Tag: Ken Shamrock

Bellator’s Crazy Main Events Will Set It Apart from the UFC

Scott Coker seems to have a winning formula for television success.
The formula goes a little something like this: Fill up a card with great prospects and great style fights. Upgrade your presentation with a mixture of World Wrestling Entertainment and…

Scott Coker seems to have a winning formula for television success.

The formula goes a little something like this: Fill up a card with great prospects and great style fights. Upgrade your presentation with a mixture of World Wrestling Entertainment and PRIDE, tossing in a little bit of rock-concert action on the side. Set yourself apart from the competition by creating custom entrances, lighting packages and music. Give each fighter a memorable and branded identity.

And for the main event, sign two fighters with name value, and pit them against each other. It doesn’t matter if they are old. It does not matter if they were never a champion. The only thing that matters is that they have recognizable names.

And not just to the hardcore mixed martial arts community. They’ll be watching anyway, because that is what they do. They need to be recognizable to the casual fans who tune in once or twice a year, at most. They need to capture the attention of the people who started watching MMA back in the early days of The Ultimate Fighter, or when Brock Lesnar began pulling astronomical pay-per-view numbers.

Those viewers tuned out at some point over the past five years, but it’s easy to bring them back. All you have to do is give them names they recognize.

It worked for Coker‘s first “tentpole” show in Bellator. When he announced that Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar would headline the November 16 show in San Diego, the hardcore community jumped all over it and not in a good way. And yeah, Ortiz and Bonnar had a terrible fight, which is about what you’d expect from two old men far past their primes.

But the ratings showed that fight quality doesn’t really matter to the masses. Ortiz and Bonnar, winded and wounded, peaked at two million viewers. It was the most-watched cable TV fight of 2014, and it was a success regardless of how painful it was to watch.

Now, Coker will attempt to replicate that success with two more old men. One of them is very old. Ken Shamrock, 51, has not competed since 2010. Kimbo Slice, 41, has also been out of mixed martial arts action since 2010, though he stayed somewhat busy by beating a steady stream of cans in barely passable boxing matches.

Slice was never good at mixed martial arts. Like CM Punk, Slice was brought into the UFC because he could bring eyeballs. It did not matter that he was completely out of his element once the fight went anywhere but on the feet. He was an attraction, and the UFC needed him. It got what it needed out of him on The Ultimate Fighter and two subsequent bouts, and then it sent him on his way.

And now Slice is back, ready (along with Shamrock) to help bring eyeballs to a product attempting to differentiate itself from the market leader. Different is good. Former Bellator czar Bjorn Rebney tried to present his promotion as pure sports. The tournament-based format for determining championship fights was novel, and it was different, and it felt like real sports. It felt like all fighters had a real stake in determining their future.

But it was also boring. At the end of the day, mixed martial arts is still a business built on bringing in the largest amount of money possible. It is an entertainment business. It’s all well and good to create intriguing fights between young, talented competitors. But what good do those matchups do if nobody is watching?

The UFC has the greatest roster of mixed martial arts talent in the short history of the sport. It has nearly 600 fighters on a roster that ranges from the greatest fighter in the sport (Jon Jones) all the way down to young prospects earning their stripes on the preliminary card. Talent for talent, there is no way Bellator (or anyone else) can compete with what the UFC offers. And it certainly cannot attempt to present the same style of product as the UFC and hope for any kind of success.

Bellator has to be different. If the UFC is your dependable and rock-solid father, then Bellator is the crazy uncle that shows up completely hammered at the family reunion and hits on the catering staff. You’ll act embarrassed, and you’ll shake your head, but you won’t stop watching, because you have to see what he does next.

Make no mistake about it: There is a good chance that Slice vs. Shamrock will be one of the worst fights you have ever seen. If both men make it to the end of the second round without collapsing, it will be a victory. On that night, the hardcore MMA fan inside you will die a little bit.

But you aren’t Coker‘s target audience. He already has you. With fights like this one, he’s trying to bring in the folks who rarely watch MMA, in the hopes that they’ll tune in and then see something else on the broadcast they enjoy. He’s trying to set his product apart from the UFC to create new fans and bring back old ones.

And if it takes something as ridiculous and over-the-top as a very old former UFC star against a street fighter, well, so be it. At least he’s doing something different.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Thank You, MMA Gods: Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock to Headline June 20th Bellator Event

And there’s PLENTY MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. (*cries*)

When it was announced that Bellator had signed Kimbo Slice after a five year hiatus from the sport, we were confused.

When we tried handpicking who he should fight for his big debut, we were cautious, but hopeful.

When Bellator broke the news that Slice would be fighting Ken Shamrock — 51 year-old, bare-knuckle boxing, security guard to the stars(ish) Ken Shamrock — earlier today, we fell to our knees and thanked the Gods, for a great blessing had been bestowed upon us.


And there’s PLENTY MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. (*cries*)

When it was announced that Bellator had signed Kimbo Slice after a five year hiatus from the sport, we were confused.

When we tried handpicking who he should fight for his big debut, we were cautious, but hopeful.

When Bellator broke the news that Slice would be fighting Ken Shamrock — 51 year-old, bare-knuckle boxing, security guard to the stars(ish) Ken Shamrock — earlier today, we fell to our knees and thanked the Gods, for a great blessing had been bestowed upon us.

If you recall, Slice and Shamrock were actually scheduled to fight at Elite XC: Heat back in 2008, until a last-minute cut suffered in pre-fight warm-ups saw Shamrock forced out of the bout. He was replaced by UFC alum (and light heavyweight) Seth Petruzelli, who yadda yadda something something EliteXC collapsed.

This, is the greatest piece of news we have heard in quite some time. Seriously, just when you think that Mickey Rourke’s face will be the weirdest thing you’ll see all week, the MMA Gods make their presence known and just…(*kisses fingers*). According to ESPN, Slice vs. Shamrock will transpire on June 20th and be televised live on Spike TV from St. Louis, Missouri. That being said, only the noobiest of TUF noobs would not do everything in their power to see this thing live. I’m already checking TripAdvisor for the cheapest travel/hotel combo. Does the 10 a.m. Greyhound to Ferguson seem like a good idea?

We’ve been publicly stating our desire to see Bellator go full freakshow (“embrace the crazy,” if you will) for some time now, and one Justin-McCully-in-a-clown-rapist-mask at a time, they have been answering our prayers. But this, this is the pinnacle of it all. This is PRIDE. This is Super Hluk. This is the Coker era.

Bless you, MMA, and bless you, Bellator. Scott Coker is our shepherd; we shall not want.

Oh, For The Love of Christ: Ken Shamrock Reportedly Facing James Quinn In a Bare Knuckle Boxing Match


(“We’re thinking of broadcasting it on PPV for the low-price of $109.95, including satellite fees … this is for the poster, right?”/ Photo via Getty)

As if the perils and inconsistent regulations of MMA weren’t cringeworthy enough, it seems like the shift to boxing is the answer to when shit really hits the fan.

UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock announced through a press release on his website that he’ll be duking it out against James Quinn in a bare knuckle boxing match, scheduled to take place sometime this April in the United Kingdom.

Here is an excerpt from the statement:

“Shamrock is in great health and feels invigorated by this opportunity to continue to compete and to continue giving back to his fans. Shamrock is going back to his roots as a fighter. Knowing his body well, Shamrock knows that his decision to re-enter the ring for the love of this sport is a sound decision. Shamrock adamantly believes that age should never be a restriction to any athlete. People can do amazing feats past their prime, if it’s a priority to them.

“Shamrock knows that bare-knuckle boxing is a sport with great potential to grow well beyond where the sport is today. His involvement in this sport is to show support and help its success.”

Now, apart from the hilariousness that is Shamrock building his entire website to announce this news, complete with sections devoted to limited merchandise, “Youth Outreach,” and “Shamrock’s Businesses” (including sections like Yes. I Am Learning The Stock Trade, the Shamrock Slam: Technical Fitness Drink, and Profit 101: Self-Defense & Fitness, all under the “Get Stuff” tab, we’re hoping this does happen (because at this point, who the hell cares anymore), yet we’re not exactly holding out for our hero…


(“We’re thinking of broadcasting it on PPV for the low-price of $109.95, including satellite fees … this is for the poster, right?”/ Photo via Getty)

As if the perils and inconsistent regulations of MMA weren’t cringeworthy enough, it seems like the shift to boxing is the answer to when shit really hits the fan.

UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock announced through a press release on his website that he’ll be duking it out against James Quinn in a bare knuckle boxing match, scheduled to take place  sometime this April in the United Kingdom.

Here is an excerpt from the statement:

“Shamrock is in great health and feels invigorated by this opportunity to continue to compete and to continue giving back to his fans. Shamrock is going back to his roots as a fighter. Knowing his body well, Shamrock knows that his decision to re-enter the ring for the love of this sport is a sound decision. Shamrock adamantly believes that age should never be a restriction to any athlete. People can do amazing feats past their prime, if it’s a priority to them.

“Shamrock knows that bare-knuckle boxing is a sport with great potential to grow well beyond where the sport is today. His involvement in this sport is to show support and help its success.”

Now, apart from the hilariousness that is Shamrock building his entire website to announce this news, complete with sections devoted to limited merchandise, “Youth Outreach,” and “Shamrock’s Businesses” (including sections like Yes. I Am Learning The Stock Trade, the Shamrock Slam: Technical Fitness Drink, and Profit 101: Self-Defense & Fitness, all under the “Get Stuff” tab, we’re hoping this does happen (because at this point, who the hell cares anymore), yet we’re not exactly holding out for our hero.

Shamrock is infamous for no-showing fights, and other ventures he promotes. The former Pride, Pancrase, and WWE superstar is a repeat offender when it comes to ripping off promoters, like that time he was supposed to fight Ian Freeman, amongst countless other mishaps.

Truth be told, we still think he cut himself backstage with a Mach 3 Turbo before his bout against Kimbo Slice at EliteXC: Heat back in 2008. There was slight hope when Shamrock last resurfaced on Canada’s Off The Record, as he and Tito Ortiz were supposed to dish out dirty secrets stemming from the UFC’s business practices. Instead, it was like going out with your two friends that dated the same person six years ago, and one of them is still complaining about how they never got back that ultra-rare The Jesus & Mary Chain sweater.

Also, it seems like “The World’s Dangerous Man” isn’t guarding 50 Cent anymore, presumably because Shamrock actually doesn’t know who he is, or tried to belly-to-belly suplex Tony Yayo in the studio when he tried to pass the dutch to Fitty.

Ok, that’s enough …. on to James Quinn …

Revered as a bare knuckle boxing legend in Europe, Quinn is a fighter and author, and he’s been in his fair share of WTF moments himself. Below is a fight against another well-travelled slugger, Paddy Joyce, presumably taking place where Jim Gillespie shot I Know What You Did Last Summer (check out the backstory on the fight and the rivalry between Quinn and the Joyce family provided by The Irish Mirror):

We’re sorry for showing you the same kind of unfair assault you’d find on World Star Hip Hop, but this is journalism, after all.

On that note, pretty sure this is going to be extremely depressing. We’re waiting on another MMA website that will be previewing the contest and providing a detailed breakdown of the fight.

-Alex G.

TIL That War Machine Once Abandoned Ken Shamrock’s 17 Year Old Daughter in Mexico [VIDEO]

Leave it to Ken Shamrock to add a whole ‘nother chapter to the increasingly morbid saga that is the life of Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver.

Koppenhaver, who was captured by US Marshals last week while hiding out in Simi Valley, California, has something of a history of violence and general sketchiness when it comes to women, you see. He’s been arrested what feels like a dozen times now for starting bar brawls, crashing a porn star’s birthday party (with his fists), and most recently, brutalizing girlfriend Christy Mack in particularly heinous fashion. He will more than likely assault a fellow inmate and/or have sex with deli meat within the following weeks, and is overall just a terrible, terrible human being who deserves none of our sympathy.

But what I (and therefore you Taters) have been wondering in these troubling times is: What does Ken Shamrock have to say about all this?

Well, strap in brothers and sisters, because shit’s about to get weird…

Leave it to Ken Shamrock to add a whole ‘nother chapter to the increasingly morbid saga that is the life of Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver.

Koppenhaver, who was captured by US Marshals last week while hiding out in Simi Valley, California, has something of a history of violence and general sketchiness when it comes to women, you see. He’s been arrested what feels like a dozen times now for starting bar brawls, crashing a porn star’s birthday party (with his fists), and most recently, brutalizing girlfriend Christy Mack in particularly heinous fashion. He will more than likely assault a fellow inmate and/or have sex with deli meat within the following weeks, and is overall just a terrible, terrible human being who deserves none of our sympathy.

But what I (and therefore you Taters) have been wondering in these troubling times is: What does Ken Shamrock have to say about all this?

Well, strap in brothers and sisters, because shit’s about to get weird…

In a recent interview with News Diamant, Shamrock opened up about his history with Koppenhaver and how if he ever saw him again he would break his neck. Why? “Issues.”

The thing that’s sad about this is, I started Jon. When he first came into MMA, I’m the one that broke him into it in San Diego. I had issues with him. My 17-year-old daughter and Jon was 20-something years old, well he took her to Mexico and left her over there. He then ended up disappearing and I haven’t seen him since.

He’s always been hiding from me because he knows if I see him I’ll break his neck. He’s always had an issue with this and the guy needs help. He doesn’t need to do it by himself, he needs to, by the court, be put into some sort or rehab so he starts understanding. Because it doesn’t have anything to do with him naturally, it’s when he starts partying and out doing things he shouldn’t be doing.

Ok, I’m going to go ahead and call Shammy’s parenting skills into serious question here. I know hindsight is 20-20, but please, could someone with a child in their teens explain to me the circumstances in which they would allow their 17 year-old daughter go to Mexico with a 20-something MMA fighter? It’s almost as if Ken learned nothing about the dangers that lie south of the border from his star-making turn as Coach Ramsey in Scarecrow Gone Wild. 

“The World’s Most Dangerous Man” also weighed in on whether or not he thought “Dog the Bounty Hunter” would catch “War Machine” and this is already the greatest sentence I have ever written:

I don’t know if Dog will find him. I hope he does. If he does, he needs to watch himself, because Jon is a loose cannon. If they do find him they need to make sure they take every precaution as possible and not worry about [Jon’s] safety, worry about their own. 

But if they don’t catch him, somebody will turn him in. You can’t go around this long and be hiding in different places without somebody saying something. And the right thing to do is, is not to hide this guy. I’m telling you, he’s bad news.

Glad you could clear that up, Ken.

Check out a video of Shamrock’s interview above (which also features Rashad Evans and Wanderlei Silva‘s thoughts on Koppenhaver), then pray to God your son or daughter is never caught within 20 miles of a Koppenhaver or a Shamrock.

–J. Jones

Knockout of the Day: Romanian Kickboxer Alex Filip Hits a “Rolling Thunder” at the SuperKombat WGP


(High-class Romanian escorts are no empressed wid your performance.)

Good morning, Nation. How was your weekend? I spent mine cleaning teeth out of a urinal trough at the particularly seedy bar at which I am also employed as a custodial engineer. What can I say? Writing base-level insults about MMA fighters don’t pay what it used to, that’s for sure.

Uneventful and depressing as my weekend may have been, it certainly couldn’t have gone worse than that of German kickboxer Roman Palamar, who wound up on the wrong end of a highlight reel knockout at the Superkombat World Grand Prix in Romania on Saturday. (The sound you just heard was me absolutely nailing that transition, BTW.)

Paired up against Romanian Alex Filip, who sported a professional record of just 1-0, the 18-2 Palamar was heavily favored to come away with the win and was more than holding his own against his older opponent through the first round. That was, until Filip deciding to channel his inner Peter Graham and unleash a Rolling Thunder kick that landed flush on Palamar’s jaw and put him down and out.

Check out a video and gif of the absolutely stunning KO after the jump.


(High-class Romanian escorts are no empressed wid your performance.)

Good morning, Nation. How was your weekend? I spent mine cleaning teeth out of a urinal trough at the particularly seedy bar at which I am also employed as a custodial engineer. What can I say? Writing base-level insults about MMA fighters don’t pay what it used to, that’s for sure.

Uneventful and depressing as my weekend may have been, it certainly couldn’t have gone worse than that of German kickboxer Roman Palamar, who wound up on the wrong end of a highlight reel knockout at the Superkombat World Grand Prix in Romania on Saturday. (The sound you just heard was me absolutely nailing that transition, BTW.)

Paired up against Romanian Alex Filip, who sported a professional record of just 1-0, the 18-2 Palamar was heavily favored to come away with the win and was more than holding his own against his older opponent through the first round. That was, until Filip deciding to channel his inner Peter Graham and unleash a Rolling Thunder kick that landed flush on Palamar’s jaw and put him down and out.

Check out a video and gif of the absolutely stunning KO after the jump.

Sources close to CP confirm that bricks were undeniably shat by at least a dozen spectators at the time of the knockout. Not among the brick-shatters were the two women in the header picture above, whose ability to emote or even feel has been eroded by years of forced drug abuse, sex trafficking, and back-alley plastic surgeries. Where once were two innocent, fresh-faced teens with their whole lives ahead of them, now only emotionless husks of human beings remain. The one on the right wanted to be an optometrist. The left, a politician. Sorry ladies, not everyone gets to have Liam Neesons as a father.

…………..

Here’s a gif of the Rolling Thunder, via @GrabakaHitman

And for comparison, here’s Johnathan Ivey attempting a similar move against Ken Shamrock with somewhat different results:

–J. Jones

#ThrowbackThursday: 25 Rare and Classic UFC Photos From the ’90s


(Marco Ruas and Paul Varelans: When men were men, knuckles were bare, and wearing a singlet was totally acceptable.)

As thrilling as the UFC can be in the 21st century — with its well-rounded, well-conditioned fighters and deep talent pools — there’s something special about the Wild West days of the 1990s. Back then, the UFC featured a motley crew of martial artists of varying skill levels, some of whom didn’t really look like professional athletes. This was the era of single-night tournaments, non-existent weight classes, and burping into microphones. It’s hard not to miss those days.

Today we pay tribute to the old-school with some of our favorite rare and classic UFC photos from the ’90s. Check ’em out in the gallery after the jump, and if we’ve left out any of your favorites, let us know in the comments section or on twitter.

As thrilling as the UFC can be in the 21st century — with its well-rounded, well-conditioned fighters and deep talent pools — there’s something special about the Wild West days of the 1990s. Back then, the UFC featured a motley crew of martial artists of varying skill levels, some of whom didn’t really look like professional athletes. This was the era of single-night tournaments, non-existent weight classes, and burping into microphones. It’s hard not to miss those days.

Today we pay tribute to the old-school with some of our favorite rare and classic UFC photos from the ’90s. Check ‘em out in the gallery above, and if we’ve left out any of your favorites, let us know in the comments section or on twitter.