Life Beyond the Fight

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he company's official title is Bellator MMA -- but it's known for blurring the line on what exactly constitutes mixed martial arts.

That much will be clear on Friday, during Bellator's "tent-pole" nationally televised event at Toyota Center in Houston. Bellator 149 will feature two former legends (now with a combined age of 101), an Internet backyard-brawling sensation turned pro fighter and ... well, a Dada 5000.

MMA founding fathers Royce Gracie, 49, and Ken Shamrock, 52, will meet in Friday's main event. Gracie hasn't fought since 2007. Shamrock came out of a five-year retirement last year. It will mark the third time they have shared a cage, as they squared off at UFC 1 in 1993 and again at UFC 5 in 1995. To this day, Shamrock remains bitter about his 0-1-1 record in those meetings.

In the co-main, Kimbo Slice, 42, will meet Dhafir "Dada 5000" Harris, 38, a former high school friend turned foe who claims he should have received a similar level of notoriety as Slice -- but was held back by the same management group that built up Slice.

Whether you consider these contests professional MMA or not, they fit the Bellator business model: Give viewers something they want to watch.

When Scott Coker accepted the role of president at Bellator MMA in 2014, he remembers shortly after asking his son if he intended to watch an MMA event over the weekend. His son answered that he was over MMA. There were no names left. Coker asked, "Who would you want to see fight?" The answer wasn't anyone ranked in the top 10 of his weight class. It was Kimbo Slice.

Nearly two years later, Coker is giving his son -- and the casual viewing audience he represents -- what he wants. And the four men involved are more than happy to be in the spotlight.

Three of the four fighters featured on Friday's card, with an average age of 46, agreed to let ESPN cameras follow them around for the day on Feb. 10, just nine days before Bellator 149. The result is a behind-the-scenes look at the path each fighter has taken in order to prepare for one more shot at glory.

9:26 a.m.

Dallas, TX