The Shamrock that whooped Tito vs the Anderson that destroyed Forrest. Who do you have and how? Obviously the difference in striking is sizable, and Frank had already been KO'd prior to this, but when I think of the perfect stylistic match-up for Anderson, I think of a strong wrestler with submission ability.. a catch wrestler essentially. Obviously catch wrestling is a bit of a dying art in the sport, with many wrestlers taking that Mark Coleman approach rather than the Ken Shamrock/Josh Barnett approach taken by the submission wrestlers. Frank however, is the prototype submission wrestler, a dominant force in his day. Can he take Anderson down and lock in a leg lock? Does Anderson's length and guard negate him on the ground or even sub him? And is Anderson able to land on the feet in between takedown attempts?
Man, that version of Frank was an animal. His ground and pound was nasty and the dude was just plain snapping legs. But I can't help thinking that he never fought anyone near as good as Anderson Silva. The Anderson Silva that destroyed Griffin would be too much for Shamrock. I honestly think he would make Frank look silly standing before knocking him out. I'm not even sure Shamrock would get a take down before being caught, hurt, and stopped. Shamrock wasn't Chael Sonnen.
I completely agree with Trplsec. Could you imagine if Shamrock had Sonnen's takedowns? Man, the guy would have been just about unstoppable. Or throw it on the other foot, could you imagine Sonnen with submission skills like Frank or even Maia? Good lord.
I remember it well. Frank was a beast. For those who don't, enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYvYTvCG0Cw
Frank was a great fighter in his time, he was definitely one of the first really well rounded MMA fighters. He was the future of MMA.
He was definitely ahead of the curve. That's why he did so well for so long. He matched up well against almost any style.
