Ken Shamrock on Kimbo Slice fight at Bellator 138: 'We both are out of our prime'

Bellator MMA brass knew there would be major criticisms once they announced the scheduled Bellator 138 main event heavyweight battle between Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hall-of-famer Ken Shamrock and YouTube sensation-turned-MMA star Kimbo Slice.

But they also knew the two men would bring major viewership numbers to Spike TV for the June 20, 2015 showdown at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, so who can blame them?

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Shamrock acknowledged the criticisms, but noted that he is taking this fight with Slice in order to put on a show for the fans.

His words:

"I'm not looking to be a contender. I'm not looking to do anything other than have fun and be able to take fights that are entertaining to me and that are marketable and entertaining to the fans. To me, if those things line up, then I'm gonna do it. This happened to be one of them that kind of fell in my lap, so I said let's do this."

Even though "The World's Most Dangerous Man" has not competed in mixed martial arts (MMA) for four years -- at one point even working security detail for rapper 50 Cent -- Shamrock believes he is better than he was a decade ago, even if he admits he is past his prime.

"We both are out of our prime. I'm doing this because I love it. I want to get in there and fight. I feel great. I believe that I could put on a great show and I believe that I'm better than I was 15 years ago."

Does anyone expect Slice vs Shamrock to be a great show for Bellator MMA, or simply a sad showcase of a fight that maybe should not have happened the first time around way back at EliteXC: Heat in 2008?

Either way, the two old men can expect a nice payday come June.