Bout possible with Frank Shamrock, Pat Miletich says
Two fighters who were pioneering titleholders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's earlier days could face each other in Strikeforce, one of them says.
Pat Miletich told Five Ounces of Pain that he and Frank Shamrock have agreed in principle to face other, but the details remain a sticking point in negotiations. Miletich and Shamrock, now broadcasters for Strikeforce, were UFC's first champions of the divisions now called welterweight and light heavyweight.
Miletich blamed Shamrock for holding up the fight.
"For whatever reason, I think he's having trouble pulling the trigger," Miletich told Five Ounces. "He may be nervous about getting slapped around, but that's the way it sits right now. ... I think he knows what is most likely going to happen. We've rolled before so I have a sense for what he's got. Obviously I've watched him fight for years and he's a talented guy, but I don't think he has anything to hurt me with. Maybe he knows that."
Both men have fought at middleweight in recent years, fighting sporadically. Miletich competed three times since 2001, going 1-2. Shamrock over the same period has had seven bouts, losing three of he last four.
At the turn of the century, Miletich and Shamrock were among the five best MMA fighters in the world at any weight. Along with Bas Rutten, Miletich and Shamrock blended sharp striking, submission grappling and a high level of physical conditioning to pave the way for the "well-rounded" model held up as the standard for today's fighters.
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