Was Ken Shamrock MMA's first A-level athlete?

VanMMA

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Ken is overlooked in the A-level athlete discussions. He excelled in both football and wrestling in high school. He was team captain of his college's football team and was offered a tryout for the San Diego Chargers, an NFL team, which he declined to pursue pro-wrestling.

The point is that despite having minimal experience in martial arts as a youth, he went on to have a distinguished MMA career.
 
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Yes he was, he is the reason athletes started becoming interested in the sport.

He was someone all the football players and wrestlers could relate to and we watched for him.
 
Ken is overlooked in the A-level athlete discussions. He excelled in both football and wrestling in high school. He was team captain of his college's football team and was offered an NFL contract which he declined to pursue pro-wrestling.

The point is that despite having minimal experience in martial arts as a youth, he went on to have a distinguished MMA career.
Kimo too... was into football too and wrestling b4
 
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It was actually this guy.
 
He was definitely the best athlete in the beginning. This is what separated him from the rest.
 
He was definitely the best athlete in the beginning. This is what separated him from the rest.

I thought cartoonish roid physique separated him?

I’d say Rickson was the first true athlete in MMA.
 
Decent athlete yes
A level. Haha no.

Thats why he fought for a few grand in the ufc.
 
I thought cartoonish roid physique separated him?

I’d say Rickson was the first true athlete in MMA.
Actually, he didn't look that big in the first UFCs. I think they had him listed at 205lbs. It was when he went to the WWF that he had that roid look. No matter.....he was the superior athlete of the time.
 
i don't know how what kind of athlete he was compared to the other MMA guys at the time because i was born in the 90s. I do know that he wasn't anywhere near as athletic as michael jordan or bo jackson. so if ken's an A level athlete, what are those guys?
 
SD loves these "A" level athlete debates.

Honestly - how big of a deal is it? He is a good athlete, was he Bo Jackson? No, but plenty of guys with Bo Jackson type natural aptitude for sports never materialize due to lack of work ethic, or desire.

It's the combination - which is why guys crush the combine and still struggle with the NFL. It's not indicative.
 
"A" level athlete for the time for sure. Today, probably not.
 
i don't know how what kind of athlete he was compared to the other MMA guys at the time because i was born in the 90s. I do know that he wasn't anywhere near as athletic as michael jordan or bo jackson. so if ken's an A level athlete, what are those guys?
That's the thing. I'm reading people calling Ngannou 'A-level' because he started training 4 years ago and is now challenging for the belt. If that's the criteria than shouldn't Ken be the first. He even has experience in athletics and was offered an NFL contract.
 
He was freakishly strong for sure.

That's the thing. I'm reading people calling Ngannou 'A-level' because he started training 4 years ago and is now challenging for the belt. If that's the criteria than shouldn't Ken be the first. He even has experience in athletics and was offered an NFL contract.

The bar was much, much lower then. Ngannou would basically have been a God in the early UFCs and even into the second generation.
 
I always had it as Jon Hess
 
Jon Jones was the first, and so far only, "A" level athlete in MMA.
 
Ken is overlooked in the A-level athlete discussions. He excelled in both football and wrestling in high school. He was team captain of his college's football team and was offered an NFL contract which he declined to pursue pro-wrestling.

The point is that despite having minimal experience in martial arts as a youth, he went on to have a distinguished MMA career.
nearly every American MMA fighter has a HS wrestling and football background. I've done that shit too and I'm a D level athlete at best. To qualify for A-level athlete discussion you need NCAA Division 1 scholarship for football or basketball. And in rare cases, wrestling and track & field.
 
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