Issue 077
July 2011
KEN SHAMROCK VS TITO ORTIZ
Stuff of legend: a look back at some of the greatest moments in the history of MMA. The most infamous conflict in MMA history, Shamrock-Ortiz paved the way for a generation of trash-talking ticket-sellers.
The UFC 40 press conference. Ken Shamrock is standing and turns to Tito Ortiz and glares. “I hope to God you come ready,” he growls. “If you don’t, I’m going to beat you into a living death.” Tito mocks him with exaggerated laughter. Obviously, unhappy at not being taken seriously, ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ kicks a chair towards ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.’ It bounces and is caught by Dana White who then stands between the rivals to keep them apart. He is smiling and with good reason. Bad blood means big box office in the fight game. And the UFC had struck gold.
The feud dated back to UFC 19. Tito pounded Shamrock’s Lion’s Den teammate Guy Mezger to avenge an earlier controversial loss. To celebrate, he debuted his now-famous mimed gravedigger routine. This, along with his less than respectful ‘Gay Mezger is my Bitch’ T-shirt, infuriated Ken and the pair erupted into a blazing row over the Octagon wall. Tito was ushered away as Shamrock looked set to storm the cage and settle things there and then. The hostility simmered for three and a half years before the inevitable showdown.
Shamrock was a pioneer of the sport, a UFC 1 veteran and the first UFC Superfight champion. He was returning to the Octagon after a spell in pro wrestling and some fights with Pride. Genuine hatred and time served in the crazy world of the WWF meant Ken was adept at rocking the mic, but in the young upstart Tito, the veteran had met his trash talking equal.
The hype led to unprecedented interest in a UFC bout. After coverage in mainstream media outlets, a rabid, sell-out crowd rammed into the MGM Grand on November 28th 2002. Many favored Ortiz over the ageing Shamrock, but few expected such a one-sided affair. Ken landed early in the first, but after that it was all Tito. Ortiz repeatedly took his man down and mercilessly dished out the ground ‘n’ pound. Eventually, the Lion’s Den saved their leader when the towel was thrown in.
For all the high drama in Vegas, it was events outside the cage that made UFC 40 a significant event. Shamrock versus Ortiz did huge numbers. Reliable figures from that period are hard to come by, but reputable estimates suggest the show quadrupled the normal number of pay-per-view buys. Not long before, Zuffa had bought the ailing Ultimate Fighting Championship and this show backed up what the new management had being saying all along: MMA had potential. Until then, the viability of the UFC as a commercial entity was in question and, without this shot in the arm, the premier North American promotion could have bitten the dust with the story of MMA being a very different tale.
Before and after the event, neither man ever missed an opportunity to have a dig at the other. Of all the taunts exchanged, probably the best remembered is Ken’s warning to Tito: “I’m gonna knock your hair black.” As is often the case with smash hits, the sequels followed. The Ultimate Fighter introduced MMA to a whole new audience. Forrest Griffin’s war with Stephan Bonnar at the end of the first season is rightly remembered as the game-changing moment for the UFC. To consolidate these gains, everyone’s favorite double act came on board as coaches on season three.
Unlike the previous shows, the relationship between the coaches was highlighted. Shamrock seethed as Tito’s men rattled off the victories and the clash between the old enemies was more eagerly anticipated than the season finale.
This successful formula has been repeated to great effect ever since. Without Ken and Tito, there would have been no Jens and BJ, no Hughes and Serra, no Rampage and Rashad, no GSP and Koscheck. All of these great UFC rivalries have been nurtured and packaged in the same way as the original. Controversy creates cash.
The second Shamrock-Ortiz fight at UFC 61 on July 8th 2006 attracted a record 775,000 pay-per-view buys and a $3.4 million gate. Tito double-legged Ken and let the punches go. Just 78 seconds in, Herb Dean intervened to stop the contest. Ken protested, claiming the stoppage was early and was rewarded with a rematch. Ortiz vs Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter took place on October 10th 2006. Live and free on Spike TV, the fight broke records as the most-watched MMA fight in North American history – peaking at 5.7 million viewers. Once again, Tito scored a convincing first-round victory and acted to type; giving Shamrock the finger and donning a T-shirt bearing the legend, ‘Punishing Him into Retirement.’ What happened next came as a surprise. Both of them paid tribute to each other in their post-fight interviews. Talking about the most hostile feud in the history of the sport, Shamrock said it had all been “just business.”
Ken Shamrock left the UFC but still travels the world fighting. Tito remains, despite failing to win a single fight in the years since his last clash with Ken. He kept up his profile by doing what he does best. His long-running disputes with Chuck Liddell and Dana White meant he was always in the headlines. Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz may now be in the twilight of their careers, but the contribution their bickering rivalry made to the growth of the UFC and the sport of MMA should not be underestimated.
