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In this segment we have legendary MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock, whose career spans over 23 years. He is the founder and owner of the Lion's Den Gym out of Lodi, California. Ken was an absolutely natural talent when he was younger, and tried his hand at wrestling in high school until he broke his neck before a state championship. Doctors had told him his sports career was over, that is until he flew to Japan and trained in the art of submission grappling with professional wrestlers Pancrase legend Masakatsu Funaki & Minoru Suzuki. Together all 3 founded the Pancrase organization, which is one of the world's oldest MMA events, still around today. Ken then entered the UFC after winning the Pancrase open weight championship and tried out his skills there...had a successful career and fought in organizations all over the world including Pride, King of the Cage, Cage Rage and Bellator. He holds a record of 28-17-2 and is one of MMA's very first true grappling pioneers in MMA today and whose gym created fantastic talents such as Guy Mezger, Frank Shamrock, Pete Williams, Tony Bonello, Jerry Bohlander,Maurice Smith, Roy Nelson etc. whom all fought in the UFC or other major organizations. In this video, it's Ken Shamrock's very first UFC match against K-1 fighter Patrick Smith at UFC 1 in 1993. Before the fight Patrick Smith & his corner men were loudly boasting how they were going to defeat Ken in vicious fashion and without mercy. Also, UFC 1 color commentators were (Superfoot) Bill Wallace, NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown and Kathy Long (5 time kickboxing champion). Right up til Gerard Goudeau's kicking out Telia Tuli's teeth, Ken thought the UFC was a wrestling exhibition and didnt think it would involve much actual physical confrontation. Ken would lose in the nest round to the winner of UFC 1 Royce Gracie. 86,000 people bought the PPV for this event.
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