Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock
Shamrock in 2016
BornKenneth Wayne Kilpatrick
(1964-02-11) February 11, 1964 (age 60)
Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia, U.S.
Other namesThe World's Most Dangerous Man
ResidenceReno, Nevada, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach73 in (185 cm)
StyleShootfighting
Fighting out ofReno, Nevada, United States
TeamLion's Den
Teacher(s)Masakatsu Funaki
Years active1993–1996; 2000–2002, 2004–2006, 2008–2010; 2015–2016 (MMA)
1994 (Kickboxing)
1997–1999; 2009; 1989–2022
(Professional wrestling)
Kickboxing record
Total1
Wins0
Losses1
By knockout1
Draws0
Mixed martial arts record
Total47
Wins28
By knockout3
By submission22
By decision3
Losses17
By knockout11
By submission4
By decision2
Draws2
Other information
Spouse
Tina Ramirez
​
​
(m. 1985; div. 2002)​
Tonya Shamrock
​
(m. 2005)​
Children7, including 3 step-children
Notable relativesFrank Shamrock (adopted brother)
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Ring name(s)Ken Shamrock[1]
Shamrock
Vince Torelli[1]
Wayne Shamrock[1]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[2][3]
Billed weight243 lb (110 kg)[2][3]
Billed fromSacramento, California[2][3]
San Diego, California
Trained byNelson Royal
Bob Sawyer
Buzz Sawyer
Bret Hart[4]
Leo Burke[4]
Gene Anderson[5][6]
Debut1989[7]
RetiredAugust 6, 2022

Ken Shamrock (born Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick; February 11, 1964)[8][9] is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock.[10] He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), WWE and other combat sports.[11] An inaugural inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, Shamrock is widely regarded as an icon and pioneer of the sport.[12][13] He has headlined over 15 main events and co-main events in the UFC and Pride FC and set numerous MMA pay-per-view records.[14] In the early part of his UFC career, Shamrock was named "The World's Most Dangerous Man" by ABC News in a special called "The World's Most Dangerous Things".[15] The moniker has stuck as his nickname.

Shamrock became known early on in the UFC for his rivalry with Royce Gracie. After fighting to a draw in the inaugural UFC "Superfight", he became the first UFC Superfight Champion when he defeated Dan Severn at UFC 6; the title was eventually replaced by the UFC Heavyweight Championship when weight categories were introduced to the UFC.[16] He was also the first foreign MMA champion in Japan, winning the King of Pancrase Openweight title. During his reign as the UFC Superfight Champion, he was widely considered the #1 mixed martial artist in the world,[17] and in 2008, Shamrock was ranked by Inside MMA as one of the top 10 greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time.[18] He is the founder of the Lion's Den mixed martial arts training camp, and is the older brother of fellow fighter Frank Shamrock.

In addition to his mixed martial arts career, Shamrock has had considerable success in professional wrestling, particularly during his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). There, he is a one-time Intercontinental Champion, a one-time World Tag Team Champion and the 1998 King of the Ring. Shamrock also wrestled for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion – the first world champion under the TNA banner – and a 2020 inductee in the Impact Hall of Fame. He headlined multiple pay-per-view events in both promotions, including 1997's D-Generation X: In Your House, where he challenged for the WWF Championship. Additionally, Shamrock was also one of the first wrestlers to use the shoot style of wrestling in America, being credited by WWE with popularizing the legitimate ankle lock submission hold.[19]

  1. ^ a b c "Ken Shamrock". Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  3. ^ a b c "Ken Shamrock". WWE. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Wall, Jeremy (2005). UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top 10. ECW Press. p. 182 pp. ISBN 978-1550226911.
  5. ^ Jeremy Wall (2005). UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top 10. ECW Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-55022-691-1.
  6. ^ Ken Shamrock; Erich Krauss (November 6, 2012). Beyond the Lion's Den: The Life, The Fights, The Techniques. Tuttle Publishing. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-4629-0794-6.
  7. ^ Axel Saalbach. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  8. ^ "Ken Shamrock Is The World's Most Dangerous Can". Deadspin. June 18, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  9. ^ "Biography". Ken Shamrock. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  10. ^ Dhakite, Akash. "2-time-champion confirms WWE contract status". Sportskeeda. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference shamrockbkb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "MMA pioneer Bob Shamrock remembered". Yahoo Sports. January 18, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "Pioneers of MMA: Ken Shamrock". www.ufc.tv.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference meltzer2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Wall, Jeremy (2005). UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top 10 - Google Books. ECW Press. ISBN 9781550226911. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  16. ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 8, 2009). "Relive UFC 6: Clash of the Titans". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  17. ^ Snowden, Jonathan (July 13, 2010). "The Kingpin: The Best Fighters in MMA History". Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  18. ^ "Inside MMA 1". HDNet. May 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
  19. ^ "Top 25 most devastating submission holds". WWE. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)