Ken Shamrock's 6 best UFC fights
Given he’s a bonafide UFC legend – in fact, in 2003 he was one of the first two fighters inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame along with Royce Gracie – Ken Shamrock’s UFC fights are surprisingly not all that memorable.
Granted, a lot of that has to do with the era he fought in – great fights back in the early days of the UFC were few and far between – but he also has some major blights on his record like his dull fights with Gracie, Dan Severn and Oleg Taktarov.
Shamrock didn’t become beloved and massively famous inside the UFC for nothing, though, and so here are his 6 most memorable UFC fights – memorable for the right reasons, at least!
#6: vs. Kimo Leopoldo, UFC 48, June 19th 2004
Shamrock’s UFC comeback in the early 2000s hardly went to plan, as he ended up losing three of his next four fights inside the Octagon following his unsuccessful attempt to wrest the UFC Light-Heavyweight title from his hated rival Tito Ortiz.
The lone win though was hugely memorable. It came against another old rival in Kimo Leopoldo, a man Shamrock had submitted some eight years earlier. Kimo had made his own comeback to the UFC in 2003 by submitting Tank Abbott, and was gunning for revenge over Shamrock, who he accused of quitting in the fight with Ortiz.
The two veterans headlined UFC 48 and it was Shamrock’s performance that largely saved what was a disappointing show. The fight began with a clinch war where some knees were exchanged, but it ended abruptly when Shamrock broke free to deliver a huge knee to Kimo’s jaw, knocking him senseless immediately.
It was probably the last time Shamrock looked impressive in his lengthy career, and it was such a good performance that Ken was seen showing the video of it to his students during his coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter!