Keith be damned

[Guest The Midnight Rocking Warrior]

Last night I heard Ken shamrock was inducted into the Ufc hall of fame, I checked on yahoo, and it seems that it's the only MMa hall of fame. I just keep getting reminded of what Keith said in his book: " (shamrock) made a name for himself, yet not a very successful one ( in fighting)." The man was Ufc world heavyweight champion, king of pancrase, and has defeated Severn, Funaki ( not that one), Kimo, and had there been decisons back then, he would have won his rematch with Gracie. sure, he might have deteriorated a bit, but I think he's had a very successful MMa career.

[razazteca 0]

Ken was one of the very few back then in MMA that knew how to get attention and self promote himself through interviews.

[LJSexay 0]

I... LOVE Ken Shamrock. This is kool 8)

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Shamrock should be in the HOF, but I'd say more because of his influence in training and the Lions Den than as a fighter.

 

With that said...

 

NAIMARK EXAMINES KEN SHAMROCK

(by Mike Naimark)

This issue’s theme isn’t one that lends itself well to the intense world of MMA competition. Without pre-determined results contingent on the good will of a booker, the ambitious MMA competitor has little incentive to offer a willing orifice to a promoter in hopes of getting a push in any but the most literal sense.

 

And yet, the world of MMA is a business, and just like any business, the ladder to advancement is rife with clandestine opportunities to skip a rung or two at the expense of your less-cutthroat colleagues. And I can’t think of anybody in the world of MMA who has a greater perception of achievement with less actual, uh, ACHEIVEMENT, then the subject of today’s review. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you a man whose gaudy career turns utterly pedestrian under the harsh lights of scrutiny, and man who was given favorable treatment from promoters for reasons other than what he had accomplished once the bell rang. Weighing in at 230lbs of solid muscle wrapped around a creamy center of bullshit, the Buff Bagwell of MMA, KEN SHAMROCK!

 

Ken Shamrock actually started out in the world of professional wrestling before becoming a star in the Japanese Pancrase MMA promotion in 1993. Pancrase is a more grappling-oriented style of fighting which places numerous restrictions of striking, resulting in many fights resembling a girly slap-attack until both men tumble to the ground and each grab a leg, rolling like they were aflame in a desperate attempt to sink in an ankle pick or kneebar. Yep, that’s Pancrase in a nutshell for ya. As forgettable as his pro-graps career was in these early days, Shamrock soon became a major celebrity in Japan for his fighting prowess and brawny gaijin looks. Entering the first UFC in November of ’93, Shamrock was considered a favorite by many observers because of his success in Japan, not to mention that intangible factor – he LOOKED like a fighter, with bulging muscles and a gnarled nose, while much of the rest of the field looked like taxi drivers, plumbers, and Arena Football dropouts. One fighter decided to wear a single boxing glove for his match, and only looked like an idiot. Let’s take a look at Ken Shamrock’s dynamic debut in the UFC, and the glory that followed:

 

1st Match – Ken Shamrock vs. Pat Smith: Shamrock totally outclasses the befuddled Smith, tapping him out with an ankle pick in about a minute and a half. Pat Smith would go on to fight in Japan and Brazil in addition to another couple of tours with the UFC, and his current career record stands at 8 wins, 8 losses.

 

2nd Match – Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie – Royce was probably the least-intimidating looking fighter in the field that night, a svelte 170lbs of swarthy Brazilian manhood looking like he’d be more at home teaching tango lessons than trying to make grown men scream in pain. It takes Royce a mere 57 seconds to make Shamrock tap-out to a choke. Shamrock begins his long tradition of making excuses after his poor showings, explaining, “I’m not used to this kind of stuff”, presumably meaning real fights. Royce’s career record currently stands at 12-2-1.

 

Having underwhelmed the martial arts world with his unimpressive showing, Shamrock returned to the ‘kind of stuff’ he presumably DID know, Pancrase in Japan, and racked up a mediocre 5-3 record in Pancrase before returning for UFC3. Was Ken ready to dominate?

 

1st Match – Ken Shamrock vs. Christophe Lenninger – Lenninger’s background is in judo, and he wears a fabulous blue gi which matches his dreamy eyes. One problem many traditional judokas had in MMA was that their tournament experience tended to make them rely on throws which were more effective against clothed opponents. Against Shamrock’s slippery carcass, Lenninger can’t initiate any offense and takes a beating before taping out. Lenninger’s career MMA record stands at 0-4.

 

2nd Match – Ken Shamrock vs. Felix Lee Mitchell – I remember someone commenting that Felix Lee Mitchell sounded like the name of a hired killer. Mitchell was a prison guard from Memphis, a city noted for having among the most violent prisons in the country. But without his nightstick, Mitchell is overwhelmed by Shamrock and taps out to a choke in short order. Mitchell fights once more and loses again before returning to ELV-OZ and his side job dealing tits. 0-2, skidoo.

 

So Shamrock should have been headed to the finals after winning against two fighters who had never won a fight in their entire careers, but no, Shamrock displays another of his questionable qualities – in the span of these two short, one-sided fights, he appears to have hurt his hand, and withdraws. Royce Gracie, in the other bracket, also withdraws after his thrilling fight against Kimo, and we end up with the worst finals in the history of the UFC, Harold Howard v Steve Jennum.

 

So it’s back to Pancrase for The Sham, and a string of victories before returning at UFC5 for a ‘Superfight’ against Royce Gracie. Gracie, of course, was an undefeated 3-time UFC champion and considered to be a legend. Shamrock, uh, well, he looked good in a Speedo and was tapped out by Royce in under a minute. Former UFC executive Bob Meyerowitz later confessed to having placed Shamrock in such a prestigious position within the promotion based largely on his ‘look’, and Shamrock didn’t disappoint in that department, subsisting on steamed fish, tweezing his eyebrows to arched perfection, and doing thousands of crunches in preparation for his…..

 

SUPERFIGHT – Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie – In an embarrassing show of timidity, Shamrock spent the entire fight in Royce Gracie’s guard, offering no real offense and essentially maintaining position without ever attempting any techniques which might lead to victory (or, more likely, to defeat). The match goes the time-limit; Shamrock lands a single punch in the overtime before the fight ends and is ruled a draw. Outweighing his opponent by nearly 50lbs, one might think Shamrock would show some deference and humility to the undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard who had won 3 UFC titles since he tapped Shamrock out in their last fight. But no, that just wouldn’t be Shammy’s style, would it?

 

“I wanted Royce Gracie to try everything he knew to try and beat me, and he tried different leg chokes and different armbars, but I had worked on this. And it was a test for Royce Gracie to try and beat Ken Shamrock and I'm gonna put him through a beatin'. His monkey ass has never seen anything like this, a beatin' like this.”

 

And here we see another facet to Shamrock’s disingenuous pattern of self-promotion paired with self-deception – by not losing to Royce Gracie in quick and decisive fashion this time, Shamrock essentially claims victory. By refusing to initiate any offense from the guard, he can claim to have instead deftly foiled Royce’s offense from the guard!

 

Shamrock sinks even deeper into his pit of classlessness:

 

“"I stuck him with the right hand. And as you see when he hits the ground, he's done. Right at that point and time, Royce Gracie's life will never be the same. That punch has destroyed Royce Gracie's warrior mentality. Look at his eyes, Royce Gracie is done. Royce Gracie will never be the warrior that he used to be. Royce Gracie will never, ever be the same because of that punch”

 

Some years later, Royce Gracie will have a fight in Japan against Kazushi Sakuraba which will raise the bar for MMA endurance and technique to levels previous thought unreachable. Ken Shamrock competes on that same card, which I will discuss below.

 

And Ken’s empty self-promotion pays off for him in the UFC. With the UFC promoters adding judges and time limits to their fights, Royce bows out, still undefeated and in possession of three tournament victories. By virtue of only losing to Royce Gracie once in two fights, Ken Shamrock and his chiseled abs are promoted to Superfight status for UFC6, despite having never even fought in a UFC finals, much less won a tournament. His opponent will be Dan Severn, who lost to Royce in UFC4 before winning the tournament at UFC5.

 

Ken Shamrock vs. Dan Severn – Shamrock’s finest moment in the UFC, as he catches Severn on a shoot and chokes him out with the guillotine. Severn’s career record is an impressive 27-5-3, and I note this for one reason only: this is the ONLY win Ken Shamrock ever records over an opponent with a winning record outside of Pancrase. Shamrock shows his traditional level of class when interviewed on the fight:

 

“So he won a few tournaments. Big Deal. I’m the submission specialist, I’m the striker, I have all the arsenal."

 

For UFC7, Shamrock is again matched up with a more accomplished UFC tournament winner, this time Oleg Taktarov, the Russian sambo master who took the UFC6 championship with a choke-out of Tank Abbott.

 

Ken Shamrock vs. Oleg Taktarov – In another listless display of non-technique, Shamrock again sits in the guard for the entire fight and offers no sort of offense, which might lead to either a win or a defensive counter-attack. The fight goes the time-limit and is ruled a draw. Oleg’s career record stood at 8-5-2 when he retired last year.

 

Shamrock was invited to the Ultimate Ultimate 1995, the UFC’s tournament of champions, but was injured and unable to compete. At UFC8, he was again asked to defend the title he had never won, that of ‘Superfight’ champion, against the winless Kimo Leopaldo, best known for his thrilling loss to Royce Gracie in UFC3.

 

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo – Joe Son was noticeable by his absence, and my disappointment was equally noticeable. Shamrock eats a right hand from Kimo, which nearly swells his eye shut before sinking a kneebar and forcing the big Hawaiian to tap-out. Shamrock quickly seizes on his win over Kimo to ‘prove’ his superiority to Royce Gracie again: “Kimo basically beat the monkey crap out of him. Royce Gracie was lucky that Kimo had a ponytail…" Kimo’s career record stands at 3-3-1, but is notable for being the only man with wins over both Bam Bam Bigelow AND Paul Varelans.

 

At UFC9, Shamrock had a rematch with Dan Severn, and the two of them engaged in what I consider to be the unquestionably WORST fight EVER, a plodding affair where both men circled, hands held high, for 20 minutes. Although neither man deserved to win, Severn took the decision, an appropriate end of Shamrock’s ‘Superfight’ status, which he himself had never won in the first place.

 

Shamrock managed to stay healthy long enough to arrive at Ultimate Ultimate ’96 and score a quick win over Brian Johnson (record 4-5) before withdrawing once again with a hand injury. At some point in the evening, Shamrock has an encounter with Tank Abbott, and Shamrock makes a public challenge to Tank on the air. Shamrock then quickly signs a contract with the World Wrestling Federation, and the fight never happens. The UFC puts together a Ken Shamrock tribute PPV in honor of his zero UFC tournament wins, but refuses to pay for UFC7 champ Marco Ruas to bring his wife and two trainers to America for a fight.

 

After a year of pro-graps and being booked towards a stupefying incest angle compliments of Vince Russo, Shamrock leaves pro-wrestling for the PRIDE promotion in Japan. On the same fight card where Royce Gracie, drained of warrior spirit by Shamrock’s mighty right hand, goes a full 90 minutes against Kazushi Sakuraba in an already legendary encounter, Ken Shamrock defeats BattleArts wrestler Alexander Otsuka (career record 2-7) by TKO.

 

Shamrock returned at PRIDE10 and faces Kazuyuki Fujita, a powerful freestyle wrestler who held a win over Mark Kerr. In what I consider to be a supreme irony, Ken Shamrock, the man who won more by doing less than anybody in MMA, throws everything he has against the rock-hard noggin of Fujita – techniques Shamrock had never displayed outside of the protected confines of Pancrase. Powerful punches, quick snapping combinations, even a few high kicks! But Fujita absorbs everything Shamrock threw at him and kept moving forward. Shamrock eventually turns to his corner and begs them to throw in the towel at about 7 minutes into the fight, and they do so. Shamrock, his face drained of color, would briefly lose consciousness in the locker room before returning to his hotel.

 

So here are a few points I want to make about Ken Shamrock:

 

Shamrock’s non-Pancrase MMA record is a solid 7-2-3 (counting the UFC9 debacle with Severn as a draw, which I always do). But this record is highly deceptive. Against opponents with winning records, Shamrock manages a lousy 1-2-3. Against all others, Shamrock fattens his record at the expense of what boxing old-timers referred to lovingly as ‘tomato cans’: 6-0 against opponents with a combined career record of 17-34-4. Shamrock entered three UFC tournaments and didn’t win a single one, but was rewarded with ‘Superfight’ status and his own PPV.

 

Now of course, maybe I’m just picking on ‘The Sham’ because of my generally misanthropic nature; let’s see what his fellow fighters have to say:

 

ROYCE GRACIE: (On his UFC5 Superfight with Shamrock) “No he was just holding onto it, he came in for a draw. HE KNOWS HE CANNOT BEAT ME. He came in for a draw. He knew he just didn't want to lose, that's why he requested the time limit. He knew he just wanted to have a draw, for him that's a victory.”

 

(On Shamrock & Kimo’s physiques): “It's not steroids, it's called performance enhancers (laughing). They just drink milk-they're big boys!”

 

DON FRYE (UFC8 & UUFC’96 champ): “Then at the UFC in Iowa [shamrock] and Mikey Burnett got up there and started talking a bunch of trash about Dan Gable. You know, neither one of those guys was a collegiate wrestler and they have no right to say some of those things about Dan Gable. I don’t know if they’re pulling some WWF angle and just wanted to stir up some heat. That was just unprofessional and asinine of those guys.”

 

“ I think [shamrock] is full of shit and he has been lying to the fans for four years. Hell, he can’t even finish a tournament”

 

TANK ABBOTT: "He's aptly named, SHAMrock. He's a fake, he's a fraud, he's a sham…Well let's put it this way, he had two opportunities to fight me and he pulled out both times, so you go figure out what's going on. I never pull out of a fight. "

 

DAN SEVERN (UFC5 & UUFC’95 champ): “Do I care for his attitude? No. One of us has accomplished it on his own ability. The other has not."

 

And there you have it! Ken Shamrock’s legacy in the fight world is one of half-truths and excuses being overlooked by promotional entities enamored of his physique and self-promotion. While he may not have ever had another man’s genitals in his mouth (not that there’s anything wrong with that – sometimes you just need a ride home), Ken Shamrock nonetheless has had a career that would do any of Bert Prentice’s buttery love-muffins proud! Ken Shamrock, we salute you with the First Annual DVDVR ‘Balls Across the Nose’ Award for MMA Fraudulence! I’m sure you couldn’t be more proud.

 

http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/dvdvr/dvdvr130.html

[Guest Choken One]

He still did a mean Ankle Lock though...

[Guest ManKinnd]

No no no. Once everyone started cross-training and knowing what they were doing, Ken was totally exposed. He was a star in the early days because he was one of the few who trained period.

[Slayer 0]

Interesting read, Triple R

 

I half followed UFC back in the mid-90's (courtesy of my wrestling coach, who was friends with Severn) and even in my only-minorly-knowing-any-martial-arts, something struck me as not right about him.

 

And I hated him in the WWF, but that's a different story

 

Edit: Now that I think about it, Shamrock was heavily promoted in UFC because he had a "look" and could talk.... sounds like some other promotion we all know, hmmm

Edited November 23, 2003 by Angelslayer

[Guest netslob]

ok, here's a question....What the FUCK would Keith know? he's just schmuck from Canada with too much free time that he spends watching wrestling rather then getting laid. why does his opinion even matter?

[Guest ligerbomb03]

That was a very interesting read, Rudo. Thanks for posting that.

[Guest Choken One]

ok, here's a question....What the FUCK would Keith know? he's just schmuck from Canada with too much free time that he spends watching wrestling rather then getting laid. why does his opinion even matter?

It had nothing to do with Scott Keith per se...Kinda like "god be damned"...

 

Yeah that was a GREAT fucking read...I never realized that...I kinda brought the UFC hype machine and thought he was one of the greatest fighters...I obviously was wrong.

 

 

It's great how UFC pimped the fuck outta Shamrock when WWE kinda went "eh" about 6 months in...

 

I still believe if Austin retired in 1997, Shamrock would have been tapped as "the one" by vince.

 

And that Hart would have stuck around.

[Guest The Midnight Rocking Warrior]

It's funny..... Abbot thinks he's a sham, yet Abbot's never won a tournament . Ok, so Shamrock's in the hall of fame for the same reasons Hogan is in both wrestling hall of fames: look, marketability, charisma, etc. And Abbot really shouldn't talk, what's his record 8-11, and didn't Abbot get his ass kicked by Kimo?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Abbott at least made it to the finals of a tournament. I know he sucks and all, and basically was packaged in the same way Ken was (SEG gave him his "Tank" nickname), but he never backed away from a challenge. He fought Mo Smith, Vitor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo, Don Frye, etc. so at least his losses actually have meaning.

 

I was a Gracie fan growin up, so I never liked Shamrock. But I at least thought he was something of a fighter - mainly due to the hype surrounding him. Then a few years ago I saw Ultimate Shamrock and I was like "What the fuck?". Just a horrible excuse of a video. It really exposed Shamrock as someone who did relatively dick-all in the octagon. His philosophy of "I don't have you beat you, you have to beat me" is ridickulous.

 

Bret Hart, I believe, was the one to get Shamrock into the WWE and wanted Ken to be "the next big thing".

[Guest The Midnight Rocking Warrior]

( Dickish heel mode on)

What you guys say make a lot of sense, and Mr. Rudo I respect what you have to say. But the fact of the matter is this......... Ken Shamrock was the Muhammed Ali of shootfighting. Hell, Ali used to have the same " i don't have to knock you out strategy" and everyone calls him the greatest despite the fact that Rocky Marciano was undefeated, and Joe louis could have destroyed Ali inside of 10 rounds. At the end of the day when someone asks me who is in the mma hall of fame the answer will be Gracie ( who was without a doubt the better fighter) and Shamrock. NOT Don Frye ( Who'll probably eventually get in), NOT Dan Severn, Not Tank Abbot. So the writers of any wanna-be observer website can present all the " nuts in your mouth awards" to whoever they want, but at the end of the day it'll be them deep-throating it when they come to realize that the hall of fame (in any business) makes you elite, and shamrock is now considered elite amongst shootfighters, whether it be because of his showmanship, fighting ability, etc.

( dickish heel mode off)

[AboveAverage484 0]

Hey, don't talk shit about Pancrase. Pancrase is the shit, and a lot of great fighters got there start in Pancrase. The Shamrocks, Bas Rutten, Guy Mezger, Semmy Schilt, Maurice Smith.

 

Closed fists were not allowed and strikes on the ground were not allowed, but knees and kicks standing were still allowed. Shamrock was a great fighter and one should look beyond his bullshit in the UFC and see what a great submission fighter Shamrock was.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Shamrock's biggest fights:

 

Lost to Royce Gracie via rear naked choke at UFC 1.

(11/12/93)

 

Defeated Bas Rutten via submission in Pancrase.

(7/26/94)

 

Defeated Maurice Smith via submission in Pancrase.

(12/16/94)

 

Defeated Bas Rutten bia kneebar in Pancrase.

(3/10/95)

 

Drew Royce Gracie at UFC 5.

(4/7/95)

 

Defeated Dan Severn via guillotine choke at UFC 5.

(7/14/95)

 

Lost to Dan Severn at UFC 9 via decision.

(5/17/96)

 

Lost to Don Frye via split decision at Pride 19.

(2/24/02)

 

Lost to Tito Ortiz via fatigue at UFC 40.

(11/22/02)

 

I find that to be a commendable record.

[razazteca 0]

Ken Shamrock beat Alexander Otsuka in Pride FC.

 

Lost to Kazuyuki Fujita in Pride FC. Lost by punching himself out and threw the towel in. Apperently Ken has fragile bones.

[AboveAverage484 0]

No, Ken was having heart palpatations and thought he was having a heart attack, so he told his cornerman, Pete Williams, to throw in the towel.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Which is utterly ridiculous. "Throw in the towel" "Why don't you just give up?" "I can't give up! I'd look like a pussy! Throw in the towel!" "Isn't you asking for the towel to be thrown in an admission of loss? Thus making you not only a pussy, but a total goof as well?" "NO! Throw in the towel dammit!"

 

Shamrock has also been in 2 of the WORST MATCHES EVER (vs. Gracie UFC 5, vs. Severn UFC 9). IMO, his only real accomplishment in the UFC was beating Dan Severn the first time. I don't know about Pancrase because it has the "worked" stigma surrounding it (their earlier years, I have heard). I don't exactly consider it "true" MMA because it restricts closedfists, but it certainly has historical value.

Edited November 24, 2003 by RavishingRickRudo

[Guest The Midnight Rocking Warrior]

Well I guess the Shamrock fans ( Like myself) and the shamrock doubters are at a standstill for now. The point is he's won the Ufc title (Severn won a tournament, he beat Severn), the pancrase title, ( Worked or not, it set some standards for MMa) and is in the mma hall of fame, what's wrong if the man had charisma, he just made the sport more exciting. So for now I say the dvdr people and the Ufc will agree to disagree. The only thing that matters is that he's in.

[AboveAverage484 0]

The title Shamrock won in Pancrase was not a work. Most of the works were done by Masakatsu Funaki, who was actually pretty good without having to work his matches.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Um, beating someone who won a tournament and winning a tournament are two entirely different things.

 

Fact is...

 

Shamrock entered 3 UFC tournaments and never won one.

 

And I don't disagree with Shamrocks placement in the UFC HOF - I just don't think it should be for his fighting in the UFC.. because he wasn't very accomplished in the octagon.

[Guest Choken One]

So Shamrock can be considered the Andre The Giant of UFC (If you think about it)...?

 

Big Star that was never really good but could draw...

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I dunno where you would place Shamrock in wrestling terms.

 

He was a "pioneer", a draw, and had influence on many, but wasn't nearly as 'successful' as his peers.

[Slayer 0]

He was a "pioneer", a draw, and had influence on many, but wasn't nearly as 'successful' as his peers.

Gorgeous George?

[Guest Choken One]

I dunno where you would place Shamrock in wrestling terms.

 

He was a "pioneer", a draw, and had influence on many, but wasn't nearly as 'successful' as his peers.

Kinda sounds like Thesz.

[Guest The Midnight Rocking Warrior]

Gorgeous George is a perfect example, and he's in both wrestling hall of fames

[Slayer 0]

I dunno where you would place Shamrock in wrestling terms. 

 

He was a "pioneer", a draw, and had influence on many, but wasn't nearly as 'successful' as his peers.

Kinda sounds like Thesz.

Thesz actually won shit

[razazteca 0]

More like Steve Lombardi.

[Guest The Midnight Rocking Warrior]

Oh, come now, Shamrock at least has a record of 25-8, Brawler's record is 3- 347219753683123890000000000000000000000000000000000000

[Guest Brian]

Ali opposed to Shamrock is about smart fighting. Ali knew he couldn't stand toe-to-toe with the sluggers, so he roped-and-doped. He used his quickness and picked apart his openings. Ali knew the powerhouses were good if they could connect, and then he baited them in every time by talking his game.