Reaction to Grace-Shamrock at Bellator 149

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
I watched Bellator 149 Friday night, while on a business trip to the west coast. Like some of you, I wanted to see Royce Gracie fight Ken Shamrock one more time.

My first live UFC was UFC 4, which happened in December 1994, several months after I started studying kung fu. Many of the guys in the school had seen the three previous UFC contests. UFC 3 took place in September 1994, and the next day the guys who watched it tried out their takedowns and ground-and-pound techniques on those of us who had no idea what had happened!

As a 44-year-old martial artist, I was probably able to relate to Gracie and Shamrock better than most of the regular UFC and Bellator audience. After watching the earlier Bellator fights Friday night, I couldn't imagine the stamina needed to fight 3 five minute mixed martial arts rounds at age 49 (Gracie) or 52 (Shamrock). At the Air Force Academy I took mandatory boxing training my freshman year, and was drafted for the squadron boxing team my sophomore year. Collegiate boxing involves three rounds of two minutes each. I remember being exhausted at age 18 and 19, so I was amazed to see two fighters, 30 years older, potentially fighting much longer rounds.

Of course, the fight ended with 2:38 left in the first round. Vice Fightland has a good synopsis, but suffice it to say the referee missed a Gracie knee to Shamrock's groin, and then ended the fight while Gracie pounded Shamrock, now pinned on the ground.

I was impressed by the class shown by both fighters, once Shamrock accepted that Gracie hadn't called the fight. I Tweeted to that effect, and was thrilled to see Ken Shamrock reTweet what I posted shortly afterward!

I was also interested in seeing how Gracie used kicks to control the distance between himself and Shamrock. Kicking isn't what comes to mind when most people think about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, but it reminded me that Gracie and his clan are some of the most complete fighters you will see in martial combat events.

I was impressed by the warrior attitudes of both fighters. It takes amazing willpower to get in that ring, at whatever age and experience.

On a related note, if you want to see a fight where Royce really pushed himself to the limit, I recommend Royce Gracie vs Kimo Leopoldo from UFC 3. It puts the current rules involving weight classes, prohibited strikes, and the like in perspective.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nothing But the Best for My Stuff

Image
If you've heard anything about Krav Maga, you've probably heard about the need for groin protection. This Simpson's video , starting at the 45 second point, makes that requirement abundantly clear! When I started training in Krav Maga six months ago, I realized I needed to upgrade my personal protection. I had relied on my old hockey cup and strap when practicing other martial arts. For Krav Maga I decided to do some research, buy some gear, test it live, and let you know my findings! The first product I bought was the Shock Doctor Core Compression Short with Bio-Flex Cup . At the time of writing, the Web site shows this product for $29.99. Using compression shorts was a new experience for me, but I quickly adjusted. This product relies on a pouch positioned inside the shorts to hold the cup in place. While this system seemed to be an upgrade from the simple cup and strap I wore under my hockey equipment, I didn't stay with it. The cup was not comfortable and it did not...
Read more

Passing My BJJ Blue Belt Test

Image
It's been a while since I blogged, incidentally about returning to Jiu-Jitsu  in January, but I have good news -- today I passed the test for my blue belt. I began studying at Professor Pedro Sauer's headquarters school in January 2017. I began mostly with the Gracie Combatives system, then switched to the Pedro Sauer fundamentals classes by the end of the year. In May of 2018 I essentially stopped training BJJ to focus on my Krav Maga studies, finishing with my G1 grading in December 2018 . With G1 accomplished, I switched attention back to BJJ and resumed training in January 2019. Not all BJJ schools require testing to advance in rank. Prof Pedro Sauer believes that tests are an opportunity to demonstrate required skills. The core of the blue belt test is a set of over 80 techniques that must be successfully demonstrated on your training partner, one after the other as the instructor calls them out. The test also includes positioning rolling (i.e., start with your partner in ...
Read more

Retiring from Martial Arts, For Now at Least

Image
  I've decided to retire from martial arts, for now at least. I started this social media presence in January 2016 , so the seven year journey is now concluded. I took my last BJJ class in March 2020 , as Covid-19 was first surging in the US. I injured my back in that session, and my left arm and shoulder had been bothering me for months. I figured some time off might help anyway. In April 2021, after getting my first two vaccinations, I had another round of shoulder surgery . The rotator cuff fix combined with a bicep repair was worse than my previous three shoulder surgeries. It took about a year to return to a relatively pain-free life, even with diligent physical therapy and care. I originally had a goal of staying with BJJ for the long haul in order to earn a black belt. Given that it took me  2 1/2 years to pass my blue belt test , I had many years ahead of me, even before Covid hit.  I think of earning my blue belt as one of the five toughest physical challenges I...
Read more