Bellator MMA: Ken Shamrock Not Planning To Retire, Wants Rematch With Kimbo Slice

Ken Shamrock is 51-years-old, and the last time he defeated anyone of note was 20 years ago, when he defeated Dan Severn via submission at UFC 6. Despite that, and despite his KO loss to Kimbo Slice at Bellator 138, Shamrock says that he’s not planning on retiring, and that, in fact, he’s just getting started, and he plans on fighting for the foreseeable future.

Some people have questioned the validity of the Shamrock vs. Kimbo fight, but the fact is that Shamrock legitimately got knocked out, and he had a pretty nasty cut over his eye to prove it. So, if Shamrock did take a dive, he paid the price for it.

Shamrock entered his fight with Kimbo in phenomenal shape. Physically, he looked better than he has looked in years. But, the fact that he looked great didn’t exactly help him in the cage. It didn’t hinder him either — the fact that he’s 51 did. However, that’s not stopping Shamrock from thinking that he would have performed better if he had gotten a few fights under his belt first. He toldTMZ Sports that because he’s in such great shape, he plans on fighting several more times, regardless of his age.

“I looked better than I have in ten years! Imagine now after I get some fights under my belt. There’s no way I’m going to stop after one fight. I’m going to push the envelope some more.”

When asked about a rematch with Kimbo Slice, Shamrock said that he would do it in a second, which probably isn’t something that the people would be dying to see due to how their fight at Bellator 138 ended.

Even though Shamrock lost, there has been some talk of having him fight again. Bellator is interested in doing a Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie rematch, which would probably — like the Kimbo vs. Ken fight — do very well in terms of television ratings. There’s also been talk of a Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz rematch, which would be the fourth time they’ve fought. Ortiz has beaten Shamrock in all three of their previous bouts.

For now, Bellator isn’t about having the most talented fighters in the world main event their big shows. All they care about is television ratings, which is why Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice, despite their skill level, main evented their last show over a championship fight. So, as long as the athletic commissions will let the 51-year-old Shamrock fight, they’ll keep using him, even if he continues to lose.

[Image via Mark Davis / Getty Images]