Frank Shamrock in many ways was a forerunner to the modern mixed martial artist, a game-changing competitor defined by his well-rounded skills, attention to detail and commitment to conditioning.
Shamrock was 22 years old when he made his MMA debut in Pancrase on Dec. 16, 1994 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, where he defeated Bas Rutten by majority decision. The Californian went on to compile a 23-10-2 record and emerge as one of the sport’s most recognizable stars during a 15-year run that saw him shoot to the top of his profession. He trained under adopted brother Ken Shamrock, American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez and onetime Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Maurice Smith. Shamrock—who captured titles in the UFC, Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting—announced his retirement from MMA in 2010 but continues to hold a prominent position in the combat sports pantheon.
More than a decade after Shamrock walked off into the proverbial sunset, a look at some of the numbers that accompanied him throughout his career:
48: Years of age for Shamrock, who was born on Dec. 8, 1972 in Santa Monica, California.
12: Shamrock wins by submission, accounting for 52% of his career total (23). His methods of choice: six rear-naked chokes, two kneebars, two armbars, one toe hold and one Achilles lock. Shamrock owns four wins by knockout or technical knockout, five more by decision and two others by disqualification.
3: Sub-minute stoppage victories to Shamrock’s credit. He submitted Kevin Jackson with an armbar in 16 seconds at UFC Ultimate Japan 1 on Dec. 21, 1997, knocked out Igor Zinoviev with a slam in 22 seconds at UFC 16 on March 13, 1998 and punched out Cesar Gracie in 21 seconds at Strikeforce “Shamrock vs. Gracie” on March 10, 2006.
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247: Total strikes by which Shamrock outlanded his five opponents in the UFC. It includes his 193-67 margin against Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 in what was his final appearance inside the Octagon.
2: Stalemates on the Shamrock ledger. He went to a majority draw with Allan Goes at Pancrase 4 on May 13, 1995 and fought to a draw with Kyoshi Tamura under the Rings banner on April 23, 1999.
7: Consecutive wins for Shamrock between Sept. 26, 1997 and Oct. 16, 1998. It was the longest such streak of his distinguished career.
1: Disqualification loss on the Shamrock resume. He was disqualified for bouncing illegal knees of Renzo Gracie’s head in the second round of their EliteXC “Destiny” main event in February 2007.
703: Days spent by Shamrock as undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion. He held the title from Dec. 21, 1997 to Nov. 24, 1999 and successfully defended it on four occasions. It remains the fifth-longest reign in the history of the weight class.
10: Promotions in which Shamrock competed as a professional mixed martial artist. He went 11-6-1 in Pancrase, 5-0 in the UFC, 2-2 in Strikeforce, 1-0-1 in Rings, 1-0 in World Pankration Championships, 1-0 in Vale Tudo Japan, 1-0 in K-1, 1-0 in World Extreme Cagefighting, 0-1 in SuperBrawl and 0-1 in EliteXC.
242: Combined victories between the nine men—Diaz, Gracie, Cung Le, John Lober, Kiuma Kunioku, Yuki Kondo, Bas Rutten (twice), Masakatsu Funaki and Manabu Yamada—to whom Shamrock lost during his 35-fight career. They sport a cumulative record of 242-123-32 (.610).