K. Shamrock: the veteran's appearance is not that of a 51-year-old athlete. Photo: Reproduction
Every now and then, the physical condition of veteran athletes raises suspicions and throws the MMA community into uproar. Last year, a photograph of the Vietnamese Cung le, 42 years old, was the target of great controversy. This time, the target of the controversy is even more experienced: former UFC champion Ken Shamrock, 51.
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Suspicions that Shamrock, who will return to the ring on June 19th against Kimbo Slice at Bellator 138, was using illegal substances began to emerge after the veteran athlete, who was a finalist in the first edition of the UFC in 1993, published a photo on his Twitter in which it appears with a lot of muscle mass and extremely vascularized.
Speaking to the North American website “MMA Fighting”, Shamrock also did little to reduce the rumors, declaring himself in favor of the regulated use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in MMA. “The best way I could describe it is that it would be like putting regular car gas into a race car. It would help, but it would not allow him to perform at his maximum level,” he declared.
Despite the suspicions, both Shamrock and Kimbo Slice passed the surprise anti-doping tests carried out before Bellator 138, according to the organization itself and the Missouri Athletic Commission, responsible for regulating the card.
At 51 years old, Ken Shamrock has an MMA record of 28 wins, 15 losses and two draws. The “Most Dangerous Man in the World”, as he is known, was the UFC “superfight” champion – a title with no weight limit that existed for a brief period in the organization’s early years, whose holder was challenged by the winners of subsequent tournaments. Shamrock hasn't fought since 2010, when he was defeated by Mike Bourke after suffering a knee injury.
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