Ken Shamrock new interview

[soo2bhuge]

In this recent interview, Ken discusses the possibility of a fight with his brother, Frank, and Dana White's treatment of him. An Interview By Ben Zeidler

Ben Zeidler: Hey Ken.
Ken Shamrock: Hey, what’s up?

BZ: Can you tell us a little bit about what it’s like to watch your son fight? The Gracie's have been multi-generational for a while, but I think you’re the first of the true new MMA stars to have his son compete. What does he feel as a father, as a trainer, as a promoter when your son goes into the cage?
KS: You know, everyone was asking me if I was going to be nervous and I honestly didn’t know. But when it came for the fights of my nephew Jeff and son Ryan, I was calmer than when the fighters I train fight. I knew that they’d been to the fights before and knew what to expect, and I’ve been doing this for a while. I know what the worst thing that can happen is. I just felt comfortable out there…I don’t know, maybe when they get on a bigger stage, it will feel different.

BZ: Frank has openly stated he's willing to fight you. Is the feeling mutual for you?
KS: Do you want the complete and honest truth?

BZ: Yeah, let’s hear it.
KS: Frank is the kind of guy who will only fight someone if he thinks he can beat them. He won’t fight me unless he talks enough crap that he gets pushed into it by the fans. He might even price himself out of the fight just to get out it. He’s done that before. He walks around saying he’s the Lion’s Den guy and this and that. He was probably my third best guy when I was training them all, behind Bohlander and Mezger. Also, Frank has problems against people who can take him down and he knows I would take him down. Look at his fight against Renzo! I can knock him down and punch him out. He’s my brother and all, but don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t fight him.

BZ: You’ve had a long and storied career. What’s the biggest win?
KS: The third time me and Royce fought. They called it a draw but he had to be carried out at the end. Everyone knew who won.

BZ: Yeah, usually if you get carried out, it means you lost.
KS: Royce knew he was in trouble with me and that’s why the Gracies put in the time limit. They knew what was up. Royce would’ve been a part of the mat if they didn’t do that. But I do have great respect for Royce, and if it wasn’t for me and him, the sport wouldn’t be here.

BZ: What’s your take on this Randy Couture situation? Couture says Dana White lied to him when he said he's the 2nd highest paid athlete in the organization-
KS: (interrupting) Dana White did that to me!

BZ: So is Couture right to suggest that the UFC is lying? Does this sort of thing happen all the time?
KS: It’s a real shame what happened to Randy and he wouldn’t lie about what the UFC did to him. There are a lot of good fighters and good people out there, but Couture is special. He’s the guy you want your kids to watch fighting. There’s toughness, a will to win, and a certain professionalism that he brings. He just does things right. I know him as a person inside the organization. I don’t know his outside personal life, but he wouldn’t lie. For an organization to do that to a guy like Randy tells us a lot about their character.

BZ: Can you explain how the UFC screwed you?
KS: I’ve been getting this sport on top of the world since it began. Most of the highest gated events had my name on them. And before it was me and Tito, it was me and Royce, and before that, me and Severn, and before that, me and Kimo. This is a billion dollar industry and for me to get it where it’s at then cut me? This is like in the NFL where all the players who made the game so popular get screwed out of benefits because they just don’t want to pay for their investment in the sport. All those guys were out there on the picket lines saying that the sport was inhumane and we stuck with it the whole time. We fought through that. And then people like the Ferttitas and Dana are making all this money off of us. We had people call us animals and stand up against us. We went through all that and stayed because we love the sport and now they step on us and say we don’t belong?

BZ: Can you tell us a little bit about your experience with the ***?
KS: When I heard about the ***, I loved it right away. I love the idea of team fighting. In the earlier days, it was way more team oriented and people would jump in thr ring after a win and go crazy and cheer. You always had that team following you. MMA has gotten away from that and the *** brings it back. Now, the teams are always together, working for a goal. Everyone is getting benefits for winning and at the end of the day the best team gets rewarded with a ring. Even better if your team isn’t good, your best guy can go to the Grand Prix and win a belt. There’s really an option for everyone. The only problem we’ve run into is that teams don’t stay together due to injuries and other factors. I’d say that the concept is good, but the sport needs more consistency and rules.

BZ: Who are some of the best guys on your squad?
KS: John Gunderson has a really good shot at that Lightweight belt. Pat Healy in Welterweight is very promising. And Roy Nelson, our Heavyweight, has a great shot at that belt as well.

BZ: Maybe Randy will follow you and get his own *** team now that he's gone from UFC. All the former UFC guys seem to be doing that these days.
KS: Randy has a lot to give back and he chooses that path, I’m sure that he would not have a lack of guys who wanted to be on his team.

BZ: Are there any sponsors that you’d like thank?
KS: You can go to the site Kenshamrock.com and see it all there.

BZ: Do you have anything to say to your fans?
KS: I’m training and I have some things fixed and I’m back fighting. There are some fights out there for me and I’m looking forward to getting 2 or 3 more before retiring. The UFC breached my contract with one fight remaining, but that won’t stop me. I’ll be fighting next year so look for it.

[abombing]

Nice interview. Ken is over the hill though, I wouldn't pay to see him fight anymore.