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The "Ultimate Fighter Season Three" premiere ranked first in its timeslot in the 18-34 male demographic, out-delivering everything on cable, including the NBA and The Masters. Ortiz, who had been AWOL from the UFC during a contract dispute, was back in the limelight. And Shamrock had his long-awaited rematch with his archrival. Long as he waited, Shamrock received just 78 seconds for his trouble. Accompanied by nearly four years of buildup, Shamrock-Ortiz II saw the octagon cluttered with extra security. Neither fighter touched gloves. Shamrock came out with rights and lefts blazing, pushing Ortiz to the cage, before the younger Ortiz took him down with a double-leg, eventually pressing Shamrock to the cage and delivering six unanswered elbows. And that was it. Seventy-eight seconds. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight to a chorus of boos. A sold-out Mandalay Bay crowd that had paid $750 for ringside seats and produced a collective gate of $3.5 million watched in dismay as a furious Shamrock was held back from Ortiz before leaving the octagon in a rage. Unsettled, infuriated, confused, dejected, beaten. That's how Shamrock left the octagon the last time he stepped foot in it on July 8. On Nov. 21, 2003, Shamrock stood inside the octagon for the first time as a Hall of Famer. Along with one of his most storied rivals, Gracie, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. "As far as we were concerned, they were not only the pioneers," White said, "but the two most recognizable faces." On that day, he was recognized as one of the best of the best – a flag-bearer, a warrior, a pioneer. "In my world, you want to make sure everything you've done will be remembered," Shamrock said. "By reaching the Hall of Fame, it means that I will be remembered." But how?  Civic duty: Out of the ring Shamrock shares survival skills with the US Marines. To detractors, he's a hot-tempered thug, quick to fight, short with patience – perhaps the perfect stereotype to what many in the general public consider a professional fighter to be. In critics' eyes, he is a fighter far past his prime. After all, four of his last five fights, beginning with his initial go-round against Ortiz, have ended in defeat. The sport's newest fans are likely unaware of his greatness during the UFC's younger days. "I might be in longer than I should be," he admitted, "but I love it." And it loves him. "The fans still like to see me fight, the promoters still ask me to fight," Shamrock said. "I still have a love for it." White agrees that Shamrock is likely the most recognizable fighter to the casual fan. Shamrock's charisma has shined through not just in the sport he loves most, but in the wrestling ring, in print, as a commentator, on the small screen and the big screen, alike. With that charisma comes his character, character that won't yield, no matter what the situation, the setting or the time. "He's all about honor," White said. "Ken Shamrock's a real good man." The question of how Shamrock will be remembered is one that could soon be answered. While the term Hall of Famer is normally associated with a plaque in Cooperstown or a bust in Canton, Shamrock has been a Hall of Famer for three years – still fighting, still watching the sport he loves evolve. But Oct. 10 is set to be the day in which Shamrock says it's, "family time." It'll be time to spend with his wife Tonya and their children at home in Northern California. You see, Shamrock is ready for one last fight. He's not ready for his controversial previous fight with Ortiz to be a lasting memory. He's ready for the opportunity to ride into the sunset just how he wants to. "It would be to fight Ortiz on free TV and beat him," Shamrock said, "and then walk away." In what will no doubt be the biggest mixed-martial arts fight in the history of live television, Shamrock and Ortiz will do battle one last time. Incensed by the early stoppage in his last fight, Shamrock has gotten his wish to redeem himself and pay back the viewers who paid money for a 78-second fight on July 8. As would be expected, with Ortiz owning wins in each of their first two fights, nobody's giving Shamrock much of a chance in the bout aptly being titled "The Final Chapter." Nevertheless, Shamrock is set to finish his UFC career as the main event once again. He'll end a Hall-of-Fame career that has seen titles and top billing, fans and feuds, rings and octagons, controversy and comebacks, knockouts and submissions, victory and loss, regression, rebirth and the evolution of a career, an organization and a sport. "Now we're getting mainstream coverage, mainstream press. The fighters now are starting to get known," said Shamrock of the sport‘s biggest change from when he began. "That's the difference between then and now is the respect that we get as fighters." Shamrock has seen all the changes. He's seen the UFC start as a tournament and emerge with five different champions. He's seen bare knuckles wrapped with gloves. He's seen karate experts, wrestlers and jiu jitsu proprietors transform into mixed-martial artists. He's seen it all and done it all. In the most casual of descriptions, he's been the bad guy and the good guy, a submission expert and a striker extraordinaire, an ambassador for a dying sport, a wrestler who left it all behind, the returning star who reinvigorated a revolution, a champion in his prime and a veteran in his twilight. But for all the definitions of Ken Shamrock, there has always been one constant. "He's one of those guys, the guy loves to fight – that's what he is, Ken Shamrock's a fighter," White said. "Ken Shamrock will always be a part of the UFC." And when he walks away on the night of Oct. 10, that's how he wants to be remembered. "That I had a lot of heart, that I never gave up," he said, "that I always came to fight." A fighter who will be remembered as, "The World's Most Dangerous" Hall of Famer. Grant Gordon is currently the Sports Editor for the Glendale News-Press, a subsidiary of the Los Angeles Times. You can contact him at
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