Frank Shamrock has Sights Set on Lofty Future
Frank on the WFA
Mike Sloan Nov 15, 2005
Sloan: Yes it is, yes it is. And now that the UFC is on such a high
right now, the World Fighting Alliance is coming back and allegedly
… Don King is going to help promote it. What are your thoughts on
that?
Shamrock: It sounds like more people interested in money. It sounds like a good deal to me. They contacted me. It sounds like it may or may not be successful. Any new promotion, any growth in the sport is positive. At the end of the day people decide how they want themselves to be viewed. People promote their sport the way they wanted to. Some people have a different vision of what martial arts should be or what mixed martial arts should be. I think it should be done with honor and respect. You can talk shit, but you got to back it up.
Sloan: I come from a boxing background and I’ve been a boxing
journalist a lot longer than I’ve been a mixed martial arts
journalist so I know the ins and outs of Don King. I know
everything about the guy. In reality he’s great for boxing, but on
the same token he’s also bad for boxing, some of the things that
he’s done. Given Don King’s history, do you think he would
ultimately be a positive aspect for mixed martial arts or a
disastrous aspect?
Shamrock: That’s a good question. I think that he is in the same boat as the UFC. They’re both good and they’re both bad. I think that his interest, his name, his brand will bring more interest and credibility to the sport as a product, as a television product and pay-per-view product. I also think that like the UFC he’ll diminish the product for his own financial gain.
Sloan: Rumors have been circulating underground that the WFA has signed Tito Ortiz (Pictures) and they are either trying to or they have already signed you to fight Tito in the rematch. What is your side of that, if that’s even remotely true?
Shamrock: They called me and asked me quite a few times, but they offered me a deal like the UFC offered. Here’s a few dollars, we own you for the rest of your life and then goodbye. I’m in a different position in my life. I have different priorities. Different things I want to do and being owned and controlled by someone else for a few dollars is not one of those things.
Sloan: So it’s safe to say that the Frank Shamrock (Pictures) vs. Tito Ortiz (Pictures) II in the WFA is not happening?
Shamrock: Not on their first show, at least. The last show (WFA 3) took me two months to get paid for my commentary job for which I cut my price in half because they were friends of mine So from a good business standpoint I see myself probably waiting from them to get paid. Needless to say, my business experience with them hasn’t been the greatest, so I’m not falling over myself to jump back in bed with them at this point. If they get a couple shows off the ground and they are doing something positive, generating some energy, there’s always possibilities.
Shamrock: It sounds like more people interested in money. It sounds like a good deal to me. They contacted me. It sounds like it may or may not be successful. Any new promotion, any growth in the sport is positive. At the end of the day people decide how they want themselves to be viewed. People promote their sport the way they wanted to. Some people have a different vision of what martial arts should be or what mixed martial arts should be. I think it should be done with honor and respect. You can talk shit, but you got to back it up.
Advertisement
Shamrock: That’s a good question. I think that he is in the same boat as the UFC. They’re both good and they’re both bad. I think that his interest, his name, his brand will bring more interest and credibility to the sport as a product, as a television product and pay-per-view product. I also think that like the UFC he’ll diminish the product for his own financial gain.
Sloan: Rumors have been circulating underground that the WFA has signed Tito Ortiz (Pictures) and they are either trying to or they have already signed you to fight Tito in the rematch. What is your side of that, if that’s even remotely true?
Shamrock: They called me and asked me quite a few times, but they offered me a deal like the UFC offered. Here’s a few dollars, we own you for the rest of your life and then goodbye. I’m in a different position in my life. I have different priorities. Different things I want to do and being owned and controlled by someone else for a few dollars is not one of those things.
Sloan: So it’s safe to say that the Frank Shamrock (Pictures) vs. Tito Ortiz (Pictures) II in the WFA is not happening?
Shamrock: Not on their first show, at least. The last show (WFA 3) took me two months to get paid for my commentary job for which I cut my price in half because they were friends of mine So from a good business standpoint I see myself probably waiting from them to get paid. Needless to say, my business experience with them hasn’t been the greatest, so I’m not falling over myself to jump back in bed with them at this point. If they get a couple shows off the ground and they are doing something positive, generating some energy, there’s always possibilities.
