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Frank Shamrock (born Frank Alisio Juarez III; December 8, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the
UFC Middleweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
(later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) and retired a four-time defending undefeated champion. Shamrock was the No. 1 ranked pound for pound UFC fighter in the world during his reign as the UFC Middleweight Champion. Shamrock has won numerous titles in other martial arts organizations, including the interim King of Pancrase title, the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Shamrock is regarded as one of the first complete mixed martial artists, having adapted his game from a ground-focused style of fighting to a more well-rounded and versatile style. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s by the '' Wrestling Observer'', "Best Full Contact Fighter" by ''Black Belt'' magazine (1998), and three time "Fighter of the Year" by ''Full Contact Fighter'' Magazine. He is a seventh degree black belt in submission fighting, awarded by O-Sensei Philip S. Porter of the United States Martial Arts Association. He is the adopted brother of Ken Shamrock. Shamrock was a
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
for
Showtime Networks Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks uni ...
, Bellator MMA, Glory Kickboxing and Combate Americas. Shamrock has been a brand spokesman for Strikeforce, VAS, UFC, and
K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
MMA. After retiring from
MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
competition Shamrock retired in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
.


Early life

Born into a Mexican-
Native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...
family, Frank Juarez was placed in various foster homes, group homes, and crisis centers from the age of twelve onwards. He had many run-ins with law enforcement until eventually he went to live with Bob Shamrock, who with his wife Dede, had taken in thousands of troubled boys (including Frank's older adoptive brother Ken). Juarez went to live with Shamrock at his home in
Susanville, California Susanville (formerly known as Rooptown) is a town in and the county seat of Lassen County, California, United States. Susanville is located on the Susan River in the southern part of the county, at an elevation of . Its population is 16,72 ...
, and was officially adopted by Bob Shamrock at the age of 21, and legally changed his name from Juarez to Shamrock thereafter. In the early 1990s, Shamrock served three-and-a-half years in the
Folsom State Prison Folsom State Prison (FSP) is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehab ...
after being convicted of burglary.


Mixed martial arts career


Pancrase

In 1994 Ken began to train Frank in what they referred to as "
submission fighting Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...
", which essentially was the Pancrase style of
catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission ...
modified for No Holds Barred fighting. Frank accompanied his brother to bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and grew to love the sport. He became a member of Ken's training school, the Lion's Den, and made his mixed martial arts debut in the Pancrase organization in Japan. Shamrock debuted as a fighter in Pancrase on December 16, 1994, in one of the biggest events in mixed martial arts history to date, the King of Pancrase Tournament. He was an important underdog against top Pancrase fighter Bas Rutten but went on to defeat Rutten in a close decision victory. Shamrock faced off against expert grappler and eventual tournament finalist Manabu Yamada later that night, but was defeated via submission at 8:38 of round 1. In 1995, Shamrock would get a win over Katsuomi Inagaki, but he faced next his own trainer, MMA legend and Pancrase co-founder
Masakatsu Funaki is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (U ...
, who defeated him. He would bounce back with a victory over the other founder of the promotion, Minoru Suzuki, getting a KO after a flurry of strikes. The same year, Frank would also fight a controversial bout with Carlson Gracie BJJ black belt Allan Goes. The Brazilian illegally
eye-gouge __NOTOC__ Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye using the fingers or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of eye injury, such as eye loss or blindness. Eye-gouging as a fighting style was once a popular form of ...
d Shamrock while on his back without the referee noticing, and also refused to release a rear naked choke despite Shamrock using a rope escape, an action which finally gained him a yellow card. On the other hand, Frank retaliated by breaking his leg with a heel hook. Both fighters ended the match with a point lost, and it was ruled a draw despite Goes's penalization. Frank Shamrock, ''Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter'', Chicago Review Press Shortly after, Shamrock faced Bas Rutten for a second time. He failed to execute his gameplan of taking down Rutten, and the two fell between the ring ropes to the floor in a specially hard-fought attempt. Shamrock then devised a new strategy and started mocking and taunting Rutten during a leglock exchange, in order to get the Dutch fighter angry enough to commit an infraction. The plan was successful, and Frank won a point when Rutten gained a yellow card for hitting him with a closed fist, but Shamrock still lost the match by decision. On November, Shamrock fought Funaki in a rematch. This time the two fighters traded rope escapes, and Frank caught Funaki in a toehold which made him tap out. Shamrock, however, believes that Funaki took a dive and allowed himself to be defeated in order to build Frank's popularity. After an injury prevented King of Pancrase Bas Rutten from defending his title, an interim championship was created. Shamrock faced Olympic alternate wrestler and master submission grappler Minoru Suzuki on January 28, 1996, for the vacant belt in a match that drew widespread anticipation. In an epic bout, Shamrock submitted Suzuki with a kneebar at the 22:53 mark of the fight to win the King of Pancrase interim title in front of a sellout crowd in
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
. Shamrock scored decision wins over Ryushu Yanagisawa and Osami Shibuya before facing off against Bas Rutten for the third time for the undisputed King of Pancrase title. Rutten won the bout via TKO due to a cut stoppage when a tired Shamrock received a knee to the forehead in a takedown attempt. Shamrock then avenged his loss to Manabu Yamada in his next bout, scoring an impressive submission win over the talented grappler. However, after his adopted brother Ken left the organization following a dispute with management, Frank was fired in retaliation.


Post-Pancrase

On January 17, 1997, he lost to John Lober in Hawaii's Superbrawl by split decision. Despite dominating the first three minutes of the fight, including a leglock which broke Lober's ankle and some strikes which blew out his front teeth, Shamrock's lack of cardio became a factor, and Lober was able to come back and punish him until winning the decision. After his loss, Shamrock shifted the focus of his career exclusively to mixed martial arts. Shamrock then fought top ranked Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in RINGS and defeated Kohsaka by decision. Within the Lion's Den, Shamrock trained up-and-coming stars such as
Jerry Bohlander Jerry Bohlander (born February 12, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. He is most notable for his UFC appearances and was a former UFC champion, winning the first lightweight (under 200 lb) tournament at ''UFC 12''. He was a memb ...
, Pete Williams, and Guy Mezger. However, after a falling out with the team's management, he left and formed The Alliance team with Maurice Smith, who he developed a close relationship with. Smith trained him kickboxing along with Javier Mendez, while Shamrock taught Smith his style of
submission wrestling Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission through the ...
. Later, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka himself joined the team. Cornered by The Alliance, Shamrock fought
Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-American jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoo ...
in a bout in Vale Tudo Japan '97 that would determine who would fight
Kevin Jackson Kevin Andre Jackson (born November 25, 1964 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach. During his ...
for the newly created UFC Middleweight Championship. After an exciting back and forth battle, in which Shamrock's training proved instrumental to resist the punishment and the exhaustion, Frank knocked Inoue out with a knee, although the match was officially ruled as a disqualification win due to Enson's brother, Egan, running into the ring after Shamrock had knocked out Inoue. Shamrock later stated that this was the toughest fight in his career.


Ultimate Fighting Championship

After the win over Inoue, Shamrock joined the UFC and fought
Kevin Jackson Kevin Andre Jackson (born November 25, 1964 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach. During his ...
for the newly created
UFC Middleweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
(later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship). Jackson had won the middleweight tournament at UFC 14 and was undefeated in MMA at the time, and was also the Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Despite being a heavy underdog, Shamrock armbarred Jackson in just 16 seconds to win the championship. Shamrock then made his first title defense against then undefeated Extreme Fighting champion Russian Igor Zinoviev at
UFC 16 ''UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 13, 1998 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home vi ...
. Zinoviev was a feared Russian kickboxer and sambo specialist who held wins over Mario Sperry and
Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-American jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoo ...
. Shamrock shot a double leg takedown and slammed Zinoviev down so hard that it knocked him unconscious. Zinoviev suffered a broken collarbone and a fractured C-5 vertebra from the slam and had to be carried out on a stretcher. Zinoviev's fight with Shamrock forced him to retire permanently from mixed martial arts ending the Russian's career. Shamrock then defended his belt against
Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, incl ...
at UFC 17, submitting him with a kneebar. In October 1998, Shamrock avenged his earlier loss to John Lober by beating him decisively in 7 minutes at ''
UFC Brazil ''UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil'' (also known as ''UFC Ultimate Brazil'' or ''UFC 17.5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in São Paulo, Brazil on October 16, 1998. The event was seen on pay-per-view in ...
''. In September 1999, Shamrock defended the UFC Middleweight Championship against future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz at '' UFC 22''. Ortiz had exploded as a star after his confrontation with Shamrock's brother Ken and his Lion's Den camp at
UFC 19 ''UFC 19: Ultimate Young Guns'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 5, 1999 at the Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later ...
. The bout was hyped as a grudge, as Shamrock was a former Lion's Den member who, according to the marketing, was out for revenge against Ortiz. However, this was not necessarily the case because Shamrock had left the Lion's Den on bad terms a year and a half earlier. Despite dominating his opponents in his previous title defenses, Shamrock was considered to be an underdog in this fight; Ortiz had come off convincing wins over Shamrock's former teammates
Jerry Bohlander Jerry Bohlander (born February 12, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. He is most notable for his UFC appearances and was a former UFC champion, winning the first lightweight (under 200 lb) tournament at ''UFC 12''. He was a memb ...
and Guy Mezger and popular opinion was that Ortiz was too big and strong for him to deal with (Ortiz cut weight to fight and by the time he stepped into the cage he would have on Shamrock). However, in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest fights in UFC history, Shamrock won after brutal elbows, punches, and hammer blows forced Ortiz to tap out at the end of round 4. Shamrock has stated that Ortiz was his toughest opponent physically due to his weight advantage and style of fighting. With this win, Shamrock solidified himself as perhaps the greatest UFC champion in history to that date, going 5–0 in title fights and finishing each fight decisively. After the win, UFC owner Bob Meyrowitz and announcer Jeff Blatnick both praised Shamrock as the greatest competitor in the history of the UFC. Shamrock then relinquished his title and retired from the UFC. After retiring, he briefly acted as a consultant and commentator for the company. In an interview, UFC president
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 mil ...
said:
I've talked to Frank Shamrock many times. Frank Shamrock will lead you to believe that we've never talked and we completely have hated each other forever and everything else. He's a weird guy. He's a very, very weird guy. I can't explain it. Frank is a weird guy.


Return

After a brief retirement, Shamrock returned to
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
as a career. He signed a deal to fight
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
standout Elvis Sinosic at
K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
, the premiere kickboxing event in the world. Shamrock beat Sinosic via unanimous decision after five three-minute rounds. Later, when Sinosic faced Tito Ortiz for the UFC
light-heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
title (formerly the
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
title) at
UFC 32 ''UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 29, 2001. History The card was headlined by the first L ...
, Shamrock served as guest commentator. On August 11, 2001, he took on his former student, Shannon Ritch in a kickboxing match for
K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
. Just 56 seconds into the first round, Shamrock broke Ritch's arm with a roundhouse kick and thereby won the match. Shamrock helped to train UFC veteran
B.J. Penn Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was the first American Go ...
for his early bouts with the UFC at the American Kickboxing Academy and produced his own events Bushido and ShootBox. His first
MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
match since 1999 was winning the WEC light-heavyweight championship in under two minutes from Bryan Pardoe by submission in March 2003. On March 10, 2006, at ''Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie'', the first MMA event sanctioned by the state of California, he knocked out Cesar Gracie in 21 seconds. Gracie had never fought an MMA match and was 40 years old, so the fight was considered a serious mismatch. However, Gracie is an elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor with years of training under his belt as well being the mentor of students such as the Diaz brothers, Nate and Nick. On September 14, 2006, it was announced that Shamrock had signed a multimillion-dollar contract with startup MMA organization "The World Fighter" and was scheduled to fight in January 2007. However, Shamrock told Sherdog that the World Fighter contract no longer applied because it was entirely contingent on the organization getting a television contract with Showtime; the cable network instead agreed to air fights for the EliteXC promotion. On February 10, 2007, Shamrock lost his fight by disqualification to Renzo Gracie during the EliteXC event which was televised on Showtime. During the fight, Gracie repeatedly took Frank to the ground, but Shamrock kept active by stopping his positional advance and hitting knee strikes from the bottom. However, Shamrock delivered two of those knees to Gracie's head while both men were on the ground, and after a five-minute injury time out, Gracie was unable to continue. Referee Herb Dean disqualified Shamrock due to a foul (illegal strikes to the back of the head, and knees to the head of a grounded opponent). Dean had already warned Shamrock once earlier in the fight about striking to the back of the head—an illegal move under the
Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Most rule sets for mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions have evolved since the early days of Vale Tudo. As a result of health, legal, and moral concerns, many different rulesets were created, which give different countries and promotions very d ...
. In December 2005, Shamrock opened his first school, Shamrock Martial Arts Academy in San Jose, California. Shamrock trains his students in kickboxing and submission wrestling. He managed Team Shamrock, his own fight team. In June 2006, Shamrock was chosen as a coach for the San Jose Razorclaws of the International Fight League. Debuting against
Carlos Newton Carlos Newton (born August 17, 1976) is an Anguillian-born Canadian retired mixed martial artist. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and Pride FC Japan MMA Legend. Known as "The Ronin", he competed worldwide in the biggest MMA organizat ...
's
Toronto Dragons The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.
on September 23, 2006, at the Mark in Moline, Illinois, The Dragons won 3–2. The Razorclaws subsequently lost 2–3 against the Ken Shamrock coached
Nevada Lions The Nevada Lions were an International Fight League team based in Reno, Nevada, in the United States. Coached by UFC and MMA legend Ken Shamrock the Lions were one of four teams established at the beginning of the 2007 season. Record/Roster The L ...
on January 19, 2007.


Strikeforce

Shamrock and Phil Baroni had engaged in a war of words with YouTube videos following Shamrock's fight with Renzo Gracie. The two faced off at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni, a co-promotion between EliteXC and Strikeforce on June 22, 2007, on pay-per-view. Shamrock went on to out-strike Baroni in the first part of this fight in the stand-up. Shamrock was docked a point for using strikes to the back of the head while he had Baroni's back. In the second round, Shamrock took some strikes from Baroni, but he was able to regain control and drop Baroni, transition to his back and end the fight with a rear naked choke. Baroni refused to tap out and was choked unconscious. As soon as he regained his senses, he walked over to Shamrock, congratulated him and left the cage. By winning the match, Shamrock became the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, thereby making him the first person to win a title in all three major North American fight promotions: the UFC, WEC and Strikeforce. On January 11, 2008, it was announced that Shamrock would face
Cung Le Cung Le ( vi, Lê Cung; born May 25, 1972) is a Vietnamese-born American actor, retired mixed martial artist, Sanshou fighter and kickboxer. He competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding a record of ...
in a match on March 29, 2008, for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship during the joint Strike force-Elite XC event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. Le arguably controlled the fight, at times out-striking the more MMA-experienced Shamrock. At one point in the later stages of round 3 Shamrock appeared to have Le hurt but was unable to finish him with a barrage of punches against the cage. Le recovered and responded in the closing seconds of the round with more kicks and a spinning back fist. Shamrock was unable to answer the bell to begin round 4 due to a broken arm caused by one of Le's kicks and the fight was ruled a TKO as a result of corner stoppage. Shamrock indicated post-fight that these kicks had broken his right arm. Frank publicly stated that he would like to face Ken Shamrock in the first quarter of 2009, until stating in an interview "there's no point in fighting Ken, he's finished, why beat on an old man?" causing the likelihood of this fight to now be very slim. Afterwards, he said that he would like to fight Tito Ortiz and then Cung Le and then "do some boxing stuff." On April 11, 2009, Shamrock was defeated by
Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champi ...
by technical knock out.


Retirement

Shamrock announced his retirement from fighting on June 26, 2010, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum.


Bellator MMA

On February 5, 2013, Shamrock signed with Bellator to coach on the promotions reality series titled '' Fight Master: Bellator MMA''.


Submission grappling


RIZIN

On October 15, 2017, Shamrock fought
Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
veteran
Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler, currently signed to Rizin Fighting Federation and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugi ...
in a grappling exhibition match at the 2017 Rizin World Grand Prix Opening Round in
Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
, Japan. The match ended with a draw decision.


Fighting style

Shamrock became known as a training pioneer, constantly seeking new influences to round up his game. Most of his fighting method rested in Pancrase's indigenous style of shoot wrestling (better known in the West as
catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission ...
), but he later also learned orthodox kickboxing striking under Maurice Smith, who also taught him to improve his cardiovascular conditioning and natural athleticism. He also studied Jeet Kune Do before his UFC debut. Shamrock's improved cardio, along with an excellent defensive
guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...
work learned from Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, enabled him to survive against superior opponents in order to seek for openings, which he capitalized on with aggressive strikes and submissions. Though not the first one in history, he was considered one of the greatest earlier mixed martial artists, excelling in all the fields of the game.


Personal life

Shamrock was married to a woman named Amy Warren until their separation and subsequent divorce in 2019. Together they have one child, a daughter named Nicolette who was born on April 24, 2008. Shamrock also has a son named Frankie from a previous marriage. Shamrock runs a franchise of schools, a merchandising company, Frank Shamrock, Inc. (a personal asset management company), MMA Entertainment, and Mixed Martial Arts For Law Enforcement (a law enforcement training business). In 1998, Shamrock had a falling out with his brother Ken and his father Bob; they would not communicate again until Bob became terminally ill years later. In separate interviews aired January 18, 2007 by Sherdog.com's ''Beatdown'' radio show, both Frank and Ken said they remain estranged - Frank claimed Ken has spurned all attempts at reconciliation; Ken accused Frank of treating their father poorly. As seen on Frank's Spike TV documentary, Bound by Blood, he and Ken have reconciled. On January 14, 2010, Bob Shamrock died due to health complications from diabetes. In an interview with Sam Caplan of sportsline.com, Shamrock revealed he felt concerned with Ken's training methods, and when he confronted Ken, he was told "You don't have what it takes, you're not going to be a world champion and I want you to run my gyms for the rest of your life." This spurred him on to leave which led to the estrangement of both Ken and Bob (who took Ken's side in the disagreement). He also stated that he would be happy to fight against Ken, should the opportunity arise. Shamrock is a commentator and fighter on the ''EA Sports MMA'' video game which was released in 2010. Shamrock is also featured in the award-winning documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts titled '' Fight Life'', released in 2013. The film is directed by James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films. Shamrock landed a guest role as Hammer on '' Walker, Texas Ranger'' and the main role in a
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant ch ...
commercial. He was featured as Damien in the 2005 movie ''No Rules'' and was uncredited in an episode of '' Oz''. On November 18, 2010, Shamrock appeared as a guest on '' Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''. In October 2012, Shamrock released his autobiography ''Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter''. Shamrock also wrote the Wiley book ''Mixed Martial Arts for Dummies''. Shamrock is an advocate for the use of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
, which he says helped eliminate his reliance on pharmaceutical drugs. In January 2017 Shamrock launched ''The Bakeout'', an online talk show seeking to "uplift, unite, educate, challenge, and encourage viewers in a manner consistent with the teachings of the healing powers of cannabis". On January 14, 2018, sports announcer Mauro Ranallo stated that Shamrock saved his life when Shamrock performed the Heimlich maneuver on Ranallo as he was choking.


Championships and accomplishments

* Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling **Interim King of Pancrase (One time) *
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
** UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time; first) ***Four successful title defenses **Headlined the First UFC event in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
**Fastest Submission in the History of the UFC Light Heavyweight division (0:16) **Undefeated in the UFC (5–0) * Strikeforce **First
MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
fighter to win championships in UFC, WEC & Strikeforce ** Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (One time, first) **Fastest Knockout in Strikeforce History (0:20) * World Extreme Cagefighting ** WEC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, first) * Sherdog **Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame *
Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine w ...
**1998 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year * Wrestling Observer Newsletter **1998 Most Outstanding Fighter **1999 Most Outstanding Fighter **1999 Fight of the Year vs. Tito Ortiz on September 24, 1999 **1990's Fighter of the Decade * Inside MMA **2008 Fight of the Year Bazzie Award vs.
Cung Le Cung Le ( vi, Lê Cung; born May 25, 1972) is a Vietnamese-born American actor, retired mixed martial artist, Sanshou fighter and kickboxer. He competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding a record of ...
on March 29


Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,
Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champi ...
, TKO (punches) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–9–2 ,
Cung Le Cung Le ( vi, Lê Cung; born May 25, 1972) is a Vietnamese-born American actor, retired mixed martial artist, Sanshou fighter and kickboxer. He competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding a record of ...
, TKO (broken arm) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–8–2 , Phil Baroni , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 ,
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–8–2 , Renzo Gracie , DQ (knees to downed opponent) , EliteXC Destiny , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:00 , Southaven, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7–2 , Cesar Gracie , KO (punches) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7–2 , Bryan Pardoe , Submission (armbar) , WEC 6: Return of a Legend , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:46 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7–2 , Elvis Sinosic , Decision (split) , K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:00 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7–2 , Tito Ortiz , TKO (submission to punches) , UFC 22 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:50 ,
Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcas ...
, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 18–7–2 , Kiyoshi Tamura , Draw , Rings: Rise 2nd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 20:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–7–1 , John Lober , TKO (submission to punches) ,
UFC Brazil ''UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil'' (also known as ''UFC Ultimate Brazil'' or ''UFC 17.5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in São Paulo, Brazil on October 16, 1998. The event was seen on pay-per-view in ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:40 ,
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7–1 ,
Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, incl ...
, Submission (kneebar) , UFC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 16:28 ,
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7–1 , Igor Zinoviev , KO (slam) ,
UFC 16 ''UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 13, 1998 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home vi ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 , , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7–1 ,
Kevin Jackson Kevin Andre Jackson (born November 25, 1964 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach. During his ...
, Submission (armbar) , UFC Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–7–1 ,
Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-American jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoo ...
, DQ (Egan Inoue ran into the ring) , Vale Tudo Japan 1997 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 7:17 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–7–1 , Wes Gassaway , DQ (rope escapes) , World Pankration Championships 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:54 ,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–7–1 , Tsuyoshi Kohsaka , Decision (unanimous) , Rings: Extension Fighting 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–7–1 , John Lober , Technical Decision (split) , SuperBrawl 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 ,
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–6–1 ,
Kiuma Kunioku is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting at Welterweight. A longtime veteran of the Pancrase organization, Kunioku captured the King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship and King of Pancrase Welterweight Championship before leavi ...
, Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Truth 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 20:00 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5–1 , Yuki Kondo , KO (head kick) , Pancrase: 1996 Anniversary Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 12:43 , Chiba, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4–1 , Manabu Yamada , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase: 1996 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 12:44 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4–1 , Bas Rutten , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Pancrase: Truth 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:11 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, , Osami Shibuya , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Truth 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3–1 , Ryushi Yanagisawa , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Truth 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 20:00 , Kobe, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–1 , Minoru Suzuki , Submission (kneebar) , Pancrase: Truth 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 22:53 ,
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3–1 , Vernon White , Submission (achilles lock) , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:23 ,
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3–1 ,
Masakatsu Funaki is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (U ...
, Submission (toe hold) , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:31 ,
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3–1 , Takafumi Ito , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase: 1995 Anniversary Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:23 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3–1 , Bas Rutten , Decision (split) , Pancrase: 1995 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2–1 , Takaku Fuke , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:16 , Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–2–1 , Allan Goes , Draw , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 , Chiba, Chiba, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Minoru Suzuki , Submission (rear-naked Choke) , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:23 ,
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 ,
Masakatsu Funaki is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (U ...
, Submission (toe hold) , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:11 , Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Katsuomi Inagaki , Submission (armbar) , Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:14 , Nagoya, Aichi, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Manabu Yamada , Submission (achilles lock) , rowspan=2, Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:38 , rowspan=2,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Bas Rutten , Decision (majority) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 ,


Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-08-11 , , Win , , align=left, Shannon Ritch , ,
K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...
, ,
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
, United States , , TKO (injury) , , 1 , , 0:53 , , 1–0 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':


Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES , - style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Method , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Event , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - , Draw, ,
Kazushi Sakuraba is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler, currently signed to Rizin Fighting Federation and Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Champions with Takashi Sugi ...
, , Draw , , Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 2, , October 15, 2017, , 1 , , 0:56 , , , - , Win, ,
Dan Henderson Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American retired mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champ ...
, , Submission (heel hook) , , The Contenders , , October 11, 1997, , , , , , , -


Footnotes


External links

*
Frank Shamrock Martial Arts Academy
* * *
Five Ounces of Pain: Interview with Frank Shamrock

Frank's Interview with John Kline of Elevation Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamrock, Frank Living people 1972 births American male mixed martial artists American male kickboxers American catch wrestlers American adoptees American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Strikeforce (mixed martial arts) champions World Extreme Cagefighting champions Kickboxers from California Mixed martial artists from California Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Jeet Kune Do American cannabis activists