Frank Shamrock is recognized as one of the first, and
arguably most successful and prolific fighters to abandon the notion
that mastering one martial art would suffice in no-holds-barred competitions. By expanding his training to all areas of the fight game,
a trend that is the standard in the sport today, Shamrock became one of
the pioneers that turned "ultimate fighting" into Mixed-Martial Arts.Frank Shamrock's fighting
career began under the tutelage of older brother Ken Shamrock, who
brought Frank into the fight world by way of the Japanese
submission-based competition Pancrase. Fighting under the Lion's Den
banner, Frank won the "King of Pancrase" title, becoming just the
fourth person to hold the honor. During his time with the Lion's Den,
Frank began to train with former World Kickboxing, UFC and K-1
Heavyweight champion Maurice Smith, who himself was seeking to round
out his style by studying submission fighting. Just before his debut in
the UFC, Frank broke ties with the Lion's Den, forming a team with
Maurice Smith that was simply called "The Alliance." But the seeds of
his current fighting alliance were planted in 1997, when Frank
relocated to Sunnyvale, California and began training with two-time
kickboxing world champion Javier Mendez, owner of the American
Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.
Frank made his UFC debut at
the December 1997 "Ultimate Japan," against the previously undefeated
Kevin Jackson, an Olympic gold-medallist in wrestling who at the time
was the UFC Middleweight champion. Defying popular opinion that he
would be no match for Jackson's world-class wrestling skills, Frank
declared, "wrestlers need(ed) a lesson in submissions"--and promptly
arm-barred his opponent 22 seconds into the fight to win his first of
five UFC crowns.
The victory over Jackson was
the start of a winning streak that would establish Frank Shamrock as
the most dominant and complete fighter in mixed martial arts during
that time. His cross training and determination to be the most
well-rounded fighter in the world paid off, as he used not only
submissions, but strikes, slams and superb cardiovascular conditioning
to defeat world class fighters. It was also during this time that he
started Team Shamrock, a fight team that trained out of the American
Kickboxing Academy under Shamrock and Mendez and produced many
world-class fighters.
His toughest challenge would
come in September of 1999 at UFC 22 in the form of Tito Ortiz, a cocky,
talented young fighter who had mounted a winning streak against Frank's
former team, the Lion's Den. Many suspected that Ortiz would be able to
overcome Shamrock with not only a sizeable weight advantage, but also a
brutal ground-and-pound style that he had used to beat his previous
opponents into either submission or unconsciousness. Once again, Frank
would prove the doubters wrong.
In an epic battle that is
considered by many to be the greatest fight in UFC history, Frank
weathered the storm, and took an out-conditioned Ortiz into the fourth
round, where he beat him into submission. Having taken on all comers,
with each challenge tougher than the last, Frank retired from the sport
after defeating Ortiz to pursue other ventures.
After conquering the fighting
world, Frank tried his hand in the entertainment business. His martial
arts expertise opened doors in Hollywood, as he took a recurring role
starring alongside martial arts icon Chuck Norris in the hit CBS series
"Walker, Texas Ranger" both on camera and off, acting and
choreographing fight scenes. He also appeared on the HBO series "Oz,"
in multiple television specials regarding mixed martial arts and a
nationally televised commercial for Burger King. In addition to his
experiences in entertainment, Frank has also created SODCS, (Science of
Officer Defense and Criminal Submission), a system designed to equip
law enforcement, corrections and military personnel with the ground
skills required for hand-to-hand combat.
Despite the amazing career
Frank Shamrock has had as a fighter, in addition to the other avenues
of success he has traveled, he refuses to sit back and live off of
them. In March of 2003, he made a highly anticipated and successful
return to the cage, and it is his desire to compete and once again use
his charisma and talent to thrill audiences and help bring the mixed
martial arts into the mainstream spotlight. He continues to teach his
Shamrock Submission Fighting class and train at AKA in San Jose,
California.
Frank Shamrock
vs.
Bas Rutten, Manabu Yamada, Katsuomi Inagaki, Masakatsu Funaki, Minori Suzuki, Allen Goes, Takaku Fuke, Bas Rutten II, Takafumi Ito, Masakatsu Funaki II, Vernon "Tiger" White, Minori Suzuki II, Bas Rutten III, Manabu Yamada II, Yuki Kondo, John Lober, Enson Inoue, Kevin Jackson, Igor Zinoniev, Jeremy Horn, John Lober II, Dan Henderson, Tito Ortiz, Elvis Sinosic, Shannon Rich, Brian Paroe,
An Exceptional 26 MMA Fight Collection
All Complete MMA Fights with Ring Walks & Post Fight Interviews
Excellent Interactive Motion Menus on DVDs