KEN SHAMROCK - THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS MAN

By Larry Goldberg, MMAMemories.com

When you think of the sport of mixed martial arts in the United States of America, there is one name that comes most readily to mind.

That is the name of Ken Shamrock.

A man who has been there from the very beginning of the sport as it was introduced to this country in 1993, Shamrock was the natural foil for Royce Gracie, who was the champion in the first two UFC events, and I suppose accomplished the objective of his family, which was to popularize Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in America. But it was Shamrock who emerged from those battles in the Octagon to be the true personality who drove the sport in its early years. The fact that he has retained his level of popularity through all these years, to the point where it remains a position of reverence, is proof positive that he has contributed much more to the sport than he has taken out of it. In fact, it can be said, with much conviction, that Ken Shamrock, through competitive greatness and sheer force of personality, has helped to propel mixed martial arts to the point were it is the true “sport of the 21st Century.”

Don’t get me wrong; he’s not alone there. But he is indeed the most prominent figure, and remains so. Despite having won only once since 2001, he is magnetic enough to be associated with some of the highest-rated televised fights in the history of MMA, and that will no doubt include the fight against Kimbo Slice on Saturday night. How is that? Well, there is someone in every sport who takes on the identity of a “superhero” of sorts, and who transcends generations. We’ve seen it with people like Michael Jordan in basketball, Babe Ruth in baseball, Johnny Unitas in football, Wayne Gretzky in hockey, Muhammad Ali in boxing, Arnold Palmer in golf. No matter where they were in their careers, all eyes would be on them when they performed.

In mixed martial arts, Ken Shamrock fits that category like a four-ounce glove.

This is what constitutes the real difference between a Kimbo Slice and a Ken Shamrock. Slice (real name Kevin Ferguson) has all the makings of a passing fancy; a figure of the moment, but one who will be washed away as one generation gives way to another. He was a curiosity, who transformed himself into a phenomenon, but will end up a footnote. Ken Shamrock is not, and never will be, a footnote. When discussing MMA history, he will be mentioned, and quite prominently, in the very first paragraph. When you consider that he has not won any conventional “world titles,” you truly begin to understand that Shamrock is bigger than any title, bigger than any promotion, bigger than life itself in the minds of true MMA fans. He paved the way. He developed the audience. He did credit to the sport, every step of the way.

That’s why, even though a victory by Shamrock would be a victory for purists and for those who savor substance over pure spectacle, it really doesn’t matter who comes out of the cage the winner on Saturday night.

The guy who’ll have his hand raised in the history books will be the man who made the Lion’s Den famous.

And the sport better for his presence.