EliteXC Signs Ken and Ryan Shamrock

Elite XC announced on Monday that the company has signed UFC and Pride FC legend Ken Shamrock and his son Ryan to multi-fight deals. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

Both Ken and Ryan will fight on the upcoming March 8 Cage Rage event at Wembley Arena in London.

"I am totally committed to returning to the cage injury free and anxious about fighting in London for the first time," said Ken. "It is very exciting for both Ryan and I. We will be making MMA history by being the first father and son to ever fight on the same card."

"This is a great opportunity we are getting with EliteXC. Give me a fight or 2 and I'll be ready to fight anybody."

Ryan Shamrock is 1-0 and fights at 135 pounds. His father Ken is regarded as a pioneer of the sport and competed on the first ever UFC card. He is a current IFC coach and got locked in a bit of a legal tussle with Dana White regarding his contract. Shamrock says he still had fights left on his current UFC contract but Dana White let him go, apparently due to Shamrock taking a job to coach the IFL. White says Shamrock simply wasn't competitive anymore and felt his last couple performances were embarrassing.

White went on to talk about how any time Shamrock needed money he would call Dana White. White would somehow market the UFC vet, Shamrock would make a few bucks, then bolt. Who knows the real story, this is how Dana White sees it. He is correct in that Shamrock's best days are way behind him. Not everyone is a Randy Couture and can fight at that age.

EliteXC might find that out the hard way but it's going to be a great marketing strategy for selling tickets.