UFC Fighter Ken Shamrock Biography

Ken Shamrock was born to a troubled childhood February 11, 1964 in Warner Robins, Georgia, though to a different monicker.
The world's most dangerous man legally changed his name to Ken Shamrock in tribute to Bob Shamrock: owner of the Shamrock Ranch Facility for troubled boys in Susanville, CA and helped turn Ken away from a life headed towards crime and violence along with fellow adopted brother Frank Shamrock, who also turned out to be a champion MMA and UFC fighter. Ken claims to being abandoned by his parents and forced to sleep in cars as a child to survive.
Coming from his rough street upbringing, Ken Shamrockwas a natural for mixed martial arts and its no holds barred structure. He made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at the inaugral event on November 12, 1993. Shamrock won his first match against Patrick Smith with a heel hook in the first round but dropped his second match to the eventual four time king of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Royce Gracie: the eventual tournament winner.

The two hall of fame inductees squared off again at UFC 5 in May of 1995 in the first UFC Superfight where they battled to a slow moving draw that saw Ken battling very conservatively in respect of Royce's Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
Shamrock continued on in the UFC where he was successful, but dropped a match to UFC fellow legend Dan "The Beast" Severn at UFC 9 in 1996. He closed out the year in style with a win over Brian Johnston at Ultimate Ultimate with a choke. Ken Shamrock wouldn't compete in the Octagon again for six years, and it took some flagrant disrespect from the Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz, to get him in there.
Before his highly anticipated bout with Ortiz, Ken spent the better part of six years cementing the foothold into his MMA legacy while competing in events like Pride where he won a few and suffered a loss due to exhaustion in his corner while battling the amazing Kazuyuki Fujita at Pride 10. A tough loss where Shamrock was faring very well for himself.
Back in the UFC, Shamrock's Lion's Den saw two of its members, Jerry Bolander and Guy Mezger, drop matches to former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz. At the end of a match where Tito raised his midle fingers and flipped off the Lion's Den, Shamrock went ballistic and a match between the two was soon signed. They fought at UFC 40 in one of the highest selling mixed martial arts Pay Per Views ever where Ortiz bested The Worlds's Most Dangerous Man and sent the Lion's Den a third loss.
After a two year sabbatical, Shamrock thrilled the UFC fans when he battled the ever entertaing Kimo Loepoldo at UFC 48. Kimo repeated what made him a legend in the UFC in the first place: he looked great, but lost. A knee bar submission brought Ken Shamrock victory in the first round.
2005 was a year of tough luck. Ken slipped while thwrowing a kick to the head of rising star, Rich Franklin. The youngster siezed the moment and landed a thunderous blow that ended the bout in the opening round. Adding to the bad taste in his mouth was the controversial stoppage in his match against Kazushi Sakuraba at Pride 30. Shamrock suffered a knock down and fell to the ropes preventing him from avoiding "The Gracie Hunter." Shamrock turned away and under Pride rules the bout was halted even though Ken immediately jumped to his feet totally coherent.
His adopted brother, Frank Shamrock, commented on the stoppage in an interview with the site Sherdog.com: "…if you’re sleeping with your head through the second rope, you’re in a bad way. He got clocked. He went down. According to the rules he was no longer defending himself and that’s the end of the fight. Was it early? Sure it was early. But was he getting his ass kicked? Yeah. It just depends on how you want to look at it. I tried to look at it abstractly and I saw a guy sleeping with his head through the second rope. That’s not good, because if I’m there, please somebody stop this."
At UFC 56, it was announced that Shamrock would be one of the coaches on third season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Spike TV which will culminate in a UFC 61 Shamrock and Ortiz rematch. Ortiz is the coach of the rival team.
Shamrock lost his second and third bouts with Ortiz, both by first round stoppages.
Ken Shamrock is the father of three sons: Ryan, Connor, and Shawn along with a daughter from his first wife. He also has 3 step children with Tonya, his second wife.
Ray Mardo

Ray Mardo is a former freestyle wrestler. The Austin Film Festival honored writer now spends his days as the webmaster of several websites about ultimate fighting championship and mixed martial arts, extreme championship wrestling, world championship wrestling, who is the coolest guy on the planet, and DJ training.
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Learn More About Ultimate Fighitng Championship

WHAT is the ENTITY of the NEW UFC® [ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP®]? The entity of the New UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports association, formed in January, 2001 by Zuffa, LLC. The New UFC features a strong ownership and a depth of management experience across a spectrum of live event sports, television production and ancillary business development. The New UFC is positioned well for the future as the standard bearer for the evolving and exciting sport of mixed martial arts. WHAT is MIXED MARTIAL ARTS? [Top]Mixed martial arts (MMA) is an intense and evolving combat sport in which competitors use interdisciplinary forms of fighting that include jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and others to their strategic and tactical advantage in a supervised match. Scoring for mixed martial arts events in Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida is based on athletic-commission approved definitions and rules for striking (blows with the hands, feet, knees or elbows) and grappling (submission, choke holds, throws or takedowns). No single discipline reigns. WHAT is ULTIMATE FIGHTING in the UFC? [Top]Ultimate Fighting is a proprietary term of the UFC. It is defined as mixed martial arts competition between high level professional fighters who utilize the disciplines of jiu-jitsu, karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and other forms in UFC live events. UFC competitors or “Ultimate Fighters” are among the best-trained and conditioned athletes in the world. While this is a highly intense sport, fighter safety is of paramount concern to UFC ownership and management: it is noteworthy that no competitor has ever been seriously injured in a UFC event. WHAT is the NEW ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP? [Top]The new Ultimate Fighting Championship is a series of international competitive mixed martial arts events televised several times yearly and available live or tape-delayed on pay-per-view and other formats, seen domestically and internationally. The New Ultimate Fighting Championship is committed to providing the highest quality live event and television production available to entertain and engage viewers in a fascinating sport. The New Ultimate Fighting Championship distinguishes itself from the controversial spectacle of the last decade: The first event produced under new ownership and management was February 23, 2001. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is produced exclusively in cooperation with Zuffa, LLC. WHAT DISTINGUISHES UFC FROM ITS COMPETITORS? [Top]The elite level of the competitor also known as an “Ultimate Fighter.” The UFC brings together the most talented martial arts experts in the world. UFC fighters come from the US, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Holland, England, etc. All UFC fighters have previous combat sports experience and many are world or Olympic champions. UFC athletes train up to six hours a day or more in preparation for an event. Almost all have studied martial arts as a lifelong vocation and many are college educated. In addition to their UFC careers, many of these men are business owners. They are also students, professionals or managers working for diverse types of companies. But it is the success, discipline and focus of the Ultimate Fighter that makes him different from just about any other competitor in or out of mixed martial arts. Absolute consistency of rules: presence of officials, judges, weight divisions, rounds, time limits Leadership in obtaining commission approval for a new sport Mandatory Equipment: [Top]Competitors may only use UFC and commission approved 4-6 oz gloves, designed to protect the hand but not large enough to improve the striking surface or weight of the punch. Commission approved MMA shorts and kickboxing trunks are the only uniforms allowed. Shirts, gis and shoes, and the problems they present for grabbing are not allowed. The Octagon™[Top]
The octagonal competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks and/or trade dress of Zuffa, LLC and are symbolic of the highest quality mixed martial arts events brought to you under the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand name. In 1993, UFC events were the first to feature an eight-sided competition configuration which has become known worldwide as the UFC Octagon™

The UFC Octagon is unique from any other fighting arena because the octagonal shape and structure have become inherently associated with Zuffa and the UFC brand name among mixed martial arts consumers, other mixed martial arts organizations and the national media. The UFC Octagon is regularly featured on UFC Pay-per-view events, Ultimate Fight Night™ and The Ultimate Fighter® reality TV series. The UFC Octagon creates a neutral arena to showcase the skills of UFC mixed martial arts athletes. The UFC organization has a established a reputation for providing the maximum safety to the fighters with commission approved ring structures, canvas, and all safety padding and fences. Zuffa makes major investments to ensure the safety of competitors in the UFC Octagon -- as a result, when people see the Octagon they associate it with the reputation and quality delivered only by Zuffa at UFC events.
Absolute adherence to commission mandated rules for MMA: [Top]Commission approved gloves Weight classes Time limits and rounds Mandatory drug testing No head butting or kicking to the downed opponent No knees to the head of a downed opponent No downward point of the elbow strikes No strikes to the spine or the back of the head No groin or throat strikes State Athletic Commission approval in such major states as New Jersey, Nevada, Florida & Louisiana.

The History Of The Ultimate Fighting Championship

A modern variation of the Greco-Roman freestyle martial art called 'Pankration' thrives today. Now widely known as Ultimate Fighting, it is also named Vale Tudo, No-Holds-Barred, Shootfighting or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). It’s in fact a blending of the pankration and traditional Eastern martial arts.
Created in 1993 as a single pay-per-view spectacle by a number of people, including Robert Meyrowitz, Art Davie and Rorion Gracie, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has evolved into a popular sport bringing together the world's most accomplished Mixed Martial Artists.
Some of the best-remembered early fighters are Ken Shamrock (Japanese Submission fighting) and the incomparable Royce Gracie of Brazilian or Gracie Ju-Jutsu; his amazing groundfighting and grappling abilities stunned the other artists at the earliest competitions, allowing him to walk away with UFC's 1, 2, and 4.
Shamrock learned to confront the 'Gracie Guard' however, and his influential combination of submission holds, punching power and power kicks have helped make a ‘Royce Gracie style’ based solely on groundfighting a thing of the past.
Few rules existed for the earliest UFC events. The UFC apparently says this was "to allow fighters of many disciplines to compete fairly and freely, without inhibiting any particular style. This (initial) format existed to encourage competition, not injury," the UFC seems quick to add.
This may all be true; but the UFC was often its own worst enemy. Its initial lack of rules - only biting, ‘fish-hooking’ an opponent’s face, eye gouging and throat strikes were illegal - and an advertising style which stressed the UFC's most violent possibilities while failing to mention that most bouts end with a few well-placed punches and a good grappling hold, initially hurt UFC's claim of being a legitimate sport.
Consider this gem from one reputable website:
"While original promoters wanted to include such sensationalistic side shows as alligator moats and electric fences surrounding the ring, UFC doctors warned against them due to the dangers fighters could face." (Italics added.)
But we should remember that boxing went through similar growing pains, and began achieving respectability when changes in both promotion and rules made it the 'sweet science' it is today.
The very first tournament for mixed martial arts, 'UFC 1: The Beginning' (Nov. 12, 1993), allowed a limitless number of five-minute rounds. Fights finished when someone either was knocked out or tapped out. Contests typically lasted no more than one or two rounds.
As for the famed 'Octagon', one source states that "Doctors and martial artists designed it to create an enclosure that would act as a neutral arena to showcase skills of many martial arts disciplines." But a few Internet sites, apparently copying one another, credit an unnamed "Hollywood producer" as its designer.
Rounds and time limits were removed for the second UFC on March 11, 1994. This caused a major problem for home viewers, as fighters were more evenly matched for UFC 2: 'main event' fights were still in progress as the allotted pay-per-view time block ended. Many viewers quite rightly received refunds.
This mix-up eventually led UFC officials to re-institute time limits for all fights.
In UFC 3 (Sept. 4, 1994) Royce Gracie, who many then considered unstoppable, was nearly beaten by Tae Kwon Do artist Kimo Leopoldo in one of the most infamous contests in UFC history.
Another fight which has gained notoriety was between White Tiger Kempo fighter Keith Hackney and American sumo Emmanuel Yarbrough. The biggest man to ever be inside the Octagon, Yarbrough measured 6'8" and weighed 668lbs.
Part of the UFC's early allure was that is allowed, say, a 600lbs+ sumo wrestler to compete against a well-toned kempo expert. It was still rather normal for a smaller fighter with greater skill like Hackney to defeat his much larger, lesser-skilled opponent.
At UFC 5 (March 7, 1995), the first "Superfight" took place. And scoring, judges to determine bouts and time limits were becoming necessities; the tourney of Dec. 16, 1995 was the first UFC event to feature judges.
The very first Ultimate Fighting Championship was ruled by the groundfighters - seven of the eight principal fights were won by locks, chokes, or crude stomps. Only one match resulted in a victory by decisive strikes against the opponent.
Much had changed by UFC 8 (Feb. 16, 1996). By that time, the strikers were all but kings of the castle: a full seven out of the eight matches fought were won by either punches, strikes, or - in one case - the Kuk Sool Won elbow work of Gary Goodridge. The exclamation point came when Don Frye won UFC 8, becoming the first Western-style Wrestler/Boxer to win the title.
If the first four years saw a change to a more direct style, the next four would see the UFC slowly create better rounded rules of both art and engagement.

What is Ultimate Fighting?

Started in 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) brand is in its fourteenth year of operation as a professional mixed martial arts organization offering the premier series of MMA sports events.
The UFC organization follows a rich history and tradition of competitive MMA dating back to the Olympic Games in Athens. About 80 years ago, a Brazilian form of MMA known as Vale Tudo (anything goes) sparked local interest in the sport.
Then, the UFC organization brought MMA to the United States. The goal was to find “the Ultimate Fighting Champion” with a concept to have a tournament of the best athletes skilled in the various disciplines of all martial arts, including karate, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, grappling, wrestling, sumo and other combat sports. The winner of the tournament would be crowned the champion.
Once the UFC brand was launched, MMA popularity surged in Brazil, followed by immense interest in Japan where these bouts became major events.
In January 2001, under the new ownership of Zuffa, LLC, the UFC brand completely restructured MMA into a highly organized and controlled combat sport. As a result, the UFC organization now offers twelve to fourteen live pay-per-view events annually through cable and satellite providers. UFC fight programs are also distributed internationally throughout the world, including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, MAIN EVENT in Australia, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom.
Response to the UFC brand of MMA has been tremendous, resulting in a growing fan base that has grown exponentially through the years.
Recently, a UFC event in Columbus, Ohio attracted more than 19, 000 people—the largest audience in North American to witness a mixed martial arts event. UFC popularity continues to reach new heights as the fifth season of the hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter® delivered record ratings in male 18-34 and 18-34 demographics for the Spike TV cable network.
The UFC organization and Spike TV also extended its two-year strategic partnership through 2008 to present four additional seasons of hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter®, as well as ten live UFC® Fight Night™ events and 26 taped programs of UFC: Unleashed™.
The UFC organization is regulated and recognized by the world’s most prestigious sports regulatory bodies including the California, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania State Athletic Commissions. The UFC organization strives for the highest levels of safety and quality in all aspects of the sport.
Under the strong leadership of owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, and expertise of President Dana White, the UFC brand continues to thrive across a spectrum of live event sports, television production and ancillary business development.