Bellator 138: Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock Fight Card, TV Info and Predictions

Bellator 138 will feature a main event seven years in the making in Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice. 

In 2008, the heavyweight bout was supposed to take place in front of a national TV audience on CBS. The now-defunct EliteXC promotion planned to have the Internet sensation and former UFC superfight champion headline a card that featured Jake Shields, Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson. 

Instead, Shamrock infamously suffered a cut, and Seth Petruzelli stepped up to fight Slice on the shortest possible notice. It didn't end well for Slice. The Silverback scored the win of his career with a TKO victory in just 14 seconds. 

EliteXC shut down operations a little over a month later. 

Slice moved on to the UFC, where an unsuccessful run on The Ultimate Fighter led to a 1-1 run in the organization. He was cut in 2010 and moved on to professional boxing. Shamrock went on to fight in smaller promotions until 2010. 

Both will return to the cage to headline the event. But Bellator CEO Scott Coker isn't just putting on a one-fight card. The event will also feature a featherweight title fight as Patricio "Pitbull" Freire looks to defend his belt against Daniel Weichel. 

Here's a look at the complete fight card and predictions for the biggest bouts. 

Bobby Lashley vs. Dan Charles

Bellator 138 was supposed to be Bobby Lashley's shot at redemption. The former WWE star was set to avenge one of the two blemishes on his 12-2 professional MMA record against James Thompson. Unfortunately, Thompson was forced out of the bout just a little over a week before the bout, per MMAjunkie.

In his stead will be a relatively unknown commodity in Dan Charles. Don't mistake unknown for non-threatening, though. If Petruzelli-Slice taught us anything, it's that the fighter who is "supposed" to win doesn't always win. 

Charles comes in at 2-0 in Bellator, with both wins coming in 2014. Seven of his nine wins have come by way of either (T)KO or submission. 

Lashley still should be the favorite here. Lost in the out-of-the-cage fame that comes with his pro wrestling career is the fact that the 6'3" 241-pound behemoth was a former four-time NAIA All-American wrestler. That ability should negate the chances of a stunning upset from Charles. 

Lashley has won four of his last five fights by submission. That's a trend that should continue here. 

Lashley by second-round submission. 

Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Weichel

Truth be told, Patricio Freire is the most talented fighter on the Bellator 138 card. At least, up to this point. Daniel Weichel's road to this championship opportunity makes him one of the hottest fighters in the organization. 

Like Charles, Weichel is actually taking this fight on short notice. Georgi Karakhanyan was originally slated to challenge for the belt, but an ACL injury took him out of the event, according to Brian Martin of the Los Angeles Daily News. 

Unlike Charles, Weichel might be a more viable threat than the man he replaced. The 30-year-old German is enjoying a seven-fight win streak and is unbeaten in his four Bellator bouts. With 21 submissions to his name, this fight could get interesting if it hits the ground. 

Freire isn't going to let that limit his approach to the fight, though. "He’s got a good submission game, but I haven’t seen him submit any really good guys on the ground,” Freire said via Mike Sloan of Sherdog. “I respect his ground game, but I accept the challenge to fight him on the ground. I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu since I was a kid and I have no problem going on the ground with him. I’m pretty sure I’m able to submit him."

That makes for some good pre-fight fodder, but it's not likely that's the way this one plays out. Freire is a dynamic striker with knockout power. Expect him to use that to make sure Weichel struggles to get close enough to get this to the mat. 

Freire by third-round TKO.

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice

Short of a brawl breaking out in a nursing home, this is about as old a matchup as you'll see. Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics put some context to the age and layoff for each of the combatants heading into this fight:

Randy Couture versus Mark Coleman had a combined age of 91.7 years. Kimbo Slice vs Ken Shamrock will be 92.7 years. #Bellator138

— Fightnomics Reed (@Fightnomics) June 15, 2015

Fun Fact: the combined layoff of Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice from MMA competition is 3,535 days, or 9.7 years. #Bellator138

— Fightnomics Reed (@Fightnomics) June 11, 2015

Neither have competed in MMA since 2010, but Slice continued boxing professionally until 2013. He showcased the power that made him an Internet star with a 7-0 (6 KO) run from 2011-2013. However, watching his last bout against Shane Tilyard, concerns about his striking defense still exist. 

He ultimately won by knockout in the second round thanks to a hook to the body—but not before getting hit cleanly multiple times in the first and second rounds. 

Now, he'll take on a fighter in Shamrock who might be 51 years old but appears to still be in a bit better shape than Tilyard. Shamrock posted this picture via Twitter:

Tonight's training was great. Ready for this fight. pic.twitter.com/as0qoHuQ7S

— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) June 9, 2015

Oddsmakers must see Slice's more recent activity as a plus. According to Odds Shark, the 41-year-old Slice opened up as a 10-39 (-390) favorite, but he has since moved to 5-13 (-260). For those unfamiliar with the way lines work, movement toward the underdog usually means the action favored the underdog. 

That movement might be thanks to those who are looking at this from a purely stylistic standpoint. For all the power Kimbo might have in the stand-up department, his ground game has been troublesome, to say the least. 

As one of the originators of ground-and-pound in MMA, it's an area he believes he can expose:

But I can guarantee come June 19th I will blast Kimbo with hands &feet then I will take him down & pumple him into a bloody pulp (TRUTH)

— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) May 3, 2015

When fighters haven't fought for a combined decade, it's hard to tell what's going to happen. When they're almost a combined 100 years old, it's that much more difficult. 

Every result is on the table. From Slice pulling his own version of Petruzelli's 14-second knockout to history repeating itself all over again. Still, it's wise to take the more complete MMA fighter in a matchup like this one. 

Shamrock by first-round submission.