The Greatness of Ken Shamrock

Felt like doing this and showing some of yall how good he really was in his prime.

The Greatness of Ken Shamrock

Virtually everybody on this ESPN board, reduardless of the sport selection knows the name Ken Shamrock. I will show you why, and some about his life.

Ken was abondoned as a child at 13 and lived in an abonded car at one point. He met Bob Goldberg who adopted many abondoned troubled youths . Turned Ken to wrestling and he went to Japan and was a professional wrestler right at the time that Masakatsu Funaki cooked up the idea of Pancrase and very similiar MMA rules, although no closed fist strikes were allowed. Funaki teaches Ken submissions and Kens pro MMA career begins Pancrase 1 Yes We Are Hybrid. Here is Kens prime.

Masakatsu Funaki - Ya Ken draws the man who CREATED PANCRASE 1993 in the first fight of the tournament. I guess master wanted to get protege out of their quick. Master taught Ken to well and Ken choked Funaki out in 6 minutes into the fight. Ken went 2-1 against Funaki in 3 years winning rubber match.

Tataka Fuke - tough guy Ken goes 2-0 vs him in second round of Pancrase and another Pancrase.

Ken was First King of Pancrase enters UFC 1 in 1993

Patrick Smith - you guys in the early UFC days alot of fights were good MMA fighter vs bum who the card made names for like the supposed 400 pound bone crushing man that Tank Aboott dam near knocked into coma. Patrick Smith wasn't one of those bums. he was a very tough kick boxer. Ken got him to the ground and introduced the American audience to the Heel Hook in under 2 minutes. Patrick smith didnt know what the hell was happening to him and tried twisting Kens toes to make him stop. This move was later outlawed.

Royce Gracie - I am serious, I have talked to Ken abouthis fight. He made a mistake, and after destroying Smith, got cocky and thought nobody in the tournament knew submissions and grappling in the tournament. BIG MISTAKE second round in the inagural UFC tournament best Match up you could ask for. Ken gets little Gracie on the ground and boom Gracie gets his side and chokes Ken out.

Ken is know 5-1

Minori Suzuki - A tough, tough Pancrase vet who Ken could never figure out. after Gracie loss Ken wins Pancrase first title after Gracie then loses first round the next tournament to Suzuki by an ironic heelhook. Ken goes 0-2 lifetime in 10 minutes with Suzuki both by leg submissions.

Bas Rutten - Ken wins 2 fights after losing to Suzuki then fights a great kickboxer/striker Bas Rutten, alot of MMA boards Number 1 P4P MMA Fighters Ever. Bas didnt know the ground like Ken. Ken got Bas to the ground and applied one of the nastiest and skillful submissions on file. Ken goes 2-0 vs Bas. Ken

Ken loses to master Funaki and then wins 2 fights in UFC 3 but learns Royce Gracie pulled out of his fight vs Ken, Ken is hurt as well and decides to pull out. Ken wins another Pancrase title

Maurice Smith - GREAT Kickboxer, Ken fights him in opening round of next Pancrase, Ken submits him in under 5 minutes. Ken goes 1-0 vs Smith, Smith and ken kind of go Apollo and Rocky and Ken helps train Smith to a UFC Heavyweight Title.

Manabu Yamada tough as it gets fighter, Ken goes 30 minutes and gets the decision and wins his second King Pancrase Title.

It is February 1995 and Ken Shamrock has been fighting for 2 years. Kens record is 18-3 and has ALREADY FOUGHT 6 ATG FIGHTERS A COMBINED 9 TIMES GOING 6-3 IN THE FIGHTS. Ken is set to fight Royce Gracie at UFC 5 for the first UFC SuperFight Championship which later became the UFC Heavyweight Title. Ken fights and beats ATG Bas Rutten for the second time a MONTH BEFORE FIGHTING GRACIE REMATCH.

Royce Gracie Rematch - Ken gets the 3 time UFC tournament Winner on the ground and is the first person to be effective in the Gracie Guard. Ken headbuts, punches, and elbows Gracies head, breaking Gracie's eye socket. The fight goes 30 minutes. 6 minute overtime Ken nails Gracie and Gracie pulls guard and gets headbutted and pot shotted the remainder of the time limit. THE ONLY 36 MINUTE UFC FIGHT EVER. no judges, so the fight is declared a draw. Gracie briefly retires and doesnt fight in the UFC for 7 years and everyone agrees had there been judges Ken would have won.

Dan Severn - UFC 6 hey, Gracies gone, well just have Ken fight the other toughest guy out there for the SuperFight Title. Severn, the first great wrestler of UFC won UFC 5 tournament and lost to Royce Gracie at UFC 4. Ken sprawls the great wrestler early and nearly rips his head off. Severn pops out of the choke and a minute later shoots and gets sprawled in a deep choke. He nut shots Ken and then taps. Ken is the first UFC SuperFight/ Heavyweight Champion.

Ken wins another Pancrase fight and then defends his title against his own Gym mate Oleg Taktarav, Ken won the title and coached Oleg Taktarav to the tournament win at UFC 6 amazing.

Oleg Taktarav - Oleg is a very, very under rated MMA great, you have seen him as Joeseph in Bad Boys 2 or "We Own The Night" he is the Russian who shoots Mark Wahlberg. He is a great guy and I saw him all the time during 1995-97, it is 1995 Oleg beat Tank Abbot in his third fight at UFC 6 and gets to fight Ken Shamrock for the SuperFight Title at UFC 7. The fight goes 33 minutes and is declared a Draw, Ken could have broken Oleg's ankle but didnt and it kind of irked Ken because he missed out on 30 grand for the Draw and not the Win.

Ken keeps his title.Wins 2 more Pancrase fights then.............

Kimo Leopoldo - Kimo is the man that made Royce Gracie go 3 for 4 in UFC tournaments first 4 events. Royce won, but Kimo banged him up so much Royce pulled out. After beating Dan severn this is the obvious new number 1 contendor for kens belt even though he did not win UFC 7 tournament. I am at this fight with my father ringside with kens brother Frank. Ken gets Kimo's leg and its over. Talked to Ken before this fight, he said it would be easy.

It is May 1996 UFC is on its 9th Show, Ken is UFC SuperFight Champion and 2-0-2 in SuperFight Title bouts.

Dan Severn Rematch - First UFC with Judges and couldnt have come at a worst time. Oh yeah its in Dan Severns hometown Detroit Michigan, Oh yeah Congress has outlawed punching and shooting in the town the fight is in. Oh yeah Ken is fighting on a basically torn ACL Ken cannot shoot for a takedown or punch. It is easily the worst big time UFC fight ever. Hometown Basketball player guest judge is the deciding Vote and Severn Wins a Split Decision.

Brian Johnston - Ken loses his title at UFC 9 and enters UFC Ultimate Ultimate 96 draws tough tough striker Brian Johnston , and destroys him but messes his ACL up again and pulls out of tournament.

Ken retires from MMA only 3 Years after starting to sign for much more money in the WWF. Kens Record is 23-5-2 and he has fought has fought 8 ATG greats 14 times going 8-4-2 verse them . Add in wins verse Johnston, Leopoldo, Smith, Fuke, and many others. He really was one of the best fighters in MMA and was the BEST MMA FIGHTER IN 1995 NO QUESTIONS.

Was First King of Pancrase and First UFC SuperFight Champion. Came back in 2000 to fight and Pride and has gone 4-8 in the comeback . Still fought these Great Fighters though.

Kaz Fujita - 2000 and Ken won first Pride fight draws tough great Fujita and Ken is destroying him. But Ken gasses out and thinks he might be having a heart attack and tells Guy Mezger to throw the towel in, in a fight he is winning.

Don Frye - the two UFC Vets throwdown in maybe the greatest MMA fight Ever, 3 Rounds Main Event Pride 19 , Ken breaks both of Frye's ankles and losses and decision. This is the last hoorah for both of them as they are never really competitive at a high level agin. Both show what made them Greats in this fight.

Tito Ortiz - Ken saves Dana White who is making 40,000 PPV Buys and gives Dana his highest PPV numbers ever when he comes back home for UFC 40. 1 of saddest moments of my life because before the fight I still didnt realize Shamrock wasn't Prime Shamrock. Tito forced a stoppagein 4th round in a fight Ken was dominated in, Ken goes 0-3 vs Ortiz.

Ken beats Kimo Leopoldo then in the Main Event for Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale Fights

Rich Franklin - In one of the most highly controversial UFC fights ever, Ken shoots for Franklins ankle and gets nailed in a milli second. Many think fight is a fix with old Shamrock lieng down for young Franklin. In reality Ken goes for ankle and pays for it.

Kazushi Sakuraba - Ken is knocked out fast by Sakuraba in a grudge match. Sad as it is obvious former pupil Guy mezger is know a better fighter than Shamrock. .2nd of 5 consecutive losses for Ken.

Kens overall MMA record stands at 27-13-2, was 23-5-2 before comeback. Went 4-8 in comeback with close calls to Frye and Fujita

Not only was he Great in his Prime he was a great PPV Draw and very important for UFC/MMa launching.

UFC 5 - 255,000 PPV Buys Highest ever in UFC History, Gracie Rematch

UFC 6 245,000 PPV Buys , Severn

UFC 40 155,000 Buys Dana White's highest and highest Gate at the time. Tito fight

UFC 61 755,000 Buys UFC Record at the time. tito rematch

Third fight with Tito Ortiz highest watched MMA fight in UFC TV rating history at the time

and perhaps the most telling thing that Ken Shamrock did for MMA, was setting the standard for how modern MMA Camps are constructed. His Lions Den was the first really succesful MMA camp and UFC counted on Ken to find and develop talent.

Ken basically couldnt find decent sparring partners so he decided to train his own, guy Mezger and vernon White were early members.

Guy Mezger (UFC 13 Champion, 7th King of Pancrase Title) ranked in top 10 Light Heavyweights for years.

Frank Shamrock - UFC Middleweight Champ (5 defenses), StrikeForce middleweight champion, WEC Light Heavyweight champion, Interim King of Pancrase. P4P great

Mikey Burnett - robbed in split decision loss to Pat Miletich at UFc Brazil

Jerry Bohlander - UFC 12 Champion, one of the best light weight fighters in early UFC

Maurice Smith - UFC Heavyweight Champion, first striker to beat a wrestler

Vernon White - King of the Cage Middleweight Champion, IFC Heavyweight champion

Oleg Taktarav - UFC 6 Champion

Roy Nelson - IFL Heavyweight Champ, ya that Roy Nelson

Pete Williams - destroyed Mark Coleman, got Heavyweight Title Shot, Nicest guy you would ever meet, tough out for anybody.

Tra Telligman - Top 10 Heavyweight in 2000's, upset Igor Vovchanchyn, biggest heart in MMa

Mark Coleman - Lost to 2 Lions Den fighters in a row, so figured if you cant beat them join them. Ken was his cornerman UFC 18

Not even close to all the great lions Den fighters but the main ones, there were and still are many more

posted this on ESPN board a while ago and realized it belonged here as well

I can see your point, but after the Steroids, and the losses, his name has really been damaged.

ya it has but I know Ken and it is my personal opinion that he didnt roid in the early days, maybe did a few cycles at WWF, then stopped, then got caught the only time he tried to fight while on them. I just dont think UFC would give him a free pass and then Wargods is going to bust him.

Someone tried saying its obvious he did roids cause he came back as a Light Heavyweight, but everyone seems to forget his heavyweight fight vs Kimo at UFC 48, I dont think Dana would say oh ok take em just this once.

I think the comeback has hurt his reputation and place in MMA history, but I wont let it affect my opinion of him.

Ken in his prime back in the earlier 90s was one of the best fighters on the planet. The guy outstruck Bas Rutten and Maurice Smith and had one of the most explosive shots you would ever see. On top of this his subs and sub defense were legendary.

All the top guys who trained with Ken said he was ridiculous. Frank Shamrock said: "ken was untouchable when it came to holds back in the day. I never saw anyone tap ken including the japanese who at the time were light years ahead of the world. i never caught him and never saw anyone else do it"

Guy Mezger said: "Ken Shamrock is pound for pound the scariest guy in the world"

Mark Coleman, after Shamrock's fight with Fujita, said: "I don't think that was the best of Ken Shamrock." He thought Ken was way better than he showed in that fight. Coleman also trained with the Lion's Den to get ready for UFC 18, and he said that he came in thinking he was so great, and got humbled by Shamrock when they trained.

When Bas is asked who is the best fighter he ever faced he always says a prime Ken Shamrock.


It's sad his name is so tarnished and his legacy is destroyed.

you are exactly right Ninja it baffles me that Ken goes 2-0 vs bas yet people like to say Rutten was better.
IMO There wasnt a better MMA fighter in the world from the 95-96 time period. Ya Mark Coleman lost to two Lions Den guys and decided hey if you cant beat em join em.

glad fans like you can appreciate how good he really was at the peak of his career.

It is why i think prime Ken destroys Tito, if Guy Mezger could catch Tito in the middle of a shoot and choke him out, Ken could have Severn'd him as well.

too many new UFC fans dont give him his due credit because they werent there watching when Ken was the best in the world. they only got to see the older version of him.

I was a massive fan of Shamrock's in the 90's. That's why I didn't want him to come back after his pro wrestling days because I knew he'd tarnish his rep.

ya If he had not had the come back he would be remembered alot better by the people that started watching MMA after TUF