Today MMA pioneers Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock will fight for a third time, the first bout between them since the 1990’s.
Much has evolved since the early days of the sport with the elimination of the Gi being all but universal. But there’s no place like Texas, the governing jurisdiction for this bout, and their unique combative sports administrative rules still allow the Gi.
Specifically Rule 61.111(e) reads as follows –
Contestants may wear shorts, trunks, wrestling singlet, or traditional martial arts Gi, unless otherwise instructed by the Executive Director. Knee braces without metal are permissible. Contestants may not wear shoes of any kind during competition. A male contestant may not wear a shirt during competition.
But don’t expect a throwback to the 1990’s look for Gracie, despite Texas’ unique rules John Morgan reports that Gracie has apparently elected to not don the Gi.