Two MMA legends will meet inside the cage for a trilogy, but this time it will officially take place in Bellator rather than in the UFC. Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie III has been booked for February 19, 2016 at Bellator 149 in Houston, Texas. The announcement was made on Friday at Bellator 145, and MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani later confirmed the bout will be at openweight.

Regarding Shamrock vs. Gracie 3, it will take place at open weight. Texas commission has already approved it.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 7, 2015

Shamrock made his first MMA return in June against Kimbo Slice after a 5 year break from the sport. He lost by first-round knockout. As for Gracie, he hasn’t competed professionally since 2007. Both fighters met for the first time at UFC 1 in 1993 and a second time at UFC 5 in 1995 where the fight was declared a draw.

Slice and Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris have also been booked and is set as the co-main event of Bellator 149, which takes place at the Toyota Center.

Shamrock is still a threat to me, he’s still considered deadly and dangerous to break limbs and submit somebody. I’m just not that motherf***er he’s going to submit. I’m just not that guy he’s going to tap out. It’s not going to happen with me. It’s in my DNA to beat his ass. I’ve worked my mind and my body to train for this fight with Shamrock. From back in the day, from many years ago we trained for this fight. This fight isn’t going to go the distance. – Kimbo Slice

After Spike TV’s Bound by Blood, a documentary that aired two weeks ago about the fight career and turbulent personal life of Frank Shamrock (23–10–2), you could have assumed that a fight between he and his brother Ken Shamrock (28–15–2) would happen soon in Bellator. Ken said that the only way the two legendary brothers could ever get any closure and move forward from the past would be to fight each other. It stunned Frank, who spilled his heart out to Ken in the documentary, but both of them only agreed to forgiveness.

Frank recently touched on that emotional moment, confirming that it wasn’t the “idea for the documentary” and that he is retired:

We had an opportunity to fight a long time before, I worked really hard on it and it didn’t pan out. That wasn’t my idea for the documentary. I’m retired. I can’t imagine anyone punching on me or hitting me. It’s not even in my consciousness.

With that said, I think the idea of Frank fighting Ken is officially out of the question, and it can be finally squashed. Unless, Frank later decides to come out of retirement.

UFC Weight Classes & UFC Champions

The UFC has had numerous champions. And unless you’re willing to watch every UFC event or scour the Internet for various sources offering different information, and then afterward try to sort through who won what when, and at what division and weight class, then you will probably become very confused.

What we at Yell! Magazine decided to do is accomplish this task for you. We will start at the beginning and inform you who was the champion at every tournament, at every event, and at every weight class with an explanation of its history. With any luck, after reading this article, you will be the most informed UFC fan on the planet.

We have broken up the list into eras with dates given for important changes to the UFC formats. Loosely speaking, there are three eras to the UFC: The Early Years (1993-1997), The Middle Years (1997-2001), and The Modern Years (2001-present).

The Early Years (1993-1997)

The early years of the UFC was a simple time. There were very few rules, no weight classes and a tournament-style fight card. Fighters would enter the octagon and fight until there was a winner. The only rules were no eye-gouging and no biting. There was also no time limit and, therefore, no rounds. The only way to win was by tap out, knock out, or a towel throw in.

Royce Gracie - UFC 1 Champion

Here is the first list of champions before any major format changes:

First UFC Champion – Royce Gracie (Nov. 12, 1993-Sept. 9, 1994)

Royce Gracie became champion at the inaugural UFC tournament and defended his title at UFC 2.

Second UFC Champion – Steve Jennum (Sept. 9, 1994-Dec. 6, 1994)

Royce Gracie failed to defend his title due to exhaustion in his semifinal fight. Jennum beat Harold Howard in the final.

Third UFC Champion – Royce Gracie (Dec. 6, 1994-Feb. 16, 1995)

Royce Gracie returned to win UFC 4. As for Steve Jennum, he withdrew due to injury after his quarterfinal bout with Melton Bowan.

Do you know what the first major format change was in the UFC?

Anyone who watched UFC 133 last week didn’t come away with memories of Rory MacDonald’s decisive win over Mike Pyle, which gave credence to many fan’s belief they were looking at the future UFC welterweight champion. Nor did they come away with what looked like Vitor Belfort’s re-emergence to middleweight contention in his destruction of Yoshihiro Akiyama.

What they do remember, and much to their own chagrin, will always remember, is Dennis Hallman’s attire when he entered the cage to face another fighter with little sense in fashion in the name of Brian Ebersole.

It’s been seven days since I watched Rashad Evans return from injury and remind Tito Ortiz that he is past his prime and I still can’t exorcise those swimming trunks from my mind. As for Ebersole, I barely saw him punch the living daylights out of Hallman because I was too busy looking up to the rafters to see what the arrow on his chest was pointing to.

That’s it man. You’re done!

Ken Shamrock must be at home scouring storage boxes for his old UFC VHS tapes to see if he looked as ridiculous as Hallman did at UFC 133. Don’t worry Shamrock, when you wore those trunks, you were the baddest man on the planet.

Later,

UFC 3 The American Dream: Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock

Royce Gracie was back to defend his title at UFC 3. The number of fighters for this tournament went back to eight as it was at UFC 1 (UFC 2 doubled the number to sixteen). The tournament also moved locations. The first two were held in Denver. This time the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina would be the venue. The date was September 9, 1994 and it would be an historic date in the world of MMA and the young Ultimate Fighting Championships.

At the time, everyone was anticipating a duel between Gracie and shootfighter Ken Shamrock. Shamrock lost to Gracie in the semis at UFC 1 and missed UFC 2 due to injury. Fans were seriously disappointed when it was announced at UFC 2 that Shamrock wasn’t on the card as they knew Shamrock was probably the only fighter of the day that stacked up well against the Brazilian and might even be able to beat the jujitsu master.

Again, as with the first two tournaments, you had a stable of mixed disciplined fighters. Jujitsu, shootfighting, sumo, karate, kickboxing, judo, taekwondo would all be represented. But anyone with a brain knew by this time that if you didn’t have skill and technique on the ground, you would be sorely out-classed unless you got lucky.

The tournament rules were the same as the two previous tournaments. Anything goes except for eye-gouging and biting. There were no rounds. Fighters fought until they were knocked out, tapped out, their corner threw in the towel, or the referee determined the fighter could no longer defend himself.

Keith Hackney vs. Emmanuel Yarborough

Keith Hackney had a black belt in taekwondo and kenpo karate. This would be his first UFC tournament and one of two in his career (he would return for UFC 4).

As for Emmanuel Yarborough, the sumo wrestler was one of the main attractions of the tournament. People wondered if he would fare better than Teila Tuli did at UFC 1. Tuli got his teeth knocked out by finalist Dutch savateur Gerald Gordeau after he fell to the ground and couldn’t stand back up. Yarborough was a much larger man than Tuli at 6’8″ and a whopping 616 lbs. and played college football as well, so everyone figured he would be a better competitor than the Hawaiian.

Hackney would have to use his quickness and striking abilities to beat the sumo wrestler and that’s exactly what he did. Hackney knew that body strikes would be quite ineffective against a man of Yarborough’s girth so he concentrated on the New Jersey native’s head.

Within a few seconds of the fight Hackney tagged the giant with an open-handed strike to the head which floored the sumo practitioner. Keith then moved in and hit Yarborough again. But Emannuel got a hold of Hackney and from Keith’s back let loose with a flurry of strikes. Hackney weathered the storm and escaped back to his feet. Hackney turned and began punching Yarborough which gave the sumo wrestler time to grab Keith by his shirt. Yarborough stood up and used his weight to shove Hackney against fence. The force of the push broke open the gate.

Referee John McCarthy restarted the men in their designate corners. Hackney then hit Yarborough with another head strike but it didn’t faze the sumo expert. Hackney then changed tactics with kicks to Yarborough’s legs. But this was also ineffective. On one strike Emmanuel seized Hackney’s left leg which opened his head to further strikes from the karate master. It was the opening Hackney needed. Yarborough went down from the head blows and Hackney swarmed the sumo master. With repeated hammer strikes to Yarborough’s head, Hackney forced Emmanuel to tap out. The fight lasted 1:59.

Ken Shamrock vs. Christophe Leininger

Christophe Leininger was a judo black belt. At the time he was ranked number two in the country at his weight class. This would be his first appearance in the octagon and we wouldn’t see him again until UFC 13 where he lost to Guy Mezger. The two fights would be the sum total of his UFC career.

Christophe Leininger would be Ken Shamrock’s first hurdle hindering his desire to face Royce Gracie. The legendary fight at UFC 1 where Shamrock lost to Gracie was embarrassing for the Pancrase champion. He had been anticipating a re-match ever since. Shamrock thought it would be at UFC 2 but when Ken broke his hand sparring with a team mate, he had to withdraw from the tournament. UFC 3 was his chance for redemption.

The two fighters circled each other for the first seconds until Leininger shot forward at the future UFC Hall of Famer. The two went to the ground with Shamrock getting the better position. Leininger put Shamrock in his guard and began pummeling the Pancrase champion on the top on the head with his fists. The two exchanged head butts, then Leininger attempted a triangle on Shamrock when Ken raised himself to deliver a strike. Shamrock used his strength to break the submission attempt and gained the judo black belt’s back.

While on Leininger’s back, Shamrock got a leg hook but was unable to do much more before the judo fighter twisted back into a half guard position. Ken used the opportunity to lift up and strike Leininger repeatedly to the face. Shamrock forced Leininger into the fence and used his left hand to move the judo expert’s hands away from the protection of his face and used the right to hammer the trapped Leininger. This vulnerability was enough of an incentive for Leininger to tap out before he was seriously hurt. The fight lasted 4:49.

Harold Howard vs. Roland Payne

Harold Howard would be the first of many Canadians in the history of the UFC to enter the octagon. He was a black belt in both jujitsu and karate and those skills he would use to make it to the finals of this tournament (along with Royce Gracie’s eventual departure due to exhaustion of course). This would be Howard’s first appearance in the UFC and we wouldn’t see him again until UFC 7 where he would lose to American Mark Hall. The Mark Hall fight was his last in the UFC.

American Roland Paine’s only appearance in the UFC was this one. He was a muay thai kick boxer holding a third degree black belt in the discipline. He was also a crowd favorite being from the area himself.

This fight was an all-out brawl that lasted 46 seconds. Neither fighter had any wish to use any defensive skills. It opened with Howard landing a straight left to the shorter American’s head then it went full-tilt from there. Howard followed with a straight right which backed up Paine toward the fence. The American then shot forward with double hooks on the legs of the Canadian bringing Howard to the floor. Howard used his backward momentum to flip Payne off and then quickly regain his feet.

Howard saw that Payne was still on the ground so he rushed in and as Payne was trying to stand, Howard nailed the American to the head with a knee. Payne grabbed Howard’s legs and brought the Canadian back to the ground. Payne then gained side control but Howard under-hooked the Americans right limb and turned him over. Howard landed a right fist as he stood. Payne held Howard’s left leg as he raised up with the Canadian taking an elbow to his exposed back.

Withstanding the elbow, Payne again hooked the Canadian’s legs meaning to bring Howard back to the ground but Howard hugged the American, fell backward and again reversed the take down. Both fighters gained their feet and like a charging bull, Payne rushed Howard attacking with low kicks. The Canadian backed up to lessen the impact and while on the fence let loose with some devastating upper cuts and straight rights to the American’s head. The strikes downed the American and Howard followed up with an hammer fist before referee John McCarthy stopped the fight.

Read about the semi-finals and the fight between Harold Hoawrd on the next page…

UFC 1: The Beginning (The Ultimate Fighting Championship)

Does anyone remember the date of this historic occurrence? Does anyone remember the location, the participants, the commentators, or the results? Hardcore MMA fans probably do, but everyone else either never saw it, or had it lapse from their memory.

The date was Nov 12th, 1993. The location: McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado. Compared to the slick presentations put on today, it was an amateurish affair. But that was half of its charm. This wasn’t mixed martial arts as we have it today. There were no multi-disciplined fighters; that would ruin the whole concept of the gathering.

This was no-holds-barred, all-out, kick-ass, combat to see which type of fighter in which discipline was the best. There were no rules (well, except for no eye-gouging and biting anyway), no weight classes, and very little strategy.

Who was the Ultimate Fighter? That was the question this exhibition was meant to answer. Was it the Boxer, the Karateka, the black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, the Sumo wrestler, the Savateur, the Kick-boxer, the Shootfighter, or the master of Tae Kwon Do?

Rorion Gracie set the tournament up (with the collaboration of Kevin Rosier and Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG)), called it The Ultimate Fighting Championship, and used it as a promotion and a test of his family’s style of Jiu-Jitsu against any other style/discipline in the world of fighting. The winner of the contest received $50,000.

The Gracie’s proved their point. The family appointed Royce Gracie as their representative in the octagon, and he won the contest. Set up in tournament style, the eight fighters paired off, with the champion needing three fights to win. Rounds were five minutes long, and a winner of each fight was determined either through tap out, throwing in the towel, or a fighter’s inability to continue. There were no judges involved.

The announcers were American Karate legend and movie star Bill Wallace, retired football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown and American Kick-boxing champion Kathy Long.

Gerard Gordeau vs. Teila Tuli

The first fight pitted Dutch Savateur Gerard Gordeau against Hawaiian Sumo wrestler Teila Tuli. It was no contest. Tuli rushed Gordeau only to fall to the ground. While sitting, Tuli received a powerful kick to the face from Gordeau which stunned the wrestler and knocked out one of his teeth. Gordeau followed with a punch to the face which broke his hand. Tuli’s corner decided the wrestler couldn’t continue and the match ended 26 seconds into the first round.

Gerard Gordeau vs. Teila Tuli Fight Video:

Kevin Rosier vs. Zane Frazier

The second fight of the night featured two Americans: Kevin Rosier, a Super Heavyweight Kickboxer and Zane Frazier, a Kenpō Karate black belt. Lasting longer than the first fight, this contest was an all-out slug-fest. Frazier did most of the punching including some devastating uppercuts. But Rosier survived the onslaught and let Frazier exhaust himself. He then took it to the Karateka with right-handed strikes. After two kicks to the head while Frazier was on the ground, the referee ended it. Rosier won with a TKO at 4:20 of the first round.

Kevin Rosier vs. Zane Frazier Fight Video:

Royce Gracie vs. Art Jimmerson

Art Jimmerson, the boxer of the group, faced-off against the fourth degree black belt Jiu-Jitsu master and Brazilian native Royce Gracie. American Jimmerson was out of his league in this fight. The Gracie made Jimmerson hesitate to engage his fists with front kicks towards Jimmerson’s lead leg. Gracie then lunged and employed a double-legged take down. After less than a minute on his back, with no ability to accomplish anything, Jimmerson gave up and just tapped out at 2:18 of the first round.

Royce Gracie vs. Art Jimmerson Fight Video:

Ken Shamrock vs. Patrick Smith

We got our first actual submission of the evening (Gracie’s win over Jimmerson was recorded as a submission even though there was none) when Shootfighter Ken Shamrock (American) confronted Tae Kwon Do master Patrick Smith (also American). Shamrock took Smith down quickly and while in Smith’s guard stood up and locked Smith’s right leg falling backward onto the ground. Smith tapped out at 1:49 of the first round.

Ken Shamrock vs. Patrick Smith Fight Video: