After nearly five years without a fight, Ken Shamrock, 51, came out of retirement this summer to fight Kimbo Slice, a 41-year-old brawler who hadn’t fought in five years himself. From the start, it figured to be an ugly, bizarre affair. It was.


The two clinched, then Shamrock grabbed Slice’s leg and wrestled him to the ground. Slice turned over, Shamrock slipped an arm under his chin, and then Shamrock squeezed. The fight looked over, but somehow, Slice didn’t tap out or black out. Eventually, an exhausted Shamrock let go. Slice got to his feet, hit Shamrock a couple of times, and a few seconds later, Shamrock was on the ground with blood gushing from his head, looking glassy-eyed at the referee. The whole thing lasted just over two minutes.


English filmmaker Bobby Razak sat down with Shamrock for an interview after the fight, which was published yesterday. Shamrock addresses rumors that the fight was fixed, and in it, you can glimpse Shamrock’s pride built from years pioneering mixed martial arts, and the false bravado as he challenges his skeptics to “say it to my face.”

He spends several minutes going after Joe Rogan, who called the fight “fake as fuck.” That’s the part where you can really feel the pain in Shamrock’s voice. This is an old man decades removed from his prime but still desperately trying to protect his legacy. It kind of hurts to watch.

h/t Josh