MMA Hall of Fame: Ken Shamrock
MMA Record: 22-9-2
Ken Shamrock will always be associated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the role that he played when the organization pitted style vs. style against each other in the early stages of American MMA. Shamrock, listed as a shoot fighter, burst onto the mixed martial arts scene after developing a rivalry with the legendary Royce Gracie.
The Shamrock/Gracie rivalry can be traced back to November 1993 when the UFC held their first event, “The Beginning,” in Denver, Colorado. Shamrock easily defeated kickboxer Patrick Smith in the 1st round to advance to the quarterfinals where he faced Gracie. Gracie continued to shock fans and viewers with an upset submission victory over Shamrock a little over a minute in.
Shamrock’s first career loss helped him realize that he needed to be a well-rounded fighter instead of having just one specialty area. The loss also proved to be important in the development of his career. Shamrock lost only twice over his next fifteen bouts, defeating legends such as Bas Rutten and Maurice Smith and Japanese notables Masakatsu Funaki and Manabu Yamada. His 13-2 stretch from December 1993 through March 1995 helped set up the highly-anticipated rematch between Gracie and the much-improved Shamrock.
The bout went back and forth as Shamrock got the best of the stand-up but also proved that he was capable of escaping and defending against Gracie’s submissions. The 36-minute UFC 5 bout resulted in a draw due to the contest not having judges, however many considered Shamrock the winner based on his domination throughout.
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Over the next year and a half, Shamrock bounced around between the UFC and Pancrase (Japan). He won the UFC Superfight Title (later changed to UFC Heavyweight Title) with a victory over Dan Severn at UFC 6 after a 1st round submission finished the former champ. He defended his belt twice before losing it back to Severn at UFC 9 when the judges awarded him a split decision victory.
He was also a popular figure in Japan where he fought not only for Pancrase but also for PRIDE FC. Although he won only once in four PRIDE bouts, his fights were considered a success for his fast-paced action and the aggressiveness he brought to the ring.
Shamrock returned to the UFC in November 2002 at UFC 40 against Tito Ortiz for the Light-Heavyweight Title. The bout was hard-fought on both sides but Ortiz was declared the victor after Shamrock’s corner threw in the towel at the start of the 3rd round. Shamrock looked considerably slower in his loss to Ortiz, however continued on with his career splitting a pair of bouts soon after. He defeated Kimo Leopaldo at UFC 48 and then suffered a 1st round TKO to Rich Franklin at The Ultimate Fighter Finale before taking on the next chapter of his career.
Shamrock was also known in the early days of MMA as having one of the best training camps in the sport. At the Lion’s Den, Shamrock worked his fighters to be complete; competent on their feet, on the ground and with their conditioning. With that in mind, UFC President Dana White named Shamrock a coach on the third season of the successful fight TV series The Ultimate Fighter. Shamrock was not viewed in the best light as a coach on the show as many thought that he was only concerned with what came at the conclusion of the season – a rematch with opposite coach, Tito Ortiz.
In July of 2007 at the conclusion of TUF 3, Shamrock and Ortiz squared off in a rematch. UFC 61 “Bitter Rivals” was built as one of the most hyped cards in the history of the organization. The fight didn’t live up to the hype as Ortiz stopped Shamrock with elbows for the TKO at the 1:18 marker in the 1st round.
Shamrock disagreed with the stoppage and pleaded for one more shot at Ortiz. White obliged him and put the fight on Spike TV for free in October 2006. Ortiz handled Shamrock for the third time, this time ending in a KO at the 2:33 mark of the 1st round and leaving no doubts.
The third loss to Ortiz ended his career in the UFC but did little to tarnish his importance in the history of MMA. He helped shape the UFC and MMA into what we know it as today. He showed future fighters that one style of fighting wouldn’t make it in MMA. He also demonstrated the determination, aggressiveness and conditioning that is needed to succeed in MMA and the sport will forever in debt to “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.”
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer
Published February 2010