Dave Meltzer at Yahoo! Sports had a small article in the MMA Experts section going over the potential no-go of the famed "Blood Brothers" fight between Ken and Frank Shamrock. The key quote involves the possibility of the financial backers bailing out of the event after seeing Ken be dismantled by Robert "Buzz" Berry:

But the financial backers for a proposed early 2009 fight have gotten very concerned in recent days after Ken lost on March 8 night to the unheralded Robert "Buzz" Berry in London.
 
Frank noted they would have paid Ken not to fight, but Ken was confident going in that he was at little risk in taking the fight.  In doing so, he has put the value of the much bigger fight at risk.  Frank feels the type of casual sports fan that would be intrigued by the "Blood Brothers" promotion due to the story isn't likely to have seen Ken's most recent fight.
 
Shamrock also talked with Tito Ortiz, whose UFC contract ends after his May 24 fight, about having a rematch in late 2009 as the ten year anniversary of their original match.

The simple fact is that this fight is likely not going to happen. Financial backers, as many hardcore fans know, have been the detrimental part of causing an event not to happen. Once the money is gone, the fight isn't going to happen.

Dave's article points at the obvious problem with the recent events in Ken's career. Ken's glass chin has suddenly become a killing blow to his selling power and potential of providing a decent battle. We saw Phil Baroni's stock drop this last weekend at ICON Sport as well. It isn't unusual for these guys who are hitting the later years in their career to have these problems when the sport that they are participating in is very strenuous to their bodies. For that reason alone, Ken will likely see the same results in more of his fights if he continues his career.

Frank, on the other hand, is a different case. With the age brings more awareness that his MMA skills may be lacking in certain areas, but he counters those problems with training, selectiveness in opponents, and smart gameplans. Fans look down on Frank's selectiveness, but he still manages to make a small fortune with the fights he has taken and still stands to make more in the future. Frank also has one piece of the game that Ken completely neglects, the ground game. It allows Frank to avoid damage and take less of a beating. It likely contributes to the fact that he's more successful these days than Frank as well.

With that said, Ken vs. Frank is not only a lopsided matchup in my mind, but it'll probably result in a disappointing outcome to fans looking for a war between brothers. Casual sports fans may not know what happened to Ken, but as Adam Morgan stated "hardcore fans know better than that". It will hurt the buyrates.

So, open the door for Tito Ortiz vs. Frank Shamrock. Not only are Tito and Frank both smart promoters of their own fights, but they will likely create a war of words in order to really get the fight the hype it deserves. Sorry Ken, you really screwed up this time.

Ken had a sad gameplan of trying to stand with a larger Berry who had longer reach. It's unfortunate to see a legend like Ken Shamrock continually go down like this.

ProElite's British acquisition, Cage Rage, kicked off another event in England on Saturday evening that featured the return of Ken Shamrock to the cage. The card also featured bouts between Jean “White Bear” Silva and leglock specialist Masakazu Imanari, UK heavyweights Neil Grove and Rob Broughton, and a US vs. Britain showdown between Tom Watson and Pierre Guillet. The main event card had some lackluster moments, but the preliminary bouts provided some excitement for the crowd to get amped up. Surprisingly, Wembley Arena sold out for this event, and it looks like the British mixed martial arts scene is continuing to grow. Let's look at the action from today's event.

Shamrock's nonexistent gameplan causes embarrassment

For Ken Shamrock, this was to be his comeback fight. After losing his last five bouts and losing eight in his last ten fights, Shamrock was taking on a relatively weak chinned fighter in Robert Berry. The plan was for Shamrock to defeat Berry and move on to potentially take on Kimbo Slice on a CBS-EliteXC MMA show. Unfortunately, Shamrock's return was spoiled by the heavy hands of “Buzz” Berry.

Berry and Shamrock stood toe-to-toe for most of the fight, but Shamrock took a hard strike to the temple that immediately dropped him like a tree. Berry's size was a significant factor in the battle as Shamrock had problems trying to take down the larger Berry. His reach also provided enough range to keep Ken outside while he peppered him with shots.

The critical flaw in Shamrock's gameplan was exactly that... his gameplan. Ken's primary weapon in the past has been his ability to submit opponents with devastating leg locks, but his primary focus has moved away from that recently. That type of gameplan hasn't been successful for Ken, and it will continue to plague him with embarrassment if he doesn't realize the flaw.

Imanari finishes Silva quickly

Masakazu Imanari has remained relatively unknown to the casual fanbase for most of his career. While holding both the Cage Rage and DEEP titles and maintaining a top 10 ranking in the Featherweight division throughout the world, Imanari has quietly and consistently defeated mid-echelon talent. Saturday night at Wembley Arena was no different.

Imanari worked his signature heel hook submission on Jean Silva at only 2:30 in the first round. Silva was edging out Imanari early in the standup department, but Imanari pulled Silva into the leg lock position as Silva tried to work a ground and pound game. After a few attempts by Imanari to secure the lock and Silva rolling out of the hold, Imanari sunk in the heel hook and visibly hurt Silva's leg to end the fight. Silva had to be escorted out of the ring and eventually left the arena on a stretcher.

Other action

ProElite's British mixed martial arts promotion will hold another installment of their Cage Rage series from London, England on Saturday. The event will feature the return of Ken “The World's Most Dangerous Man” Shamrock to the cage against Robert Berry. Berry is best known for his recent performance against Neil Grove in which he lost after outstriking Neil Grove throughout the first round of their matchup. Berry stated recently that a horrible head cold forced him to stop fighting during the fight. In a higher profile lightweight matchup, Masakazu Imanari, arguably a top 10 featherweight, will take on Cage Rage veteran Jean “White Bear” Silva. Check out our brief preview and predictions below.

Main Event: Ken Shamrock vs. Robert “Buzz” Berry

Shamrock will enter this bout well past his prime and coming off some huge losses to Tito Ortiz in his last bouts in the UFC. Can he overcome age and the progression of MMA's styles over the years to defeat Berry? It's quite possible considering the fact that British MMA has yet to really break the mold of being one-dimensional. Robert Berry certainly doesn't break that mold.

Berry comes into the bout at 11-7. It's a bit deceptive considering his bout with undefeated heavyweight Neil Grove in his last performance was fairly impressive for the one round that it lasted. Grove went on to win when Berry gave up at the end of round 1, and earlier this week admitted to having a severe head cold that rendered him unable to continue. Despite the loss, Berry has some big power and size that he can throw around against Shamrock. Does he have enough to actually push Ken to the limit?

I don't believe he does. He's still reckless in his striking, and Ken's submission wrestling should be able to take care of Berry quickly. The only real question that can be asked is whether Ken will actually try to go for the submission early, or try to stand with Berry's proven chin. Look for Shamrock to try to test Berry's chin and get the TKO victory early.

Leland's Prediction: Ken Shamrock via TKO, Round 1

Masakazu Imanari vs. Jean Silva

Imanari is no slouch to fighting top competition. Mainly a featherweight fighter, he's currently ranked fifth in the world on the Sherdog.com rankings. He will defend his Cage Rage title on Saturday, and may soon have to defend his current DEEP title as well.

Imanari's skills are more than enough to keep him on top in both promotions. His leg locks are renowned as being his primary skill to defeat opponents. Toe holds, leg locks, heel hooks... Imanari is no stranger to the submission game. Undoubtedly, the ground will be where this fight is won and lost.

Silva is also a submission specialist who trains out of Chute Box in Brazil. As a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, Silva's primary skills revolve around choking opponents out. His striking is average, but he does possess some power to put opponents out. Silva has, however, fallen on some tough times, running 2-2 in his last four fights.  Imanari's skill could prove to be too much for Silva. I'm going to go with Imanari's submission game to prevail over Silva's jiu-jitsu. Silva hasn't been as impressive lately, and Imanari's record of facing competent competition should give him an experience edge as well.

Leland's Prediction: Masakazu Imanari via submission, Round 2

Quick Hits
Gary Turner vs. Mustaph al Turk: I'm going to actually pick Mustaph al Turk in this fight for a couple of reasons. Turner is a converted kickboxer who really hasn't fought tough competition. Most of his opponents have tried to stand with him and paid for it. Turk, on the other hand, has fought some decent competition in Mark Kerr and Tengiz Tedoradze. He has a punishing ground and pound that I believe could overwhelm Turner. Nonetheless, I'll take Turner due to his striking abilities. Turner via decision

Pierre Guillet vs. Tom Watson: I'm going with Guillet's experience and submission game over Watson's standup striking pedigree. Guillet has had a rough time within the last year of competition, but Watson is a green fighter who is susceptible to the submission. Long shot pick. Guillet via submission, Round 2

Ivan Serati vs. Roman Webber: Serati will be my pick here. I was a bit surprised with his performance over Lee Hasdell. He wasn't as lackluster as I've seen from him in previous fights, and his takedowns and ground and pound looked to have improved. Webber is much of the same type of fighter as Serati, but Serati has a bit more experience on his side. Serati via TKO, Round 2

Neil Grove vs. Rob Broughton: Although Grove was being beaten by Berry in their matchup until Berry threw the towel in, Grove still has shown some devastating striking early in each fight. Broughton shows nearly the same set of skills as Grove in all of his fights. The only difference is the experience of Broughton that has given him 3 losses to his record. Grove will have to watch for the takedowns from Broughton, and Broughton will have to shake off the ring rust after sitting since February of last year. I'll take Grove due to his activity, and big knockout power early. Grove via TKO/KO, Round 1

Aysen Berik vs. Aisling Daly: The beautiful Aysen Berik will take on the 2-0 Aisling Daly. From viewing some of the training tape on Berik, she didn't look too impressive. Daly will have a distinct advantage in having actual MMA experience, but Aysen will be able to get some training from her brother, Sami “The Hun” Berik. I'm going with the experienced Daly. Daly via TKO, Round 2

Ryan Shamrock vs. Giorgio Andrews: I'm not really sure what to believe in this one. Ryan was impressive in his pro debut with a quick choke submission win, but Giorgio has put away two opponents with relative ease as well. Shamrock's first MMA bout was impressive though, and his body control was surprising. He avoided shots, had an excellent slam to put his opponent to the floor, and was actively trying to submit his opponent. Shamrock via submission, Round 2

John Hathaway vs. Marvin Arnold Bleau: Hathaway should be able to pound Bleau out in this one. Bleau is very susceptible to ground and pound, and Hathaway can dish it out. At 6-0, I think Hathaway will extend his undefeated streak in the Middleweight division. Hathaway via TKO, Round 1

Jake Bostwick vs. John Phillips: Bostwick has been a punching bag to nearly everyone he has faced, and Phillips will be no different. Phillips has big power, and should end it in the first round quickly. Phillips via TKO/KO, Round 1

Michael Johnson vs. Henrique Santana: This is a pure pick'em for me. I haven't had the chance to see either fight, but Santana seems to be less susceptible to submission, and that's where Johnson excels and has weaknesses. I'll pick Santana to choke out Johnson. Santana via submission, Round 1