While no one would claim that the Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 or Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie fights were amazing examples of mixed martial arts, they did do great ratings for Bellator, pulling in over 2.3 million viewers. To put that in perspective, that made the event the most watched Bellator event ever and the third most watched fight card on cable television in the past five years.
But, if Bellator wants to pull from the same group of fighters to try and recreate some of that magic, they’ll have to wait for a while. Both Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock failed their drug tests and have been suspended by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
As of this moment, we don’t know what drugs were detected. Urine samples were collected from all main event fighters on the day of the fights, and it was these that tested positive for Slice and Shamrock. A hearing will be set to determine how long both fighters will be suspended, but as of now Kimbo Slice’s win over Dada 5000 has been declared a No Contest.
This isn’t the first drug test failure for Ken Shamrock. In 2009, he tested positive for the steroids norandrosterone, noretiocholanolone and stanozolol. He may be looking at a longer suspension because of this, which at 52 years old may effectively mean the end of his career.
Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops.
