Shamrock: ‘I felt so much stronger than Kimbo, and dominant’

“I was a rookie. It was like my first fight. I got into a position to win and I didn’t take my time. I forced it,” Shamrock said. “I was stronger than him, I manhandled him and I felt in complete control of that fight. But, when I got his back, instead of trying to use my technique and slide the choke in, I tried to choke him to death. I tried to use all my strength and power to muscle it in. Because I felt so much stronger and so much more dominant than him. And I overdid it, man. That’s the bottom line. It was a rookie move. I had him dead to rights and I screwed up. I tried to force it instead of just letting it work. It got to a point I was squeezing it so hard that I turned it over and ended up sliding off his back.

“In training, I didn’t work on finishing at all, other than some leg locks one day. I mostly worked on conditioning, movement on the ground and positioning,” he continued. “I thought it was like riding a bike. When you do it you just do it. I worked on getting the position, on taking the back. But never on finishing, on applying the move until the guy tapped out. I just worked until I had it and then let go. And I think that’s where the mistake was made. In training I never actually made anybody tap out. It was all catch and release.”

MMA legend Ken Shamrock talked to Bleacher Report, in an in-depth interview, about his fight with Kimbo Slice and why he was unable to finish with what looked like a very tight and secure choke early in the first round.
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