7 Fights That Defined Mixed Martial Arts
5. Shamrock Vs. Funaki (1993)
Mixed Martial Arts has had a slightly different evolution in Japan than elsewhere. In the country, MMA developed from a form of strong-style pro-wrestling, and Masakatsu Funaki’s Pancrase became the first pro wrestling company without pre-determined outcomes.
The bouts differed from modern MMA in that they followed traditional pro wrestling rules with no closed fist strikes to the head, no elbows to the head, and fighters able to escape submissions by grabbing the ropes. The main event of the first Pancrase event saw Ken Shamrock, still competing under his pro wrestling moniker of Wayne Shamrock, face Funaki.
The start of the fight saw the two exchange body kicks and open palm strikes to the head before Shamrock acquired a body lock and managed to take the back of his opponent. Following a break in the action, the referee stood both men back up before Shamrock showcased the grappling skills he would become known for, skilfully reversing Funaki’s takedown attempt, before establishing position and finishing the fight with an arm-triangle choke.
The fight would launch the career of both men, whilst also establishing Pancrase as the dominant mixed martial arts promotion in Japan for much of the 1990s. The promotion would also spawn the MMA careers of legends such as Ken’s brother Frank Shamrock, Minoru Suzuki, and Bas Rutten.