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Frank Shamrock

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Frank Shamrock a.k.a Alex Cox
Born (1972-12-08) December 8, 1972 (age 51)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Other namesThe Legend
ResidenceSan Jose, California
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Division185 (2006-present)
205
Reach72.0 in (183 cm)
StyleCatch wrestling, kickboxing
StanceOrthodox
TeamLion's Den (1994-1998)
The Alliance (1998-present)[1]
Years active1994–present MMA
Mixed martial arts record
Total35
Wins23
By knockout4
By submission13
Losses10
Draws2
Other information
Notable relativesKen Shamrock, adopted brother
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Frank Shamrock (born Frank Alisio Juarez III on December 8, 1972) is an American mixed martial arts fighter. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion. Frank has also won numerous titles in other mixed martial arts organizations, including the interim King of Pancrase title, the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship, and the Strikeforce Middleweight championship. He has been named "Fighter of the Decade" for 1990's 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 7th degree black belt in Submission Fighting as awarded by O-Sensei Philip S. Porter of the United States Martial Arts Association.[2] He is the adopted younger brother of former UFC champion Ken Shamrock.

Early life

From the age of 12, Frank Juarez was placed in various foster homes, group homes, and crisis centers. Eventually he went to live with Bob Shamrock, who had taken in hundreds of troubled boys (including Frank's older stepbrother Ken). Juarez went to live with Shamrock at his home in Susanville, California, and was officially adopted by Shamrock at the age of 21. As his brother Ken did previously, Frank would later change his legal name to Shamrock.

Fighting career

Pancrase

In 1994, Ken began to train Frank in submission 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 debut in the Pancrase organization in December 1994.

He debuted as a fighter in Pancrase on December 16, 1994, winning a decision victory over Holland's Bas Rutten. Shamrock went on to defeat Minoru Suzuki on January 28, 1996 to become the provisional King of Pancrase. Before a sellout crowd in Yokohama he managed to lock a kneebar on Suzuki to secure the win and gain the provisional title that had been created because Rutten was unable to defend the title due to injury. He later lost to the returning Rutten in May 1996. Shamrock found success in Pancrase, but after his brother Ken departed the company, following a falling out, Frank was fired.

Post-Pancrase

On January 17, 1997, he lost to John Lober in Hawaii's Superbrawl by split decision, having dominated the fight until his lack of cardio became a factor. After his loss to Lober, 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, Frank trained up-and-coming stars such as Jerry Bohlander, Pete Williams , and Guy Mezger. He also developed a close relationship with Maurice Smith, who trained him in kickboxing with Javier Mendez.

Shamrock then fought Japanese fighter Enson Inoue in a bout in Vale Tudo Japan '97 that would determine who would fight Kevin Jackson for the newly created UFC Middleweight Championship. After an exciting back and forth battle, Shamrock knocked Inoue out with a knee, saying later that this was the toughest fight in his career.[3]

UFC

After the win over Inoue, Shamrock joined the UFC and fought Kevin Jackson for the newly created UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship). Jackson was the UFC 14 middleweight champion 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, Frank armbarred Jackson in just 14 seconds to win the championship.

Shamrock then made his first title defense against undefeated Extreme Fighting champion Igor Zinoviev. Zinoviev was a feared Russian kickboxer and sambo specalist who held wins over Mario Sperry and Enson Inoue. Shamrock shot a double leg takedown and slammed Zinoviev down so hard that it knocked him unconscious. Zinoviev suffered a broken clavicle, a fractured C-5 vertebrae, and a broken collarbone from the slam and had to be carried out on a stretcher.[4] Zinoviev's fight with Shamrock forced him to retire permanently from mixed martial arts.

Shamrock then defended his belt against Jeremy Horn, 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.

Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz

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 Frank's brother Ken Shamrock and his Lion's Den camp at UFC 19. The bout was hyped as a grudge, as Frank 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 Frank had left the Lion's Den on bad terms a year and a half earlier. Despite dominating his opponents in his previous title defenses, Frank was considered to be an underdog in this fight; Ortiz had come off convincing wins over Frank's former teammates Jerry Bohlander 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 25 lbs on Shamrock).[5]

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. Frank then proceeded to make an obscene gesture at Ortiz's corner after the victory. Frank has stated that Tito Ortiz was his toughest opponent physically due to his weight advantage and style of fighting.[6] With this win, Frank 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 Frank as the greatest competitor in the history of the UFC.[7]

Shamrock then relinquished his title and retired from the UFC. After retiring, he initially acted as a consultant and commentator but fell out with the owners of the UFC and is seldom mentioned on their broadcasts. He has stated that Dana White telephoned him after his fight against Cesar Gracie to try to get him to return, but said he will not return as long as Dana runs the company [citation needed].

In an interview, Dana White said:[3]

"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."

Acting

After his retirement, Shamrock landed a guest role on Walker, Texas Ranger and the main role in a Burger King commercial. He was also featured as Damien in the 2005 movie No Rules.[8]

Also was uncredited in an episode of Oz.

Currently, Shamrock is a subject and a co-producer for the MMA documentary Fight Life.[9]

Return to fighting

After a brief retirement, Shamrock returned to mixed martial arts as a career. He signed a deal to fight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout Elvis Sinosic at K-1, 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 title (formerly the middleweight title) at UFC 32, Shamrock served as guest commentator. On August 11, 2001, he took on his former student, Shannon Ritch in a kickboxing match for K-1. 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 for his early bouts with the UFC at the American Kickboxing Academy and produced his own events Bushido and ShootBox. His first MMA 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 Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz.

On September 14, 2006, it was announced that Frank Shamrock had signed a multi-million dollar contract with startup MMA organization "The World Fighter" and was said to be 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. Shamrock delivered two knees to Gracie's head while both men were on the ground. 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 American Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Trainer and IFL coach

In December 2005, Shamrock opened his first school, Shamrock Martial Arts Academy in San Jose, CA. Shamrock trains his students in kickboxing and submission wrestling. He also manages 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's Toronto Dragons 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 on January 19, 2007.

Frank Shamrock vs Phil Baroni

Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni had engaged in a war of words with youtube vidoes 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.[4]

Frank went on to out-strike Baroni in the first part of this fight in the stand-up. Frank was deducted a point for using strikes to the back of the head while he had Baroni's back. In the second round Frank took some strikes from Baroni, but he was able to regain control and drop Phil, 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 Frank, congratulated him and left the cage. By winning the match, Frank became the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.

Fighting for Strikeforce MMA

Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le

Frank Shamrock and Cung Le after their bout

On January 11, 2008, it was announced that Shamrock would face Cung Le in a match on March 29, 2008 for the Strikeforce Middle Weight Championship during the joint Strike force-Elite XC event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Cung 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. Frank was unable to answer the bell to begin round 4 due a broken arm caused by one of Le's kicks and the fight was ruled a TKO as a result of corner stoppage. Frank indicated post fight that these kicks had broken his right arm.

Frank Shamrock vs Ken Shamrock

Shamrock has 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.[10] Afterwards, he said that he would like to fight Tito Ortiz and then Cung Le and then "do some boxing stuff."[11]

Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz

On April 11, 2009 Frank Shamrock was defeated by Nick Diaz by way of technical knock out. It was noted that Shamrock came into the bout with a rib injury which was sustained through training.

Personal life

Frank and his wife, Amy, reside in San Jose. The couple had a daughter named Nicolette on April 24, 2008.[12] Shamrock also has a son from a previous relationship.[13] 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).[14]

Shamrock also wrote the Wiley book "Mixed Martial Arts for Dummies".

In 1998, Frank 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 Jan. 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 adoptive father badly [5].

In an interview with Sam Caplan of sportsline.com, Frank 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.[6] Ken feels the same way, stating on Sherdog radio network that Shamrock vs. Shamrock is a distinct possibility, stating that he taught Frank everything he knows and that it's wrong to proclaim yourself "The Legend," a moniker Frank has been using since his return at WEC 6.

Shamrock will be both a commentator and fighter on EA Sport's MMA video game set for release in 2010.[15] Frank has expressed deep hatred towards Dana White and called the UFC "nothing more than a business".

MMA record

Professional record breakdown
35 matches 23 wins 10 losses
By knockout 2 4
By submission 14 2
By decision 5 3
Draws 2
Date Result Record Opponent Event Method Round Time Location Notes
2009-04-11 Loss 23–10–2 United States Nick Diaz Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz TKO (Punches) 2 3:57 United States San Jose, California, US Fighting @ catchweight of 179 lbs
2008-03-29 Loss 23–9–2 South Vietnam Cung Le Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le TKO (Broken Arm) 3 5:00 United States San Jose, California, US Lost Strikeforce Middleweight Championshp
2007-06-22 Win 23–8–2 United States Phil Baroni EliteXC / Strikeforce – Shamrock vs. Baroni Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 2 4:00 United States San Jose, California, US Became First Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
2007-02-10 Loss 22–8–2 Brazil Renzo Gracie EliteXC Destiny DQ (Knees to the back of the head of a grounded opponent) 2 2:00 United States Southaven, Mississippi, US
2006-03-10 Win 22–7–2 Brazil Cesar Gracie Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie KO (Punch) 1 0:21 United States San Jose, California, US
2003-03-27 Win 21–7–2 United States Bryan Pardoe WEC 6: Return of a Legend Submission (Armbar) 1 1:46 United States Lemoore, California, US Became First WEC Light Heavyweight Champion
2000-12-10 Win 20–7–2 Australia Elvis Sinosic K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Decision 5 3:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1999-09-24 Win 19–7–2 United States Tito Ortiz UFC 22-There Can Be Only One Champion Submission (Strikes) 4 4:42 United States Lake Charles, Louisiana, US Defended UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Forfeited title due to retirement
1999-04-23 Draw 18–7–2 Japan Kiyoshi Tamura Rings – Rise 2nd Draw 1 20:00 Japan Japan
1998-10-16 Win 18–7–1 United States John Lober UFC: Ultimate Brazil Submission (Strikes) 1 7:40 Brazil Sao Paulo, Brazil Defended UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
1998-05-15 Win 17–7–1 United States Jeremy Horn UFC 17: Redemption Submission (Kneebar) 1 16:28 Alabama Mobile, Alabama, US Defended UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
1998-03-13 Win 16–7–1 Russia Igor Zinoviev UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou KO (Slam) 1 0:22 United States New Orleans, Louisiana, US Defended UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
1997-12-21 Win 15–7–1 United States Kevin Jackson UFC: Ultimate Japan 1 Submission (Armbar) 1 0:14 Japan Yokohama, Japan Became First UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
1997-11-29 Win 14–7–1 United States Enson Inoue VTJ 1997-Vale Tudo Japan 1997 ((ko)punch) 2 7:17 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1997-10-26 Win 13–7–1 United States Wes Gassaway WPC-World Pankration Championships 1 DQ (Rope Escapes) 1 ? United States Texas, US
1997-09-26 Win 12–7–1 Japan Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Rings – Extension Fighting 7 Decision 1 30:00 Japan Japan
1997-01-17 Loss 11–7–1 United States John Lober SB 3-SuperBrawl 3 Decision (Split) 1 30:00 United States Honolulu, Hawaii, US
1996-12-15 Loss 11–6–1 Japan Kiuma Kunioku Pancrase-Truth 10 Decision 1 20:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1996-09-07 Loss 11–5–1 Japan Yuki Kondo Pancrase-1996 Anniversary Show KO (Kick) 1 12:43 Japan Chiba, Japan
1996-07-22 Win 11–4–1 Japan Manabu Yamada Pancrase-1996 New-Blood Tournament, Round 1 Submission (Strikes) 1 12:44 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1996-05-16 Loss 10–4–1 Netherlands Bas Rutten Pancrase-Truth 5 TKO (Cut) 1 11:11 Japan Tokyo, Japan Lost Interim King of Pancrase Championship
1996-04-08 Win 10–3–1 Japan Osami Shibuya Pancrase-Truth 4 Decision (Lost Points) 1 15:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1996-03-02 Win 9–3–1 Japan Ryushi Yanagisawa Pancrase-Truth 2 Decision (Lost Points) 1 20:00 Japan Kobe, Japan
1996-01-28 Win 8–3–1 Japan Minoru Suzuki Pancrase-Truth 1 Submission (Kneebar) 1 22:53 Japan Yokohama, Japan Won Interim King of Pancrase Championship
1995-12-14 Win 7–3–1 United States Vernon White Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 7 Submission (Achilles Lock) 1 5:23 Japan Sapporo, Japan
1995-11-04 Win 6–3–1 Japan Masakatsu Funaki Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 6 Submission (Toehold) 1 10:31 Japan Yokohama, Japan
1995-09-01 Win 5–3–1 Japan Takafumi Ito Pancrase-1995 Anniversary Show Submission (Strikes) 1 7:23 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1995-07-23 Loss 4–3–1 Netherlands Bas Rutten Pancrase-1995 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 2 Decision (Split) 1 15:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1995-06-13 Win 4–2–1 Japan Takaku Fuke Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 5 Submission (Strikes) 1 8:16 Japan Sapporo, Japan
1995-05-13 Draw 3–2–1 Brazil Allan Goes Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 4 Decision (Draw) 1 10:00 Japan Chiba, Japan
1995-04-08 Win 3–2 Japan Minoru Suzuki Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 3 Submission (Strikes) 1 3:23 Japan Nagoya, Japan
1995-03-10 Loss 2–2 Japan Masakatsu Funaki Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 2 Submission (ToeHold) 1 5:11 Japan Yokohama, Japan
1995-01-26 Win 2–1 Japan Katsuomi Inagaki Pancrase-Eyes Of Beast 1 Submission (Position) 1 6:14 Japan Nagoya, Japan
1994-12-16 Loss 1–1 Japan Manabu Yamada Pancrase-King of Pancrase Tournament, Round 1 Submission (Strikes) 1 8:38 Japan Tokyo, Japan
1994-12-16 Win 1–0 Netherlands Bas Rutten Pancrase-King of Pancrase Tournament, Round 1 Decision (Majority) 1 10:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan MMA Debut

Championships

  • Former Interim King of Pancrase
  • First & Former UFC Middleweight Champion (Name was later changed to the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
  • First & Former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion
  • Former WKC Submission Champion
  • Former Contenders Light Heavyweight Champion
  • First & Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Fight Finder: Frank Shamrock". Sherdog. 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ My toughest fight is when I fought Enson Inoue.
  4. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-ufxsixteen041809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  5. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AvJV.hrxLDAgkCbDlK5GKQJZEo14?slug=dm-ufctwentytwo042409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  6. ^ I think that Tito was my toughest opponent, but I knew how to beat him, thus I didn't feel a lot of stress about potentially losing.
  7. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AvJV.hrxLDAgkCbDlK5GKQJZEo14?slug=dm-ufctwentytwo042409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  8. ^ IMDB Page for No Rules
  9. ^ "IMDB page for Frank Shamrock". Retrieved 2009-12-16.
  10. ^ PWB Hotline: Frank Shamrock, June 20, 2008
  11. ^ http://www.frankshamrock.com/index.html
  12. ^ Congratulations to Frank Shamrock, whose wife Amy gave birth to a seven pound, eight ounce girl named Nicolette, yesterday
  13. ^ A 19-year-old son, little Frank
  14. ^ BOXING - CBSSports.com
  15. ^ [2]
New championship 1st Interim King of Pancrase Champion
January 28, 1996 - May 16, 1996 		Vacant
Lost unification bout against Bas Rutten
New championship 1st UFC Middleweight Champion
December 21, 1997 - September 24, 1999 		Vacant
Shamrock retired
Title next held by
Tito Ortiz
New championship 1st WEC Light Heavyweight Champion
March 27, 2003 - August, 2003 		Vacant
Shamrock vacated the title
Title next held by
Jason Lambert
New championship 1st Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
June 22, 2007-March 29, 2008 		Succeeded by
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