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10-09-2006, 05:25 PM
Shamrock vs. Ortiz 3: A Night of Risks
By Sean McClure
Monday, October 9, 2006
On the eve of the biggest day in MMA free television history I can’t help but feel nervous. Not for Ken or Tito, but for the UFC. Tito and Ken have fought twice and Tito has won both times. Ken got murdered the first fight and then pummeled the second. To me the second fight was stopped when it should have been and I don’t care to watch Ken get beaten as badly as he did the first time. I’m going to though. Tomorrow night on Spike TV Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz face off for what Dana promises is the final time. Dana says that this one is “for the fans” because they didn’t get what they wanted when the fight was stopped prematurely
Tito Ortiz has nothing to prove to me anymore in regards to Ken Shamrock. The first fight was a one sided beatdown that ended with Ken’s face looking like a hamburger patty. Tito decisively won that physically and psychologically. The second time around there was no doubt from the start that Tito was going to win. He picked Ken up like it was nothing and slammed him hard to the ground. From there, he worked him up against the fence and elbowed him many times before Herb Dean stepped in. I ask this: How was that a premature stoppage? HOW? Ken’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he just lay there taking elbow after elbow with his head bouncing off of the Octagon floor. His hands were down and he was blocking with his face. I ask again, how was that fight stopped too early? The answer is simple. The fans wanted to see blood.
Do you know why we are seeing a Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz III? I will tell you. It is because the people who paid for UFC 61 wanted to see one of two things. Ken Shamrock get lucky and KO Ortiz or Tito actually kill Ken. I mean they would actually have had to shock him back to life after the fight for the fans to be satisfied. Dana White is a smart businessman and he generally knows what the fans want to see. They want to see a war between these two enemies. So do I, but I don’t care to see this fight as much as I would have since I heard the news that Tito is getting a return title shot against Chuck Liddell in December. He has everything to lose and nothing left to prove in this fight against Ken. If he loses, it would shake up the UFC’s plans for the Ortiz vs. Liddell guaranteed and very large pay day shortly after Christmas. Still, Dana made this fight happen and we will have to watch it because you know you can’t change the channel. It is the same as a car wreck. You can’t turn away.
If Ortiz wins it is no big deal and not a shock to anyone except for maybe Ken. I will say this, Tito could have used a better tune up for Liddell. Ken Shamrock is not a Babalu, Griffin, or a Rashad Evans. Someone like that would help you prepare better than Ken would. Ortiz fought Forrest injured and nearly got beaten because he couldn’t take the TUF star down after the first round. He took him down once in the third and that gave him the fight in my opinion. That fight was a test of his will and strength. Ken is not. The Ken Shamrock fight is an easier fight for Tito. This is the third time they have fought. Ken is older than he was, obviously and is no where near his prime like Ortiz is. Tito has a strong chin and this was proven when he fought against the current light heavyweight champion. Tito was not truly knocked out in the Liddell fight, but rather he was rocked very badly and the ref rightfully stopped it. That’s why there is no chance that Ken will knock him out, none. Liddell has nasty punching power and can put people to sleep. The only chance that Shamrock has is to connect precisely on the on/off switch that shuts Tito’s brain down.
Ken is in true denial. For some reason, he really thinks that he can beat Tito Ortiz. I have yet to figure out what gave him that impression or who is telling him this, but he really does believe it wholeheartedly. He claims he was injured in their first fight and that he was not in danger in their second go-round. I can only hope that he has learned to defend himself. I will admit that I originally sort of thought he let Rich Franklin win after just laying there eating those bombs when he fell during a kick attempt. It was like he went to another place and was blocking out the pain until the ref stopped it and he could collect a paycheck. THEN I saw him make the exact same face when he was eating those shots from Ortiz and knew that MaXfighting’s friend and current UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin had justly beaten the legend. Ken…..listen to me man……………you have to block. If Ken doesn’t I have a feeling that Big John McCarthy will not stop this fight until someone is near death and it will probably be Shamrock.
I do have a concern about all of this being on television. Given the high profile status of this fight and the fact that it is on cable it is going to be watched a little closer. What if Ken gets hurt as bad as he did the first fight or worse? What if he is badly injured? There would be repercussions for certain. It wouldn’t take much for the protestors to come out in full force against the “barbaric nature” of the sport for like the millionth time. If the first Shamrock fight had been shown on television at the time it took place, there would have been a backlash so severe it would have been devastating for the UFC. The FCC, the moms of America, and Christian coalition would have been all over the savage beating of Ken Shamrock. I won’t even get in to that. The point I was trying to make is that Dana is taking a risk putting this on television given the way it has to end. Like I said before, Big John McCarthy is not going to stop this until Ken is out, cut too badly, or someone is absolutely KO’d. Sure there were other fights that were bloody. Look at the Dewees fight on the Ultimate Fighter 4. Why was there no big stink over it? Look at the ratings for the show for your answer. They are no where near the type of ratings we will see for the fight tomorrow night. Will bad press haunt this fight? Probably not. Could it? Definitely, if Ken puts on a repeat performance of UFC 40.
Dana has taken a risk, Tito has taken a risk, and Ken has taken a risk. Dana for bad press and possibly a bad taste in the fans mouth if it is not a good fight. Tito for risking his title shot with Chuck Liddell in December. Ken has put his health on the line yet again and risked his reputation falling further into decay if he suffers another beating. Let’s hope the fans appreciate all of this despite the outcome.
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By Sean McClure
Monday, October 9, 2006
On the eve of the biggest day in MMA free television history I can’t help but feel nervous. Not for Ken or Tito, but for the UFC. Tito and Ken have fought twice and Tito has won both times. Ken got murdered the first fight and then pummeled the second. To me the second fight was stopped when it should have been and I don’t care to watch Ken get beaten as badly as he did the first time. I’m going to though. Tomorrow night on Spike TV Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz face off for what Dana promises is the final time. Dana says that this one is “for the fans” because they didn’t get what they wanted when the fight was stopped prematurely
Tito Ortiz has nothing to prove to me anymore in regards to Ken Shamrock. The first fight was a one sided beatdown that ended with Ken’s face looking like a hamburger patty. Tito decisively won that physically and psychologically. The second time around there was no doubt from the start that Tito was going to win. He picked Ken up like it was nothing and slammed him hard to the ground. From there, he worked him up against the fence and elbowed him many times before Herb Dean stepped in. I ask this: How was that a premature stoppage? HOW? Ken’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he just lay there taking elbow after elbow with his head bouncing off of the Octagon floor. His hands were down and he was blocking with his face. I ask again, how was that fight stopped too early? The answer is simple. The fans wanted to see blood.
Do you know why we are seeing a Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz III? I will tell you. It is because the people who paid for UFC 61 wanted to see one of two things. Ken Shamrock get lucky and KO Ortiz or Tito actually kill Ken. I mean they would actually have had to shock him back to life after the fight for the fans to be satisfied. Dana White is a smart businessman and he generally knows what the fans want to see. They want to see a war between these two enemies. So do I, but I don’t care to see this fight as much as I would have since I heard the news that Tito is getting a return title shot against Chuck Liddell in December. He has everything to lose and nothing left to prove in this fight against Ken. If he loses, it would shake up the UFC’s plans for the Ortiz vs. Liddell guaranteed and very large pay day shortly after Christmas. Still, Dana made this fight happen and we will have to watch it because you know you can’t change the channel. It is the same as a car wreck. You can’t turn away.
If Ortiz wins it is no big deal and not a shock to anyone except for maybe Ken. I will say this, Tito could have used a better tune up for Liddell. Ken Shamrock is not a Babalu, Griffin, or a Rashad Evans. Someone like that would help you prepare better than Ken would. Ortiz fought Forrest injured and nearly got beaten because he couldn’t take the TUF star down after the first round. He took him down once in the third and that gave him the fight in my opinion. That fight was a test of his will and strength. Ken is not. The Ken Shamrock fight is an easier fight for Tito. This is the third time they have fought. Ken is older than he was, obviously and is no where near his prime like Ortiz is. Tito has a strong chin and this was proven when he fought against the current light heavyweight champion. Tito was not truly knocked out in the Liddell fight, but rather he was rocked very badly and the ref rightfully stopped it. That’s why there is no chance that Ken will knock him out, none. Liddell has nasty punching power and can put people to sleep. The only chance that Shamrock has is to connect precisely on the on/off switch that shuts Tito’s brain down.
Ken is in true denial. For some reason, he really thinks that he can beat Tito Ortiz. I have yet to figure out what gave him that impression or who is telling him this, but he really does believe it wholeheartedly. He claims he was injured in their first fight and that he was not in danger in their second go-round. I can only hope that he has learned to defend himself. I will admit that I originally sort of thought he let Rich Franklin win after just laying there eating those bombs when he fell during a kick attempt. It was like he went to another place and was blocking out the pain until the ref stopped it and he could collect a paycheck. THEN I saw him make the exact same face when he was eating those shots from Ortiz and knew that MaXfighting’s friend and current UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin had justly beaten the legend. Ken…..listen to me man……………you have to block. If Ken doesn’t I have a feeling that Big John McCarthy will not stop this fight until someone is near death and it will probably be Shamrock.
I do have a concern about all of this being on television. Given the high profile status of this fight and the fact that it is on cable it is going to be watched a little closer. What if Ken gets hurt as bad as he did the first fight or worse? What if he is badly injured? There would be repercussions for certain. It wouldn’t take much for the protestors to come out in full force against the “barbaric nature” of the sport for like the millionth time. If the first Shamrock fight had been shown on television at the time it took place, there would have been a backlash so severe it would have been devastating for the UFC. The FCC, the moms of America, and Christian coalition would have been all over the savage beating of Ken Shamrock. I won’t even get in to that. The point I was trying to make is that Dana is taking a risk putting this on television given the way it has to end. Like I said before, Big John McCarthy is not going to stop this until Ken is out, cut too badly, or someone is absolutely KO’d. Sure there were other fights that were bloody. Look at the Dewees fight on the Ultimate Fighter 4. Why was there no big stink over it? Look at the ratings for the show for your answer. They are no where near the type of ratings we will see for the fight tomorrow night. Will bad press haunt this fight? Probably not. Could it? Definitely, if Ken puts on a repeat performance of UFC 40.
Dana has taken a risk, Tito has taken a risk, and Ken has taken a risk. Dana for bad press and possibly a bad taste in the fans mouth if it is not a good fight. Tito for risking his title shot with Chuck Liddell in December. Ken has put his health on the line yet again and risked his reputation falling further into decay if he suffers another beating. Let’s hope the fans appreciate all of this despite the outcome.
source ([Only registered and activated users can see links])