Bellator 149 Shamrock vs. Gracie 3: Picks, Prognostications, & Odds

Feb. 19, 2016, 

Toyota Center

Houston, Texas

Main Card on Spike TV:

Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) -125 vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3) -105 [Trilogy]

Don't lie. You and every other MMA fan is interested in this fight. This is the throwback of all throwbacks hearkening to the beginning feud that spawned the combat game we know today. Sure the combatants are ridiculously past their prime but something was never settled between these two icons and the hatred is as real and palpable as ever. The men last met in 1995 ending a 36 minute contest in the unsatisfying Draw we all loathe. Now as the men near their 70's, it'll at the very least be bizarre to watch these fighters "do the damn thing" one more time.

Royce hasn't competed since '07 when he faced true honorable legend Kazushi Sakuraba and then failed his PED test post fight. A sad way to end the game of Gracie and a giant pock mark on his record as a fighter and a man. Royce will always be a Jiu-Jitsu ace but his striking is embarrassingly abysmal. At the tender age of 49, how much punishment can he take?

Shamrock has stayed in pretty good shape for a 52 year old but he's been through the MMA ringer getting into brutal wars in his career and being (T)KO'd 10 goddamn times in 46 professional fights! That's a lot of cumulative damage. Ken has always been a wrestler 1st but he does have some punching power and shouldn't have to fear catching a big shot from lil' Royce.

Either man winning wouldn't surprise MMAFO but we side with the (ahem) "World's Most Dangerous Man" one final time. Kenny knows what to do at this point in his life if he is taken to the ground and quite frankly, it won't take a lot of punches to wound Gracie. Keep in mind this is an "open weight" bout and Shamrock will have a big size advantage. The Lion's Den founder survives the ground to punch Royce 1 or 2 times to get the win and end this debacle.

WINNER-Ken Shamrock by Rd.1 TKO

Kevin Ferguson (5-2) -450 vs. Dhafir Harris (2-0) +325

"Kimbo Slice" may not be the most legit MMA fighter at age 42, but damned if the cat doesn't have massive heavy hitting power. That and training at ATT for years has at the very least improved Slicer's stand up skills. This fight isn't going to the ground btw.

"Dada 5000" has had 2 pro fights and one was massively rigged in his favor and he still almost lost. This guy is crap and is going to get wrecked with extreme prejudice. Seriously, go watch this guy's fights. He's garbage.

* These idiots actually argued about who literally has "bigger nuts." This is insanity.

WINNER-Kevin Ferguson by Rd.1 TKO

Emanuel Newton (25-9-1) -130 vs. Linton Vassell (15-5,1) +100 [Rematch]

The "Big Homie" has dropped two in a row and lost the Bellator title. The ceiling hit the "Hardcore Kid" hard but he's awkward as Keith Jardine which works in his favor. Decent all around skills and a weird ass dude to boot.

Honestly, we though Vassell was going to be better than he's turned out. Not that the "Swarm"is a bad fighter per say but we expected more. Linton simply tired out after winning most of their initial meeting and hasn't shown great strides in his work since.

Its a coin flipper for sure but we believe we've seen the best from Newton and he's on his way down while Linton is trending up.

Upset Pick WINNER-Linton Vassell by Decision

Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) -155 vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11) +125

"El Matador" has gone 4-1 for Bellator looking decent at Featherweight. Emmanuel is pretty well rounded and 6 years younger. There is also much less wear and tear on Sanchez.

Pineda has won 3 since losing his job in the UFC and is making his Bellator debut to try and bring a resurgence to his career. Its too late.

WINNER-Emmanuel Sanchez by Decision

Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) -275 vs. Derek Campos (15-6) +215

Jesus Melvin is a piece of shit. The guy bagged on WSOF when they gave him a home and then shit talked his way into Bellator only to lose his debut to a smarter fighter (Brandon Girtz) and complain about being held down. Aww, poor baby doesn't like the grapplers. Luckily, Guillard is still a bit of a draw despite his attitude and Campos is the sacrificial lamb. Bombs away and have the stretcher on standby for Derek.

WINNER-Melvin Guillard by Rd.1 TKO

Good Guy JUSTIN WREN 

Prelims on Spike.com:

Justin Wren (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)

Wren is just a good fella people. He has dedicated his life to helping the Pygmy people of the Congo. You can even donate to his charity at http://www.water4.org/fightfortheforgotten and help bring water to these folks. Wren has to win to continuing to help the needy and we wish more people, including ourselves, were this selfless.

WINNER-Justin Wren by Rd.2 Submission

Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (4-4)
Winner-Jeremy Mahon

Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)
Winner-Charlie Ontiveros

Ruben Esparza (1-0) vs. Clovis Hancock (0-0)
Winner-Ruben Esparza

Ike Villanueva (9-7) vs. Richard Knepp (3-3)
Winner-Ike Villanueva

Mike Trinh (2-3) vs. Angel Zamora (2-2)
Winner-Mike Trinh

Jason Langellier (2-0) vs. Anthony Ivy (1-0)
Winner-Jason Langellier

Manny Lozoya (0-0) vs. Jake Norsworthy (1-5)
Winner-Manny Lozoya

Adrian Yanez (3-1) vs. Ryan Hollis (10-7)
Winner-Adrian Yanez

Leomana Martinez (4-0) vs. Casey Jones (3-4)
Winner-Leomana Martinez

Chris Soliz (2-1) vs. Alex Macedo (2-0)
Winner-Alex Macedo

Jonathan Davis (3-0) vs. Shawn Solis (2-0)
Winner-Jonathan Davis

Hunter Scott-Gregg (1-0) vs. Ricardo Deluque (0-0)
Winner-Hunter Scott-Gregg