In 2018, it’s hard to call any fighter’s career over. 

Whispers (or shouts) of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz renewing their rivalry have started. It appears Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Wanderlei Silva are about to throw down again. There’s just no telling if anybody is capable of staying retired. 

Count Ken Shamrock in on that grouping too. 

Even though he considers himself done, there is still one bout he has actively sought out. In an interview with the Top Turtle MMA Podcast on FloCombat, he talked about that fight and the likelihood of seeing it. 

“The only fight that I tried to get, that I wanted to get, was the Royce Gracie fight,” Shamrock said. 

Shamrock and Gracie most famously squared off in the semifinals of UFC 1 almost 25 years ago, where Gracie won via rear-naked choke.

More recently, they fought as the main event of Bellator 149, a fight which Gracie won again—this time via TKO. However, the method of the finish is what leaves Shamrock looking for more. 

“The way that it ended wasn’t fair to the fans or myself,” Shamrock said. 

An inadvertent low blow from Gracie put Shamrock in a compromising position and forced the referee to step in and stop the fight. While Shamrock doesn’t hold ill will against Gracie or the referee for the action, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to finish what he started over two decades ago. 

“I really just wanted to finish that rivalry between me and Royce,” he said. 

But despite the fact that Shamrock stays in shape year round, he doesn’t expect the fight to materialize. 

“That fight is not going to happen because Royce Gracie won’t take that fight,” he said. 

While there are other veteran names of interest to him, Shamrock knows he has already achieved enough in this sport, and he’s ultimately not looking to add any more to that. 

“I’m not looking to rebuild what I’ve already built,” Shamrock said. 

So you can count him in the ranks of the retired… for now.