Shamrock vs. Shamrock? Ken says he's still willing, but Petruzelli first on list
The fighting Lauzon brothers recently changed their stance on a future in-cage matchup, but don't count UFC Hall-of-Famer Ken Shamrock (27-13-2) out of a potential fight with sibling Frank Shamrock (23-10-2).
Ken recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (
www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that he's actually signed a contract to fight his brother at least four times, but Frank has walked away from each opportunity.
And though Ken just turned 46 years old, "The World's Most Dangerous Man" would still like to teach his adopted brother some respect.
"It's not about skill," Ken said. "Through Frank's whole life, he's always been spanked by me, period. He can say anything differently, but you ask anyone that's ever trained or worked around us, Frank's always the one crying about getting out from underneath. I think it's more or less that he started this thing about the lip and the mouth, and then also the disrespect toward myself and my father."
Bob Shamrock, Ken and Frank's father, passed away in January. While Bob and Ken remained close, Frank had drifted a bit from the remainder of the family.
"I think toward me, I'm always a big man," Ken said. "I can always let that go. But toward my dad? This man saved Frank's life. How do you do that?
"I think it's about [Frank] understanding respect and understanding that you can't go around life doing these things and not have anything happen to you. The more you keep doing it, something is going to happen, and you're not going to like it. To me, it's more about going in there and laying out some respect. It's going to be laying out about 20 years of respect."
The potential fight has been kicked around for years, but the two have never been able to agree on terms. But according to Ken, it's Frank who has always hesitated to put pen to paper.
"I've always been interested in [fighting Frank]," Ken said. "I know there's been a lot of talks. Every single time that this thing has been done – it's been done about four or five times that we were supposed to (fight) – every single time, I've always signed the contract, and he has not.
"It's been said differently, but if you go to anyone that was promoting those events and you ask them, they'll say, 'I had Ken Shamrock's signature.' That's proof. If anybody has any question on that, and he says it's not true, you go check it out."
While the appeal of a Shamrock vs. Shamrock match may have faded through recent losses by both fighters in the cage, Ken feels confident he can still deliver on his end of the bargain when it comes to hyping a fight.
"After I established myself as a world champion, it's never been about me winning and losing," Ken said. "It's been about how I promote fights. When I go into a fight, everybody wants to watch it. Why? Because I create that controversy.
"I usually find something in somebody I can't stand or I don't like, and I will pick on it and pick on it and pick on it until it makes me angry, and I can get in there and fight. It's not fake because I'm truly angry, but people seem to somehow or another connect to that."
Frank has also been rumored for a Strikeforce bout with fellow MMA pioneer Pat Miletich in recent months, so the brothers might have to wait (again) before hooking up in the cage. That's just fine with Ken; he's got Seth Petruzelli on his mind right now.
Ken and Petruzelli were slated to meet at a card in Mexico, but that event was scrapped. Now Ken says the two hope to book a date in the U.S.
"I guess they ran into some problems down there with the Mexican government," Ken said. "I don't know all the details on that, but that fight is still supposed to happen, and I think it's going to be in Miami. For me, it's great because I've had a year layoff. It's going to be good for me to be able to get back, and I think Seth would be a great fight to get in there and start my year off.
"The fight is signed. We're going to do it. It's just where and with what organization."
Of course, some would argue that Ken shouldn't be focusing on his own fighting career right now and should instead simply be happy with assisting aspiring combatants at his Lion's Den gym in Reno, Nev. With just one win in his past six fights, Shamrock's critics point out that the superstar of the early days of the UFC is well past his prime.
Shamrock believes those people should mind their own business.
"Why do we put a ceiling on how long you can compete with something?" Shamrock asked. "It seems like we have these borders that everyone wants to put up, and they say, 'You know what? We can only do these things because everyone knows you as this. If you do anything less than what we know you as, then you don't do this anymore.' To me, that's wrong.
"This is not a world we live in where you tell people you can't do something. It's a world where you say, 'Try it, and you do the best you can. If you succeed, God bless you. If you don't, well your question has been answered.' Don't hate. Motivate."
Despite recent struggles, Shamrock believes he should be allowed to compete as long as he is physically capable of doing so.
"Who are the ones that say you are not good enough to fight?" Shamrock asked. "The ones that can say that are the medical doctors. They're the ones that say whether you're physically fit to fight. If you can do that, then why is somebody else who does not have that ability tell you you can't?
"As long as you go through the things you're supposed to go through and you are qualified to do so, this is the United States of America – the only place in the world where you are able to do what you want to do. And for those people, who have been able to have that same luxury, to turn around and say somebody else can't do it because of the way they feel is wrong."
Ken hasn't competed since a February 2009 win over Ross Clifton. After testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol and two Nandrolone-based substances following the contest, Shamrock was forced out of competition.
But now rested, re-focused and ready to compete as a light heavyweight, Ken believes he still has something to offer the word of mixed martial arts.
"I've had a lot of opportunities in MMA, and they've all been good, Ken said. "I've had some struggles in here, but I've found out through life that you're going to have opportunities that will be awesome, but at the same time, you're also going to have some downfalls. Those downfalls can't outweigh your opportunities.
"You've got to make sure that those downfalls you do have, you don't make them mountains. Keep them small, deal with them, and move on."
