"Next thing I know I'm on the ground and I'm just laying there" - UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock reflects on breaking his neck before state championship

Ken Shamrock earned a reputation for his toughness. The UFC Hall of Famer began his career in Japanese-based promotion Pancrase and later moved to the octagon, where he won the inaugural UFC Superfight championship.

Ken Shamrock recently spoke with VladTV on several topics, including his childhood and how excelling at football and wrestling allowed him to look at life differently. During the interview, the UFC Hall of Famer reflected on breaking his neck while training for the upcoming high school state championship:

“I remember shooting in on him and next thing I know I’m on the ground and I’m just laying there. And coach saying, ‘get up’ and I’m like, ‘okay, I’m getting up.’ That’s what I’m thinking in my head, ‘okay, get up’ and I’m not moving and I’m thinking to myself, ‘get up’ and I feel like I’ve got no power and I’m helpless and I feel sharp pain going down my arm. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘why can’t I move?’ I could feel the pain but I can’t move…it’s like I’m numb. Probably about 10-seconds go, it felt longer than that, but it was about 10-seconds…15-seconds…I start to panic. Now they’re like, ‘you okay?’ and I’m like ‘I can’t move.'”

‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ later added that it wasn’t the only neck injury he sustained:

“I broke my neck actually twice. One of them I just fractured, it wasn’t completely broken. That’s was while I was fighting and I had it re-fixed and got brackets put in instead of the fusion. But the first time when I broke it, yeah, it was really my first major injury. (Age) 17.”

Ken Shamrock still had a successful career in combat sports and pro wrestling

The first Superfight! 🏆

#OnThisDay in 1995: Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn threw down at UFC 6!

📺📱 Watch it back in full with @UFCFightPass! https://t.co/KuJktJLRAj

It’s remarkable that Ken Shamrock was still able to achieve a great deal of success in MMA after suffering what many would consider a career-ending injury at age-17.

Shamrock not only went on to win a UFC championship, but he was able to achieve success as a pro wrestler. Taking his major neck injury into account, his stint in WWE was impressive. He worked a stiff MMA style that was physically demanding as well as a demanding schedule, which meant that he took a lot of bumps.