Ken Shamrock On Rumors He’s Retired, The ‘World’s Most Dangerous Man’ Nickname & More

Ken Shamrock is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, and UFC Hall Of Famer. Ken recently announced his return to professional wrestling and will be having his first match back this Friday in Australia. Ken recently spoke to Fighterinterviews.com to discuss his overall legacy, his tagline, and more. Below are some highlights.

Ken Shamrock On Rumors He Is Retired:

No, I’m not retired. Because if the right fight came up I’d take it! I know how people always say ‘you’re going too long, you shouldn’t fight anymore, bla bla bla’, but I don’t understand that. Most people get to a certain point where they’re just not interested anymore. Me, my heart and my soul will always be a fighter. I’m not comfortable with saying I’m done, I quit, I give up. That’s the way I am and that’s the way I always will be. From the day I was born to the day I die, I am a fighter!

Ken Shamrock On His First Fight Being When He Was Only 5 Years Old:

I was in a bathroom and a couple of older kids, three or four of them, came in. They jumped me, gave me a beating, kicked me in the head. It was a racial thing, me growing up in an all African-American neighborhood. There were 8-9-years-olds living in the streets. Kids at the age of 10-12 were dealing drugs. There was no one to protect you, so if you got beaten you had to move on and figure out a way to protect yourself next time.

Ken Shamrock On Initially Confusing UFC For Pro Wrestling:

Then one day, one of my students brought me a flyer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which said No Holds Barred. I immediately thought of Hulk Hogan and pro wrestling, but he said that this was real fighting, anything goes! I called Art Davie and told him that as long as it’s real, and I can kick to the head and do whatever I want, I’m in!

RELATED: Ken Shamrock Has An Opponent For His Pro Wrestling Return Match

Ken Shamrock On The ‘World’s Most Dangerous Man’ Nickname:

For me, it was an honor. If you give yourself a nickname like that it doesn’t mean anything, but if you get it on National TV, it’s pretty evident that it’s true. I mean, no one could deny that I in fact was the world’s most dangerous man at the time, because I beat everybody in Japan, and then being the champion in the Unites States. There were fighters from all over the world coming to fight me, like Brazil, England, Australia, you name it. The nickname suited me and just stuck with me since then!

Ken Shamrock On The Conor McGregor UFC 229 Debacle:

I’d like to see someone ask them if they understand that they’re hurting the sport, even if their fanbase grows. It can possibly hurt MMA in the future with the way the public, TV and sponsors are viewing this. And the fact that Conor attacked the bus and could have put somebody’s eye out. Do you deserve to go to prison for something like that? If it happened on the street, they would be in jail! Khabib and his guys as well, for jumping an organized ring and hitting a fighter, and jumping out of a ring and going after a coach. Anybody else in the world we live in would have to go to court. I would also like to hear them answer the question if they would do it again if the same situation came up.”

When I had my thing with Tito, there was security people all around us making sure there was no way we could get to each other. Everybody knew we had a beef and that we would take every opportunity to go at one another, so they prevented it. Now I see a guy who flies his private plane with a bunch of people to the US and go right into a place that is supposed to be secure and controlled, and attack a bus of fighters. How does that happen? Where is the protection of the talents and the people involved in the event? And then, when it’s time for them to fight, how can you turn your backs to the idea that these things can escalate? Not expect that there will be upset emotions after the fight? How can you not be prepared for that and not be ready to stop it? Where is the security? That’s my main issue with the whole thing!