KEN SHAMROCK - THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS MAN

Ken Shamrock insists this is not a last hurrah.

When he fights EliteXC heavyweight Kimbo Slice a week from today in front of a national television audience, Shamrock expects to win.

“This will be an exciting fight. I’m looking forward to it,” Shamrock said. “I plan to walk out of there with my hand raised.”

Shamrock, 44, who lives in Spanish Springs and is one of five members of the UFC Hall of Fame, is training for the fight, which is in Sunrise, Fla., here in Reno.

It’s the kind of training that could wear out a man half his age. He’s in the gym seven days a week, fours a day.

“I still love fighting. I still want to fight,” Shamrock said. “I had some rough times the last couple of fights.”

Shamrock (26-13-2) has lost his last five fights and has not won in five years.

He attributes the rough times to a variety of injuries and illness. He suffered a separated right shoulder, and bears a scar there, and had his left anterior cruciate ligament replaced.

He also contracted a virus that caused him to drop 15 pounds earlier this year. Shamrock says he’s 100 percent healthy now.

“I was trying to recover from those injuries and at the same time trying to train and fight. Things just didn’t work out,” Shamrock said. “I went into a fight probably when I shouldn’t have. I look back and I think, ‘Wow, I probably should have taken time out and done it right.’”

Shamrock was one of the first ultimate fighters and he helped bring the sport into the mainstream. His first sanctioned fight was in 1993.

But his fighter’s mentality worked against him.

“When you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter and sometimes you don’t make all the good decisions, but you make them because of the desire to fight. You want to fight. You’re just not ready,” he said. “I’ve come to a point now where I said if I’m not healthy, I’m not going to fight.”

His trainer, Quentin Blue Horse, who is from Yerington, said Shamrock is ready for the 34-year-old Slice (3-0).

“He’s gotten in great shape in a short amount of time,” Blue Horse said. “If he’s standing up (against Slice) he’ll dominate.”

Kimbo Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, is trained by Bas Rutten. Shamrock was the last fighter to defeat Rutten, in 1995. Rutten expects Shamrock to take the fight to the ground, where he is strongest.

“I’m definitely looking to expose him in a lot of different areas,” Shamrock said.

Shamrock is training for Slice by sparring with heavier fighters.

“Weight is a big deal,” Shamrock said. “There’s a lot of different variables coming with a bigger guy. Maybe they’re not as fast, but they also hit harder. There’s a lot of thinking with someone that big. It’s very much a mental game. When you walk in the ring, you’ve got to know right then and there, once the bell rings you’re ready to go. No ifs ands or buts.”

Shamrock plans to still be fighting at age 64. But he knows that doesn’t go over well with the younger crowd. He compared it to when Michael Jordan unretired a few years ago and played for the Washington Wizards.

“A lot of younger guys get mad at guys like myself who built the sport,” Shamrock said. “Maybe we’re not as talented. Our bodies have taken a beating over the years. We’re a little slower and we get the opportunity to get these fights because we’re so popular and we draw people.”

Shamrock, who is opening a series of fighting schools called Lions Dens across the country, said his fight against Slice is not about the money.

“This is on the low end (of the pay scale),” he said. “This is about me going in there and beating Kimbo.”

Slice is also confident.

“I’ll kick his butt and let you guys take names. I’m hoping to see the best of Ken because he’ll see the best of Kimbo,” Slice said in a press release.

Slice said he’s been training harder than he ever has before.

“I have the endurance and I am prepared to go the distance. I doubt this fight will go the distance, but if it does, I’m ready,” he said. “”I’m like a sponge. I pick up something from everyone I work with. If something doesn’t work in the cage I will switch it up to something that does. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

He is ready if the fight goes to the ground.

“I’ve worked on punches, takedowns, takedown defense, chokes, armbars, you name it. Anything that Shamrock tries on me, I am prepared for,” he said. “Nothing is going to stop me once that fight starts. I’ll fight with a broken arm if the referee doesn’t stop the fight. I will be unstoppable on Oct. 4.”

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