HOUSTON – Twenty-three years after they first stepped into a cage, Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock hoped to settle a score – and maybe pad their retirement accounts. Instead, they met controversy.

An errant knee to Shamrock’s (28-17-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) groin – discernible only upon video replay – set up an early TKO for Gracie (15-2-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and brought a sour end to an event already going downhill fast.

The light heavyweight bout was the main event of the Spike broadcast card from Toyota Center in Houston following preliminary bouts on MMAjunkie.

The official end came at the 2:22 mark of the first round, handing the 49-year-old Gracie his first win since coming out of retirement after nine years away from the sport. Shamrock, 52, suffered his second loss in the Bellator cage after falling to Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson this past June.

After a laughably bad co-headliner between Slice and Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris, Shamrock and Gracie had the task of ending the night on a competitive note despite their advanced age and physical mileage. But early on in the action, their third meeting more resembled their second fight – a tactical stalemate in 1995 that ended in a draw – rather than their first, a quick submission win for Gracie at UFC 1.

Gracie took a similar tact from his first fight with Shamrock, kicking at his rival’s legs. Shamrock appeared hesitant to engage, and for good reason – when he closed the distance to punch, Gracie clinched him, appearing ready to nab a takedown.

It was that clinch position that produced the bout’s unfortunate end. Gracie’s knee to the groin was missed by referee Jacob Montalvo. But an ensuing knee, which landed on Shamrock’s temple, appeared to produce a knockdown. When Gracie flurried with a series of hammerfists, it appeared to be a TKO for the MMA forefather.

It was anything but.

Shamrock flew into a rage at the stoppage, berating Montalvo and then Gracie, who could only shrug his shoulders at the turn of events.

“I’m a fighter – I’m here to fight,” he said afterward.

After a commercial break to vent and then calm down, Shamrock expressed disappointment at the turn of events. He had hoped to put one win on his record, he said in promos, to complete his legacy. But he would have to wait – and it remains to be seen whether he’ll ever get the chance.

“I’m disappointed,” Shamrock said. “I came here to fight, and I was ready to go however long it went. Just disappointed. I don’t know what else to say. I got upset. I was wrong for getting upset, because it wasn’t Royce’s fault. I really wanted this.”

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 149 results include:

• Royce Gracie def. Ken Shamrock via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:22
• Kimbo Slice def. Dada 5000 via TKO (punches and exhaustion) – Round 3, 1:32
• Derek Campos def. Melvin Guillard via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:34
• Linton Vassell def. Emmanuel Newton via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
• Emmanuel Sanchez def. Daniel Pineda via split decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28)
• Isaac Villanueva def. Richard Knepp via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:42
• Jeremy Mahon def. Davis Sylvester via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:22
• Adrian Yanez def. Ryan Hollis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jason Langellier def. Anthony Ivy via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 2:09
• Justin Wren def. Juan Torres via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Mike Trinh def. Angel Zamora via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:49
• C.J. Hancock def. Ruben Esparsa submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:26
• Manny Lozoya def. Jacob Norsworthy via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:33

For more on Bellator 149, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.