Frank Shamrock Chats It Up
Earlier in the week Frank Shamrock took part in a chat on the Pro Elite website forum, where he addressed a number of questions asked by the fans themselves. MMADigest has pretty solid excerpts from the chat, which highlight some of the most pertinent information the current Strikeforce champion and former UFC champion had to offer.
Frank began by commenting on the knee injury he sustained before his fight with Phil Baroni, and how it is definitely not going to effect his MMA game:
“My knee is doing very well, I’m in constant rehab and it feels almost 100%. I’ll never be a running back for the NFL, but I will be the best MMA fighter in the world.”
Regarding who’s next on Shamrocks hit list was also made abundantly clear:
“Rematch- I want to fight Renzo but he’s still recovering and in acting classes. I’m seeing if Cung Le will step up and be a real man.”
And of course if you haven’t heard by now, Frank is still planning on making the Shamrock/Shamrock match a reality:
“Ken fight is almost true, been working on it for 2 yrs and I’m trying to make it happen ‘Brother vs. Brother’, absolutely. 2009, Shamrock vs. Shamrock”
Thirty-five year old Frank Shamrock also discussed his ten year career plan and I have to say, it sounds pretty intense:
“I will fight for 10 more years, 21 fights total, one every 6 months.”
And one more thing I just couldn’t ignore. Frank went on to discuss how he would fare against some of the huskier MMA opponents out there:
“I would easily beat Kimbo Slice and Brock Lesnar.”
So there you have it. Frank claims that Shamrock vs. Shamrock is a go, and that his next fight will either be a rematch with Renzo or the always entertaining Cung Le. Personally I’m not huge on the Shamrock vs. Shamrock scheme, but that’s a whole other article.
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Frank is yesterday’s news. He, like his brother, are their own worst enemies. There was a time where I thought he was the #1 in the world at his weight class. Too many fighters have passed him and his feud with the UFC has hurt his match-ups and world stature. He will easily defeat Ken, unless he disqualifies himself (again).
First I wanna say I’m a huge fan of the Shamrocks, they are both pioneers in the sport and deserve a lot of respect. Frank is 35, I think he has one more good run at a long stretch of success in MMA, I think he will defeat Cung Le and Renzo if they fight. I wanna see him against a top 10 guy though, like everyone else. Ken vs Frank, I like it, Frank would appear the younger faster guy but I’d never count Ken out. Frank says what he wants, he’s brutally honest and doesn’t back down from anyone, gotta respect that.
Frank Shamrock is an extraordinary martial artist,not just an MMA prizefighter. Even when he is done with the ring,his knowledge and character and spirit are priceless gifts to the martial arts as a whole. Everyone wants to see Frank fight the “top” middleweight guys,which boils down to Anderson Silva and Hendo in the eyes of most people. But that won’t happen due to the fact that Frank has far too much integrity,knowledge and savvy to bow to Dana and the way that the UFC disrespects people. Frank Shamrock was the first to repudiate the UFC’s exploitation of fighters and break ties with them,Tito Ortiz pointed out the dame thing,many other fighters like Andrei Arlovsky and Brandon Vera–both class acts–have had problems with Dana’s exploitative business practices…and the final straw came when Randy Couture talked of how he was disrespected. Despite the UFC’s disputing Randy’s assertion,I noted that onthe UFC’s best of 2007 matches,Randy v Tim Sylvia wasn’t there. Randy v Tim was the most insprational fight of 2007,up there with Hopkins v Wright. As the UFC hemorrhages fighters like Tito and the others,promotions like ELITEXC will/should form straegic alliances with other organizations like M1 and K-1 Heros and others to bring us great fights. I see,for instance,Rich Franklin jumping to another promotion like ELITE XC to fight for the belt with Robbie or someone and set up a unification bout. I see Marqardt jumping from the UFC too. I see Matt Lindland in Frank’s and Robbie’s and maybe Rich Franklin’s future. These are all top fighters with the tools to really push Frank into the deep waters.There are plenty of exciting fights to be made,the UFC does NOT have all or even MOST of the top talent.
IMHO Frank should beat them all (except Tito,who can’t make 185). But even I–a diehard FJS fan–flat out do not believe that Frank would KO Silva in 7 minutes. No way. Frank is just keeping the pot hot by engaging in these verbal jabs and hypotheticals. That’s great for business.FJS is in no way afraid of Silva,and it would be a good fight–a PPV record breaker–but FJS isn’t sleeping Silva.As for Ranzo? FJS was moppin Renzo in their first match before Renzo’s heart quit on him. The best Renzo could do was literally lay on FJS–while being damaged by short shots from FJS wherever they were in the ring. The Renzo supporters insist on scoring that fight like it was sport bjj. It’s MMA,not sport bjj. Nobody loves your mount or sidemount or floating knee unless you are doing damage from it or are threatening with subs from it. Renzo had 2 sub attempts that were EASILY thwarted,and literally landed less than 12 strikes all night. FJS bossed the standup and shut Renzo down on the ground. But FJS really wigged out like a sucka with those cranial shots. Being a brotha from the hood,I saw no problem with those punches except its use in the cage…and FJS knew better. and then he did it AGAIN to Baroni. Aw hell naw,Frank. That was booboo. However,FJS’ temporary insanity doesn’t obviate the fact that he would put the wtfpwnage down on Renzo in a rematch,he would beat Cung Le and he would merk Ken. I do NOT wanna see Frank fight Ken,btw. FJS would utterly mash Kimbo,that would be laughable.
I met FJS back in the RAW gym when he was temporarily in El Segundo (part of Los Angeles). The man is a genius,he is technically razor sharp and unorthodox in his approach,like many innovators are.He is well-read,charismatic,articulate,forthright,and a visionary. He wasn’t the first well rounded man in the cage,that distinction belongs to Marco Ruas…but he IS the prototype for MMA,the innovator of training methods which have become the norm for MMA,and he has transcended those “norms” in ways that only the all-time greats can do.His use of the ball and gymnastic principles and kinesiology principles (one of the things I study in university) is purely brilliant…just short of revolutionary. It will take some time for the MMA public to realize the comprehensive achievements of FJS,especially for the fighters in MMA and training methodology. FJS deserves to still be annointed with “change the game” status…for elevating and refining the whole of MMA by ushering in genuine respect for MMA talent that needs to have proper financial compensation.
FJS isn’t invincible. He’s fallible like all of us.He may not be the best MMA guy pound for pound on the planet. But he IS iindisputably GREAT,both as a genuine martial artist transcending the label of mere prizefighter and in his accomplishments in and out of MMA.For that alone he has my permanent respect
Dethstryeque, I to do not believe Frank would knock Silva out in 7 min. I think A Silva is as close to an unbeatable fighter there is. I know there is no such thing but he is unbelieveable. I think Frank would strike with him for a bit and eventually shoot. idk if he would beat him, but what a great fight it would be, to bad we’ll never see it.
btw, u do any martial arts?
Dethstryque, I believe there was a time where Frank could achieve all you claim as fact, however I believe there are a number of fighters, many of which you mention that have surpassed him. Good read tho, and keep drinking the cool-aid. I don’t agree, but I respect.
Lesnar and Kimbo would retire Frank Shamrock….they aren’t Phil Baroni
Great read Dethstryque, I too am a big FS fan. I agree with all you said. He is on top of the food chain. If he goes into a fight to do business IMO I think there isn’t a fighter on this planet he cann’t beat. I think a fight between brothers isnt cool, don’t want to see ot, Frank will destroy him unless he feels bad and takes it easy on him. I found it sad you didn’t see Randy’s fight against Sylvia on their top fights in 2007, typical **** of the UFC, the same way you cann’t buy a tape of Frank Shamrock owning the UFC in his day as champ. This kind of bull**** will eventually come back and bite them in the ass. Frank Shammrock is a very smart man, still young enough to do some serious damage and make some serious big fights to entertain the MMA fan. I’m just happy to be around while this is happening.
GOOD LUCK FRANK SHAMROCK
In regards to a fight with Anderson Silva? I think that FJS is being FJS. He by no means is afraid of Anderson,but FJS is nowhere near stupid enough to engage in extended standing trades or the MT plum (clinch) with Anderson. Frank is very intelligently keeping the pot boiling so to speak regarding public interest in a FJS-Silva fight.Anderson would find his stiffest standup challenge in Frank since he came to the USA because FJS has superior footwork,standup defense,and more technically crisp striking fused wiith grappling than anyone Anderson has faced thus far. Hendo would probably be the hardest puncher (but nowhere near the best striker skill-wise) Anderson will face in the cage. The biggest issue would be whether FJS could do enough damage in the standup to facilitate a takedown and do enough damage on the ground to take a decision or stop Anderson. That’s a tall,tall order that even a Frankophile such as myself would admit seems to be a serious reach if not flat out too much even for FJS…but if there’s any middleweight out there who can do it,that man would be FJS at the peak of his powers. i honestly think that it’s unrealistic to talk Silva…not only because we will never see it due to politics,but primarily because there exists other actually doable fights by which we fans can more objectively gauge where FJS stands visavis his current standing amongst the current middleweight elite.For instance there’s a much better chance for Rich Franklin to join either the WEC (which is where i think he will end up) and feast on the B-class comp there and not only take but keep the middleweight strap there or jump to ELITE XC (which is the BEST move for him if he doesn’t want to be written off as a paper champ) and throw down with FJS or Robbie Lawler.What a fight that would be for FJS.I think that FJS has the speed and technique to defeat Rich,as (IMHO) Rich’s strength is literally his physical strength and his striking.I really like Ace,but I note a number of technical lapses in Rich’s offense AND defense. If Rich and FJS fought? Itmd be a close affair,but I actually see FJS being able to stand consistently with Rich,and I see FJS winning this one. I wouldnmt be shocked to see Frank TKo or tap Rich. Seriously.okami has nowhere near Frank’s expertise,and he nearly got Rich. Okami is not close to the striker that FJS is,but he stood with Rich all fight long. Yes,Okami’s strength and size were significant factors in the fight and FJS has neither attribute in extreme amounts,but Frank IS one of the strongest guys at his weight and he is CLEARLY several notches above Okami skill-wise.In the end,though,i see Rich staying with Dana and victimizing the WEC guys.Matt Lindland? Not only is this a doable thing but it’s a truly incredible fight that would really push FJS and let us know where he stands amongst the elite. Matt Lindland is Top 8 if not Top 5 middleweight material. I could see Matt getting a fight in ELITE XC,then (if he wins) fighting Robbie for the ELITE XC strap,and the winner gets FJS. I really think Matt would be the odds on favorite in a fight against FJS,and for good reason. You see Matt’s fights v Rampage and Fedor? Formidable guy,he.But I’m gonna go for the upset and pick FJS in this one. FJS is the superior striker,possesses superior speed and accuracy,and his ground defense is superb…still amongst the world’s best,hands down. Anybody who could have submission legend like Renzo fully mounted on him and still not only limit Renzo to merely TWO sub attempts THE WHOLE FIGHT but also make those attempts look pathetic? Yeah,I’m thinking he can withstand Lindland’s GnP. We can have a lively discussion around FJS v Lawler. (FJS should win that). Recall that Marquardt and Matt Lindland would be coups for ELITE XC and I expect them to be recruited at some point in the near future.Unless Dana torpedoes the negotiations,I think tito stays with the UFC,and Tito can’t make 185 anyway. Nate Quarry would be a solid middle of the upper road guy for FJS (FJS wins this),and the results of that fight would let us know where FJS stands amongst the elite 10 middleweights…but fights with Lindland,Lawler and Marquardt would be by far the best indicators,because these guys are elite and the fights are doable. I call FJS to win all three (the scariest being the Lindland fight). What do any/all of you think?
Oh,yeah…whassup Joe Mac and vampslayr! Thanx for taking the time to read my long ass posts and responding to me. Yo Joe…I agree that FJS won’t KO Anderson Silva in 7 minutes,I was just paraphrasing a quote of FJS’ in which he claims that he’d sleep Silva n 7 minutes.i think FJS’ chances of EVER KO’ing Anderson are very slim at best. I think that the best chance we have of seeing someone KO Anderson in 7 minutes would be if Anderson stepped in with a A-level K-1 heavyweight–not a K-1 light heavy (like Dewey Cooper) or a middleweight–in a K-1 competition. I think that FJS is positive that politics will forever keep him and Silva apart,but i also think FJS is confident that he will beat Silva and vice versa. It’s very clear that Silva has fought and crushed superior competition at this point in their careers than FJS has and Anderson would and should be the prohibitive betting favorite in their mythical clash. But if any middleweight can take Anderson,it would be FJS. If Anderson gets passed Hendo–and I think he will–then an entirely different style of fighter is what it would take to defeat Anderson…and that style would be similar to FJS’ style.If not FJS,it would be GSP moving up to middleweight and being totally focused.Maybe maybe a more seasoned and mature Denis kang at peak powers. Not Matt Lindland.If Anderson gets by hendo,Matt Lindland has nothing for him,and dear God Silva would execute Matt hughes. But Anderson,FJS and GSP share similar styles,with Anderson being the world wrecking striker of the three,GSP making it clear that he’s the superior wrestler (ask Kos),and Frank being both the best strategist AND the best subgrappler of the three.IMHO. Lastly,I want to shout out the other FJS fan–my manz Vinny,whassup dawg?–who gave my previous post props. I stand by that post to the end. I really think that FJS’ contributions are not only changing the way business is done in MMA by insisting that he fighters get treated with respect and dignity as well as being properly compensated,I think he is right 100% in that the MMA prizefighters need to behave according to the standards of Bushido,forever preventing our beloved martial arts from being both corrupted and corrupting as boxing oftentimes is.FJS isn’t merely a prizefighter. MMA is the martial arts equivalent of prize fighting,and too man TUF n00bs and even worse MMA vets are only focused on their fighting careers as a prizefighter and perhaps a businessman (if you make enough money to develope side business ventures) but NOT AS MARTIAL ARTISTS. The main and primary benefit of martial arts result in the complete developement of the human being throughout a lifetime,not merely the all-too-brief career of a prizefighter. FJS gets this,he understands that you can and should develope oneself in every area as long as you live. this means that combatively you will still be a force to reckon with,a role model,a teacher,friend and more. FJS seems to understand this,and i don’t really see it in others (although I see parallels in both GSP and Silva). What do the rest of u think?
And UFCPreview.com? I have to respectfully disagree in Kimbo’s case…and that’s not hatin,I’m Black and from the hoods od Sotheast San Diego and East Side Long Beach. I really think that FJS was utterly pole axe Kimbo. Kimbo hasnowhere near the skill or the polish to hope to hang with FJS. I almost never bet,butI would take that bet. I never saw Lesnar fight so i can’t say much about my position on FJS v Brock.
Although Cung Le has not fought an MMA match that has gone to the ground, the guy can take a guy down and has is a former state champ in wrestling. Had a free week at his gym. The wrestling coach, Sam Spengler a former collegiate wrestler at Idaho stated that coach Cung tosses him around. Spengler is also a current MMA fighter with only 1 loss. Cung Le will be able to handle the ground game. And that’s if his opponent can take him down.
Case in point Mike Massenzio, high school state wrestling champ of NJ, but I’ve personally seen him work European and collegiate wrestlers. If you don’t know Mike Massenzio, don’t worry you will.
garlicboy…are u mentioning Cung Le in regards to the rumored forthcoming fight with FJS? Just curious. If so? I will have to say that i unequivocally expect FJS to defeat Cung Le. i have the greatest respect for Cung’s conditioning and love his backstory regarding escaping Vietnam,but I have never been impressed with his striking. Yes,i said his striking. I have never seen him engage a potent striker,and his victories over other largely subpar strikers simply (even Arne Soldewell or whatever in the Shidokan Challenge–a tournament which deserves waay more respect than it gets,btw) emphasizes the serious dearth of quality strikers in MMA rather than world class striking ability on Cung’s part.There are very few polished all around strikers in MMA. Guys like Andrei Arlovsky,Anderson Silva,GSP…guys like them…form the upper echelon of MMA strikers,and their ability is very rare in the sport.I would say that Anderson is the class of the field,Andrei (when he’s on) is probably the class of MMA heavyweights,GSP and probably Brandon Vera are the future of MMA…and I would say that FJS’ overall striking is technically superior to Cung’s. Yes,I said technically superior,as in “technique-wise”,”execution”. Knowing that his opponents were inferior strikers,Cung Le would get sloppy in his technical execution. Hands low. Zero head movement. Charges with his hands low,punches and returns his hands to low positions,exposing his head and parts of his upper torso. His clinch is tight,but his bridging the gap to clinch is sloppy and will be exploited by anyone with footwork and sharp technique.A single cross could end Cung’s night at any time. I am sure that Cung Le is a skilled wrestler,and I respect him for that. But FJS tapped Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson in 14 seconds. He grapples with hendo and those guys. Add to this the fact that FJS is legitimately a world class subgrappler,and we have the ingredients for a dominant FJS performance. Cung Le has a puncher’s chance; that’s it. Frank spars with Maurice Smith and K-1 hopefuls.Frank’s striking skills are on par with GSP’s.Cung’s is below that,IMHO. i have plenty of respect for Cung Le’s warrior spirit…here’s a man ready to scrap with FJS in only his 4th or 5th MMA fight (like Tito Ortiz did).Cung got cojones.He’s also got a loss comin courtesy of FJS.
Hey,I can admit when I’m wrong.Shockingly wrong.FJS v Cung Le? I had FJS narrowly winning Round 1 (close rounds go to the champ) FJS was pressing Cung and negating Cung Le’s hard high kicks with sharp counter rights until Cung Le broke his arm and followed up with vicious side kicks and that spectacular san shou sweep takedown.I had Cung clearly taking Round 2,and FJS winning Round 3 with his vicious punching up until Cung kicked FJS again in his broken right forearm or whatever it was.Cung Le then followed with a barrage of punches and kicks,and I give FJS crazy props for fighting one armed against Cung and withstanding Cung’s spirited attack.I also have to radically reevaluate Cung’s stock and elevate my opinion of his skills.I also have to give him madd props for bringing respect from some of the more “disdanful of traditional martial arts” MMA crowd for the lead leg heel hook kick,and the sidekick.While I’m on the subject,mad props for Anderson Silva for adroitly applying the crescent kick to both Rich Franklin AND Hendo,as well as appyling the side kick against world class opponents (Rich,Hendo) before Cung did it against FJS. I would dearly love to see a FJS Cung Le rematch,but not until late this year/middle 2009.FJS completely underestimated the power and versatility of the lead leg sidekick–a weapon I have used to spectacular success against my several MMA friends in sparring matches–when applied by a skilled practitioner who is also well-versed in MMA.I have long felt that the MT modified stance of most MMA standup guys is way too broad.Too open.I have long felt that their work against the cage when coming back to their feet is begging to be exploited by skillful judoka.Same with their clinch work.I throw these guys all the time.As MMA evolves,I wouldn’t be shocked in the least to see kenpo like hand strikes while in the clinch…I wreck guys all day with it at he kickboxing gym.
I hope that FJS retools his standup arsenal and particular his stance and defense before facng Cung Le again.I’d like to see him add Tokey Hill to his coaching staff,due to his extreme expertise in adapting taekwondo kicks to the cage and ring and the San Jose State wrestling team to his sparring partners (again) to amp his wrestling.FJS exposed Cung Le’s standup weakness…boxing,head movement and striking from the clinch.He just couldn’t capitolize when Cung broke his arm.On top of that,FJS was right that he could push Cung’s conditioning and drown Cung around the middle of the 4th or 5th round.He just needs to take away Cung’s kicking weaponry and overcome Cung’s tremendous wrestling.Doing something like what I suggested should give him the best chance at that.