Ken "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock

To alot of new fans to the sport, they know Ken Shamrock as the fighter that Tito Ortiz kept beating up, but Ken Shamrock is a pioneer in the sport, he's one of the few guys that I can honestly say is responsible for the sport being where it is today.

Of all of the spokesmen for the sport over the 13 years since the UFC was founded, Ken Shamrock has been there. Ken was at UFC 1, where he beat Patrick Smith before losing to Royce Gracie.

Shamrock fought in the Pancrase organization before the founding of the UFC, but as soon as he was given the opportunity to fight at UFC 1 he dove in, fighting at UFC's 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 before returning to Japan to fight in the PRIDE organization.

Over the course of the first 9 UFC events, the sport began to evolve and when Ken Shamrock fought Royce Gracie at UFC 5, the torch was officially passed from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter who won the first 2 UFC events to the self-proclaimed "World's Most Dangerous Man."

Ken Shamrock was a submission fighter who specialized in leglocks, but his athleticism and strength, as well as his understanding of the sport made him dangerous whether the fight was standing or on the ground.

Shamrock became the first Superfight champion after UFC 6, when he defeated Dan Severn. He would defend the Superfight belt at UFCs 7 and 8, but would lose it to Severn at UFC 9 before he left the UFC until his return at UFC 40.

While Shamrock's career as a fighter was not the most impressive of his generation, his charisma and his ability to articulate the purpose and artistry of the sport made him a spokesman for MMA in America.

Shamrock openly debated with Senator John McCain on Larry King Live. He questioned the logic in McCain's opposing MMA but allowing boxing (a sport with a considerable higher mortality rate than MMA, which has managed to maintain a rate of 0).

Ken would return to the UFC as an icon because of his candidness about his support for the sport and his ability to speak up and articulate the feeling the the MMA community.

When Ken returned to the UFC, he would be plagued by an inability to beat, really, anybody of merit. He lost to Tito Ortiz in his return to the Octagon at UFC 40, followed by a win over the aging Hawaiian fighter Kimo Leopoldo. Shamrock would then lose to Rich Franklin, proving that his age might be too severe a handicap for him to compete with the younger generation of fighters.

After losing to Franklin, Shamrock returned to PRIDE where he lost to Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba. He would then return to the UFC and lose two more times to Tito Ortiz.

While the end of Shamrock's career seems uncertain, it isn't certainly not as glorified as it should be, given his contributions to the sport as a champion and a political advocate.

Shamrock brought fighters to the helm of the movement to legalize MMA and, though the movement would be solidified later by UFC President Dana White, Shamrock made it possible by not allowing politicians to label the fighters as heathens.

Shamrock is one of 4 UFC Hall-of-Famers, along with Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture.

While Shamrock's fighting career may prove his mortality, his contributions to the sport as a figurehead and an icon are indisputable.