Conor Mcreggor, Ken Shamrock and recreating the fighting Irish template for the masses

[TheMaster]

Anyone who knows how this works should see it for what it is.
We are afterall about to have Cormier - Lesnar as his first UFC HW title defence.

What Conor Mcreggor and Ken Shamrock have in common is they are the same template. Ken was more babyface. Conor is more heel anti-hero. But they are the same.
Ken was chosen as the face of the early UFC because he was good looking and relatable as a 'fighting Irish' working guy. Since most american males identify as 5% irish he is the most marketable so was pushed, not a skinny brazilian guy who looks more like a tango teacher.
I am not saying Ken did not have legit skills or was not a bad mofo, but he was there for a reason. I think Snowden talks about this in the book inside mma.
Same with Conor - legit skills but pushed for a reason.

The UFC does show the sport of MMA. But at the highest levels it is still a carefully constructed money making spectacle, and the champion is to a large extent created and enginered to be there to appeal to the target audiance.
Its a bit like a punch and judy show in that way.
Khabib is good, do you not think there are not many more Russiam fighters out there at top level?
Same with top level Brazilian fighters. But does thd UFC want a roster of Portugese speaking or Russian speaking fighters with broken english at the top? No.
Would the sport ever be mainstream like it is if it was like that? No.

Just amazed and observing with some amusement that they recreated the 'fighting Irish working man' template again for the top guy face of the sport, and that it worked so damn well on the masses again.

 

[WHITE ANDERSON]

u know ken SHAMROCK is a fake pro wrestling name, right?

i don't get white americans' fascination with claiming that they're Irish when all they know is shitty beer and lucky charms

 

[LouisBolanos]

u know ken SHAMROCK is a fake pro wrestling name, right?

i don't get white americans' fascination with claiming that they're Irish when all they know is shitty beer and lucky charms

Ken Shamrock was born Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick, and Kilpatrick is a name of Scottish and Irish origin.

 

[ixRanGzeNxi]

Ken Shamrock was born Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick, and Kilpatrick is a name of Scottish and Irish origin.

KILL PATRICK?

Spoiler

 

[ixRanGzeNxi]

Saying you can't have a sport be "mainstream" without speaking English is the most ignorant shit you said in your ignorant ass post there.

Soccer is arguably THE biggest and most mainstream sport in the world...yet many of the best teams/players speak little to no English. If you're watching MMA for trash-talking and drama, you won't like having the best fighters at the top. If you're into the best fighters fighting, then it won't matter if they speak English or not...cuz the language of "violence" is universal.

 

[GOATER]

Frank shamrock is my favorite irish fighter.

 

[OneManGang]

Ken Shamrock is 12.5% Cherokee, 12.5% Arab, 7.5% Chinese and only 2.5% Irish and the rest French, according to a recent interview.

 

[ixRanGzeNxi]

Frank shamrock is my favorite irish fighter.

You forget there is another elite Irish fighter...

Spoiler

 

[Newave]

Ken wasn’t Irish and never claimed it. He took the name from the guy that raised him in the group home. And one thing youre missing is that these guys aren’t “created”, they are discovered. You can’t just have the persona, you have to be able to fight too, and Conor and Ken could really fight, and FINISH fights, which is the common trait of most (though not all) mma mega stars. On top of that, they are naturally good shit talkers. You can’t create that, you just get lucky every once in a while and find it.

 

[DorianGray]

Anyone who knows how this works should see it for what it is.
We are afterall about to have Cormier - Lesnar as his first UFC HW title defence.

What Conor Mcreggor and Ken Shamrock have in common is they are the same template. Ken was more babyface. Conor is more heel anti-hero. But they are the same.
Ken was chosen as the face of the early UFC because he was good looking and relatable as a 'fighting Irish' working guy. Since most american males identify as 5% irish he is the most marketable so was pushed, not a skinny brazilian guy who looks more like a tango teacher.
I am not saying Ken did not have legit skills or was not a bad mofo, but he was there for a reason. I think Snowden talks about this in the book inside mma.
Same with Conor - legit skills but pushed for a reason.

The UFC does show the sport of MMA. But at the highest levels it is still a carefully constructed money making spectacle, and the champion is to a large extent created and enginered to be there to appeal to the target audiance.
Its a bit like a punch and judy show in that way.
Khabib is good, do you not think there are not many more Russiam fighters out there at top level?
Same with top level Brazilian fighters. But does thd UFC want a roster of Portugese speaking or Russian speaking fighters with broken english at the top? No.
Would the sport ever be mainstream like it is if it was like that? No.

Just amazed and observing with some amusement that they recreated the 'fighting Irish working man' template again for the top guy face of the sport, and that it worked so damn well on the masses again.

This was a somewhat interesting read. I don't remember agreeing with it it entirely (though I do agree with it in general). But I am way too drunk to re read it and check hahah

 

[ixRanGzeNxi]

Ken Shamrock is 12.5% Cherokee, 12.5% Arab, 7.5% Chinese and only 2.5% Irish and the rest French, according to a recent interview.

Think that would make a 100% reason to remember the name...

 

[FleximusPrime]

Actually Muhammad Ali was my favorite Irish fighter and before you claim Im trolling Alis grandfather was a white Irishman named Abe OGrady who emigrated to the US from Ennis Co.Clare in Ireland in the 1860s.

 

[boxingskills]

 

[thelittleman]

Anyone who knows how this works should see it for what it is.
We are afterall about to have Cormier - Lesnar as his first UFC HW title defence.

What Conor Mcreggor and Ken Shamrock have in common is they are the same template. Ken was more babyface. Conor is more heel anti-hero. But they are the same.
Ken was chosen as the face of the early UFC because he was good looking and relatable as a 'fighting Irish' working guy. Since most american males identify as 5% irish he is the most marketable so was pushed, not a skinny brazilian guy who looks more like a tango teacher.
I am not saying Ken did not have legit skills or was not a bad mofo, but he was there for a reason. I think Snowden talks about this in the book inside mma.
Same with Conor - legit skills but pushed for a reason.

The UFC does show the sport of MMA. But at the highest levels it is still a carefully constructed money making spectacle, and the champion is to a large extent created and enginered to be there to appeal to the target audiance.
Its a bit like a punch and judy show in that way.
Khabib is good, do you not think there are not many more Russiam fighters out there at top level?
Same with top level Brazilian fighters. But does thd UFC want a roster of Portugese speaking or Russian speaking fighters with broken english at the top? No.
Would the sport ever be mainstream like it is if it was like that? No.

Just amazed and observing with some amusement that they recreated the 'fighting Irish working man' template again for the top guy face of the sport, and that it worked so damn well on the masses again.

 

[Ice Cold]

My favourite is the Fake Irish Handgrenade.

 

[TheMaster]

Ken wasn’t Irish and never claimed it. He took the name from the guy that raised him in the group home. And one thing youre missing is that these guys aren’t “created”, they are discovered. You can’t just have the persona, you have to be able to fight too, and Conor and Ken could really fight, and FINISH fights, which is the common trait of most (though not all) mma mega stars. On top of that, they are naturally good shit talkers. You can’t create that, you just get lucky every once in a while and find it.

They are both discovered and 'created'.

Outside of hardcore fans no one knows Ken is adopted thus he is and was widely considered Irish.

HW boxing went on a 10 year decline in the US in large part because 2 eastern european boxers were at the top not someone from the english speaking world. Then a bum of a boxer with zero pro experience generates $400 million fighting Mayweather, go figure.

Anyway whatever, this type of thing is for those who want to see things as they are and how this show actually works. If you dont then its up to you - enjoy the Mcreggor show I dont want to spoil your fun just ignore what I said.

 

[Brit_Brawler]

Shamrock was adopted and he’s also not Irish at all

 

[MayhemMonkey]

Anyone who knows how this works should see it for what it is.
We are afterall about to have Cormier - Lesnar as his first UFC HW title defence.

What Conor Mcreggor and Ken Shamrock have in common is they are the same template. Ken was more babyface. Conor is more heel anti-hero. But they are the same.
Ken was chosen as the face of the early UFC because he was good looking and relatable as a 'fighting Irish' working guy. Since most american males identify as 5% irish he is the most marketable so was pushed, not a skinny brazilian guy who looks more like a tango teacher.
I am not saying Ken did not have legit skills or was not a bad mofo, but he was there for a reason. I think Snowden talks about this in the book inside mma.
Same with Conor - legit skills but pushed for a reason.

The UFC does show the sport of MMA. But at the highest levels it is still a carefully constructed money making spectacle, and the champion is to a large extent created and enginered to be there to appeal to the target audiance.
Its a bit like a punch and judy show in that way.
Khabib is good, do you not think there are not many more Russiam fighters out there at top level?
Same with top level Brazilian fighters. But does thd UFC want a roster of Portugese speaking or Russian speaking fighters with broken english at the top? No.
Would the sport ever be mainstream like it is if it was like that? No.

Just amazed and observing with some amusement that they recreated the 'fighting Irish working man' template again for the top guy face of the sport, and that it worked so damn well on the masses again.

 

[MayhemMonkey]

Frank shamrock is my favorite irish fighter.

so you dont have any favourite Irish fighters?

 

[Bogeyman]

Brazilian fighters are pushed plenty. They love to do that "from the favelas" thing even when most of them aren't from the favelas.