MMA thread

[SammyStephens]

- KEN SHAMROCK RETURNS; EYES TANK ABBOTT FIGHT - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

Ken Shamrock was in attendance as the special guest at the recent Bullet Fight Gear Presents: The Battle of Rome VI, in Rome, Georgia. “It is great to be back,” he said of the return to his home state. “I was born here, this place is beautiful.”

Fight promoter Tony Metcalfe was also excited to have the legend at the event. “Ken Shamrock is the Godfather of MMA,” he stated. “Without him, there wouldn’t be a Chuck Liddell or Forrest Griffin.”

Shamrock hasn’t fought since March of 2008, (he was scheduled to fight Kimbo Slice in October, but had to withdraw due to injury) but he hasn’t exactly been idle in that time.

“I’m actually trying to develop Ken Shamrock Productions, along with War Gods, so I’ll be fighting in my own shows” said Shamrock. “I have tried fighting in other promotions, and it always seems like you’re just spinning your wheels, and you seem to get used up.”

Ken Shamrock Productions and War Gods will put on their first co-promotion on Feb. 13 in Fresno, Calif., where he is scheduled to fight the 6’8” 360-pound Ross Clifton.

The goal for Shamrock’s company is to put the fans first. “I want to bring in fighters that fans want to see,” he explained. “Not necessarily because they’re the top ranked guys, but just because the fans want it.”

One such fight is a matchup between Ken Shamrock and David “Tank” Abbott. Both men are pioneers in the sport of MMA, having been around since its earliest days.

“We have wanted this fight to happen for years,” said Shamrock. “And for whatever reason it just hasn’t happened. Now, I’ll be in control, and I can set it up.”

Another fight that has eluded Shamrock throughout his career is one with his brother Frank. “I would hope it would happen,” said Shamrock. “I have been in the situation before where there was talk about it, and my brother likes to point fingers and say that I’m the one that causes it not to happen. If you follow his track record, you’ll see that he has turned down many fights. He was supposed to fight Wanderlei Silva and didn’t, he was supposed to fight Kazushi Sakuraba and didn’t, and so on and so on. If you look at my record, you’ll see that I have never been involved with a promotion that was talked about, and then I didn’t fight. So I think my record speaks for itself.”

During his hall of fame career, Shamrock has done battle with the best the sport had to offer, in some of its top promotions. He took part in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. He fought in the now defunct Japanese promotion, Pride Fighting Championships, and in Pancrase, even before the first UFC event.

He has taken on such luminaries as Royce Gracie, Don Frye, Dan Severn, Tito Ortiz, and Rich Franklin. However, Shamrock named a man that only the most hardcore MMA fans would recognize as his toughest opponent.

“Without a doubt it was Masakatsu Funaki” he stated. “I learned all of my skills, submission and striking in Japan, so I trained a lot with Masakatsu. When you’re fighting someone who knows what you’re going to do it’s really tough. He was a good striker, he was well rounded, and he knew me, and knew how to fight me.”

In nearly 16 years of professional fighting, Ken Shamrock has seen the sport go from the underground scene, to the mainstream. MMA has broken pay-per-view records, and smashed box office records at arenas across the globe.

“It’s come to a point where you see it on every T.V. channel, there are advertisements, or someone’s making a reality show. It’s just everywhere now,” he said. “When I started, it was like this dark cloud that you weren’t supposed to talk about, but now it’s come full circle, and it’s a respectable sport. There are still people out there that hate it, or think it’s barbaric, but those are the same people that look at football and boxing the same way. They have their opinion and we should respect it.”

Shamrock also thinks that MMA athletes are superior to those in other combat sports. “Some of the greatest athletes in the world are in MMA. There’s no doubting that when you pit against any athlete from any other combat sport, the MMA guy will come out on top,” he commented.

There are people that say that Ken Shamrock (who turns 45 on February 11) is no longer “The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” and that maybe his best days are behind him, but he thinks there is more to it than that. “I love it, people ask me all the time and I say as long as my body lets me do it, and the fans want me to, I’ll do it,” said the former champion. “I enjoy it, it’s still fun.”

Shamrock used basketball legend Michael Jordan as an example of a guy that competed for the love of the game. “Jordan would score 50 or 60 points in a game, and when he started scoring 25 or 30 points a game, he was still well above average” explained Shamrock. “When he wasn’t this outstanding scorer, and couldn’t move like he used to, people started saying he should quit or whatever, but if you look at it, he was playing for the love of the game. He’s no longer trying to make the name. He has already done that, now he’s in it because he loves it.”

He also believes fans should go easy on an athlete that sticks around past his prime. “I think it’s sad when fans turn on a guy that’s not able to do some of the things he could do before. They entertained them for so many years, and gave them so many happy moments, now all of the sudden, they’re not allowing the athlete to enjoy themselves anymore, and I just think that’s wrong.”

______________________________________________

Pretty good Interveiw with Ken, he really does need to retire though.

He should do promotions or run gyms. If he wants to make himself a main draw, it isn't happinin, sorry Ken. But yeah, good interview

 

[SammyStephens]

I don't know but this is just fucking strange, maybe Fedor needs some new management is this is the kind of shit that's keeping him from the UFC.

It makes sense though. Fedor has been allot of strange fights in the last years with pride up till his last two in Afflkiction.

 

[dkwrtw]

It makes sense though. Fedor has been allot of strange fights in the last years with pride up till his last two in Afflkiction.

I know they straight up ducked Monson in favor of Lindland.

 

[SammyStephens]

I know they straight up ducked Monson in favor of Lindland.

Yup, until Stlvia he did not have a legit top HW fight before that since CC in the 05 GP (depending if you consider Hunt a top HW and not SHW),

God into allot of arguments in late 07 and 08 basically saying Fedor was no longer #1 HW cause he hadn't challenged himself toprove it. Well, I have him back as #1, but how long will it last untill the Afflictions HW leave?

 

[dkwrtw]

Yup, until Stlvia he did not have a legit top HW fight before that since CC in the 05 GP (depending if you consider Hunt a top HW and not SHW),

God into allot of arguments in late 07 and 08 basically saying Fedor was no longer #1 HW cause he hadn't challenged himself toprove it. Well, I have him back as #1, but how long will it last untill the Afflictions HW leave?

this is exactly what I try to explain to his fans but there is just no reasoning with them, to them "Fedor is #1 until someone beats him!", I stopped even trying to talk to them, they claim Choi and Lindland as legitimate fights and outright deny him ducking Monson, nothing more frustrating than delusional nuthuggers.

 

[SammyStephens]

this is exactly what I try to explain to his fans but there is just no reasoning with them, to them "Fedor is #1 until someone beats him!", I stopped even trying to talk to them, they claim Choi and Lindland as legitimate fights and outright deny him ducking Monson, nothing more frustrating than delusional nuthuggers.

No shit!! Bet you none of those same guys claim Rashad is the best 205er!! He's undeafeated and holds a higher esteemed belt then Fedor does right now!!

Yeah, you can't use logic or reason with the guys that were overly loyal to either Pride or UFC or the guys that fighter worship. Penn and Fedor nutthuggers are the worst of the worst!

 

[dkwrtw]

No shit!! Bet you none of those same guys claim Rashad is the best 205er!! He's undeafeated and holds a higher esteemed belt then Fedor does right now!!

Yeah, you can't use logic or reason with the guys that were overly loyal to either Pride or UFC or the guys that fighter worship. Penn and Fedor nutthuggers are the worst of the worst!

lol, there hasn't been a single peep out of most of the Penn Huggers lately, I wonder why?

 

[SammyStephens]

lol, there hasn't been a single peep out of most of the Penn Huggers lately, I wonder why?

Really? I am surprised they are not all over the Vaseline shit

 

[dkwrtw]

I've seen one or two, but most are hiding in shame, even Penn's fans know this is utter BS. He's been banning people off his site for calling him on it too.

 

[SammyStephens]

I've seen one or two, but most are hiding in shame, even Penn's fans know this is utter BS. He's been banning people off his site for calling him on it too.

Damn, I lose more respect for Penn everyday it seems

 

[dkwrtw]

seems everybody is these days, Penn brought it on himself though hopefully he loses that belt soon and we get a respectable champ at 155.

 

[SammyStephens]

seems everybody is these days, Penn brought it on himself though hopefully he loses that belt soon and we get a respectable champ at 155.

Hopefully, but I still don't think Florian or Sherk are able to beat him quite yet.

 

[dkwrtw]

Hopefully, but I still don't think Florian or Sherk are able to beat him quite yet.

well, there is the chance he's lost his will to fight after his humiliating defeat to GSP and comes in half assed and an upset occurs.

 

[SammyStephens]

well, there is the chance he's lost his will to fight after his humiliating defeat to GSP and comes in half assed and an upset occurs.

Well, this is the first time he's really had his ass handed to him. He's been beat before, but even when Hughes and GSP (the first time) Penn was winning at the beginning. This was 4 rounds of "you aint got shit on me", maybe he'll wake up, but I doubt it.

 

[dkwrtw]

did you hear about James Thompson starting a riot in canada?

 

[SammyStephens]

did you hear about James Thompson starting a riot in canada?

LOL!! No, did he raid a DVD store?

 

[dkwrtw]

LOL, no, here's the story:

Chaos at Strike Box in Montreal: Fans nearly Riot : Feature Articles : MMATraining.com

In what was billed as a fighting league that would change the face of martial arts forever, Montreal’s Strike Box did not get off to the start they were looking for Friday night. In the main event fans threw beer cans and chairs into the cage after the fight between James Thompson and Steve Bosse escalated to a ridiculous height.

Sources say that the rules of Strike Box were not accepted by the provinces athletic commission in time for the event. (Those rules were similar to Muay Thai and the Japanese Shoot Boxing federation, where there is no ground fighting, but you can execute takedowns and standing submissions.)

Because of this, the event had to be held under MMA rules. But prior to the fights, each fighter agreed that they would fight under the original Strike Box rules, as a gentlemen’s agreement. But technically each fight would be fought under MMA rules so the referee could not stop anything that was allowed in MMA.

Not one single fight had any ground fighting until the main event. Former Pride and EliteXC veteran James Thompson vs. Former hockey enforce Steve Bosse took to the cage. Right away Thompson shot in on Bosse and took him to the ground. He then moved to side mount and starts raining down punches and elbows on Bosse. Eventually landing in full mount with more punches and elbows. Referee Yves Lavigne had no choice but to let the fight continue, since technically it was an MMA fight.

The fans began booing, not realizing what was happening and eventually tossed beer cans into the cage as the fight played out. Then a few chairs were thrown into the ring as a near riot broke out. Referee Yves Lavigne was forced to call a stop to the action and finally had to throw Bosse out of the cage for tossing a beer can at Thompson.

The fight was scored a no contest and from the sounds of things, it is unlikely Strike Box will be able to hold another event in Quebec again.

Stay tuned for more details.

 

[SammyStephens]

LOL!! Oh Gawd!!

 

[dkwrtw]

here is Thompson's side of the story:

Nice to meet you to m8. Don't know where to start, was there to fight Stirkebox rules and that was fine by me. The promoter told us that there was a small promblem with the wording of the contract and said if the fight goes to the floor, let your opponent up and the ref will send him to the corner and we'll start the fight off again. Cool by me.

Then before the match the ref, Yves, comes and tells me it's full mma rules and that's how he's reffing it. I ask him about if you take or knock your opponent down, do you let him back up and let him go to his corner and then restart the action? He said it is up to you and be careful as the guy can strike you as it mma rules. So now i 'm thinking what the fuck? I'm relying on my opponent not to do this.

When I start the match I go for a take down, and as i have him in the air I feel him go for a gulltione. So I think, fuck this. I've heard two set of rules here so I think i'll be sticking with the refs.

In the end it came down to the promoter trying to be too clever not getting his rules passed. So it has mma rules but he doesn't tell everyone involed! This just makes out like it's a small thing involving the wording. Plus he's Bosse manager and been burned to many times before.

Am sorry for the fans, as even though they were out of order, they didn t know what was going on, and i wasn 't far behind them in that respect!

What a fuck up.

 

[SammyStephens]

here is Thompson's side of the story:

Wow, what a cluster fuck of a promotion!!