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My Thoughts On Ken Shamrock
With all this negative publicity from TUF n00bs about Ken's place in the sport and his coaching styles, I decided to weigh in.
First of all, it should never be compromised that Ken is a pioneer in the sport and one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever enter a ring/cage. But lets look at the Ken Shamrock who has evolved into the man we see today.
Shamrock is one man who has let success get to his head. In a sport with so many humble, gracious fighters, Ken is a meglomaniac who believes his own hype more than anyone else. What he is now is a deteriorated fighter who has become a caricacuture of himself and I think a lot of that stems from what his "fans" perceive him to be in the public spotlight.
Yes, we know the track record of the Lion's Den and that is proof enough from me that Ken is a great coach, as well as pioneer, in the sport. But the cameras were no on Shamrock during the grueling Lion's Den training sessions. The cameras however are on Shamrock during this TUF season. And what we get is a guy with a persona faker than a Takada-Coleman fight.
I don't really believe that Ken truly is like the man we see on TUF, but, as I stated earlier, the fans of the sport (especially the Johnny come lately fans) expect Ken to be an over the top, cocky, manic, larger than life figure. Because of this, Shamrock has fed into this and in a way has possibly slightly tarnished his legend.
There's a side of me that wishes Ken would drop the act and show the great qualities he has that has made him a pioneer. But where are the ratings in that? In a sport that is growing at the seems, ratings and new fans are everything because those things equal revenues. Ken is a perfect "character" for the Zuffa organization even if he isn't the perfect character for his legacy.
In closing, I will never question Ken's track record and status in the sport, but I will question the lengths he will take to help Zuffa earn a buck. Too many times in many sports and other parts of entertainment we see legends of the past hang on for too long when we would much rather them ride off into the sunset. Ken isn't the first and he certainly won't be the last. Regardless, Ken Shamrock is an MMA legend.
Thank you.
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