Controversy struck when Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock rematched on July 8, 2006.
The light heavyweight duo, who shared one of the greatest rivalries in MMA history, first clashed at UFC 40 in November 2002.
Ken Shamrock scored an early knockdown, but he was dominated for the vast majority of his three-round clash with Tito Ortiz, who mauled him on the ground until the towel came in before the fourth frame got underway.
‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man‘ spent two years out of action recovering from an ACL injury he carried into UFC 40 before losing two of his next three fights to seemingly kill a rematch with Ortiz.
However, the overwhelming success of their first fight meant that a second bout between Shamrock and ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ took place at UFC 61 almost two decades ago.
Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock 2 ended in controversy
Shamrock came out swinging from the first bell at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
However, his overt aggression got him in trouble as Ortiz clinched up and landed big strikes.
The former light heavyweight champion subsequently picked up Shamrock and tossed him to the floor.
From there, he began to land nasty elbows that seemed to put his long-time rival to sleep.
Referee Herb Dean stepped in and waved off the fight after just 78 seconds. It was a decision met with furious boos from the crowd and a stunned reaction from Shamrock, who appeared to be completely fine after his UFC 61 loss.
The final chapter
UFC boss Dana White backed ‘early stoppage’ claims by immediately booking a trilogy fight.
In October 2006, Ortiz quickly KO’d Shamrock again to settle their rivalry at an event billed as ‘The Final Chapter’.
The fight broke viewing records, despite the one-sided nature of the rivalry between Ortiz and Shamrock.
“Last night was a turning point for the UFC,” White said after the event.
“This will further drive the evolution of mixed martial arts into a mainstream sport.”
19 years later, MMA is a mainstream sport, and the UFC has recently merged with the WWE to create a company worth $21 billion.