Growing up, we’re always told that we’re too young to do all the fun things in life like sneaking into the mysterious “back room” of the video store or waiting in the parking lot and bugging every dude with a mullet to buy you alcohol on their way into the liquor store. One day, you’ll look back at those days while drinking straight out of the bottle of Jack Daniels and wish you spent your youth reading more books or signing up for Science Club. While being young has it’s restrictions, it seems like at no point in your life is it ever appropriate to tell someone that they’re too old to do something, especially if those guys are still actively winning fights at the highest level of professional competition.
With Chuck Liddell coming back for another shot at Tito Oritiz and UFC 109 headliners Randy Couture and Mark Coleman about to take place in the oldest-combined-age fight in the organization’s history, the question remains: How old is too old? Now that the ‘Jesus-like’ Herschel Walker has proven that 47 is just another number somewhere between 18 and 93, it’s motivating people to resurrect their physical abilities and step (back) into the cage. Bloody Elbow is reporting that Pat Miletich and Frank Shamrock have agreed to fight sometime this Spring. Pending a few contractual discrepancies, it looks like this might actually materialize into the fight that should have happened a long time ago back when they were both UFC champions. Now it’ll happen under a Strikeforce banner which all but guarantees a colorful response from Dana White in the coming days.
Here’s what Pat Miletich had to say in a recent interview:
“We were hoping to put together a fight in March, but now it looks like that may not happen. We might have to wait for April or May. Who knows if it will ever happen. Frank Shamrock and I have verbally agreed to fight each other, but from what I understand he’s being difficult in the negotiations. For whatever reason he may have, I think it’s too bad because I think it’s the type of fight that would draw a lot of attention. It would be two guys that were UFC champions and have done a lot for that organization, and now they’re involved with Strikeforce. I think it just made sense. But for whatever reason I think he’s having trouble pulling the trigger. He may be nervous about getting slapped around, but that’s the way it sits right now. Hopefully I can find someone else to fight if he doesn’t want to do it. I want to get in there before Summer.
I think he knows what is most likely going to happen. We’ve rolled before so I have a sense for what he’s got. Obviously I’ve watched him fight for years and he’s a talented guy, but I don’t think he has anything to hurt me with. Maybe he knows that.
He definitely doesn’t have the power to hurt me, he’s not going to submit me, he can’t out-box me, and he definitely can’t take me down. Maybe he’ll pull off something like he did in the Renzo Gracie fight so he can get out alive. Who knows.
I would prefer to fight at 170 pounds, but I’d fight Frank anywhere. I don’t care what the weight is. It doesn’t matter. But I think I’d like to try to snag something from somebody at 170 pounds. I look at the 170 pound rankings and I see a lot of guys that I can beat.”
I think he knows what is most likely going to happen. We’ve rolled before so I have a sense for what he’s got. Obviously I’ve watched him fight for years and he’s a talented guy, but I don’t think he has anything to hurt me with. Maybe he knows that.Any guy who has an entire fighting system named after him can pretty much say whatever he wants, chances are he’s probably got a few tools left in his ‘fighting system’ to surprise Frank Shamrock, who’s the only fighter to ever get kicked out of the UFC without ever losing a fight in the organization. Unfortunately, that leaves Mauro Ranallo and Stepen Quadros to announce the fight…unless they can find a way to give Frank Shamrock a microphone to commentate while he’s fighting. [Source]
