken’s gonna do man, I just hope he fights and takes this fight. Dude, you do s–t like that when you’re scared, when you’re afraid, as close as it comes to committing suicide. 

I hope he don’t p—y out, cause if he doesn’t bring it, I’m taking it to the dressing room and we just gonna do an old-fashioned bare knuckle (fight) right there, right then and there in St. Louis. F–k it.

To be honest, it is absurd to suggest Shamrock pulled out of that contest intentionally. However, Slice is doing what he does better than most in the MMA world: getting his promotion game on.

 

Prediction

Given that he has been out of MMA action even longer than Shamrock, I was shocked to see Slice open up as such a heavy favorite in this matchup.

According to Odds Shark, Slice started out as a significant favorite (-390), while oddsmakers didn’t give Shamrock (+270) a good chance to win. For good reason, the odds have narrowed, but Slice (-250) remains the favorite over Shamrock (+195), and I’m still not sure why.

Yes, Slice is much younger and a more dangerous striker than Shamrock. However, those things don’t give him a significant edge in this matchup.

Shamrock is still a much better grappler and recognizes he’ll need to get this bout to the ground. More importantly, this fight means a lot more to Shamrock than it does to Slice, considering MMA has been a much bigger part of the former’s life and legacy.

For that reason, I’m betting on Shamrock to avoid Slice’s hands and win this on the canvas with one more signature leglock.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator 138: Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock Fight Card, TV Info and Predictions

Bellator 138 will feature a main event seven years in the making in Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice. 
In 2008, the heavyweight bout was supposed to take place in front of a national TV audience on CBS. The now-defunct EliteXC promotion planned to hav…

Bellator 138 will feature a main event seven years in the making in Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice. 

In 2008, the heavyweight bout was supposed to take place in front of a national TV audience on CBS. The now-defunct EliteXC promotion planned to have the Internet sensation and former UFC superfight champion headline a card that featured Jake Shields, Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson. 

Instead, Shamrock infamously suffered a cut, and Seth Petruzelli stepped up to fight Slice on the shortest possible notice. It didn’t end well for Slice. The Silverback scored the win of his career with a TKO victory in just 14 seconds. 

EliteXC shut down operations a little over a month later. 

Slice moved on to the UFC, where an unsuccessful run on The Ultimate Fighter led to a 1-1 run in the organization. He was cut in 2010 and moved on to professional boxing. Shamrock went on to fight in smaller promotions until 2010. 

Both will return to the cage to headline the event. But Bellator CEO Scott Coker isn’t just putting on a one-fight card. The event will also feature a featherweight title fight as Patricio “Pitbull” Freire looks to defend his belt against Daniel Weichel. 

Here’s a look at the complete fight card and predictions for the biggest bouts. 

 

Bobby Lashley vs. Dan Charles

Bellator 138 was supposed to be Bobby Lashley’s shot at redemption. The former WWE star was set to avenge one of the two blemishes on his 12-2 professional MMA record against James Thompson. Unfortunately, Thompson was forced out of the bout just a little over a week before the bout, per MMAjunkie.

In his stead will be a relatively unknown commodity in Dan Charles. Don’t mistake unknown for non-threatening, though. If Petruzelli-Slice taught us anything, it’s that the fighter who is “supposed” to win doesn’t always win. 

Charles comes in at 2-0 in Bellator, with both wins coming in 2014. Seven of his nine wins have come by way of either (T)KO or submission. 

Lashley still should be the favorite here. Lost in the out-of-the-cage fame that comes with his pro wrestling career is the fact that the 6’3″ 241-pound behemoth was a former four-time NAIA All-American wrestler. That ability should negate the chances of a stunning upset from Charles. 

Lashley has won four of his last five fights by submission. That’s a trend that should continue here. 

Lashley by second-round submission. 

 

Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Weichel

Truth be told, Patricio Freire is the most talented fighter on the Bellator 138 card. At least, up to this point. Daniel Weichel’s road to this championship opportunity makes him one of the hottest fighters in the organization. 

Like Charles, Weichel is actually taking this fight on short notice. Georgi Karakhanyan was originally slated to challenge for the belt, but an ACL injury took him out of the event, according to Brian Martin of the Los Angeles Daily News. 

Unlike Charles, Weichel might be a more viable threat than the man he replaced. The 30-year-old German is enjoying a seven-fight win streak and is unbeaten in his four Bellator bouts. With 21 submissions to his name, this fight could get interesting if it hits the ground. 

Freire isn’t going to let that limit his approach to the fight, though. “He’s got a good submission game, but I haven’t seen him submit any really good guys on the ground,” Freire said via Mike Sloan of Sherdog. “I respect his ground game, but I accept the challenge to fight him on the ground. I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu since I was a kid and I have no problem going on the ground with him. I’m pretty sure I’m able to submit him.”

That makes for some good pre-fight fodder, but it’s not likely that’s the way this one plays out. Freire is a dynamic striker with knockout power. Expect him to use that to make sure Weichel struggles to get close enough to get this to the mat. 

Freire by third-round TKO.

 

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice

Short of a brawl breaking out in a nursing home, this is about as old a matchup as you’ll see. Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics put some context to the age and layoff for each of the combatants heading into this fight:

Neither have competed in MMA since 2010, but Slice continued boxing professionally until 2013. He showcased the power that made him an Internet star with a 7-0 (6 KO) run from 2011-2013. However, watching his last bout against Shane Tilyard, concerns about his striking defense still exist. 

He ultimately won by knockout in the second round thanks to a hook to the body—but not before getting hit cleanly multiple times in the first and second rounds. 

Now, he’ll take on a fighter in Shamrock who might be 51 years old but appears to still be in a bit better shape than Tilyard. Shamrock posted this picture via Twitter:

Oddsmakers must see Slice’s more recent activity as a plus. According to Odds Shark, the 41-year-old Slice opened up as a 10-39 (-390) favorite, but he has since moved to 5-13 (-260). For those unfamiliar with the way lines work, movement toward the underdog usually means the action favored the underdog. 

That movement might be thanks to those who are looking at this from a purely stylistic standpoint. For all the power Kimbo might have in the stand-up department, his ground game has been troublesome, to say the least. 

As one of the originators of ground-and-pound in MMA, it’s an area he believes he can expose:

When fighters haven’t fought for a combined decade, it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen. When they’re almost a combined 100 years old, it’s that much more difficult. 

Every result is on the table. From Slice pulling his own version of Petruzelli’s 14-second knockout to history repeating itself all over again. Still, it’s wise to take the more complete MMA fighter in a matchup like this one. 

Shamrock by first-round submission.

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Kimbo Slice Promises Ken Shamrock a Bareknuckle Fight Backstage If He Withdraws

It has been seven years since Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fell apart, but the Bahamian brawler is still sore about the circumstances surrounding their scuttled bout. Speaking with the media during a conference call to promote Bellator 138, Slice had s…

It has been seven years since Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock fell apart, but the Bahamian brawler is still sore about the circumstances surrounding their scuttled bout. Speaking with the media during a conference call to promote Bellator 138, Slice had some choice words for The World’s Most Dangerous Man.

“I hope they pad his hands up so he doesn’t cut himself. Keep sharp objects away from him this time…I mean, what’s he going to do this time? Shoot himself in the foot?,” he asked. (You can listen to the full call, courtesy of Sherdog.com and, warning, there is a tad bit of NSFW language). “I don’t know what Ken’s going to do this time, I just hope he fights…I mean, who cuts themselves? People do [expletive] like that when they’re scared.”

The implication, of course, is that Shamrock faked an injury to get out of their 2008 bout, which was scheduled to take place at EliteXC: Heat. Shamrock controversially withdrew from the fight just hours before the card went on-air after sustaining a cut over his left eye during warmups. Shamrock would be replaced by UFC veteran Seth Petruzelli, who would knock Slice out in just 14 seconds, sending the promotion into a tailspin that eventually ended in bankruptcy. 

Slice would eventually go on to join the UFC after a competitively unsuccessful, but insanely lucrative, run on The Ultimate Fighter. He would appear at the TUF 10 finale, defeating Houston Alexander by unanimous decision, but would be released from the promotion after posting a lackluster performance opposite Matt Mitrione.

Shamrock would never compete in EliteXC, and took his show on the road after its closure, picking up one-off fights in various promotions until seemingly retiring in 2010.

The infamous backyard pugilist made it clear that he wants to settle the score with the former UFC heavyweight champ, and plain and simple won’t be denied the opportunity. “I hope he doesn’t [expletive] out,” he said, “because if he does, I’m going to his dressing room and we’re going to do old fashioned bareknuckle right then and there.”

Bellator 138 is scheduled to go down Friday, June 19. The card also features a featherweight title bout between Patricio Freire and Dan Weichel, as well as a compelling heavyweight rematch between Bobby Lashley and James Thompson. Keep an eye on Bleacher Report over the coming days for more updates on the card.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Kimbo Slice: I’m Going to Knock Shamrock’s Ass out

When the UFC released Kimbo Slice in 2010, he knew his days in mixed martial arts probably weren’t over.
What mattered was the opportunity. The man once known as The King of the Web Brawlers, who became an instant hit and launched mixed mart…

When the UFC released Kimbo Slice in 2010, he knew his days in mixed martial arts probably weren’t over.

What mattered was the opportunity. The man once known as The King of the Web Brawlers, who became an instant hit and launched mixed martial arts onto the prime-time airwaves for the first time, had been given just such an opportunity by the UFC a year earlier. UFC President Dana White had famously said that if Slice wanted to fight in the UFC, he’d have to work his way into the promotion by competing on The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

This was back when the UFC had the world at its fingertips, before it started signing pro wrestlers with zero fighting experience simply because of the name value they bring.

But Slice didn’t mind; he agreed to join The Ultimate Fighter and try to work his way into the UFC. Things didn’t go all that well for him on the show; he lost to Roy Nelson in just about the worst style matchup he could have faced in the entire house.

Still, Slice graduated from the TUF house and fought twice in the UFC, beating Houston Alexander in a bout that was only memorable for Alexander’s fleet feet before losing to Matt Mitrione. After his release, no opportunities presented themselves to Slice, and so he decided to take up boxing. He fought seven times from 2011 to 2013, scoring six knockouts.

But then Bellator President Scott Coker approached Slice earlier this year with an offer: How would he like to come back to mixed martial arts and face Ken Shamrock?

“That was definitely a no-brainer,” Slice told Bleacher Report on Tuesday. “S–t, I was on board from that right there.”

The mention of Shamrock’s name still brings out a fire in Slice’s voice, because they have a history together that has never been fully resolved. And that’s why the promotional name of Bellator’s June 19 show headlined by Slice and Shamrock is subtitled Unfinished Business. For Slice, there is most certainly unfinished business.

“We have history. We went through something in the past,” Slice said. “That was the start of me losing my first fight in EliteXC. And to have the opportunity to make up for that? I feel like he was the reason for all of that happening. Now I get to pay his ass back.”

The “all of that” Slice is referring to is this, in case you haven’t heard: On October 4, 2008, Slice and Shamrock were scheduled to headline an event for EliteXC in Florida. Hours before the fight, Shamrock allegedly suffered a cut while warming up for the bout. At the time, rumors circulated that Shamrock had attempted to hold up the promotion for more money and, when not granted his wish, had one of his cornermen or manager cut him intentionally.

With Shamrock out of the fight, the promoters scrambled for a replacement. What they found was Seth Petruzelli, an unheralded fighter who was more than willing to take on the late challenge. Keen observers knew that Petruzelli was better than Slice at mixed martial arts and would likely win the fight.

But Petruzelli still shocked most of the world a few hours later when he knocked out Slice just 14 seconds into the first round. It was also the beginning of the end for EliteXC, which put all of its eggs in the Slice basket and went out of business just a few weeks later.

It is clear Slice still holds a grudge from that night so long ago and that he relishes the opportunity to pay Shamrock back in the most violent way possible. But he also notes that Shamrock’s inability to fight that night, regardless of how it happened, might have been the best thing for The World’s Most Dangerous Man.

“Shamrock would have just been another one of my victims,” Slice said. “I really would have beat his ass like I’m gonna do now.”

Slice said that he has improved dramatically in mixed martial arts as a whole. Though he did not participate in MMA training during his short-lived boxing career—because, in his own words, he “would have been tempted to kick someone or take them down when we were supposed to be boxing”—he continues to train daily at American Top Team in Florida and said that Shamrock may have missed his opportunity for a win.

“I was still a young wolf back then. I didn’t have much of a mixed martial arts fight game,” he said. “So if he had an opportunity to whip me, it would have been back then. Definitely not now. I have evolved over the years. I have developed a ground game. I’m just ready to go.”

Slice said that the animosity between he and Shamrock is not manufactured. Even after seven years, he’s still got a score to settle. At a recent press conference, Slice and Shamrock exchanged words, and afterward, Shamrock accused Slice of being disrespectful, though he would not share exactly what Slice said that angered him.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, man. He just needs fuel for his fire,” Slice said. “I’m dying for him to try and do whatever stupid s–t he’s going to do, so I can knock his ass out. I’m going to put his s–t out and sit his ass down. That’s what I’m going to do.”

 

Jeremy Botter covers mixed martial arts for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Interview: Ken Shamrock Talks Kimbo Slice, Bare Knuckle Boxing, Personal Protection, and His Ministry — Part 1

By Zach Heim, with Chad Blessinger 

Ken Shamrock is a busy man these days. 2015 finds the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” involved in a Bellator main event against Kimbo Slice, a professional bare knuckle fight, a ministry for God, stock trading, and at least four other business and professional ventures. He is busier than ever building a future for himself off of 30 years of hard work, and lucky for us, we managed to get a few minutes with Shamrock to discuss a variety of topics.

CagePotato: You were supposed to fight Kimbo Slice a long time back until a last-minute cut over your eye forced you to bow out. Tell us about that experience.

The post Interview: Ken Shamrock Talks Kimbo Slice, Bare Knuckle Boxing, Personal Protection, and His Ministry — Part 1 appeared first on Cagepotato.

By Zach Heim, with Chad Blessinger 

Ken Shamrock is a busy man these days. 2015 finds the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” involved in a Bellator main event against Kimbo Slice, a professional bare knuckle fight, a ministry for God, stock trading, and at least four other business and professional ventures. He is busier than ever building a future for himself off of 30 years of hard work, and lucky for us, we managed to get a few minutes with Shamrock to discuss a variety of topics.

CagePotato: You were supposed to fight Kimbo Slice a long time back until a last-minute cut over your eye forced you to bow out. Tell us about that experience.

Ken Shamrock: Yeah, there’s a lot to it. My father had went into a coma and I spent about three weeks at the hospital with him while I was training for this fight. I got on a plane because he told me I needed to go take care of business. So I get on a plane and I fly down to do the fight. The night before the fight they called and told me he went into a coma or they put him on a machine or whatever…they had to keep him on life support. They asked what I wanted to do. So I said don’t do anything until I get back. So there was a lot of stuff going on, along with some different business stuff that was happening.

I grabbed a friend of mine and moved everything out of the hotel room. I was in a suite, so I had an area just to roll around to get my head back in to where it needed to be, a light roll, nothing heavy. I just caught his head the wrong way, it cut me, went to the hospital got it triple stitched/double stitched. I asked the doctor, “Can you clear me?” and he said, “If they let you fight, I’ll let you fight.” I went to the arena, got into the locker room and the [Florida] Commission came in, the promoters came in and I clearly told them I would fight. Of course, the Commission ixnayed it, [saying] you know we can’t take the risk. I told them if it [the cut] opens up or breaks they can stop the fight, it’s on me. No big deal, just let it roll, the fights not going to go very long. There’s no way he’s going to last very long. But if it does open up, you can stop me. I’m ok with that. Well, they said no. The fight didn’t happen.

Now what really made me angry was that when they wouldn’t let the fight happen, all the sudden all these different types of stupid comments started coming into play. Kimbo and his team being a part of that and what really upset me the most was the fact that I had made a sacrifice to go out and do this fight. My father had a problem and they put him on life support, things didn’t work out the way they should have but yet I still hear these stupid comments about why I wouldn’t fight, how come I didn’t fight, I got cut, I cut myself, I’m afraid, all these things coming from the Kimbo camp. It just boiled in me and there was not much I could do about it. I always kept it in my mind that if I ever had the opportunity to get into a ring and fight him in mma, I’d be waiting for him.

Neither of you have fought an MMA fight in 5 years and it has been reported the Missouri Commission is going to ask you to do some additional medical testing. Has any of that begun and what exactly does that entail?

They are going to want extra testing, which to me is, you know, whatever, it is what it is. I don’t know why, I thought we got past this stuff, you know, years and years ago with prejudices against women, against colors, against gender, sexual preferences — all these things. We are supposed to have grown as a nation but we continue to keep pulling people aside for whatever the reason the may be because they may be older or they speak different or whatever the reason is. It seems they can’t let it go. Why in the world would you test somebody who is clearly passing all the regulations they are supposed to pass as a regular fighter? Why does it have to be extensive testing because you are 50 years old or your forty years old? Either you pass, or you don’t pass. I don’t understand what their sanctioning reasons are for. It’s either you pass or you don’t pass. If you pass, you fight. I don’t care what age you are.

I think Kimbo showed a lot about himself when he fought Petruzelli the night they wouldn’t let you fight. Seth knocked him out in, what, 15 seconds or something like that?

I don’t get some of these comments that people are making about “Well if he stands up, he’s gonna lose,” and “If he can’t take him down, he’s going to lose.” I’m thinking, “Who are these people, where is their education?”

Not a lot of people knew much about Seth Petruzelli before that fight, which I suppose made his win all the more shocking. 

To me it’s ridiculous. I don’t think Kimbo’s going to handle me, whether it’s stand-up or on the ground. We know [he can’t handle me] on the ground, but even stand-up I just; I watched his boxing. He hand picks his guys, and even then you see [his weaknesses]. Like I said, you know, I’m not going to take him lightly. I’m going to prepare like this is the best fight in the world. But like I said, in the back of my mind, I don’t see a problem here either stand-up or on the ground.

What is the current status of the Lion’s Den? How many gyms are there? What is going on with that part of your career?

I still have Team Lion’s Den. In fact, it is my son, myself, and I will be fighting under Team Lions Den in this fight coming up. My son still fights under it. I have three boys. They fight under it. All my family fights under it. That’s as far as it goes. Right now Team Lion’s Den is basically a ministry outreach program. (It’s) my non-profit organization where I walk out and I help youth and do motivational speaking. I transferred that in that direction but the Team Lion’s Den is definitely not dead now. It’s just that right at this point in time I’m just so focused on really doing more work for my ministry and work for young athletes who are amateurs who are trying to turn pro. I don’t want to, obviously, but them under a team flag or anything like that. I just want to help these guys make good decisions on their own for their own career.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this interview, which will be up tomorrow.

The post Interview: Ken Shamrock Talks Kimbo Slice, Bare Knuckle Boxing, Personal Protection, and His Ministry — Part 1 appeared first on Cagepotato.

By Putting Fun First, Can Bellator Become a Carefree Alternative to the UFC?

A minute or two into last week’s Bellator 134, a guy strolled out from behind a retractable 20-foot video monitor and began noodling a version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitar.
On stage behind him stood a lineup of the night&rsquo…

A minute or two into last week’s Bellator 134, a guy strolled out from behind a retractable 20-foot video monitor and began noodling a version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitar.

On stage behind him stood a lineup of the night’s fighters, some of them taking his performance very seriously, some of them absolutely not. The monitors streamed pure Americana—shots of the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, a clip of wheat stalks swaying gently in a breeze.

Just as the guitarist wailed past the line about the perilous fight, cameras cut to a statuesque blonde woman in the front row wearing a black evening gown, one hand tucked somberly over her—uh—heart. At her right elbow, a guy with a full sleeve of tattoos slurped a cocktail out of a plastic cup and gleefully nodded along to the music.

Ninety seconds later, a bunch of fireworks went off indoors.

So, yeah, if you were wondering what Bellator MMA would look like during 2015, you didn’t have to wait long to find out. Friday night’s “British Invasion” fight card was the company’s biggest event of the year so far, and it set an appropriately bombastic tone for Bellator’s new direction—one it hopes finally leads to its big break.

And, you know what? This time it feels like the promotion is actually onto something. Perhaps by giving up on trying to be a low-rent version of the UFC—and by bringing some of the pomp and circumstance back to MMA—it can position itself as a real alternative.

Maybe even a fun one.

This change has been percolating for a while now. In June 2014, the promotion ditched wickedly unpopular showrunner Bjorn Rebney and brought in universally well-liked former Strikeforce executive Scott Coker.

Coker had a proven track record of making second-tier MMA companies work in an industry dominated by the UFC. He brought instant credibility, and his mere presence gave Bellator a fresh start. Almost immediately, he tossed out its restrictive, outdated tournament format and weekly TV time slot in favor of a more traditional (and more manageable) schedule.

Yet a few questions still lingered about exactly how a Coker-led Bellator would look and feel.

Now we know.

There will be fireworks.

There will be glitz, glamour and precious little intrusion from reality.

We got a sample of this transformation late last year, when Tito Ortiz wrested a tepid split-decision victory from Stephan Bonnar in the main event of Bellator 131. Their old-timers bout didn’t nab any rave reviews, but it turned out to be a significant ratings success on SpikeTV.

We got our first look at the revamped production values and video stage set at that event too. It was clear change was in the air.

Still, we had no idea. Not really.

Bellator’s new crazy-like-a-fox vibe didn’t fully reveal itself until last week, when the company announced that Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice would headline an event in June. That was the matchmaking equivalent of telling the bartender you’ll go ahead and have that third drink after all—and suddenly we knew Bellator was playing for keeps.

Shamrock vs. Slice is a goofy, unexpected fight at least seven years past its expiration date. Shamrock is 51 years old, and prior to this booking it was rumored he would take on a man billed as the “king of the Irish travelers” in a bare-knuckle boxing match. Slice, who is 41, hasn’t fought in MMA since his ill-fated UFC run ended in 2010. He was last seen cobbling together a low-level boxing career circa 2013.

The two were originally supposed to fight in the now-defunct EliteXC organization in 2008, and even then it seemed like kind of a bad idea. Hours before showtime, Shamrock pulled out with a cut, and Slice went on to suffer a 14-second knockout at the hands of replacement fighter Seth Petruzelli.

Now, Bellator will book the do-over nobody saw coming.

It’s crazy. It’s indefensible. It’s totally perfect.

We’re all going to make fun of Shamrock-Slice, and then we’re all going to watch. If it goes off as scheduled, it promises to be an even bigger cable TV hit than Ortiz-Bonnar, perhaps fully realizing the blueprint established by that fight. Make no mistake, no matter how many jokes are cracked or criticisms are lobbed at this fight, it’s a brilliant gambit by Bellator.

After years of staid obligation to pure sport, the company’s new regime is finally letting its hair down. It’s becoming the rebellious kid brother to the stuffy old UFC that it should have been all along.

The B-list organization has never had the best fighters (and probably never will), so it didn’t make sense for Bellator to cast itself as the hard-nosed home of “the toughest tournament in sports.” The UFC is now and will likely always be the industry standard.

So, why not just let the guys at Zuffa LLC shoulder the burden of being the world’s top MMA promotion? Let the UFC hold the somber drug-testing press conferences. Let the UFC try to conquer the world with its 50 shows per year and its digital streaming service.

(Ed. Note: And hey, before we run the UFC too far up the flagpole as the goose that lays only golden eggs, let’s also remember we’re talking about a company that booked a main event, pay-per-view bout between Matt Hughes and Royce Gracie as recently as 2006. Maybe there never were any “rules” to this game.)

If nothing else, Bellator can make some mischief.

With a little a bit of Viacom money to spend and a reliable broadcast home on SpikeTV, Coker and Co. find themselves with a good opportunity to become MMA’s carefree option.

No, you don’t have to watch Bellator every week. No, you don’t have to obsessively follow its official fighter rankings and argue about its pound-for-pound list. No, you don’t have to commit your entire evening to the Internet-only prelim fights. Not if you don’t want to.

With Bellator, you just have to set aside one weekend night once or twice a month when—without paying $60 for pay-per-view—you might catch a fun fight.

The beauty of it is that Bellator really does have some fighters who are worth watching. A couple million people might tune in to see Ortiz, Shamrock or Slice, and some of them might get hooked on Will Brooks, Liam McGeary or Douglas Lima. Perhaps you’ll even come back for some of its more serious but less colorful events, like March 27’s bantamweight title bout between Joe Warren and Marcos Galvao.

Maybe by suckering people into the tent a few times a year to watch its cadre of 2005-era superstars, Bellator can even prove to Viacom it can be a ratings boon and a financial success. If the parent company ever gets the notion it should open the purse stings to help out, well, all bets will be off.

The best part is, it appears Bellator is going to play all of this with a straight face. When it announced Shamrock-Slice, Coker labeled it “unfinished business” on Twitter as though this was something we were all supposed to take very seriously. It only added to the delightful spectacle.

The bottom line is, it’s been awhile since we had an MMA promotion that didn’t sometimes feel like work to follow. It’s been awhile since we had one that didn’t continually demand more and more of its fans’ time and money. It’s been awhile since we had one that just wanted to have fun.

If Bellator can be that company, then it will have already won a major battle.

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