Ten years ago today, Dana White announced that the second fight between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock was so disappointing, they’d give away a third match on Spike TV as a “make-good,” which turned the Tito-Shamrock feud into a trilogy. The following is the initial report on MMATorch.com on Aug. 25, 2006 with Keller’s Analysis of the decision.
UFC President Dana White announced officially during the weigh-ins for UFC62 on Spike TV tonight that Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock III will air live on Spike TV’s Fight Night live on Oct. 10. He said their PPV match didn’t deliver what the fans wanted. The news got out among reporters weeks before White’s official announcement on Spike.
Keller’s Analysis: I’d expect Tito to give Shamrock another beating, although Shamrock may take an entirely different strategy in order to, if nothing else, survive longer to save face. If Tito does dominate Shamrock again with a flurry of punches, UFC’s referee has to be sure they let the fight go longer than last time to avoid yet another controversy, but not so long that Shamrock gets hurt badly on national TV. Any major injury could have major repercussions on UFC’s momentum, as their safety record is so strong as to silence critics of the sport at this point.
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