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Before UFC Glory: Frank and Ken Shamrock’s Stripping Career That Could Have Been

Before UFC Glory Frank and Ken Shamrock's Stripping Career That Could Have Been Brothers Frank Shamrock and Ken Shamrock were troubled youths who found their calling competing in the cage but their…

Brothers Frank Shamrock and Ken Shamrock were troubled youths who found their calling competing in the cage but their alternative was stripping. Each Shamrock UFC and other MMA titles throughout their career and were pioneers of the sport.

Frank and Ken Shamrock Stripping or MMA?

Bob Shamrock and his wife Dee Dee ran a group home for troubled youth, known as the Shamrock Boys’ Ranch. The ranch became home to many at-risk boys, including Ken Shamrock and Frank Shamrock, who were both adopted by Bob. Ken arrived at the ranch at age 13, while Frank came when he was 13, about 10 years after Ken

Under Bob’s guidance, both boys turned their lives around, eventually becoming legendary figures in MMA. Bob’s approach involved using sports, particularly wrestling and boxing, to channel the boys’ energy and aggression positively.

Ken Shamrock did well in American football but found success in professional wrestling, especially in Japan. After a falling out with their initial professional wrestling organization, Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki founded Pancrase with Ken, which was an early proto-form of MMA. Ken would later pick titles in the UFC and was a standout in the WWF Attitude era. His brother Frank Shamrock would follow in his footsteps with success in Pancrase and titles in the UFC, Strikeforce, and the WEC.

However, if it wasn’t for MMA, stripping may have been the career for Ken and Frank Shamrock. In an interview with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, the former UFC titleholder Frank explained:

“So fast forward three years. [Bob Shamrock] comes, sits me down—I’m in prison—and he’s like, “A brand new sport is starting. It’s called the UFC.” And he’s like, “There’s this wrestling group over in Japan; you’d be perfect.” That was option one. And then he said, “You’d be a great stripper.” And he’s like, “Well, no, no, wait. Hold on a second.” He’s like, “Your brother made a lot of money, and it worked really well for him. He was able to establish, like, a thing” … I was in prison, so I don’t have all the facts, but we might have to ask him about it. [Bob] said, “Listen up, son. You know, fighting or stripping…””

Apparently, Ken’s stripper name was “The Italian Stallion.”

Before UFC Glory: Frank and Ken Shamrock’s Stripping Career That Could Have Been

Brothers Frank Shamrock and Ken Shamrock were troubled youths who found their calling competing in the cage but their…

Frank and Ken Shamrock Stripping or MMA?

However, if it wasn’t for MMA, stripping may have been the career for Ken and Frank Shamrock. In an interview with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, the former UFC titleholder Frank explained:

“So fast forward three years. [Bob Shamrock] comes, sits me down—I’m in prison—and he’s like, “A brand new sport is starting. It’s called the UFC.” And he’s like, “There’s this wrestling group over in Japan; you’d be perfect.” That was option one. And then he said, “You’d be a great stripper.” And he’s like, “Well, no, no, wait. Hold on a second.” He’s like, “Your brother made a lot of money, and it worked really well for him. He was able to establish, like, a thing” … I was in prison, so I don’t have all the facts, but we might have to ask him about it. [Bob] said, “Listen up, son. You know, fighting or stripping…””

Apparently, Ken’s stripper name was “The Italian Stallion.”

Conor McGregor Reveals His Top 5 GOATS of MMA

Conor McGregor recently unveiled the five fighters he considers to be the greatest of all time. Shockingly, he wasn’t…

Conor McGregor recently unveiled the five fighters he considers to be the greatest of all time. Shockingly, he wasn’t one of them.

‘Mystic Mac’ was recently featured on a live stream hosted by online gambling site Duelbits where he was asked a series of questions, one of them being who he considers as the five GOATS of mixed martial arts. With the snap of a finger, McGregor rattled off four notable names, though he needed a moment or two to come up with a fifth pick.

“Top-5 MMA GOATS,” McGregor said. “Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell… how many is that? Three, four? Four? The OGs… Bas Rutten. Bas Rutten, yeah. Europe’s own. Europe’s first is Bas Rutten. What a man Bas Rutten is.

“Serious shape he’s in now. Bas, I’m right behind you, bro. I see you, Bas. I see you, Bas. I’m right behind you” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Inspired to train in martial arts after seeing the Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon, Bas Rutten established himself as a world-class kickboxer before becoming the first UFC champion from the Netherlands following a split decision win against Kevin Randleman at UFC 20 in May 1999 to claim a heavyweight title.

Rutten never defended the title due to injuries, but went on to cap off his iconic fighting career with an impressive 28-4-1 record with noteworthy wins over Frank Shamrock, Maurice Smith, Guy Mezger, and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

Rutten was inducted into the UFC Hall Fame Pioneer Wing in 2015.

Breaking down Conor McGregor’s GOAT List

The other four names on McGregor’s list were all prominent figures in mixed martial arts who, in one way or another, helped to bring MMA out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

Perhaps the most famous of which was Royce Gracie. Winning the inaugural UFC tournament in 1993, Gracie quickly became the de facto face of the promotion’s early days. Then there was his half-brother, Rickson Gracie, whose accomplishments have been touted as something straight out of mythology.

Ken Shamrock helped bring the UFC to another level during the promotion’s developmental years and Chuck Liddell is often credited as being MMA’s first true superstar, capturing the hearts of fight fans with his high-octane style of fighting before crossing over into the world of film and television.

With McGregor himself accounting for eight of the 10 highest-grossing pay-per-views in UFC history and becoming the first-ever simultaneous two-division champion in the promotion’s history, it’s a little surprising he didn’t include himself.

Do you agree with McGregor’s list?

From No-Rules Brawls to Combat: Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA

Ken Shamrock discusses the evolution of MMA over the past 30 years. The US-born Shamrock has been there since…

Ken Shamrock discusses the evolution of MMA over the past 30 years. The US-born Shamrock has been there since the very beginning as he was competing in mixed rules combat even before the UFC began, and then competed in the very first UFC event.

Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA

The early UFC events were brutal. No rules, no gloves, no weight classes, and no time limits. The sport was quickly outlawed. Fighters often engaged in brutal exchanges with few restrictions, such as prohibitions against biting and groin shots.

In Japan, Pancrase was the mixed rules form of combat and it was an extension of professional wrestling, but real grappling, rather than street toughs that the UFC was promoting. Pancrase used catch wrestling style shoots and open hand strikes.

Over time, the UFC implemented more rules and regulations and became recognized as a real sport by athletic commissions. Pancrase would change its rules to be MMA rather than catch wrestling.

Speaking in an interview, MMA pioneer and legend Ken Shamrock explained:

“Back then, it was very much a street fight with basically no rules. Like we just discussed, there were no weight classes, no biting, no groin shots. I watched a fight where a guy punched Joe Son in the groin three times, and Joe Son had to quit. Even though that was illegal, the other guy still won because Joe Son couldn’t continue. So obviously, looking at it now, it’s organized, sanctioned, and there’s safety involved to some extent. It’s still fighting, but it’s much more professional.”

Not only the fights themselves, but the training is entirely different also. Ken Shamrock continued:

“It would involve being more educated about your opponent and adapting to new training conditions. Back in the day, conditioning was about enduring long, continuous fights without rounds. Today, fighters can go hard, rest for a minute, and then go again. Conditioning now is more about handling explosive bursts and recovery between rounds.”

Joe Rogan admitted that some of the early pioneers of MMA would still do well in today’s competition, such as Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Shamrock appreciated the compliment:

“I appreciate that. I do believe guys like myself and Royce Gracie could definitely hold our own today. We were probably among the few with what we call professional skill sets in grappling. My expertise in leg locks, for example, would definitely give me an edge. There aren’t many people who fully understand them even now, because they weren’t used in amateur events, so nobody practiced them. When I fought in Japan, leg locks were all we used. My knowledge in that area was far more advanced compared to what is common in today’s MMA.”

From No-Rules Brawls to Combat: Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA

Ken Shamrock discusses the evolution of MMA over the past 30 years. The US-born Shamrock has been there since…

Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA

Over time, the UFC implemented more rules and regulations and became recognized as a real sport by athletic commissions. Pancrase would change its rules to be MMA rather than catch wrestling.

Speaking in an interview, MMA pioneer and legend Ken Shamrock explained:

“Back then, it was very much a street fight with basically no rules. Like we just discussed, there were no weight classes, no biting, no groin shots. I watched a fight where a guy punched Joe Son in the groin three times, and Joe Son had to quit. Even though that was illegal, the other guy still won because Joe Son couldn’t continue. So obviously, looking at it now, it’s organized, sanctioned, and there’s safety involved to some extent. It’s still fighting, but it’s much more professional.”

Not only the fights themselves, but the training is entirely different also. Ken Shamrock continued:

“It would involve being more educated about your opponent and adapting to new training conditions. Back in the day, conditioning was about enduring long, continuous fights without rounds. Today, fighters can go hard, rest for a minute, and then go again. Conditioning now is more about handling explosive bursts and recovery between rounds.”

Joe Rogan admitted that some of the early pioneers of MMA would still do well in today’s competition, such as Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Shamrock appreciated the compliment:

“I appreciate that. I do believe guys like myself and Royce Gracie could definitely hold our own today. We were probably among the few with what we call professional skill sets in grappling. My expertise in leg locks, for example, would definitely give me an edge. There aren’t many people who fully understand them even now, because they weren’t used in amateur events, so nobody practiced them. When I fought in Japan, leg locks were all we used. My knowledge in that area was far more advanced compared to what is common in today’s MMA.”

From No-Rules Brawls to Combat: Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA

Ken Shamrock discusses the evolution of MMA over the past 30 years. The US-born Shamrock has been there since…

Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA

Over time, the UFC implemented more rules and regulations and became recognized as a real sport by athletic commissions. Pancrase would change its rules to be MMA rather than catch wrestling.

Speaking in an interview, MMA pioneer and legend Ken Shamrock explained:

“Back then, it was very much a street fight with basically no rules. Like we just discussed, there were no weight classes, no biting, no groin shots. I watched a fight where a guy punched Joe Son in the groin three times, and Joe Son had to quit. Even though that was illegal, the other guy still won because Joe Son couldn’t continue. So obviously, looking at it now, it’s organized, sanctioned, and there’s safety involved to some extent. It’s still fighting, but it’s much more professional.”

Not only the fights themselves, but the training is entirely different also. Ken Shamrock continued:

“It would involve being more educated about your opponent and adapting to new training conditions. Back in the day, conditioning was about enduring long, continuous fights without rounds. Today, fighters can go hard, rest for a minute, and then go again. Conditioning now is more about handling explosive bursts and recovery between rounds.”

Joe Rogan admitted that some of the early pioneers of MMA would still do well in today’s competition, such as Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Shamrock appreciated the compliment:

“I appreciate that. I do believe guys like myself and Royce Gracie could definitely hold our own today. We were probably among the few with what we call professional skill sets in grappling. My expertise in leg locks, for example, would definitely give me an edge. There aren’t many people who fully understand them even now, because they weren’t used in amateur events, so nobody practiced them. When I fought in Japan, leg locks were all we used. My knowledge in that area was far more advanced compared to what is common in today’s MMA.”