All too often I find myself clacking my keyboard in a heated arguement with some guy in PA about whether Fitch has a chance against GSP - whether Diego Sanchez deserves the next title shot...blah blah blah. I see post that have been made...sigs that have "banned" on them...fallen to the wayside..all in arguement over trivial things..what is lost is the true respect for these modern day warriors...so I have raised my German beer stein with corona light in it to fighters like Shannon Ritch. maybe they are nott he best and will never be mentioned in the P4P discussion...but what is a fighter like Shannon Ritch? Does he give some fat slob--who doesn't even train-- a chance to call a guy a "can"??? No, my friend this is a person that should truely be respected.
Let's look at the body of work.
Shannon started fighting in 1998...and what looked to be on a positive road by beginning his career 2-0. Then he had his first loss by submission...which would play a part in this storied career. Alot. Shannon, the ever ready warrior was always prepared for a fight, and equally ready to tap. 42 out of his 61 losses were by submission. If Shannon was going to lose he was going to make sure it was on his own terms.
But he fought great guys. Big names in my opinion. He fought Dennis Hallman the same night Hallman beat Matt Hughes---giving Hughes his first loss.
At one point he had earned a respectable record of 11 wins against 6 losses with 1 NC. He then ran off 8 straight losses taking on greats like Yves Edwards, "Crazy Bob" Cook, Antonio McKee then putting his record at 11-14 with 1 NC....now for most fighters that would make most quit...or go to drinking but not Shannon "The Cannon"!! He pressed on and in just 9 months later he was headlining Pride 11- Battle of the Sun against none other than THE GRACIE KILLER (Hunter) himself Kazushi Sakuraba.
He of course was submitted in that fight by Achilles hold.
He went on to fight other elite fighters like Jake Shields, Brock Larson, Evan Tanner, Dan Severn, and Diego Sanchez.
He took on other notables names like Alex Schoenauer, Jason McDonald, Edwin Dewees, Yuki Kondo, and John Alessio. All those fighter named he is a combined 0-15 against them.
To hammer it in a bit...he took the Alessio fight which was at 170 lbs only 2 months after he fought Dan Severn who fights at 250 lbs!!! WOW!!!
They should do one of those "We salute you Mr. __________ guy" Bud light commercials for guys like shannon Ritch!!!!
