Oh geez, you guys. You know how we informed you the other day that Ken Shamrock was involved in a little mall skirmish that ended in him striking a woman he thought was a man? If so, do you remember how all the reports said she was HEAVYSET woman, making sure to emphasize the term by placing it in all capital letters?
Well, as things are apt to do in the life of Ken Shamrock, this story has recently taken a turn from typically bizarre/sad to the even more bizarre and borderline morbid. The above photo of Shamrock’s alleged attacker, all 120 pounds of her, was released today, and it suddenly has us questioning the legitimacy of Shamrock’s story. We mean, just look at her; not even Peter Griffin could make that mistake.
Her name is Melinda Garcia, and according to her, things went down WAY differently with “The World’s Most Dangerous Man Who is Definitely a Man” than what was originally reported. As TMZ reports:
Her name is Melinda Garcia … she weighs 120 pounds … and tells TMZ there’s NO WAY Shamrock could’ve confused her for a man. In fact, she claims Ken is straight up LYING about the fight.
Garcia claims it’s all BS … claiming Shamrock didn’t actually break up the original fight, but rather screamed at her to do it … which she did. Garcia claims Shamrock began to yell at her for not stopping the fight sooner … and then snapped and PUNCHED her in the face.
Garcia says her mom ran over to intervene … and Shamrock punched her too. Soon after the alleged girl-punching, security and police arrived to the scene … and only then, Garcia says, Shamrock backed off.
Garcia also claimed that she plans to file a lawsuit if the police do not press charges, so it got us thinking: If this woman jumped on our back, would we be able to identify her as a woman immediately? Ben said he was on Team Ken, Elias said Team Sane, and Seth said his apartment was taking on water and he didn’t have time for our stupid reindeer games.
So as we like to do in these situations, we’ll ask unto you: At first glance, would you make the same mistake Ken Shamrock, Ms. Swan, and Austin Powers made?
Survey after the jump.
Oh geez, you guys. You know how we informed you the other day that Ken Shamrock was involved in a little mall skirmish that ended in him striking a woman he thought was a man? If so, do you remember how all the reports said she was HEAVYSET woman, making sure to emphasize the term by placing it in all capital letters?
Well, as things are apt to do in the life of Ken Shamrock, this story has recently taken a turn from typically bizarre/sad to the even more bizarre and borderline morbid. The above photo of Shamrock’s alleged attacker, all 120 pounds of her, was released today, and it suddenly has us questioning the legitimacy of Shamrock’s story. We mean, just look at her; not even Peter Griffin could make that mistake.
Her name is Melinda Garcia, and according to her, things went down WAY differently with “The World’s Most Dangerous Man Who is Definitely a Man” than what was originally reported. As TMZ reports:
Her name is Melinda Garcia … she weighs 120 pounds … and tells TMZ there’s NO WAY Shamrock could’ve confused her for a man. In fact, she claims Ken is straight up LYING about the fight.
Garcia claims it’s all BS … claiming Shamrock didn’t actually break up the original fight, but rather screamed at her to do it … which she did. Garcia claims Shamrock began to yell at her for not stopping the fight sooner … and then snapped and PUNCHED her in the face.
Garcia says her mom ran over to intervene … and Shamrock punched her too. Soon after the alleged girl-punching, security and police arrived to the scene … and only then, Garcia says, Shamrock backed off.
Garcia also claimed that she plans to file a lawsuit if the police do not press charges, so it got us thinking: If this woman jumped on our back, would we be able to identify her as a woman immediately? Ben said he was on Team Ken, Elias said Team Sane, and Seth said his apartment was taking on water and he didn’t have time for our stupid reindeer games.
So as we like to do in these situations, we’ll ask unto you: At first glance, would you make the same mistake Ken Shamrock, Ms. Swan, and Austin Powers made?
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
It’s 2012, yet I’m about to tell you that Ken Shamrock did something of relevance yesterday. Before you start to guess what he did: Yes, it was actually winning a fight – even though his opponent was just some random tubbaguts. No, it wasn’t a sanctioned MMA fight that he won. And obviously, it was pretty damn embarrassing for everyone involved. Give up yet? Brace yourselves…
Ken Shamrock, while breaking up a fight, got arrested for hitting a woman. His justification for hitting the woman wasn’t so much “She attacked me first, and I was simply defending myself” as it was the rock-solid “Wait, THAT’S a chick? For real? GET OUT!” defense.
It’s 2012, yet I’m about to tell you that Ken Shamrock did something of relevance yesterday. Before you start to guess what he did: Yes, it was actually winning a fight – even though his opponent was just some random tubbaguts. No, it wasn’t a sanctioned MMA fight that he won. And obviously, it was pretty damn embarrassing for everyone involved. Give up yet? Brace yourselves…
Ken Shamrock, while breaking up a fight, hit a woman. His justification for hitting the woman wasn’t so much “She attacked me first, and I was simply defending myself” as it was the rock-solid “Wait, THAT’S a chick? For real? GET OUT!” defense.
Shamrock — whose nickname is “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” — was hangin’ out at a mall in Modesto, CA last month when he saw two women fighting each other in front of the Coach store … surrounded by a group of lookie loos filming the whole thing.
We’re told Shamrock dove into the scrap and tried to pry the women apart … when one of the bystanders, a HEAVYSET bystander, jumped on his back and tried to rip Ken out of the pile.
Shamrock’s rep tells TMZ … he threw the person off of his back and followed up with a move that knocked the attacker to the ground.
After the person was incapacitated, the crowd shouted at Ken, “You just hit a girl.” Ken took a closer look and realized the attacker was in fact a female .. so he immediately backed off.
An officer arrived to the scene and took a battery report against Shamrock, noting the only injury was a slight abrasion to the woman’s knee. The report was sent to the District Attorney’s Office.
But law enforcement sources tell TMZ … Shamrock probably won’t be prosecuted because officials don’t feel the woman he knocked to the ground is a “victim.” In fact, they believe Ken was acting in self-defense.
Just so we’re all on the same page: Ken Shamrock was breaking up a fight that was being filmed in front of a Coach store – which is ironic, considering these types of promotions are the only ones still willing to book Ken Shamrock – when some tubby jumped on his back. Despite the fact that his chin is held together by shards of glass, chewed bubble gum and tainted supplements, he stayed awake and managed to knock down his opponent (?!). Upon actually looking at his foe, Shamrock realized that “he” was actually just a husky “she.” Regardless, Shamrock more than likely won’t be punished for this because he was defending himself, and stopped attacking once his attacker backed off.
I know that Ken Shamrock’s career has really taken a turn for the absurd as of late, but this story is crazy even for him. So crazy, in fact, that I have nothing sarcastic or terrible to say about it. I just wish that Dana White heard about Ken Shamrock’s triumphant victory a little bit sooner.
When predicting a rematch in MMA – or, frankly, any sport – it’s only logical to look at the previous encounter and attempt to discern what advantages a certain participant had, whether their opponent is capable of adjusting and overcoming them, and whether the rematch will follow the overall narrative of the previous encounter. Our knowledge, or anticipated knowledge, of these factors determines how much we anticipate a rematch. For instance, no one really cared about the third fight between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock – we all knew how lopsided that fight would be. Conversely, Frankie Edgar’s third match against Gray Maynard was appealing because there was a strong narrative coming out of their second fight, a sense of uncertainty as to which fighter would make the necessary adjustments to overcome the other.
The rematch between Edgar and Ben Henderson falls into the latter category because it possesses that same degree of uncertainty. We don’t know what will happen in this fight, other than it promises to be one of the best fights of the year. It’s a rematch between the two best fighters in the strongest division in MMA, after a fight that each fighter thought he won. Both will be at the top of their game, attempting to ensure that this match will leave no doubt who is the better man.
By George Shunick
When predicting a rematch in MMA – or, frankly, any sport – it’s only logical to look at the previous encounter and attempt to discern what advantages a certain participant had, whether their opponent is capable of adjusting and overcoming them, and whether the rematch will follow the overall narrative of the previous encounter. Our knowledge, or anticipated knowledge, of these factors determines how much we anticipate a rematch. For instance, no one really cared about the third fight between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock – we all knew how lopsided that fight would be. Conversely, Frankie Edgar’s third match against Gray Maynard was appealing because there was a strong narrative coming out of their second fight, a sense of uncertainty as to which fighter would make the necessary adjustments to overcome the other.
The rematch between Edgar and Ben Henderson falls into the latter category because it possesses that same degree of uncertainty. We don’t know what will happen in this fight, other than it promises to be one of the best fights of the year. It’s a rematch between the two best fighters in the strongest division in MMA, after a fight that each fighter thought he won. Both will be at the top of their game, attempting to ensure that this match will leave no doubt who is the better man.
Of course, what makes this interesting is that it’s hard to say who that man will be. Both fighters found success in the first bout, which was full of momentum swings. Perhaps the biggest came at the end of the second round; after a fairly even round, Edgar had managed to take Henderson down and was working some ground and pound when Henderson connected with a vicious upkick that dropped Edgar. The rest of the fight remained competitive, but this was one of the few definitive moments in that fight and significantly contributed to Henderson eventually prevailing. But upkicks rarely play such a large role in fights – in all likelihood, this isn’t going to be a factor in the rematch.
Edgar’s advantage in this fight comes down to his speed and boxing technique. Henderson is undoubtedly stronger, but his punches are not as fast and he doesn’t have Edgar’s footwork. What he does have, though, are his kicks. In their first match, Henderson used kicks to tag Edgar’s legs when Edgar circled around him. Edgar’s movement and speed generally allow him to dictate the distance the fight is fought at, to his advantage. But by maximizing his range of attack through his kicks, Henderson is able to mitigate that advantage.
Edgar caught a number of Henderson’s kicks, but was unable to generate anything from this. That has to change if Edgar wants to secure a victory in this fight. If he checks the kicks, he stops his movement. He has to make Henderson pay when he catches them. Henderson is extraordinarily difficult to take – and more importantly, keep – down, but Edgar is going to have to do just that if he wants a chance at winning. He needs to maintain the threat of a takedown to give Henderson pause when he thinks about throwing a kick. If Henderson can kick at will, Frankie will no longer be able to dart in and out as effectively as he wishes and lose a valuable part of his offensive arsenal.
If the fight hits the mat, it’s hard to say who has an advantage. Both men are notoriously hard to keep down, so a takedown followed by sustained positional dominance would be huge for either fighter. Henderson is stronger, but Frankie is probably the better wrestler. Prior to the upkick, he was able to land some solid ground and pound, and was able to keep Henderson down long enough to generate offense. However, Henderson is capable of threatening from the guard. His guillotine – which he is more than willing to attempt while standing – is perhaps his most dangerous weapon. However, he was not able to submit Edgar with it, despite a very tight attempt in the fourth round. A submission for either one is highly unlikely.
In fact, finishing either fighter appears somewhat impossible. (Unless you happen to be a random jiu-jitsu brown belt.) Both possess seemingly supernatural powers – Edgar channels the spirit of fictional underdogs like Rocky and Rudy, while Henderson is capable of all things through Christ. It’s a bit of a wash on that front. But despite his underdog grit and speed, Ben Henderson might be too much of an obstacle for Frankie Edgar to overcome. He has size, strength, power and technical ability in virtually every facet of MMA, and unlike Gray Maynard, Bendo won’t slow down.
Like I said before, what makes this fight so intriguing is the element of uncertainty it possesses. With both fighters as talented and well-rounded as these two are, it’s almost impossible to say for sure who will win and how they will do so. That said, while Edgar is an amazing fighter and more than capable of winning this fight, Henderson is virtually as skilled, much bigger and is more likely to land a devastating blow than Edgar is. Look for Henderson to wear down Edgar with kicks in the first few rounds and use clinch work and his size to grind out a decision win, cementing his dominance over the lightweight division and setting up a superfight between Edgar and Jose Aldo.
With the recent announcement that Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin have been named as the coaches for the next installment of The Ultimate Fighter series, the MMA universe immediately launched into a full-blow orgasmic ticker-tape parade complete with tons of flying confetti and a marching band belting out death metal tunes. Once I heard the news, it was as if my life instantaneously turned into a beer commercial and the entire Potato Nation was invited. There was a rad pool-party, barbeque, a plethora of hotties, endless alcohol, and an overall quest for fun.
Well . . . . . actually, none of that happened. In fact, when word spread that Nelson and Carwin would helm the next season of TUF, it was officially filed under “WTF?” Judging from the comment section, most of the CP brethren didn’t care for the choices either. TUF is coming off a season that saw the ratings dip lower than they ever had, which could partially be blamed on the move to FX and the dreaded Friday night time slot. Regardless of the variables for the ratings drop, something drastic needs to be done, but is anybody really convinced that Carwin and Nelson are the answer to TUF’s slow and painful demise? Let’s start from the beginning and take a look back to see if this runaway train can be coaxed back onto the main rail.
The Season That Started it All
The inaugural season of TUF featured future Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture as the competing coaches who would go mano y mano at the PPV after the season finale. For fans of the UFC, that was good enough for most to initially tune in for the Fertitta-funded experiment. It still remains the best crop of young talent and personalities to ever grace the show; future stars like Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Josh Koscheck, Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez, Mike Swick, Kenny Florian, and Nate Quarry were all complete unknowns vying for stardom in a fledgling sport. You mix in the whole “fatherless bastard” angle and the show was off and running even before the awe-inspiring climax between (pre TRT) FoGrif and The American Psycho. Even before that, we were treated to the greatest speech of all time that has since been condensed into a few words. “Do you wanna be a fighter?” Though there were other memorable moments from the seasons that followed, Zuffa should have quit while they were ahead because it would never be this good again. The unrefined personification of immature talent, undeniable aspirations and gonzo-sized balls oozed from the boob tube during every episode.
With the recent announcement that Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin have been named as the coaches for the next installment of The Ultimate Fighter series, the MMA universe immediately launched into a full-blow orgasmic ticker-tape parade complete with tons of flying confetti and a marching band belting out death metal tunes. Once I heard the news, it was as if my life instantaneously turned into a beer commercial and the entire Potato Nation was invited. There was a rad pool-party, barbeque, a plethora of hotties, endless alcohol, and an overall quest for fun.
Well . . . . . actually, none of that happened. In fact, when word spread that Nelson and Carwin would helm the next season of TUF, it was officially filed under “WTF?” Judging from the comment section, most of the CP brethren didn’t care for the choices either. TUF is coming off a season that saw the ratings dip lower than they ever had, which could partially be blamed on the move to FX and the dreaded Friday night time slot. Regardless of the variables for the ratings drop, something drastic needs to be done, but is anybody really convinced that Carwin and Nelson are the answer to TUF’s slow and painful demise? Let’s start from the beginning and take a look back to see if this runaway train can be coaxed back onto the main rail.
The Season That Started it All
The inaugural season of TUF featured future Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture as the competing coaches who would go mano y mano at the PPV after the season finale. For fans of the UFC, that was good enough for most to initially tune in for the Fertitta-funded experiment. It still remains the best crop of young talent and personalities to ever grace the show; future stars like Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Josh Koscheck, Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez, Mike Swick, Kenny Florian, and Nate Quarry were all complete unknowns vying for stardom in a fledgling sport. You mix in the whole “fatherless bastard” angle and the show was off and running even before the awe-inspiring climax between (pre TRT) FoGrif and The American Psycho. Even before that, we were treated to the greatest speech of all time that has since been condensed into a few words. “Do you wanna be a fighter?” Though there were other memorable moments from the seasons that followed, Zuffa should have quit while they were ahead because it would never be this good again. The unrefined personification of immature talent, undeniable aspirations and gonzo-sized balls oozed from the boob tube during every episode.
Season 2
Season 2 saw Rich Franklin coach opposite Matt Hughes, and since both men competed at different weight classes, they were obviously not going to fight at the conclusion of the season. This was a prime example of the UFC throwing shit against the wall to see if it would stick by parading two somewhat charismatic champions in front of the camera with hopes of gathering ratings/fans for the upcoming UFC 56 PPV. Although it was undoubtedly a less thrilling season than that of its predecessor, it did introduce to another future light heavyweight champion in Rashad Evans, who won the contract competing as a heavyweight, as well as such names as Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard, and future pound-for-pound punching bag GOAT Keith Jardine. And if not for Jardine, the worldmay have never learned that “The Dean of Mean” would make no sense if his last name was Johnson, a valuable take home indeed.
Season 3
Season 3 is one of my personal favorites because of the preconceived notions about coaches: Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. Tito was working the crap out of “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” gimmick and wore the black hat pretty damn well even though he desperately wanted to be accepted by everyone. On the other hand, Shamrock was the MMA legend who competed in the very first UFC tournament and was the founder of his own training facility – The Lion’s Den. Shamrock was supposed to be the more seasoned coach, but chose to bring in weight lifting specialists and opted to rewatch videos of his UFC fights instead of training during an infamous episode, among other baffling decisions. Tito, conversely, came across as a guy that was genuinely committed to making his team better fighters through technique (believe it or not) and some crazy conditioning drills involving piggyback rides and vacant floors of Las Vegas hotels. In the end, Tito TKO’d Ken in just over a minute and Michael Bisping began his quest to piss off everybody around the world en route to winning the LHW contract.
Season 4 – The Comeback
Season 4 came upon us with the familiar sound of a giant turd smacking against a cinder block divider. Luckily for the UFC, a Ram-Manesque New Yorker with a perfectly timed overhand right came along and the dookie kind of stuck. I am not exactly sure who came up with the idea of bringing back washed up fighters mixed with a few coulda-shoulda guys coupled with a blend of has-beens and never-weres, but I am certain it must have sounded phenomenal during the pitch meeting. This was the only other season that featured an abundance of talent (albeit fleeting talent) like the first season. Shonie Carter, Patrick Côté, Matt Serra, Travis Lutter, Jorge Rivera, Pete Sell, *cough convicted rapist *cough* Jeremy Jackson, Scott Smith, Din Thomas, Mikey Burnett, and (everybody’s favorite) Chris Lytle. All of these guys were waaaaaay professional for any of the usual drama to become too much of an issue, aside from Shonie’s batshit craziness, that is. There were no head coaches but instead guest coaches, and all the fighters shared instructors Mark DellaGrotte as their striking guru and Marc Laimon as the perceived submission specialist. Season highlights include a goggled Burnett self-concussing himself while running through some sheet rock (forgetting that code requires studs every 16 inches), Serra calling Laimon a pussy for never stepping into the real world of fighting and of course . . . . . this. After the season there would be a fundamental plummet to mediocrity.
Season 5, or, the Aforementioned Plummet to Mediocrity
Season 5 was back to a basic grudge match between BJ Penn and Jens Pulver. The session would have been pretty tense if Pulver actually won his “welcome back to the UFC” fight months prior. Instead, Jens got KTFO by a wild-eyed nobody (at the time) named Joe Lauzon. How do you remedy this issue? Make Lauzon a participant during the season and have BJ make the guys raise their hands if they did NOT want to be on Pulver’s team. We were also introduced to the unrefined, yet potent, skills of Nate Diaz (along with his brotherly inspired “Fuck You” demeanor towards Karo Parisyan) and some Ping-Pong skills that would make Forrest Gump puke. So, basically the entire thing resembled a trash can fire without the Doo Wop.
On the next page: Disgusting pranks, trans-Atlantic rivalry, and a pugilist named Slice.
When UFC 148 was put into the record books on Saturday night, Anderson Silva’s TKO win over Chael Sonnen wasn’t the only compelling story of the evening. In the night’s co-main event, Hall of Fame fighter Tito Ortiz put on a less-than-stellar perf…
When UFC 148 was put into the record books on Saturday night, Anderson Silva‘s TKO win over Chael Sonnen wasn’t the only compelling story of the evening. In the night’s co-main event, Hall of Fame fighter Tito Ortiz put on a less-than-stellar performance against former champion Forrest Griffin.
The showing would be the last of Tito’s career, as “The People’s Champ” announced that his trilogy-ending battle with Griffin would also be the final fight in his life of pugilistic endeavors.
Although Griffin looked like a shell of himself during the fight, most people will overlook that fact simply because Ortiz looked even worse. Early in the second round, Ortiz could be seen taking heavy breaths and being forced to slow down the pace.
The Huntington Beach Bad Boy has seen UFC combat 27 times, and in the process, won championships and broke records. However, sporting an embarrassing 1-7-1 record through his final nine fights, you’ve got to think that Ortiz’s decision to hang up the gloves is overdue.
Although he was only 33 at the time, many would argue that Ortiz should have called it quits when he required an intensive back surgery in 2008. Since returning to action, the former light heavyweight champion has simply not looked the same, while turning in a 1-5 record.
Ortiz has many accomplishments to his credit, which includes five consecutive title defenses, 15 organizational wins and a trio of wins over fellow Hall of Fame fighter Ken Shamrock.
Like Ortiz, Shamrock would only win one time in his final nine fights with a major organization. Continuing to fight well beyond his physical prime, fans have criticized Shamrock for not knowing when to call it quits. One can only speculate as to the parallels that will be drawn between the two careers.
Will history be kind to Tito’s legacy, or will he be remembered for the losses that plagued his final years? Unfortunately, I think the latter is more likely. In any situation, Ortiz is a pioneer of this business, who should be honored for his contributions to the sport that we love.
(Oh, Victoria. You’re *never* going to finish the choke from that angle. / Full gallery is after the jump.)
On July 7th, Tito Ortiz will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, fight his last three rounds in the Octagon, then retire. In honor of this impending bit of MMA history, we’ve rounded up 20 of our all-time favorite photos of the Huntington Beach Bad Boy — some classic, and some you may not have seen before. Check ’em out in the gallery below, and if we’ve left out your favorite, shoot us a link in the comments section. Enjoy…
On July 7th, Tito Ortiz will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, fight his last three rounds in the Octagon, then retire. In honor of this impending bit of MMA history, we’ve rounded up 20 of our all-time favorite photos of the Huntington Beach Bad Boy — some classic, and some you may not have seen before. Check ‘em out in the gallery above, and if we’ve left out your favorite, shoot us a link in the comments section. Enjoy.
When 