Sherdog’s Top 10: Most Influential Fighters

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6. Frank Shamrock

For a variety of better or worse reasons, namely Zuffa’s strange relationship with him, Shamrock has been somewhat forgotten as a fighter by the current generation of fans. That would be a mistake, and Shamrock stands as one of the most influential fighters in the history of the sport. His game was innovative; he actively coached; and his long afterlife as a media personality has given him even more reach through the years.

Shamrock got his start training under his foster brother, Ken Shamrock, and acquired a great deal of early experience -- 18 bouts -- fighting in the Pancrase organization, which launched other well-rounded fighters like Rumina Sato, Bas Rutten and Matt Hume. By the time he began to compete in American promotions on a full-time basis, his game was nearly complete and easily able to contend with the talented but limited specialists who were common in those days. In his first fight in the UFC, for example, Shamrock armbarred Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Kevin Jackson in only 16 seconds; he then slammed Igor Zinoniev into unconsciousness. His fight with the bigger and stronger Tito Ortiz was a barnburner for the ages that showcased just how important a diverse skill set would become in the future.

Shamrock fought off and on for another decade after the fight with Ortiz, but his most important contributions in that decade were in coaching and broadcasting. When B.J. Penn came to the American Kickboxing Academy to prepare for his early fights in the UFC, for example, Shamrock was there helping him to prepare. Before that, he had trained fighters like Guy Mezger and Jerry Bohlander at the Lion’s Den, and he was active as a coach in the International Fight League and on Spike TV’s short-lived reality show “Fight Master.”

Between his fights themselves, his commentary and his work as a coach, Shamrock has more than left his mark on the sport he helped define.

Number 5 » The premise was and remains simple. If a skilled striker could learn to defend takedowns and picked up enough grappling knowledge to avoid being blasted with punches or submitted on his or her back, then suddenly the entire sport changes from one dominated by ground fighting to one in which striking is a valid option. Boxing, kickboxing, muay Thai, karate, wushu and every other striking art then become potential bases for mixed martial artists, so long as the practitioner knew enough defensive wrestling and grappling to survive outside their specialty.