Frank Shamrock (born December 8, 1972) is a famous mixed martial arts competitor. He is the adoptive younger brother of MMA legend and former professional wrestler Ken Shamrock.

Shamrock was born Frank Alicio Juarez III. Coming from a broken household, he bounced between various foster homes, group homes, and crisis centres from the time he was 12. He was eventually taken in by Bob Shamrock, who had adopted hundreds of troubled boys (including Frank's older brother Ken). Juarez went to live with Shamrock at his home in Susanville, California, and was officially adopted by Shamrock at the age of 21. He would later formally adopt Shamrock as his surname.

In 1994, realizing that Frank needed a positive outlet, Bob Shamrock persuaded Ken to train Frank in submission fighting. Despite an early distaste for the violence of mixed martial arts, Frank accompanied his brother, an eminent fighter, to bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and eventually grew to love the sport. He became a member of Ken's training school, the "Lion's Den", and made his debut in the Pancrase organization (of which Ken was champion) in December of 1994.

Shamrock found success in Pancrase, but after Ken departed the company, Frank's relationship with the organization soured. He lost to Bas Rutten in May 1996, and later that year lost to John Lober in Hawaii's Superbrawl. After his loss to Lober and some soul-searching, Shamrock decided to give his all to mixed martial arts. From here on out, it would be his heart and soul.

Within the "Lion's Den", Frank trained up-and-coming stars such as Jerry Bohlander , Pete Williams , and Guy Mezger . He also developed a close relationship with another eminent martial arts personality, kickboxer and UFC superstar Maurice Smith , who trained him in kickboxing. Shamrock went on to compete in the Rings promotion, as well as in Japan Vale Tudo '97 and UFC Japan. However, in 1997, he had a massive falling-out with Ken and his adoptive father, Bob. They haven't been on speaking terms since.

Shortly afterwards, Shamrock fought the undefeated Kevin Jackson for the UFC lightweight title. Jackson had beaten Lober in Extreme Fighting and was an accomplished wrestler. Shamrock proved to be just the match for Jackson, and made him submit to an armbar in 14 seconds to take the lightweight title (which UFC later renamed the middleweight title). He went on to defend the belt successfully against Igor Zinoviev , Fabiano Iha , and Jeremy Horn . In October 1998, Shamrock avenged his earlier loss to John Lober by beating him in 7 minutes; Lober had made the return match personal by sending dirty e-mails and cursing at Shamrock and his wife, Angelina.

In September of 1999, UFC fans were treated to one of the greatest contests in mixed martial arts history, as Frank Shamrock defended his middleweight title against Tito Ortiz at Ultimate Brazil. It was a titanic back-and-forth battle, with Shamrock finally triumphing after an elbow and punches to Ortiz's head. After the match, Shamrock felt he had achieved all he could achieve in the fight game; he relinquished his title and retired from the UFC. Interestingly enough, Ortiz would win the tournament for the vacated title, beating Wanderlei Silva at UFC Japan II.

After his retirement, Shamrock tried his hand at acting, landing a guest role on Walker, Texas Ranger and doing a Burger King commercial. However, he quickly lost interest and returned to his lifeblood, mixed martial arts. He signed a deal to fight jiu-jitsu standout Elvis Sinosic at K-1, the premiere kickboxing event in the world. After yet another tough battle, Shamrock beat Sinosic via unanimous decision. Later, when Sinosic faced Ortiz for the UFC light heavyweight title (formerly the middleweight title) at UFC 32, Shamrock served as guest commentator. On August 11, 2001, he took on Shannon Ritch in a kickboxing match for K-1. Shamrock had once trained Ritch, and showed his expertise over his former protege, breaking Ritch's arm and winning the match in 56 seconds with a roundhouse kick.

Shamrock continues to remain active in the mixed martial arts scene, training UFC lightweight B.J. Penn at the American Kickboxing Academy and helming his own two promotions, Bushido and ShootBox . His latest accolade is winning the WEC light heavyweight title in just under two minutes (March 2003).

External Link

Frank Shamrock Bio @ FrankShamrock.org