When first taking in the idea of seeing 49 year old Royce Gracie and 51 year old Ken Shamrock do battle in the Bellator arena, I was struck with a rather obvious, yet repeatedly forgotten realization. Mainly, that former greats of MMA (or any sport, really, but *especially* MMA) only decide to put the gloves back on for 1 of 3 reasons:
1. They feel that they’ve still got something to prove, a belt/championship to attain, an spouse’s face to rub it in, etc.
2. They miss it.
3. They’re broke.
In the case of Royce Gracie, who will be returning from a 9 year, steroid-shamed absence from the sport at Bellator 149, it’s become apparent recently that his motivations lie closer to #3 than #1.