Fansided MMA
FanSided

The 10 best MMA fighters from the 1990s

By Chad Porto

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actor Bas Rutten arrives at the premiere of "The Zookeeper" at the Regency Village Theatre on July 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actor Bas Rutten arrives at the premiere of "The Zookeeper" at the Regency Village Theatre on July 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 11
Next

3. Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock’s story often gets boiled down to “MMA pioneer” but his life before MMA was a wild one. An incredible athlete, Shamrock excelled in wrestling and football. A broken neck derailed his collegiate hopes in wrestling but he was still a skilled football player and even got looks from the San Diego Chargers, who were hoping to see what he could do up close. Turning down the Chargers was a risk, but one that Shamrock took so he could pursue his desires to get into professional wrestling. That’s right; before Shamrock ever got into the UFC or the now-named WWE, Shamrock wrestled up and down the Atlantic coast for five years before heading off to Japan.

In Japan, Shamrock would become one of the biggest stars of Pancrase, all while fighting simultaneously in the UFC. He would go on to win the UFC Super Fight championship and the King of Pancrase championship (aka the openweight title) in the same 12-month span and would cement himself as one of the true stars of the sport in both Japan and the United States.

Before returning to the world of pro wrestling, via then-named WWF, Shamrock held a remarkable record of 23-5-2 with wins over Kimo Leopoldo, Dan Severn, Bas Rutten, Maurice Smith, Matt Hume, and Masakatsu Funaki.

His only losses over that span were to Minoru Suzuki (twice), Dan Severn, Royce Gracie, and Funaki. Not exactly cupcakes. By the time he returned to MMA in 2000, he was 36, with a bad neck and years of abuse on his body from wrestling, MMA, and professional wrestling. He was a huge name but his body could no longer keep up with the rest of the sport.