The Triangle Choke: Frank Shamrock Interview

The story reads like a Hallmark Channel Original, perhaps an ABC special event or possibly even a HBO documentary, similar even to the mythical icon Rocky Balboa; Kid from the Streets-Fighting Legend. There is no doubt the story, if produced, would seem fictitious, over the top, farfetched but amazingly enough, it is true. In fact, the story is much larger than just making it as a pro fighter; the lead character isn’t just a MMA Legend, he is an incredible businessman who makes an impact on people. A self-described ward of the state at an early age, Frank Shamrock overcame obstacles most people cannot even begin to relate with let alone survive and climb to the heights of his/her profession. Through it all, he keeps pushing. Now, after victories over the best of the best, possibly his biggest challenge awaits. In the Strikeforce event on April 11th, live on Showtime, at the age of 36 and without a fight in over a year, Shamrock will battle the always dangerous 25 year old Nick Diaz in Strikeforce’s main event. As the fight approaches, Frank took some time to answer some questions and share a piece of his incredible story.

TTC- Hey Frank, I hope things are going well. Many fans aren’t familiar with your struggles growing up and how you got started in MMA. Explain your journey.

FS- Doing well thanks. Sure, I would love to explain. I was a ward of the state by the time I was 12 which was certainly a unique experience. I was in group homes and foster homes and all that. I started doing MMA when I was 22 years old. I won my first World Title when I was 23. I just kept going.

TTC- You were adopted by Mr. Shamrock, both you and Ken in fact, tell me about that.

FS- I was in Bob Shamrock’s group home. I was 13 years old when I got there. We always kept contact. He was one of the guys who supported me throughout my career through good and bad. I started fighting in 1994. He adopted me shortly thereafter. It became official in 1995. I became his son. Only Ken and I were adopted by Bob.

TTC- How did you acquire your MMA skills so quickly? Was it the streets or did it come naturally?

FS- I wasn’t much of a street fighter. I didn’t really enjoy street fighting. I did like to compete and challenge myself. I started grappling arts as a submission wrestler trained by my brother Ken and in Japan as well. My style evolved as I got older. Now I’m known as a striker which certainly wasn’t my background.

Photo courtesy of Strikeforce.

TTC- You have won Pancrase tournaments which is a major accomplishment, speak on that event and what it meant for your career.

FS- Pancrase was cool. It was my first real MMA experiment which was pretty crazy. It was wild. We didn’t know a lot about the arts, a lot of trial and error. There was great competition. A lot of the old stars came through Pancrase. It was great because I didn’t really know anything about Mixed Martial Arts. I turned pro in about 8 months and the next thing you know I had a fight booked.

TTC- Not only has your career evolved, you as a businessman has as well. Explain your MMA gyms and how you took that to another level with Law Enforcement training.

FS- Its been a passion of mine. I like to teach. I always knew I would be a teacher of some sort. Learning the arts through teaching was a big thing for me. In recent years we started licensing the Shamrock MMA program which has been going about 15 years steady. We have 3 official schools and we have 38 other affiliate schools. We are looking to expand that as much as possible. I think Martial Arts is a great way to grow up and live your life. Regarding Law Enforcement, a few students were Law Enforcement officers who were inquiring about techniques they could apply on the street. So we created a program specifically for them. This program has been very successful. We started it in 1996. We have instructors and officers training all over the world. It’s a great thing to do. I always did it more for charity than for the financial side. In recent years its created some nice revenue for us.

TTC- Moving on to the Strikeforce organization, they were very successful operating in a niche with the NBC. They are one of UFC’s few competitors to hang in there. What are your thoughts on Strikeforce going forward especially with the new Showtime contract?

FS- I think the potential is unlimited. I think the business model is very different than everyone else out there. Essentially, MMA has been a Pay-per-view sport. Now, its turning into a main stream television sport which is where it needs to be to be successful. Strikeforce has been a television production company for a very long time, for 23 years Scott Coker has had the Strikeforce brand in play. He is an honest businessman, successful promoter; moreover he is a martial artist and understands the needs and desires of cards. I think their potential is truly unlimited. This is just the beginning of them changing the sport.

TTC- You do a great job as a ring side announcer. Down the road, do you see yourself being an announcer exclusively or still training as well?

FS- I think doing both. I think that is just a natural progression for me. To be teaching, presenting and speaking the Martial Arts it’s a part of what I do. I would definitely like to continue the career. I’m now the official Showtime commentator as that continues on. When CBS comes back aboard, I really believe they will, hopefully I will be the CBS commentator.

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TTC- Its hard to beat the combination of you and Gus Johnson. That is a ton of enthusiasm at one table!

FS- Yeah! He is really good, a real pro. I just hope to someday be as good as he is.

TTC- Yes, he is fun to listen to, great at announcing college basketball as well.

FS- I like to play the game but he is a real pro. He knows how to talk about it, sell it, he is the real deal.

TTC- Now, we get to the big fight between you and Nick Diaz. Explain the history between you and Diaz.

FS- It all started in 2005. We had the first MMA sanctioned match in the state of California. I fought Cesar Gracie who was the Diaz brother’s coach. Cesar challenged me and it was very heated. It turned into a Northern California feud. It ended very quickly as I knocked him out in 21 seconds. Nick was pretty upset. He came out and made some statements and challenges and now he has to back them up.

TTC- You have been waiting for this fight for a good while. When the Strikeforce deal was announced you immediately called out Diaz. It should be a great match up. How do you see the fight playing out stylistically?

FS- Stylistically I think it is a tough fight for me. He is a tall, lanky guy. I’ve never been good with the tall skinny guys with reach. I would like to keep it standing up, turn it into a boxing/kickboxing match. I think I have a big advantage there. He is very dangerous on the ground. He is a jiu-jitsu black belt. It’s a big challenge for me and I like that. That is what I need to keep me going.

TTC- Do you think the catch weight of 179 lbs (normally fights at 185) will affect you at all?

FS- I don’t think so. I was 187lbs this morning. I’m probably 3lbs lighter than I fought at my whole career. I don’t think most people realize I’m not that big of a dude. I’m a regular framed guy. I fought Tito Ortiz at 190lbs. I fought all of these guys at 190. I look big and have good structure. Now, I’m finally down fighting people at my own weight.

TTC- After this fight, win or lose, do you see more fights in your future?

FS- Yeah, I want to keep fighting. In some ways this is a resurgence for me. I kind of lost my way as the sport was changing. I didn’t know if it was going to change the right way. The phones are still ringing. They are still calling me to headline shows. I’m just blessed that at 36 yrs old I’m still being called for main events. I want to do 2-3 fights per year for about 9 more years then I’ll find something else to do.

We ended the interview with Frank’s prediction on the co-main event between Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez. I picked Thomson to win, Shamrock picked Melendez. Since the interview, Thomson has broken a bone in his leg and is out of the event. As of press time, Strikeforce is still looking for a replacement.

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Editor-in-Chief

Frank Shamrock photo courtesy of Strikeforce®