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#5: vs. Patrick Smith, UFC 1, November 12th, 1993
Outside of eventual champion Royce Gracie, the skill level of the fighters who took part in the inaugural UFC event some 25 years ago was hardly that high, particularly on the ground – most of them were simply tough brawlers looking to prove themselves.
That wasn’t the case with Ken Shamrock, who had an extensive background in grappling dating back to his time in Japanese promotion Pancrase.
That advantage reared its head instantly in what was Shamrock’s UFC debut against kickboxer Patrick Smith. Smith was clearly looking to strike, but was never given a chance as Shamrock quickly bodylocked him and took him to the ground. Smith managed to find his way on top, but it didn’t really help him, as Ken quickly fell back into a heel hook, forcing the striker to tap out in pain.
Sure, the fight was a squash, but it was one of Shamrock’s best UFC outings simply because it showed the depth of knowledge in grappling that he had in comparison to the majority of his early opponents. Only Gracie had more – meaning when he tapped Shamrock with a choke in the semi-finals, it was the beginning of a major rivalry between the two.
