The former UFC champion was in action last Thursday under the “King of the Cage” banner for “KOTC: Platinum”, which took place in Durban, South Africa.

His opponent, journeyman Mike Bourke was the decided underdog heading into the heavyweight contest. Bourke held a 9-16-1 record heading into the contest against Ken’s 28-14-2 record.

He’s no spring chicken, and certainly no Randy Couture, and at age 46, Shamrock will once again have to contemplate whether or not retiring will save the little face that his extensive career has left.

During said fight with Bourke, Ken did have his moments. Early in the first round, Shamrock connected on a right cross that sent his opponent to the mat. When “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” went in for the finish, he suffered a hamstring injury during a scramble, and was ultimately dubbed unable to continue, and just like that Bourke was declared the victor by TKO just under two-minutes into the opening round.

Although Ken may have been the victim of his own failing body at 46 years old, should he take the opportunity now to call it quits? His last victory came over an unheralded Jonathon Ivey this past October. Ivey has a record of 29-44, and Shamrock took him the distance and won a unanimous decision. The victory over Ivey is sandwiched between losses against the aforementioned Bourke and former PRIDE and UFC veteran Pedro Rizzo.

Thanks to MMAJunkie.com for the heads up.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Shamrock did snap a five-fight losing streak when he defeated the late Ross Clifton, however if he’s only going to prove effective against lower-tier competition which does not match your world renowned name, what’s the point? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what the man once known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” had to say: “The problem that I’m running into is the fact that I can’t get enough fights. It’s hard enough for a guy in his prime to jump right into a fight, let alone somebody of my age, who needs to be in there and actually take a little bit longer to prepare for a fight… So I have to get more fights and I’ve got to be busier. That way I can be able to use the things that I have and be able to get that timing in the ring that I need to be successful… I think that everybody should have an opinion and be able to express their opinion. But just because they have an opinion doesn’t mean people have to agree with it. There’s also a lot of people out there that appreciate being able to see me fight.”

The last few sentences were in reference to the legion of fans and MMA insiders calling for Shamrock to retire. Even I can agree with Shamrock somewhat: the man still has his fans. Given his highs and lows throughout the years, with far more lows than highs, they’ve got to be some of the most loyal MMA fans of all time. But they’re there, however few their numbers may be, and they’re the reason Shamrock keeps getting fights. However, we’ve passed the point of sense long ago when it comes to Ken Shamrock’s career.

At what point do we all stop caring about Ken Shamrock? I’m creeping steadily closer to just such a point, and I know that many more have passed that point long ago. If Ken Shamrock wants to keep fighting and keep losing, what can any of us honestly do to stop him? The man has got it in his head that he can still be successful as a Mixed Martial Artist after all these years, after so many trials and tribulations where his strengths have been found wanting. If he still wants to compete and even compete a lot more often, then all we’re left with is the fond recollection of what he once was in the face of what he now is: horrendously past his prime.

While my “Against All Logic” piece voiced my anger on the subject of Ken Shamrock, today’s piece switches to uncaring resignation. Nothing I or anyone else says, have said, or likely will say will ever change Ken Shamrock’s mind. So what’s the point of it anymore? All we can really do is sit back and watch his next trainwreck. So congratulations Ken Shamrock, you won out in the end. I throw my hands up, I wave the white flag. Good night and good luck. Because I’m honestly starting to just not care anymore.

And what about you, fans and friends? What could possibly be next as Ken Shamrock continues to fight?

Shamrock will look to take on Johnathan Ivey on October 16 under the banner of the USA MMA promotion. The event is set to take place in Lafayette, Louisiana. It’s been a long, tough road for the UFC pioneer. Not only was his first win in eight fights mired by his positive steroids test, Shamrock was also handed a hefty legal fee after his court battle with Zuffa over a contract dispute ended with the judge standing on the side of Dana White and the Fertitta brothers. Most recently, Shamrock fell to the leg kicks of Pedro Rizzo at Impact FC, which marked the eighth (T)KO loss on Shamrock’s record, and had he not had his Armbar victory over the departed Clifton, the loss to Rizzo would have been his sixth (T)KO loss in a row.

Shamrock’s opponent may be in even worse shape than he is as a Mixed Martial Artist, as tough as that is to imagine. Johnathan Ivey will carry a record of 29-42 into his fight with Shamrock in October. Ironically, Ivey has also won two out of his last ten fights. Ivey weighs in at two hundred and fifty pounds normally, and almost none of that is muscle.

It’s tough to see athletes compete in a sport they were once good at far past the point where they stopped being good at it. It’s really sad and disheartening to realize that their sport of choice is all they know and that they aren’t prepared for, or refuse to live in, a life without it. They keep trudging along, piling up the losses, fading further and further into obscurity, adding ever-growing black marks to a once prestigious (or at least worthwhile) record. But I have to be honest: there’s a point where an athlete loses my sympathy. Ken Shamrock has passed that point. He passed that point years ago.

I honestly don’t think Ken Shamrock is sane. One of the most oft-repeated definitions of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Ken Shamrock fits that definition perfectly. He’s done nothing to evolve as a Mixed Martial Artist, he’s still the same fighter he was at the very first UFC 1 event, except with a lot more bumps, bruises, and humiliating losses. The man is no Randy Couture, the wear and tear on his body both from his time as a Mixed Martial Artist and even in his time spent as a professional wrestler should have sent him into retirement countless times. But he keeps coming back. Against all logic, Ken Shamrock won’t hang up the gloves and go quietly into the night. For that reason, amongst many others, Ken Shamrock will no longer receive any of my sympathy.

So, by all means, let him keep fighting. Let him become an even bigger joke. The only person he’s hurting at this point is himself. If he’s that much of a masochist that he just can’t go a couple of months without getting punched and kicked, then more power to him I say. This fight with Johnathan Ivey is a joke. Ken Shamrock is a joke. And I’m no longer laughing.

But what about you, fans and friends? How do you feel about Shamrock’s refusal to retire?

UFC Hall of Famer and “World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (26-13-2) was named as “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson‘s (3-0) opponent for the night’s main event.

Fighters.com’s third-ranked welterweight Jake Shields (21-4-1) will defend his EliteXC title for the first time against Brit “Semtex” Paul Daley (18-6-2).

Benji Radach (18-4) will make his EliteXC debut against “Ninja” Murilo Rua (16-8-1) in a middleweight match-up.

After Shamrock lost his last three fights in the UFC, he lost once more to “Buzz” Robert Berry (12-8) by first-round KO in March.

“Kimbo Slice” will look to win his fourth in a row after his third-round TKO over “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) in May.

Shields won his tenth consecutive fight in July when he submitted tenth-ranked “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-10-1) in 1:03 with a guillotine.

Daley has six straight wins, the last one over the previously unbeaten “Zelva” Bojan Kosednar (6-1) by first-round knockout in July.

Ex-IFLer Radach lost his first fight in six when “Suave” Matt Horwich (23-10-1) knocked him out in round two in December.

Rua, EliteXC’s first middleweight champ, handed “The Gun” Tony Bonello (16-1-1) his first career loss in June via first-round TKO.

Ortiz and “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8) cranked out five rounds in September 2003 while Ortiz was at the top of his game, having dispatched six consecutive challengers with names such as tenth-ranked light heavyweight “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1), Yuki Kondo (48-21-6), IFL Light Heavyweight Champion “The Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3), and MMA pioneer “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (26-13-2).

Ortiz also paid respects to Shamrock and Royce Gracie (14-3-3).

“The first thing I really looked at was Royce and Ken Shamrock – they were the two big names in the UFC, great athletes.

“Royce was the guy who was submitting all the wrestling guys with them being on top.

“I really look up to him – if it wasn’t for him our sport wouldn’t be where it is now. Royce, myself, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell are the names that built the sport that is today.”

If Zuffa’s legal tangles with “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8) can be described as Couture wanting leave the UFC without retiring, Zuffa’s latest court battle will be because allegedly Shamrock retired without leaving.

The suit seeks retribution for breach of contract under terms similar to those being hashed out with Couture.

Shamrock claims that after losing controversially to “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) at UFC 61, the UFC approached him with a two-fight contract. The first fight would be a rematch with Ortiz, which took place on SpikeTV 10 October, 2006.

After losing the rematch, Shamrock retired.

Shamrock insists the UFC invoked the same clause that the UFC claims preserves their right to Couture through Couture’s refusal to fight, which the UFC calls “retirement” and Couture calls “resignation.” The clause suspends the remaining term of the contract while the fighter is in retirement.

Shamrock alleges he came out of retirement in June 2007 and informed the UFC he was training to complete his contract.

According to the lawsuit, UFC President Dana White informed Shamrock’s agent that the UFC was changing it’s election to suspend Shamrock’s contract to another election provided for in the contract which would terminate the contract.

Shamrock claims that the UFC could have changed their election during Shamrock’s retirement, but not after his return from retirement, at which time Shamrock alleges he would’ve still been under contract to the UFC due to their original election to suspend and not terminate the contract.

Shamrock seeks damages in excess of $10,000.

“When I can’t beat mid-level guys.  I’m not going to let myself get beat by mediocre fighters,” Shamrock confided.

Saturday at CageRage 25 in London, “Buzz” Robert Berry (12-7) knocked out Shamrock at 3:26 of round one.

“He comes to fight,” Shamrock had described Berry; and, it’s likely this loss won’t convince the king of the Lion’s Den to retire.

Shamrock is 3-8 since his Y2K return to MMA.  He’s lost five consecutive fights by first round stoppage since TKOing Kimo Leopoldo at UFC 48 in 2004.

Ken won’t retire because he’s a fighter with fight left in him.  He won’t retire because, even after four consecutive losses, he still headlines a card; and, after five straight losses, his next fight will be a main event too.  He won’t retire because we still pay to watch him fight, because our memory of Shamrock at his best continues to eclipse Shamrock at this, his worst.

The “Ashikan Judan” Masakazu Imanari (14-5-1) earned his stage name by twisting “White Bear” Jean Silva‘s (15-8-3) foot in a heel hook at 2:30 of round one for the CageRage World Featherweight Championship.

British heavyweight Rob Broughton (7-3-1) dealt undefeated Neil Grove (5-1) his first “L” in a majority decision.

Middleweight “Kong” Tom Watson beat Pierre Guillet to a TKO at 2:05 of round one.

Heavyweight Mustapha al Turk (5-3) submitted kickboxer Gary Turner (4-1) on strikes at 3:19 of round one.

Heavyweight Ivan Serati (8-2) stopped Roman Webber (4-4) at :48 of round one.

Brazilian “Lagartixa” Henrique Santana (5-3) won a unanimous decision over England’s Michael Johnson (5-5).

Giorgio Andrews (3-0) made it a tough night for the Shamrocks by winning a TKO over Ken’s son Ryan Shamrock (1-1) after Ryan broke his hand in the first round.

Undefeated John Hathaway remained so with a TKO of Marvin Arnold Bleau at 1:32 of round one.

Finally, John Phillips (7-1) opened the night with a TKO of Jake Bostwick at 4:10 of round one.

Shamrock is no longer “The World’s Most Dangerous Man”, as he’s billed in his CageRage debut versus “Buzz” Robert Berry (12-7) Saturday.

But, there was a time he damn well may have been.

“[In 1993] a student of mine brought me a flier [calling for fighters for UFC 1],” Shamrock remembers.

At the time, Shamrock was wrestling in Japan’s Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi, mentored by wrestling legends Masakatsu Funaki, Karl Gotch, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara.

Wrestling in Japan had avoided most of the kitsch of American pro wrestling.  His mentors taught Shamrock shoot wrestling, very real and effective submission techniques.

In 1993, Funaki founded a hybrid wrestling promotion called Pancrase.

“It wasn’t MMA,” Shamrock emphasizes.  “We used open-hand strikes and shin guards when kicking.”

In Pancrase’s first event in September 1993, Shamrock submitted Funaki in six minutes.  It was a testament to how far the former Tough Man competitor had come.

“What we did at UFC 1 was what you see today,” Shamrock traces MMA’s lineage.  “That was the beginning.

“Every time I had seen a no holds barred tournament, it was just for entertainment, you know?  In wrestling, it meant you could bring chairs in the ring.  It was ridiculous.  So, I was skeptical,” Shamrock explains.  “But, reality fighting, that’s what attracted me to the tournament.”

“We didn’t know until three days before that it was definitely happening.”

In the first round of UFC 1, the wrestler easily submitted kickboxer Patrick Smith (14-13) in a heel hook at 1:49.

After the fight, Shamrock was asked to compare UFC 1 to what he had been doing every month in Pancrase.

“This is easier,” he proclaimed brashly.  “This guy doesn’t know submissions.”

His confidence may have been his downfall in his second fight of the tournament.

“I didn’t know who Royce Gracie was,” Shamrock admits.  “When I saw him in his gi, I thought he was some karate guy.”

The eventual tournament winner, Gracie (14-3-3), submitted Shamrock in a rear naked choke in 57 seconds.

“It was setup for him to win,” Shamrock complains.  “I wasn’t allowed to wear my wrestling shoes, but he was allowed to wear his gi.

“You can watch it and see that I slip going for a leg lock and [Royce Gracie] wraps his gi around my neck for the choke.”

Shamrock went on after UFC 1 to bag wins versus a pantheon of fighters including Matt Hume (5-5), “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1), and “Mo” Maurice Smith (12-10).

At UFC 5 in 1995, he’d get his revenge versus Gracie in a “Superfight”, this time knowing fully what to expect from the BJJ and MMA legend.  After 36:06, the fight was declared a draw.

The world’s most dangerous man?  Gracie had no answer for the wrestler after twice as long as any other MMA fight Gracie had previously participated in.

If Shamrock wasn’t the most dangerous man in the world, at that point he was at least as dangerous as Gracie, considered then to be the top reality fighter in the world.

Saturday, Shamrock makes his British debut.  A victory over Berry leads Shamrock to another accomplishment: MMA’s first American network television main event on CBS versus Kimbo Slice.