Ken Shamrock's 6 best UFC fights

#1: vs. Dan Severn, UFC 6, July 14th, 1995

Shamrock's best win came over Dan Severn at UFC 6

The UFC’s first attempt at putting together a ‘Superfight’ went wildly wrong – the much-anticipated rematch between Shamrock and Royce Gracie at UFC 5 turned into a damp squib, as Ken decided to prove he could survive in Royce’s legendary guard, while Royce simply turned the fight into a war of attrition. It went for 36 boring minutes before being declared a draw.

Gracie left the UFC after that fight and so the promotion decided to put together another ‘Superfight’ – this time for a new Superfight championship – at UFC 6. This time it pitted Shamrock against UFC 5’s tournament winner Dan ‘The Beast’ Severn.

Severn had torn through the competition at UFC 5 with his phenomenal strength and amateur wrestling game, and although he didn’t show much in the way of striking, it didn’t really matter – he could seemingly take anyone down and had the strength to force his way into catching submissions on the ground. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Shamrock was in trouble.

Incredibly, it was Severn who found himself in trouble. Shamrock had always been renowned for his brute strength but this was the first time he really showed it in the UFC, as he was able to muscle Severn out of takedown attempts – incredible given the difference in their wrestling backgrounds – and then caught him in a guillotine choke.

Seconds later Shamrock forced him to his knees, tightened the choke, and ‘The Beast’ was forced to tap out. The fight lasted just over two minutes, and was clearly the best showing Shamrock ever had in the UFC. By winning the Superfight title, Shamrock had finally become what the UFC wanted him to be – the top fighter in the promotion.