5 Defining Moments: Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock may not wind up on many figurative Mount Rushmores, but his influence on mixed martial arts can still be felt long after he was a relevant competitor.

“The World’s Most Dangerous Man” rose to power in the Pancrase and Ultimate Fighting Championship organizations, recorded 22 victories across his first 28 outings, founded the revolutionary Lion’s Den camp, partook in several of the sport’s most heated rivalries and even went on to spread the MMA gospel into the world of professional wrestling. Shamrock was enshrined in the pioneer wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2003, fought beyond the age of 50 and exited the stage with a 28-17-2 career record.

As Shamrock continues to drift into the past, a look at five of the moments that came to define him:

1. When Stars Align

They now seem cosmically linked by their rivalry, but Shamrock locked horns with Royce Gracie for the first time in the UFC 1 semifinals on Nov. 12, 1993 at McNichols Arena in Denver. The historic encounter lasted less than a minute but nevertheless managed to propel Gracie forward on his march to becoming the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first superstar. Shamrock sprawled on a takedown and moved toward top position, only to become entangled in the lanky Brazilian’s spidery guard. He then made a pass at an ill-advised heel hook, left his neck exposed and found himself trapped in a rear-naked choke. Shamrock tapped 57 seconds into Round 1 and sent Gracie to the final, where he dismissed Gerard Gordeau with the same choke.

2. Peak Performance

Shamrock’s most feat may have unfolded over a 48-hour period in 1994, when he defeated four of his contemporaries to become the first openweight champion in Pancrase history. The 16-man tournament began on Dec. 16 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, concluded the following day and included Matt Hume, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Vernon White, Jason DeLucia and Masakatsu Funaki, among others. The elder Shamrock turned away Alex Cook with a heel hook and eliminated future UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith with an arm-triangle choke to reach the semifinals. Once there, he submitted Funaki with an arm-triangle choke, then earned a unanimous decision over Manabu Yamada in the 30-minute final. Shamrock successfully defended the openweight crown on one occasion, tapping Rutten with a kneebar in March 1995.

3. ‘Beast’ Mastered

The anticipation was palpable when Shamrock locked horns with the once-beaten Dan Severn for the inaugural superfight championship in the UFC 6 headliner on July 14, 1995 at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyoming. A two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Severn outweighed “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” by 35 pounds and figured to have the inside track on the $50,000 prize that was to be awarded to the winner. However, despite being six years older than Shamrock, he had 16 fewer fights under his belt—and experience played a pivotal role in the outcome. The two men spent much of their time engaged in a neutral clinch in the center of the Octagon. Shamrock evaded an attempted trip and allowed “The Beast” to bully him into the fence. Once there, Severn dropped into position for a double-leg takedown, only to be met with a guillotine choke from his savvy counterpart. After a brief struggle, he raised the white flag 2:14 into Round 1.

4. Blood Feud

Shamrock aimed to avenge Lion’s Den stablemate Guy Mezger’s technical knockout loss to Tito Ortiz three-plus years prior when he challenged “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title in the UFC 40 main event on Nov. 22, 2002 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The traffic was of the one-way variety, as Ortiz secured three takedowns, connected on 107 more strikes than Shamrock and forced a corner stoppage between the third and fourth rounds. The aptly named “Vendetta” pay-per-view drew upwards of 150,000 buys, which was considered a windfall for the promotion in 2002. Shamrock had absorbed such a hellacious beating across 15 minutes that he was barely recognizable by the time it was over.

5. Last Hurrah

It will go down as the last meaningful win of Shamrock’s hall-of-fame career. “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” returned from close to a two-year absence to rematch Kimo Leopoldo in the UFC 48 headliner on June 19, 2004 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Shamrock had undergone reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2003 and was just four months removed from his 40th birthday when he entered the cage against the hulking Hawaiian. Leopoldo—who had submitted to an ankle lock from the Warner Robins, Georgia, native at UFC 8 in February 1996—swooped into the clinch behind two jabs at the start of the match but found little success. The two men remained tied up as they traded short punches and knee strikes at close range, moving around the cage in concert. As Leopoldo pressed the action to the fence, his counterpart snuck in double underhooks and slammed a perfectly timed knee into his exposed face. He collapsed upon impact, and Shamrock cut loose with a few follow-up punches before the stoppage was called 1:26 into Round 1. The Lion’s Den founder lost nine times in his ensuing 11 appearances, including a 0-3 mark in the UFC. There would be no storybook ending.