MMA Hall of Fame: Ken Shamrock

Born as Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick on February 11, 1964, Ken Shamrock emerged as one of the biggest stars in Mixed Martial Arts. He is widely considered as a legendary icon in the sports, being able to headline 15 main events and co-main events in the UFC and Pride Fighting Championship. Ken Shamrock was also able to set numerous pay-per-view records with his drawing power.

In addition to this, Ken Sharmrock is distinguished as Royce Gracie’s number one rival. Following his match with Royce Gracie at Superfight’s inaugural event that resulted to a draw, he became the first UFC Superfight Champion after defeating Dan Severn at UFC 6. After inducting the weight categories in UFC, Ken Shamrock’s title was eventually renamed as UFC Heavyweight Champion. More over, Ken Shamrock was also the first MMA Heavyweight Champion in Japan after winning the King of Pancrase title.

But other than Ken Shamrock’s MMA career, he was also a professional wrestler. He achieved championship success during his time at World Wrestling Federation and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The WWF – now World Wrestling Entertainment – has credited Ken Shamrock for popularizing the “Ankle Lock”, which was named by the promotion as the second best submission hold in the organization’s history.

Achievements

Black Belt Magazine
2000 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year

Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling
King of Pancrase (1994)
King of Pancrase Tournament winner

PRIDE Fighting Championships
Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals Superfight

Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC Superfight Championship (1 time, first)
UFC Hall of Fame
UFC Viewer’s Choice Award[70]
UFC 1 Tournament Semifinalist
UFC 3 Tournament Finalist

World Mixed Martial Arts Association
WMMAA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
2002 Feud of the Year vs. Tito Ortiz
2006 Feud of the Year vs. Tito Ortiz