Former UFC champion Frank Shamrock was dramatically removed from UFC Hall of Fame consideration after making inflammatory comments about the organization and its leadership, according to revelations from former UFC PR representative Ant Evans on the MMA History Podcast.
The controversy began when Shamrock was initially selected for Hall of Fame induction alongside his rival Tito Ortiz for their legendary match. However, what should have been a celebration of mixed martial arts history quickly devolved into a public relations nightmare.
Evans, who was handling Shamrock’s Hall of Fame induction, revealed that problems started when Shamrock made excessive demands. The former champion requested 25 tickets to the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony and demanded ownership rights to his fight footage for future speaking engagements.
When told that fighters don’t retain rights to their UFC match, Evans worked with UFC CEO Dana White to offer Shamrock a professionally cut highlight reel featuring his best moments from UFC, WEC, and Pancrase.
Despite these accommodations, Shamrock’s behavior continued to deteriorate. Evans described feeling embarrassed when approaching White about Shamrock’s requests, noting that the UFC CEO had warned him about potential issues with the former champion.
The situation reached a breaking point when Shamrock appeared on Submission Radio and launched into a tirade against Dana White and the UFC organization. Evans received a call during his vacation in England from UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta, informing him that Shamrock was being removed from Hall of Fame consideration.
“Frank then went on submission radio and just started motherf**king Dana, motherf**king just worse than he ever had,” Evans recalled during the podcast interview.
Evans had attempted to salvage the relationship by asking Shamrock to simply “be classy” during the Hall of Fame proceedings. He emphasized that the UFC wasn’t trying to buy Shamrock’s silence but rather build a positive relationship. Despite these efforts, Shamrock couldn’t refrain from making inflammatory public statements.
The fallout was immediate and embarrassing for all parties involved. Evans had to make the uncomfortable call to Tito Ortiz, who was gracious about the situation despite being caught in the crossfire. The announcement video and press release for the joint induction had already been prepared, but never saw the light of day.
