He may have never won a UFC event when it was in its tournament format, and it can not be said that he was the dominant figure Royce Gracie was in the sport. But there has probably never been a more popular or enduring performer in the history of mixed martial arts than Ken Shamrock, who has literally spanned every phase of the sport’s development.

Shamrock wasn’t his given name; it was Kenneth Kilpatrick, and he grew up in Georgia under somewhat less than ideal circumstances. Young Ken was a rambunctious youth; he was constantly in trouble, and after several unsuccessful attempts to straighten him out, he was shipped off to California, where he became a ward of the Shamrock Ranch, a boys group home run by a gentleman with an uncanny ability to turn lives around by the name of Bob Shamrock.

It was there that Ken showed an affinity for boxing and wrestling, in addition to other sports. But as an aggressive type, and as he showed in scuffles that took place at the ranch, where Bob had boys settle differences by putting he gloves on, Ken was a fighter - regardless of what the discipline was going to be.

It was clear he was headed in that direction, but not many casual fans are aware that an early wrestling accident almost derailed everything. Ken got his neck broken, and had to have a metal plate inserted at the base of his skull. All the doctors wrote him off as far as future competition was concerned, but the youngster, who was adopted by Bob and assumed his surname, would have none of it.

As he was finding himself, Ken Shamrock found himself in Toughman contests, and working as a bouncer in a nightclub, until one night he went a little too far and almost killed one drunk and disorderly patron. That was enough bar work for him. Afterward he enrolled in wrestling school and began the slow climb up the ladder.

His point of entry was South Atlantic Professional Wrestling, a small circuit in the Southeast. Ken did not earn a lot of money there, but there was experience to be gained and contacts to be made. One of those contacts told him about an outfit in Japan that might offer a much better opportunity. And so Ken Shamrock was off to the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF).

UWF action was something that would be rather unfamiliar to American wrestling fans. It had a lot of the characteristics of shoot fighting, in that many of the moves, strikes and holds that were made during the matches were real. But the outcomes were predetermined, meaning that eventually the competitors had to get around to the scripted ending to crown the winner.

Shamrock enjoyed this, and became a popular and formidable competitor in the year he was with the UWF, but the idea of continuing in a "worked" event, even one that contained as much realism as the UWF, lost its appeal because it did not being him all the satisfaction in the world. he figured it was time to make a move.

It was then that Ken Shamrock took the first step toward what would eventually lead him to worldwide fame in the UFC.