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Home > Blogs > Mixed Martial Arts > Archives > 2009 > August > 08 > Entry
Frank Shamrock could return to the UFC
He was undoubtedly one of the biggest stars as “ultimate fighting” slowly transformed into the sport of mixed martial arts and crept into the mainstream.
But after butting heads with the UFC’s current ownership, Shamrock, a reigning title-holder, announced his retirement and left the UFC — only to continue his career with other promotions.
However, UFC president Dana White said the 36-year-old fighter could return to the octagon in the near future.
During a question-and-answer session with the UFC’s fan club this past Thursday, Aug. 7, White said it was a possibility.
White recently made up with and re-signed superstar Tito Ortiz, who planned to leave the organization after fulfilling the terms of his UFC contract last year. He also smoothed over a public-relations disaster with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, whom White thought was reneging on a verbal agreement to extend his contract. Both fighters are back on the UFC’s roster, and Shamrock could join the group.
“I made up with Tito,” White said. “Maybe I could make up with Frank.”
Shamrock was arguably the most prolific fighter of the 1990s, and before leaving the UFC, he became the organization’s first light-heavyweight champion and made a (since-broken) record four title defenses. He also held the middleweight title with Strikeforce, one of the UFC’s biggest rivals, up until a year ago. Although his best days are probably past Shamrock, the adoptive brother of fellow UFC vet Ken Shamrock, he could still hang with some of the top fighters in the UFC’s current 185-pound weight class.
However, after going undefeated (11-0-1) from 1997 to 2006, Shamrock (23-10-2) is just 1-3 in his past four fights with losses to Renzo Gracie, Cung Le and Nick Diaz.
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