Ken Shamrock was born as Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick on February 11, 1964 in Macon, Georgia, USA.
His first real taste of competiton fighting came bye the way of small wrestling competitions in southern America where he learned and refined his style of submission fighting before moving on to Japan which then was the only real place for a fighter to test his abilities legally against various experienced martial artist, the fighting was tough and the money wasn't great but for a true fighting warrior like Ken Shamrock it enabled him to continue on his path to MMA legend.
It was back in the USA and the fledgling Ultimate Fighting Champsionship in 1993 that thrust the name of Ken Shamrock into the limelight where he beat Patrick Smith with a heel hook submission to progress to the semi-final round. There he faced the eventual winner of the first UFC tournament, Royce Gracie. Gracie won that fight by a rear naked choke technique but Ken Shamrock wanted revenge.
Shamrock would have to wait for two long years before he finally got his long awaited rematch against Royce Gracie. It was billed as the biggest MMA fight ever and the fight lasted 35 minutes! Both men exhausted and cancelling each other out it was finally called a draw and today stands as one of the classics in MMA fighting history. Although Ken wanted to fight Gracie again the opportunity never came.
Ken Shamrock still fights in the UFC today making him the longest serving member of the UFC, a position he is undoubtably very proud of and one that has only been made possible by his excellent training regime coupled with his solid mental attitude.
In the WWE Shamrock proved very capable with his excellent wrestling skills where he won the the Intercontinental Gold by defeating The Rock. He continued in the WWE and later in their Impact TV show however it was the UFC that welcomed back the worlds most dangerous man in 2005. Ken Shamrock has been the ultimate test and proving ground for UFC superstar fighters such as Rich Franklin.
Ken Shamrock has fought around the world in The Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting and the WWE and he continues to fight in the UFC today as well as being the head trainer of The Lions Den.
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