Ken Shamrock wants Royce Gracie fight in Brazil but can it actually happen?

via en.susumug.com

The way the UFC 134: "Rio" fight card is stacking up, it might as well be called "old rivalries."
That's because the main event (Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami) and co-main event (Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin) feature rematches of long ago fights in hopes of rehashing -- and cashing in on -- a couple of shocking and surprising finishes.
But will they add yet another in the form of an "ancient rivalry?" Ken Shamrock really wants them to:

"That fight, Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock, should happen. The fans want it, I want it, Royce wants it, Brazil wants it. ... They're not going to let that fight happen. And there's no doubt in my mind and anybody else would tell you, if this fight was to happen, this would be the biggest pay-per-view to date. But they will not let that happen. They would have to swallow their egos for that to happen and these guys have got too big of egos to let that happen."

Not that fans have been shouting from the rooftops to make this trilogy fight a reality but it's hard to argue with the logic here (other than the pay-per-view numbers).
If there's any fight for Gracie or Shamrock in the UFC, it would most certainly be against each other. But is it even a possibility?
Royce recently went on the C and O Show to explain that while he's ready to get back to snapping necks and cashing checks, it probably won't be against old Kenneth:

"I'm just keeping the sword sharp and clean. Brazil is where the whole thing started, with my father and my family. First time back in 12 years, so it's a big deal for us. I don't think that (fight against Ken Shamrock) would happen because the boxing commission today, the way the show happens, you have to fight in the (same) weight division. I'm 178-180 and Ken Shamrock is about 220-230. I don't think that would happen."

When Gracie and Shamrock first met back at the inaugural UFC event in Denver, Colorado on Nov. 12, 1993, weight was never a consideration. It was simply skill vs. skill and let the best man win.
On that night, the best man was Gracie, the way it always seemed to be.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu came to fame this way, with Royce winning every single one of his UFC fights by way of submission except one -- a draw at UFC 5 in his rematch with Shamrock.
That fight occurred in 1995, in an entirely different MMA world. Would fight fans still care to tune into a bout pitting two pioneers of the sport against each other in the conclusion of their rivalry?
And is Shamrock batty to think the event would break pay-per-view records? Most likely ... but would you at least pay to see it?