Ken Shamrock recently opened up about his experience working with UFC CEO Dana White. His second stint in the UFC was when White was at the helm.
That era saw the UFC surge in popularity, marking a major shift from its early years.
Shamrock became one of the promotion’s biggest stars under the previous regime. He gained more fame during his stint in WWE, before returning to MMA.
After competing in PRIDE FC, he rejoined the UFC in 2002 to face light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
During a recent interview with Rewind Recap Relive, Shamrock spoke on the UFC’s evolving leadership under White. He was once one the promotion’s biggest stars and relied on to sell tickets.
“I was the face of [the UFC], I was the guy that was selling the tickets and putting butts in the seat, and doing sellouts,” Shamrock said.
Shamrock noted how White’s approach differed from the previous regime. He recalled the UFC CEO getting familiar with everything before gradually becoming a focal point.
“[White] just kind of got to know everybody and then you see how he starts to put himself in front of all of us, put himself in front to make sure that people are asking him the questions.” Shamrock said. “There was that shift from the actual fighters being the focal point to [White] being the focal point.”
Ken Shamrock Admits to Initially Being Opposed to Dana White’s Approach
Shamrock, 61, also admitted that he initially didn’t like White’s approach and felt it was self-serving.
White became more public than typical commissioners in other professional North American sports leagues. He appears at UFC press conferences and is constantly doing media rounds to promote the next pay-per-view card.
Speaking with Rewind Recap Relive, Shamrock shared how this focus on White frustrated him. However, he acknowledged that White’s visibility helped ensure the UFC remained strong through controversy or criticism.
“Back then, I didn’t like it. I thought that he was trying to be famous and use all the hard work that we were doing to put himself there,” Shamrock said. “Now that I see where everything has kind of gone, I look at and go, that’s what I would do.”
He added:
“[White] put himself out there in order for him to be able to mold [the UFC] and build the company on how he wanted it to go.”
Did Shamrock and White Make Amends?
Shamrock and White had a falling-out after the Hall of Famer’s UFC departure. The dispute even involved a lawsuit.
Their issues began when Shamrock, under UFC contract, agreed to join the IFL as a coach. He would corner his Lion’s Den team and help them get more professional fights under their belt.
White wasn’t pleased with Shamrock’s involvement due to problems he had with IFL and cut ties with him.
Years later, Shamrock told Fight Network that they made amends. He said it was the right time to move on from the public feud.
“It just felt like it was time to just bury it, it’s just time [to] get past this,” Shamrock said. “I know the things that I believed in and things I was speaking about. Doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t still have those beliefs, those beliefs have got to be put to the side.”
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