Royce surprised by announcing his return to the ring at Bellator. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter
Last week, the MMA community was surprised by the news that the most important name in the early days of the sport, the Brazilian Royce gracie, will return to the ring next year, at the age of 48, to repeat the final of the UFC 1 tournament against Ken Shamrock, this time in a fight valid for rival Bellator. The legendary representative of the gentle art, however, made a point of exposing his feud with his rival and explaining why he accepted the duel.
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“It's Ken (Shamrock), it's very simple: I can't stand this guy, I'm sorry. He is not my friend, he is not my enemy. I just don't like him. There is no friendship. I'm not his friend, I avoid talking to him all the time. I don't want to talk to him. He talks a lot, he talks as if he were the greatest fighter in the history of MMA. He lost to me in less than a minute. In the second fight he lay on top of me for 30, 36 minutes and still comes out saying that he is the best, the 'most dangerous man in the world'”, joked Royce, in an interview with the podcast “The MMA Hour”.
Royce also dismissed any doubts about his current physical form and even guaranteed that the Royce of 2016 would beat the Royce who won three of the first four editions of the UFC. “I think the Royce of today would beat the Royce of 20 years ago. I've been thinking about this. More experience. Before, I used a lot of my talent. Now I have talent and experience. I have more resistance today and I’m the same weight,” he assured.
At 48, Royce gracie has a professional record of 14 wins, two losses and three draws in MMA. Royce's last fight came in 2007, when he beat Kazushi Sakuraba in their rematch. The duel between Royce and Shamrock will take place on February 19, at Bellator 149, in Houston (USA).
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