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Strikeforce announcer and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Frank Shamrock vocalized his displeasure, earlier this month, regarding his exclusion from the UFC Hall of Fame.
Shamrock's disdain for his being left out reportedly grew when he discovered that Tito Ortiz, a man he once defeated by TKO at UFC 22, would be inducted to the Hall of Fame, while he, himself, would still be give nthe cold shoulder.
Shamrock appeared on Spike TV's "MMA Uncensored Live," where he sought to set the record straight:
"Well, honestly, I didn't really care, but my wife was pretty pissed that I wasn't in the Hall of Fame. I don't care. I think it's awesome that Tito's in. He deserves to be in there. I believe I should be in the Hall of Fame, but it ain't my Hall of Fame. If they wanna put me in, that's great. It's not gonna keep me up at night."
But for Shamrock, it's bigger than anything that ever happened between he and Tito. According to Shamrock, the reason he has been excluded (and probably always will be) has to do with a personal vendetta that UFC President Dana White holds against him.
That's not all he had to say. Check it out, after the jump:
"It's definitely personal between Dana and I. To further that, I've done everything I can possibly do for this sport. I hope that would include UFC. You know, Dana and I don't get along. I think he's a total douchebag and a bully. I just, I got no breath for him."
Shamrock continued to make his case for being included in the Hall of Fame. Despite the fact that he only had a total of five fights inside the UFC Octagon, "The Legend" believes he's done enough for the organization and for the sport, in general, to merit being given the nod:
"Here's my thing. I did everything I could for the sport, from speaking to the commissions to presenting in front of cable companies -- anything and everything, I was hired to go do it. I was a great spokesman, and I believe in this sport. If they wanna put me in or not, it's totally up to them. I think it's just a big knuckle-fest. God bless Tito, and I'm real proud that he's made it."
But he wasn't done talking about "Uncle Dana."
"MMA Uncensored Live" host Craig Carton asked Shamrock, point blank, how things would go down if he were to ever happen across White in a dark alley.
He kept it short and sweet:
"As Dana's first martial arts instructor, I understand his skill set and his limitations, and I would love to have that moment."
In March of 2011, Zuffa sent shockwaves through the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, when they purchased Strikeforce. The move essentially meant the Shamrock became an employee of White (so to speak). He was open about how that change has affected him from a professional standpoint, as well as his opinion on how he feels White promotes the sport of MMA:
"It's gotten even worse, or better, depending on how you look at it. Now, he's sort of influencing my other job, my commentating job. I say what I say because I believe in the sport. I stand for what I stand for because I believe that this is a good thing, and if presented properly, it's good for everybody. If presented improperly, as guys beating the crap out of each other in the cage, that doesn't mean anything."
It's no secret that there's no love lost between Frank and his brother Ken, who is a member of the UFC's Hall of Fame. So when the former "King of Pancrase" was asked for the name of the one fighter he wished he could have been able to exchange leather with, the answer was not a big shocker:
"My brother. We're different people. We're both champions, and we both have our own path. I didn't agree with his path, and I chose a different one, and he did NOT like that."
According to Shamrock, it's been years since he's seen his brother, when things did not end well:
"We talked about money and how that would change hands, after I kicked his ass. It's been years. We were both adopted by a wonderful man, Bob Shamrock, and we became brothers through this man. We became brothers through fighting, but I don't know the guy. I never received a Christmas card or a birthday card or a phone call. He's just another guy I came up with, and he was my teacher. I have the utmost respect for him in the 'Martial Way.' The rest of it? It's a little goofy."
So where do you Maniacs weigh in on all this? Does Shamrock have a point? Does he belong in the Hall?
Speak out!