UFC Knocks Out Ken Shamrock in Court

Ken Shamrock has taken it on the chin yet again.  The UFC pioneer has been beaten up by some of the best fighters in the business (some of the worst too, in recent years).  Now, even lawyers are getting into the act.

Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, won a contentious battle with the fighter that could have changed the way the company operated.  Shamrock, who was last seen in the Octagon during a 2006 loss to Tito Ortiz, believed his contract called for one more fight. Zuffa contracts allowed the promotion to cut a fighter loose in the event of a loss, a provision Shamrock took on in a court of law. The court case went to a decision, and in the end, a judge ruled in the UFC's favor.

Many were surprised when he was fired.  His battle with Ortiz was the highest rated MMA fight in U.S. television history, but his poor showing and decision to sign on as a coach for the rival IFL promotion led to his dismissal.  

For Shamrock,  the situation just spiraled from bad to worse.  He's out hundreds of thousands he believed the company owed him for his final fight and is now looking at steep legal fees.

"The UFC has a clear and unambiguous attorney fee clause in all of its contracts with fighters to the effect, that in the event a fighter loses any contractual challenge in court, that fighter will be responsible for paying our fees," trial counsel Donald J. Campbell and J. Colby Williams stated.  "Accordingly, we will be filing a motion to seek recovery of all of our expenses and fees which were occasioned by this lawsuit."

Paying the opponent's legal bills for a case that has been going on for almost two years: a true knockout blow.  Shamrock is scheduled to fight Kimbo Slice conqueror Seth Petruzelli sometime this spring.  Unfortunately for the UFC hall of famer, that fight purse is likely now going to buy UFC President Dana White a new Ferrari instead of going into Shamrock's pocket.