Royce Gracie wasn’t expecting to compete in a pro fight again. But when Bellator presented the opportunity to face Ken Shamrock a third time, Gracie said he couldn’t resist.

“I played a little hard to get, but for sure I knew we had to do the third fight with Ken; there was no doubt,” Gracie told MMAjunkie. “He still insisted on fighting me. I guess the guy cannot sleep for 22 years. He wanted a rematch after I choked him out and embarrassed him and made him tap.

“I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t party. I live a very healthy lifestyle. I think the Royce today would have beat the Royce from 22 years ago. I don’t think it’s the same thing for him. I think the Ken Shamrock today would lose to the Ken Shamrock from 22 years ago.”

Bellator 149 takes place at Houston’s Toyota Center. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Gracie (14-2-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Shamrock (28-16-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) are two of the names most synonymous with MMA since the UFC’s inception in the early 1990s. Both men competed at UFC 1 in November 1993, where they crossed paths for the first time. Gracie won by submission in just 57 seconds, but that wasn’t the end of the rivalry.

The pair would run into each other again at UFC 5 in April 1997. It was a vastly different fight because Gracie and Shamrock battled for 36 minutes until the contest was ruled a draw.

Although it’s clear Gracie’s prime was the early days of UFC, he had a long career that saw him compete until 2007. He hasn’t stepped into the cage for a pro contest in more than eight years but said he couldn’t pass on another chance to prove his superiority to Shamrock.

“I haven’t had any offers at all: zero,” Gracie said. “No one was knocking on my door. I was sitting there watching. I’m a fighter. I have a passion for it. It’s not a job or an obligation to go fight. I enjoy traveling, teaching and fighting. It’s in my blood. When Scott Coker first mentioned to me that Ken Shamrock wanted to fight I said, ‘Thank you.'”

An eight-year break from fighting could lead to issues of ring rust, but Gracie said he’s not concerned. He claims to have spent much time quietly working on building his skills and also keeping his mind close to the game through coaching and running seminars for fellow athletes.

Gracie hasn’t had a formal bout in years, but even at 49, he said his skills are as sharp as ever.

“I’ve been out of fighting? It makes it sound like I’m sitting at home scratching my nuts doing nothing,” Gracie said. “I’ve been going to the range every day. My drawing is good and fast, I’m on target, I shoot and I don’t miss. It doesn’t mean I’ve been going to battle, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t practiced. It’s like a soldier that goes to the range every day and does everything for war. He shoots, he runs, everything is on good. He’s just not in battle. That’s my case. Now I’m going to go to battle. It doesn’t mean I’m fat or out of shape.”

Gracie said he’s going to take his return to MMA one fight at a time. He said he only signed a one-fight deal with Bellator and will reassess his future depending on the outcome of the contest.

If all goes according to plan, though, Gracie will leave the cage at Bellator 149 victorious and unscathed. He said his plan of attack for the fight would be the same as always: take his opponent to the ground and look for the submissions.

In what will be a rare open-weight fight in the modern era, Gracie said he intends to prove the same lessons in 2016 as he did in 1993, and that’s the efficiency of Gracie jiu-jitsu.

“I’m 100 percent representing Gracie jiu-jitsu,” Gracie said. “The jiu-jitsu my father created was for the smaller guy to beat the bigger guy. It’s not a question of if I’m going to lose; it’s how I’m going to win. That’s the style. There’s no way he can beat me.”

“I don’t know about his motivation, but I think it’s because he cannot sleep for the last 22 years. The guy at 215, 220 pounds cannot beat somebody smaller than him at 180 pounds.”

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