Frank Shamrock

Born into a Mexican-Native family on December 8, 1972,{{cite web |title=Frank Shamrock MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography |url=https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Frank-Shamrock-284 |website=Sherdog.com |access-date=30 August 2023}}{{cite book |last1=Bolelli |first1=Daniele |title=On the Warrior's Path, Second Edition: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology |date=18 May 2010 |publisher=North Atlantic Books |isbn=978-1-55643-948-3 |page=74 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rJprdEZx_P4C&pg=PA74}} Frank Juarez was placed in various foster homes, group homes, and crisis centers from the age of twelve onwards. He had many run-ins with law enforcement until eventually he went to live with Bob Shamrock, who with his wife Dede, had taken in thousands of troubled boys (including Frank's older adoptive brother Ken). Juarez went to live with Shamrock at his home in Susanville, California, and was officially adopted by Bob Shamrock at the age of 21, and legally changed his name from Juarez to Shamrock thereafter.

In the early 1990s, Shamrock served three-and-a-half years in the Folsom State Prison after being convicted of burglary.{{cite web|url=https://www.mmafighting.com/2011/02/17/my-first-fight-frank-shamrock|title=My First Fight: Frank Shamrock|work=MMAFighting.com|date=February 17, 2011|first=Ben|last=Fowlkes|access-date=October 2, 2021}}

In 1994, Ken began to train Frank in what they referred to as "submission fighting", which essentially was the Pancrase style of catch wrestling modified for No Holds Barred fighting. Frank accompanied his brother to bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and grew to love the sport. He became a member of Ken's training school, the Lion's Den, and made his mixed martial arts debut in the Pancrase organization in Japan.

Shamrock debuted as a fighter in Pancrase on December 16, 1994, in one of the biggest events in mixed martial arts history to date, the King of Pancrase tournament. He was an important underdog against top Pancrase fighter Bas Rutten but went on to defeat Rutten in a close decision victory. Shamrock faced off against expert grappler and eventual tournament finalist Manabu Yamada later that night, but was defeated via submission at 8:38 of round 1.

In 1995, Shamrock would get a win over Katsuomi Inagaki, but he faced next his own trainer, MMA legend and Pancrase co-founder Masakatsu Funaki, who defeated him. He would bounce back with a victory over the other founder of the promotion, Minoru Suzuki, getting a KO after a flurry of strikes.

The same year, Frank would also fight a controversial bout with Carlson Gracie BJJ black belt Allan Goes. The Brazilian illegally eye-gouged Shamrock while on his back without the referee noticing, and also refused to release a rear naked choke despite Shamrock using a rope escape, an action which finally gained him a yellow card. On the other hand, Frank retaliated by breaking his leg with a heel hook. Both fighters ended the match with a point lost, and it was ruled a draw despite Goes's penalization.

Frank Shamrock, Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter, Chicago Review Press

Shortly after, Shamrock faced Bas Rutten for a second time. He failed to execute his gameplan of taking down Rutten, and the two fell between the ring ropes to the floor in a specially hard-fought attempt. Shamrock then devised a new strategy and started mocking and taunting Rutten during a leglock exchange, in order to get the Dutch fighter angry enough to commit an infraction. The plan was successful, and Frank won a point when Rutten gained a yellow card for hitting him with a closed fist, but Shamrock still lost the match by decision.

On November, Shamrock fought Funaki in a rematch. This time the two fighters traded rope escapes, and Frank caught Funaki in a toehold which made him tap out. Shamrock, however, believes that Funaki took a dive and allowed himself to be defeated in order to build Frank's popularity.

After an injury prevented King of Pancrase Bas Rutten from defending his title, an interim championship was created. Shamrock faced Olympic alternate wrestler and master submission grappler Minoru Suzuki on January 28, 1996, for the vacant belt in a match that drew widespread anticipation. In an epic bout, Shamrock submitted Suzuki with a kneebar at the 22:53 mark of the fight to win the King of Pancrase interim title in front of a sellout crowd in Yokohama.

Shamrock scored decision wins over Ryushu Yanagisawa and Osami Shibuya before facing off against Bas Rutten for the third time for the undisputed King of Pancrase title. Rutten won the bout via TKO due to a cut stoppage when a tired Shamrock received a knee to the forehead in a takedown attempt.

Shamrock then avenged his loss to Manabu Yamada in his next bout, scoring an impressive submission win over the talented grappler. However, after his adopted brother Ken left the organization following a dispute with management, Frank was fired in retaliation.

On January 17, 1997, he lost to John Lober in Hawaii's Superbrawl by split decision. Despite dominating the first three minutes of the fight, including a leglock which broke Lober's ankle and some strikes which blew out his front teeth, Shamrock's lack of cardio became a factor, and Lober was able to come back and punish him until winning the decision. After his loss, Shamrock shifted the focus of his career exclusively to mixed martial arts. Shamrock then fought top ranked Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in RINGS and defeated Kohsaka by decision.

Within the Lion's Den, Shamrock trained up-and-coming stars such as Jerry Bohlander, Pete Williams, and Guy Mezger. However, after a falling out with the team's management, he left and formed The Alliance team with Maurice Smith, who he developed a close relationship with. Smith trained him kickboxing along with Javier Mendez, while Shamrock taught Smith his style of submission wrestling. Later, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka himself joined the team.

Cornered by The Alliance, Shamrock fought Enson Inoue in a bout in Vale Tudo Japan '97 that would determine who would fight Kevin Jackson for the newly created UFC Middleweight Championship. After an exciting back and forth battle, in which Shamrock's training proved instrumental to resist the punishment and the exhaustion, Frank knocked Inoue out with a knee, although the match was officially ruled as a disqualification win due to Enson's brother, Egan, running into the ring after Shamrock had knocked out Inoue. Shamrock later stated that this was the toughest fight in his career.{{cite web |url=http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler9.htm |title=An Interview with Frank Shamrock! |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=BODYBUILDING.com |date=June 29, 2010}}

After the win over Inoue, Shamrock joined the UFC and fought Kevin Jackson for the newly created UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship). Jackson had won the middleweight tournament at UFC 14 and was undefeated in MMA at the time, and was also the Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Despite being a heavy underdog, Shamrock armbarred Jackson in just 16 seconds to win the championship.

Shamrock then made his first title defense against then undefeated Extreme Fighting champion Russian Igor Zinoviev at UFC 16. Zinoviev was a feared Russian kickboxer and sambo specialist who held wins over Mario Sperry and Enson Inoue. Shamrock shot a double leg takedown and slammed Zinoviev down so hard that it knocked him unconscious. Zinoviev suffered a broken collarbone and a fractured C-5 vertebra from the slam and had to be carried out on a stretcher.{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-ufxsixteen041809 |title=UFC 16: Frank's house |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=YAHOO.com |date=April 18, 2010}} Zinoviev's fight with Shamrock forced him to retire permanently from mixed martial arts ending the Russian's career. Shamrock then defended his belt against Jeremy Horn at UFC 17, submitting him with a kneebar. In October 1998, Shamrock avenged his earlier loss to John Lober by beating him decisively in 7 minutes at UFC Brazil.

In September 1999, Shamrock defended the UFC Middleweight Championship against future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 22. Ortiz had exploded as a star after his confrontation with Shamrock's brother Ken and his Lion's Den camp at UFC 19. The bout was hyped as a grudge, as Shamrock was a former Lion's Den member who, according to the marketing, was out for revenge against Ortiz. However, this was not necessarily the case because Shamrock had left the Lion's Den on bad terms a year and a half earlier. Despite dominating his opponents in his previous title defenses, Shamrock was considered to be an underdog in this fight; Ortiz had come off convincing wins over Shamrock's former teammates Jerry Bohlander and Guy Mezger and popular opinion was that Ortiz was too big and strong for him to deal with (Ortiz cut weight to fight and by the time he stepped into the cage he would have {{convert|25|lb|kg st|abbr=on}} on Shamrock).{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-ufctwentytwo042409 |title=UFC 22: Instant classic |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=YAHOO.com |date=April 24, 2010}}

However, in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest fights in UFC history, Shamrock won after brutal elbows, punches, and hammer blows forced Ortiz to tap out at the end of round 4. Shamrock has stated that Ortiz was his toughest opponent physically due to his weight advantage and style of fighting. With this win, Shamrock solidified himself as perhaps the greatest UFC champion in history to that date, going 5–0 in title fights and finishing each fight decisively. After the win, UFC owner Bob Meyrowitz and announcer Jeff Blatnick both praised Shamrock as the greatest competitor in the history of the UFC.

Shamrock then relinquished his title and retired from the UFC. After retiring, he briefly acted as a consultant and commentator for the company. In an interview, UFC president Dana White said:{{Cite web|url=http://cbs.sportsline.com/boxing/story/10050687|title=Five Ounces of Pain: Dana White interview (Part 2 of 2)|first=Sam|last=Caplan|publisher=CBS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320002659/http://cbs.sportsline.com/boxing/story/10050687|archive-date=March 20, 2007}}

I've talked to Frank Shamrock many times. Frank Shamrock will lead you to believe that we've never talked and we completely have hated each other forever and everything else. He's a weird guy. He's a very, very weird guy. I can't explain it. Frank is a weird guy.

After a brief retirement, Shamrock returned to mixed martial arts as a career. He signed a deal to fight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu standout Elvis Sinosic at K-1, the premiere kickboxing event in the world. Shamrock beat Sinosic via unanimous decision after five three-minute rounds. Later, when Sinosic faced Tito Ortiz for the UFC light-heavyweight title (formerly the middleweight title) at UFC 32, Shamrock served as guest commentator. On August 11, 2001, he took on his former student, Shannon Ritch in a kickboxing match for K-1. Just 56 seconds into the first round, Shamrock broke Ritch's arm with a roundhouse kick and thereby won the match.

Shamrock helped to train UFC veteran B.J. Penn for his early bouts with the UFC at the American Kickboxing Academy and produced his own events Bushido and ShootBox. His first MMA match since 2000 was winning the WEC light-heavyweight championship in under two minutes from Bryan Pardoe by submission in March 2003.

On March 10, 2006, at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie, the first MMA event sanctioned by the state of California, he knocked out Cesar Gracie in 21 seconds. Gracie had never fought an MMA match and was 40 years old, so the fight was considered a serious mismatch. However, Gracie is an elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor with years of training under his belt as well being the mentor of students such as the Diaz brothers, Nate and Nick.

On September 14, 2006, it was announced that Shamrock had signed a multimillion-dollar contract with startup MMA organization "The World Fighter" and was scheduled to fight in January 2007. However, Shamrock told Sherdog that the World Fighter contract no longer applied because it was entirely contingent on the organization getting a television contract with Showtime; the cable network instead agreed to air fights for the EliteXC promotion.

On February 10, 2007, Shamrock lost his fight by disqualification to Renzo Gracie during the EliteXC event which was televised on Showtime. During the fight, Gracie repeatedly took Ken to the ground, but Shamrock kept active by stopping his positional advance and hitting knee strikes from the bottom. However, Shamrock delivered two of those knees to Gracie's head while both men were on the ground, and after a five-minute injury time out, Gracie was unable to continue. Referee Herb Dean disqualified Shamrock due to a foul (illegal strikes to the back of the head, and knees to the head of a grounded opponent). Dean had already warned Shamrock once earlier in the fight about striking to the back of the head—an illegal move under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

In December 2005, Shamrock opened his first school, Shamrock Martial Arts Academy in San Jose, California.{{Cite web |last1=Yarbrough |first1=Beau {{!}} Southern California News |last2=Purdy |first2=Mark |date=April 9, 2009 |orig-date=April 9, 2009 |title=Purdy: In mixed martial arts, it is indeed no pain, no gain |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2009/04/09/purdy-in-mixed-martial-arts-it-is-indeed-no-pain-no-gain/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427054219/https://www.mercurynews.com/2009/04/09/purdy-in-mixed-martial-arts-it-is-indeed-no-pain-no-gain/ |archive-date=April 27, 2017 |access-date=October 3, 2024 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}} Shamrock trains his students in kickboxing and submission wrestling. He managed Team Shamrock, his own fight team. In June 2006, Shamrock was chosen as a coach for the San Jose Razorclaws of the International Fight League. Debuting against Carlos Newton's Toronto Dragons on September 23, 2006, at the Mark in Moline, Illinois, The Dragons won 3–2. The Razorclaws subsequently lost 2–3 against the Ken Shamrock coached Nevada Lions on January 19, 2007.

Shamrock and Phil Baroni had engaged in a war of words with YouTube videos following Shamrock's fight with Renzo Gracie. The two faced off at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni, a co-promotion between EliteXC and Strikeforce on June 22, 2007, on pay-per-view.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2007/02/elitexc_debut_lacked_bigleague_1.html |title=EliteXC debut lacked big-league punch |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=CHRON.com |date=February 12, 2007 |archive-date=January 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123040032/http://blogs.chron.com/fighting/2007/02/elitexc_debut_lacked_bigleague_1.html |url-status=dead }}

Shamrock went on to out-strike Baroni in the first part of this fight in the stand-up. Shamrock was docked a point for using strikes to the back of the head while he had Baroni's back. In the second round, Shamrock took some strikes from Baroni, but he was able to regain control and drop Baroni, transition to his back and end the fight with a rear naked choke. Baroni refused to tap out and was choked unconscious. As soon as he regained his senses, he walked over to Shamrock, congratulated him and left the cage. By winning the match, Shamrock became the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, thereby making him the first person to win a title in all three major North American fight promotions: the UFC, WEC and Strikeforce.

File:Cung Le and Frank Shamrock 03-29-08.jpg

On January 11, 2008, it was announced that Shamrock would face Cung Le in a match on March 29, 2008, for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship during the joint Strike force-Elite XC event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. Le arguably controlled the fight, at times out-striking the more MMA-experienced Shamrock. At one point in the later stages of round 3 Shamrock appeared to have Le hurt but was unable to finish him with a barrage of punches against the cage. Le recovered and responded in the closing seconds of the round with more kicks and a spinning back fist. Shamrock was unable to answer the bell to begin round 4 due to a broken arm caused by one of Le's kicks and the fight was ruled a TKO as a result of corner stoppage. Shamrock indicated post-fight that these kicks had broken his right arm.

Frank publicly stated that he would like to face Ken Shamrock in the first quarter of 2009, until stating in an interview "there's no point in fighting Ken, he's finished, why beat on an old man?" causing the likelihood of this fight to now be very slim.[http://www.pwbpodcastlive.com/2008/06/20/pwb-hotline-frank-shamrock-june-20-2008/ PWB Hotline: Frank Shamrock, June 20, 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803135831/http://www.pwbpodcastlive.com/2008/06/20/pwb-hotline-frank-shamrock-june-20-2008/ |date=August 3, 2008 }}

Afterwards, he said that he would like to fight Tito Ortiz and then Cung Le and then "do some boxing stuff."{{cite web |url=http://www.frankshamrock.com/index.html |title=The Official Site of Frank Shamrock |access-date=October 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201113638/http://www.frankshamrock.com./index.html |archive-date=December 1, 2008 }}

On April 11, 2009, Shamrock was defeated by Nick Diaz by technical knock out.

Shamrock announced his retirement from fighting on June 26, 2010, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum.{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/josh_gross/06/29/shamrock/index.html?section=si_latest |title=Shamrock's legacy stretches beyond the cage; more MMA notes |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=SPORTSILLUSTRATED.CNN.com |date=June 29, 2010 |archive-date=July 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703060441/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/josh_gross/06/29/shamrock/index.html?section=si_latest |url-status=dead }}

On February 5, 2013, Shamrock signed with Bellator to coach on the promotions reality series titled Fight Master: Bellator MMA.{{cite web |title=Bellator's 'Fight Master' reality series set for summer debut on Spike TV |url=http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/02/bellators-fight-master-reality-series-set-for-summer-debut-on-spike-tv |publisher=MMA Junkie |access-date=February 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207135834/http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/02/bellators-fight-master-reality-series-set-for-summer-debut-on-spike-tv |archive-date=February 7, 2013 }}

On October 15, 2017, Shamrock fought Pride veteran Kazushi Sakuraba in a grappling exhibition match at the 2017 Rizin World Grand Prix Opening Round in Fukuoka, Japan. The match ended with a draw decision.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mmafighting.com/2017/10/15/16478228/kazushi-sakuraba-frank-shamrock-lackluster-draw-rizin-results|title=Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix results: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Frank Shamrock ends in a lackluster draw|work=MMA Fighting|access-date=October 16, 2017}}

Shamrock became known as a training pioneer, constantly seeking new influences to round up his game. Most of his fighting method rested in Pancrase's indigenous style of shoot wrestling (better known in the West as catch wrestling), but he later also learned orthodox kickboxing striking under Maurice Smith, who also taught him to improve his cardiovascular conditioning and natural athleticism.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/11/13/4545992/ufc-167-history-mma-origins-frank-shamrock-modern-fighter-georges-st-pierre|title=MMA Origins: Frank Shamrock Sets the Mold for the Modern MMA Fighter|author=T.P. Grant|work=Bloody Elbow|date=November 13, 2013}} He also studied Jeet Kune Do before his UFC debut. Shamrock's improved cardio, along with an excellent defensive guard work learned from Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, enabled him to survive against superior opponents in order to seek for openings, which he capitalized on with aggressive strikes and submissions. Though not the first one in history, he was considered one of the greatest earlier mixed martial artists, excelling in all the fields of the game.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/7/25/956794/mma-history-xx-kazushi-sakuraba|title=MMA History XX: Kazushi Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock Emerge at Ultimate Japan|first=Nate|last=Wilcox|work=Bloody Elbow|date=July 25, 2009}}

Shamrock was married to Amy Warren until their separation and subsequent divorce in 2019. Together they have one child, a daughter named Nicolette who was born on April 24, 2008.{{cite web |url=http://www.frankshamrock.com/Bio.html |title=HUMBLE BEGINNINGS |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=FRANKSHAMROCK.com |date=June 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923221557/http://www.frankshamrock.com/Bio.html |archive-date=September 23, 2010 }} Shamrock also has a son named Frankie from a previous marriage.{{cite web |url=http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/567 |title=Frank Shamrock:EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=BLACKBETMAG.com |year=2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504145116/http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/567 |archive-date=May 4, 2010 }} Shamrock runs a franchise of schools, a merchandising company, Frank Shamrock, Inc. (a personal asset management company), MMA Entertainment, and Mixed Martial Arts For Law Enforcement (a law enforcement training business).[http://cbs.sportsline.com/mmaboxing/story/9986806 BOXING – CBSSports.com]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In 1998, Shamrock had a falling out with his brother Ken and his father Bob; they would not communicate again until Bob became terminally ill years later. In separate interviews aired January 18, 2007 by Sherdog.com's Beatdown radio show, both Frank and Ken said they remain estranged - Frank claimed Ken has spurned all attempts at reconciliation; Ken accused Frank of treating their father poorly.[http://www.sherdog.com/news/radio.asp?id=124 sherdog.com] As seen on Frank's Spike TV documentary, Bound by Blood, he and Ken have reconciled. On January 14, 2010, Bob Shamrock died due to health complications from diabetes.{{cite web |url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Remembering-Bob-Shamrock-22116 |title=Remembering Bob Shamrock |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=SHERDOG.com |date=January 19, 2010}}

In an interview with Sam Caplan of sportsline.com, Shamrock revealed he felt concerned with Ken's training methods, and when he confronted Ken, he was told "You don't have what it takes, you're not going to be a world champion and I want you to run my gyms for the rest of your life." This spurred him on to leave which led to the estrangement of both Ken and Bob (who took Ken's side in the disagreement).

He also stated that he would be happy to fight against Ken, should the opportunity arise.[http://cbs.sportsline.com/mmaboxing/story/9986806 CBS Sports Online]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Shamrock is a commentator and fighter on the EA Sports MMA video game which was released in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=422600 |title=EA SPORTS MMA to Feature STRIKEFORCE as a Premier League |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=INVESTOR.ea.com |date=November 6, 2009}} Shamrock is also featured in the award-winning documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts titled Fight Life, released in 2013. The film is directed by James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090716002249/http://www.fightlife.tv/ Fight Life: MMA Documentary]

Shamrock landed a guest role as Hammer on Walker, Texas Ranger and the main role in a Burger King commercial. He was featured as Damien in the 2005 movie No Rules{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446010/ |title=No Rules (2005) |access-date=June 29, 2010 |publisher=IMDB.com |date=June 29, 2010}} and was uncredited in an episode of Oz. On November 18, 2010, Shamrock appeared as a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2010/11/thursdays-guest-frank-shamrock/ Thursday’s Guest: Frank Shamrock]

In October 2012, Shamrock released his autobiography Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter. Shamrock also wrote the Wiley book Mixed Martial Arts for Dummies.

Shamrock is an advocate for the use of cannabis, which he says helped eliminate his reliance on pharmaceutical drugs.{{cite news|last1=Ruskin|first1=Zack|title=From Four-Leaf Clovers to Pot Leaves|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/news/from-four-leaf-clovers-to-pot-leaves/|access-date=February 21, 2018|work=SF Weekly|date=February 2, 2017}} In January 2017 Shamrock launched The Bakeout,{{cite news|last1=Abbot|first1=Noel|title=Former UFC Champion Frank Shamrock Launches Educational Cannabis Talk-Show|url=https://www.ganjapreneur.com/former-ufc-champion-frank-shamrock-launches-educational-cannabis-talk-show/|access-date=February 21, 2018|work=Ganjapreneur|date=January 2, 2017}} an online talk show seeking to "uplift, unite, educate, challenge, and encourage viewers in a manner consistent with the teachings of the healing powers of cannabis".{{cite web|title=Mission and Vision Statement|url=http://bakeout.tv/about-the-show/|website=bakeout.tv|access-date=February 21, 2018}}

On January 14, 2018, sports announcer Mauro Ranallo stated that Shamrock saved his life when Shamrock performed the Heimlich maneuver on Ranallo as he was choking.{{cite web|last1=Dasgupta|first1=Riju|title=WWE News: Mauro Ranallo claims MMA legend saved his life|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/wwe-news-mauro-ranallo-claims-mma-legend-saved-his-life|website=sportskeeda.com|date=January 15, 2018 |publisher=Sportskeeda|access-date=January 15, 2018}}

In March 2019 Shamrock was reportedly investigated by Dallas police for allegedly leaving one of his mother's dogs, at Love Field airport in Dallas, Texas, for a little under a week.{{cite web | url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/former-ufc-middleweight-champion-under-investigation-by-dallas-police/287-1a024c5f-1509-4bdb-9a45-ceb5cfcc38b5 | title=Ex-UFC champ accused of leaving dog at Love Field for 5 days: 'I'm an animal lover' | date=March 21, 2019 }}

• Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling
• Interim King of Pancrase (One time)
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
• UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time; first)
• Four successful title defenses
• UFC Encyclopedia Awards
• Fight of the Night (Two times) {{small|vs. John Lober and Tito Ortiz}}{{cite book |last= Gerbasi|first= Thomas|date= 2011-10-17|title= UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship|location= New York|publisher= DK|page= 170|isbn=978-0756683610}}{{cite book |last= Gerbasi|first= Thomas|date= 2011-10-17|title= UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship|location= New York|publisher= DK|page= 175|isbn=978-0756683610}}
• Knockout of the Night (One time) {{small|vs. Igor Zinoviev}}{{cite book |last= Gerbasi|first= Thomas|date= 2011-10-17|title= UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship|location= New York|publisher= DK|page= 166|isbn=978-0756683610}}
• Submission of the Night (One time) {{small|vs. Kevin Jackson}}{{cite book |last= Gerbasi|first= Thomas|date= 2011-10-17|title= UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship|location= New York|publisher= DK|page= 165|isbn=978-0756683610}}
• Headlined the first UFC event in Brazil
• Fastest submission in the history of the UFC Light Heavyweight division (0:16)
• Undefeated in the UFC (5–0)
• Strikeforce
• First MMA fighter to win championships in UFC, WEC & Strikeforce
• Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (One time, first)
• Fastest knockout in Strikeforce history (0:20)
• World Extreme Cagefighting
• WEC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, first)
• Sherdog
• Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame{{Cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/15/Imagining-an-MMA-Hall-of-Fame-The-ShooIns-71497|title=Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: The Shoo-Ins - Frank Shamrock}}
• International Sports Hall of Fame
• Class of 2022{{cite web |title=2022 International Sports Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://events.sportshof.org/sportshof-2022/ |website=www.sportshof.org |author=Dr. Robert Goldman | date=March 12, 2022 | access-date=July 14, 2023}}
• Black Belt Magazine
• 1998 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year{{cite web|url=http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/719 |title=Black Belt Magazine |access-date=January 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309234705/http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/719 |archive-date=March 9, 2009 }}
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
• 1998 Most Outstanding Fighter
• 1999 Most Outstanding Fighter
• 1999 Fight of the Year vs. Tito Ortiz on September 24, 1999
• 1990s Fighter of the Decade
• Inside MMA
• 2008 Fight of the Year Bazzie Award vs. Cung Le on March 29

{{MMArecordbox

| draws= 2

| nc=

| ko-wins= 4

| ko-losses= 4

| sub-wins= 12

| sub-losses= 2

| dec-wins= 5

| dec-losses= 3

| dq-wins= 2

| dq-losses= 1

| other-wins=

| other-losses=

}}

{{MMA record start}}

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| {{nowrap|23–10–2}}

| Nick Diaz

| TKO (punches)

| Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz

| {{dts|2009-04-11}}

| align=center| 2

| align=center| 3:57

| San Jose, California, United States

| {{small|Catchweight (180 lb) bout.}}

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 23–9–2

| Cung Le

| TKO (broken arm)

| Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le

| {{dts|2008-03-29}}

| align=center| 3

| align=center| 5:00

| San Jose, California, United States

| {{small|Lost the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 23–8–2

| Phil Baroni

| Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)

| Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni

| {{dts|2007-06-22}}

| align=center| 2

| align=center| 4:00

| San Jose, California, United States

| {{small|Won the inaugural Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 22–8–2

| Renzo Gracie

| DQ (knees to downed opponent)

| EliteXC Destiny

| {{dts|2007-02-10}}

| align=center| 2

| align=center| 2:00

| Southaven, Mississippi, United States

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 22–7–2

| Cesar Gracie

| KO (punches)

| Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie

| {{dts|2006-03-10}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 0:20

| San Jose, California, United States

| {{small|Middleweight debut.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 21–7–2

| Bryan Pardoe

| Submission (armbar)

| WEC 6: Return of a Legend

| {{dts|2003-03-27}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 1:46

| Lemoore, California, United States

| {{small|Won the inaugural WEC Light Heavyweight Championship. Shamrock vacated the title in August 2003.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 20–7–2

| Elvis Sinosic

| Decision (split)

| K-1 World Grand Prix 2000

| {{dts|2000-12-10}}

| align=center| 5

| align=center| 3:00

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 19–7–2

| Tito Ortiz

| TKO (submission to punches)

| UFC 22

| {{dts|1999-09-24}}

| align=center| 4

| align=center| 4:50

| Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States

| {{small|Defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. 1999 Fight of the Year. Shamrock vacated the title on November 24, 1999.}}

|-

| {{draw}}Draw

| align=center| 18–7–2

| Kiyoshi Tamura

| Draw

| Rings: Rise 2nd

| {{dts|1999-04-23}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 20:00

| Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 18–7–1

| John Lober

| TKO (submission to punches)

| UFC Brazil

| {{dts|1998-10-16}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 7:40

| São Paulo, Brazil

| {{small|Defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 17–7–1

| Jeremy Horn

| Submission (kneebar)

| UFC 17

| {{dts|1998-05-15}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 16:28

| Mobile, Alabama, United States

| {{small|Defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 16–7–1

| Igor Zinoviev

| KO (slam)

| UFC 16

| {{dts|1998-03-13}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 0:22

| New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

| {{small|Defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{Yes2}}Win

| align=center| 15–7–1

| Kevin Jackson

| Submission (armbar)

| UFC Japan

| {{dts|1997-12-21}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 0:16

| Yokohama, Japan

| {{small|Won the inaugural UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 14–7–1

| Enson Inoue

| DQ (Egan Inoue ran into the ring)

| Vale Tudo Japan 1997

| {{dts|1997-11-29}}

| align=center| 2

| align=center| 7:17

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 13–7–1

| Wes Gassaway

| DQ (rope escapes)

| World Pankration Championships 1

| {{dts|1997-10-26}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 11:54

| Texas, United States

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 12–7–1

| Tsuyoshi Kohsaka

| Decision (unanimous)

| Rings: Extension Fighting 7

| {{dts|1997-09-26}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 30:00

| Japan

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 11–7–1

| John Lober

| Technical Decision (split)

| SuperBrawl 3

| {{dts|1997-01-17}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 30:00

| Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 11–6–1

| Kiuma Kunioku

| Decision (unanimous)

| Pancrase: Truth 10

| {{dts|1996-12-15}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 20:00

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 11–5–1

| Yuki Kondo

| KO (head kick)

| Pancrase: 1996 Anniversary Show

| {{dts|1996-09-07}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 12:43

| Chiba, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 11–4–1

| Manabu Yamada

| Submission (rear-naked choke)

| Pancrase: 1996 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1

| {{dts|1996-07-22}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 12:44

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 10–4–1

| Bas Rutten

| TKO (cut)

| Pancrase: Truth 5

| {{dts|1996-05-16}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 11:11

| Tokyo, Japan

| {{small|For the Pancrase Openweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| {{nowrap|10–3–1}}

| Osami Shibuya

| Decision (unanimous)

| Pancrase: Truth 4

| {{dts|1996-04-08}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 15:00

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 9–3–1

| Ryushi Yanagisawa

| Decision (unanimous)

| Pancrase: Truth 2

| {{dts|1996-03-02}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 20:00

| Kobe, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 8–3–1

| Minoru Suzuki

| Submission (kneebar)

| Pancrase: Truth 1

| {{dts|1996-01-28}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 22:53

| Yokohama, Japan

| {{small|Won the interim Pancrase Openweight Championship.}}

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 7–3–1

| Vernon White

| Submission (achilles lock)

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 7

| {{dts|1995-12-14}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 5:23

| Sapporo, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 6–3–1

| Masakatsu Funaki

| Submission (toe hold)

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 6

| {{dts|1995-11-04}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 10:31

| Yokohama, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 5–3–1

| Takafumi Ito

| Submission (rear-naked choke)

| Pancrase: 1995 Anniversary Show

| {{dts|1995-09-01}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 7:23

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 4–3–1

| Bas Rutten

| Decision (split)

| Pancrase: 1995 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round

| {{dts|1995-07-23}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 15:00

| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 4–2–1

| Takaku Fuke

| Submission (rear-naked choke)

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 5

| {{dts|1995-06-13}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 8:16

| Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

|

|-

| {{draw}}Draw

| align=center| 3–2–1

| Allan Goes

| Draw

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 4

| {{dts|1995-05-13}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 10:00

| Chiba, Chiba, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 3–2

| Minoru Suzuki

| Submission (rear-naked Choke)

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 3

| {{dts|1995-04-08}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 3:23

| Nagoya, Japan

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 2–2

| Masakatsu Funaki

| Submission (toe hold)

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 2

| {{dts|1995-03-10}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 5:11

| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 2–1

| Katsuomi Inagaki

| Submission (rear naked choke)

| Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 1

| {{dts|1995-01-26}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 6:14

| Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

|

|-

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center| 1–1

| Manabu Yamada

| Submission (achilles lock)

| rowspan=2| King of Pancrase tournament opening round

| rowspan=2| {{dts|1994-12-16}}

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 8:38

| rowspan=2| Tokyo, Japan

|

|-

| {{yes2}}Win

| align=center| 1–0

| Bas Rutten

| Decision (majority)

| align=center| 1

| align=center| 10:00

|

{{end}}

{{Kickboxing record start|title= Frank Shamrock kickboxing record|record=1 win (1 (T)KO's)}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

|2001-08-11 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Shannon Ritch ||K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas ||Las Vegas, Nevada, United States || TKO (injury) || 1 || 0:53 || 1–0

|-

| colspan=9 | Legend: {{legend2|#CCFFCC|Win |border=1px solid #CCFFCC}} {{legend2|#FFBBBB|Loss |border=1px solid #FFBBBB}} {{legend2|#c5d2ea|Draw/No contest |border=1px solid #c5d2ea}} {{legend2|White|Notes |border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{end}}

{{s-start}}

|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Result

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Method

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Event

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Round

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Time

| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes

|-

|{{draw}}Draw||{{flagicon|Japan}} Kazushi Sakuraba || Draw ||Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 2|| October 15, 2017|| 1 || 0:56 ||

|-

|{{yes2}}Win||{{flagicon|USA}} Dan Henderson || Submission (heel hook) ||The Contenders || October 11, 1997|| || ||

|-

{{s-end}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.frankshamrock.com/}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070502092007/http://www.shamrockmartialarts.com/ Frank Shamrock Martial Arts Academy]
• {{Sherdog}}
• {{UFC|frank-shamrock}}
• {{IMDb name|1302323}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070214080503/http://www.sportsline.com/boxing/story/9986806 Five Ounces of Pain: Interview with Frank Shamrock]
• [http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elevationradio/2009/02/06/show-4-with-special-guest-frank-shamrock Frank's Interview with John Kline of Elevation Radio]

{{s-start}}

{{s-new|Championship}}

{{s-ttl|title=1st Interim King of Pancrase Champion|years=January 28, 1996 – May 16, 1996}}

{{s-vac|reason=Lost unification bout against Bas Rutten}}

{{s-new|Championship}}

{{s-ttl|title=1st UFC Light Heavyweight Champion|years=December 21, 1997 – November 19, 1999}}

{{s-vac|reason=Shamrock retired|next=Tito Ortiz}}

{{s-new|Championship}}

{{s-ttl|title=1st WEC Light Heavyweight Champion|years=March 27, 2003 – August 2003}}

{{s-vac|reason=Shamrock vacated the title|next=Jason Lambert}}

{{s-new|Championship}}

{{s-ttl|title=1st Strikeforce Middleweight Champion|years=June 22, 2007 – March 29, 2008}}

{{s-aft|after=Cung Le}}

{{end}}

{{UFC Light Heavyweight Championship}}

{{Strikeforce Middleweight Championship}}

{{WEC Light Heavyweight Championship}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamrock, Frank}}

Category:Living people

Category:1972 births

Category:American male mixed martial artists

Category:American male kickboxers

Category:American catch wrestlers

Category:American adoptees

Category:American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent

Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Category:Pancrase champions

Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship champions

Category:Strikeforce (mixed martial arts) champions

Category:World Extreme Cagefighting champions

Category:Kickboxers from California

Category:Mixed martial artists from California

Category:Middleweight mixed martial artists

Category:Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling

Category:Mixed martial artists utilizing Jeet Kune Do

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