PRIDE 19: Don Frye vs Ken Shamrock | Feb 24, 2002 

Don always gives me that vibe that he drives himself home after the fight like nothing happened and just cuts the grass and drinks a beer. Maybe buys a bag of ice at a gas station. 😂

That staredown was insane. Don's moustache was staring down Ken's sideburns.

Don Frye was just Omniman's civilian disguise. What an absolute beast of a warrior.

Man these were the days. These guys were monsters in their day. Ken Shamrock was terrifying, Don Frye was a killer. I miss these days when it was about the sport and not so much the money. These guys put it ALL on the line for very little money. The double leg lock at the end, neither man willing to bend, waiting for the other to give up.... if the bell hadn't rung, they'd probably still be there today all tied up, waiting for the other to tap. That's true warrior mentality. Mad respect.

They don’t make Don Fryes anymore, they’ve been discontinued…

Juiced to the gills, two behemoths, waging war of sheer will and grit, too tough to tap. Don didn't even sit down between rounds. Ken ate dozens of kidney shots and kept coming. These two monsters are the epitome of the warrior spirit.

Loved to see Frye win but hated to see Shamrock lose. Huge respect to both of these guys

When Don left home he told his dad, 'you're the man of the house now'.

I don’t know why, but seeing Takyama in the crowd looking up at Don Frye with utmost respect not only as a fighter, but as a true fan as well, got me all teared up even after all these years. Legends never die

Win, lose, or draw, Don Frye always gave it all. The man is made of steel.

The way Ken came back from that knockdown was amazing.

Love the mutual show of respect at the end, and then for Don to raise Shamrock's hands in the air as well. These are two of the all time greats in more than one way.

I think Don Frye is probably the toughest man that I have ever seen or heard of. The closest thing to a modern day Gladiator that you can be. No matter what century Don Frye had been born, he was born to be in battle. A true battle hardened warrior.

Damn I miss Pride. 😞 Don & Ken going at it, Bas calling it, Takayama in the crowd. Epic.

Ken was one of my customers and our kids went to school together so I got to know him pretty well. Really nice guy.

Насколько уважительно относятся бойцы друг к другу, начиная с битвы взглядов, чувствуется сила, ни страха ни визгов, вот за что мы их уважаем.

For those of us that have had the pleasure of witnessing the entire careers of the fighters that ushered in the sport of MMA, it's bittersweet to see these men that were seemingly invincible grow into elderly men. They put their lives on the line entertaining us all. For that, I feel they are certainly owed a debt of gratitude and respect 🙌 .

Shamrock will always have my respect. He was always game to have a fight with guys so much bigger than him and always fought the top of the heap, toughest guys, hardest nuts to crack. He didn't just have an easy career crushing cans. He had a career on hardmode like Sakuraba.

Neither fighter was the same after this. Mad respect for both.

I'm getting old enough to forget the results of these legendary fights. Memory loss is not all bad.

That stare down was epic as fuck. They clearly hated each other before the fight and by the end had both earned the other's respect. That's such a beautiful thing in an ugly profession. True sportsmanship.

Don Frye vs Ken Shamrock looked like the 80s vs the 90s if it somehow turned into real people.

Wow. Two true legendary fighters. Intense, but the sportsmanship is the greatest part. Back then we were a much kinder people than today. Even our worst of moments back then were by far better than the best of moments today which really dont amount to much at all anymore. Anyway. Great fight.

2 GIGANTES DO UFC!!! 👏👏

total respect for these two. legends.

Pride meant something a lot different back then

Both Don and Ken are pure legends. Ken has more skills, but I think Don is just a natural born fighter.

what a fantastic fight. That beating by Don to Ken would likely have been stopped in the UFC by my judgement. Amazing performance by both, absolute top. Thank you!

How Frye did not tap to the ankle lock at 23:40 is insane. The amount of pain he must have endured would be excruciating. He really hated Shamrock that much.

Two MMA heavyweights but above all two legends. Respect to them both.. Total respect for these two. Legends.

It would be hard to find two men like this in the UFC. There has been some rivalries in the UFC, but never anything like this. Two men with the only mission was to break the will of the other. Incredible.

Holy shit that was the best fight I've ever seen thank you RU-vid algorithm

The only person to ever match Don Frye’s stare down was Don Frye when he caught himself in a mirror one night. The mirror eventually shattered and Don Frye walked off into the sunset with a piece of beef jerky that he kept hidden in his mustache.

21:13 that fight was over in todays MMA. Ken is a beast for fighting through that onslaught and continuing! Total warriors that truly are LEGENDARY! They’re the men who paved the way!

Those era's where legendary in the fighting sports

The best formula for a fight is an intense rivalry punctuated by mutual respect after they demonstrated their prowess to each other. Its violent and wholesome at the same time.

the staredown is incredible. one of the most intense. and the show of respect at the end of the match is awe inspiring. this is one for the books.

Damn, I can’t believe I watched this fight 21 years ago already. Time does slip by and you get reminded sometimes by these types of videos.

The fights back then were so incredible. These fighters back then were tough as nails. AMAZING!

The UFC will never top "PRIDE"!!!! "PRIDE" is where I've seen the best fights ever!!!!!👊🤙💥

That instant recovery from Ken in the third was amazing. His arms went above his head like he was out then he came to in a heart beat!!

Big props for shamrock working so hard for the submission and Frye’s sheer determination to fight out of it. Amazing to watch.

Two of the best mma fighters of all time

I honestly miss mma fights like this. I hate that it has to be constant action now. This was a great fight even though not a lot happened.

Best part of the fight, the sportsmanship at the end. ❤

This fight took years off of both of their lives. I think neither could stomach losing to the other and would have died before giving up. Ken's recovery from the knockout was amazing.

2002 was a good year

Ken Shamrock was my favorite fighter as a kid watching UFC (he's probably my favorite fighter ever). Loved Tank Abbot as well. Did not like or appreciate Don Frye or Dan Severn, then, though. I had thought they were too boring to watch. But now, I realize just how spoiled I was to have been able to watch any of them. As I clearly did not understand what kind of man you had to be to step into that ring. Mentally and physically. It's one thing to know how to fight. And it's quite another to fight in that ring in front of everyone, and against the best. Especially then. Reminds me of when my dad had told me about Steve Scott and his multiple world records in running-and how, despite the records, the man had never won gold at the Olympics because he simply didn't have the guts to compete against the best.

Total respect to two great warriors, awesome fight and felt every second of it!!!

That reverse from Ken in round 3 after being almost finished was insane. What a champion

They both love and respect each other. These guys are at the top of the heap of all time greats. They both give it everything they have from the beginning bell

That was one of the greatest fight competitions ever!!! Endless stamina and "never say die" attitude by both of these amazing men!!! Massive respect to them both.

Don Frye is who I imagine Omniman from Invincible would be in real life.

2 legends ! That's all i can say.. thank you for posting this !

What an absolute battle. I was a 90’s kid and grew up knowing Ken as an awesome WWF wrestler. But to see him where he truly shined, it’s an honor. What a warrior he was

Omg…..ridiculous courage, toughness, skill…..we all need more men like this representing what we should strive to be….

The manliest staredown of all time

What absolute legends of the sport!

People fighting each other the best thing thats i always want to watching

What impresses me the most is the silence of the crowd and how they react ..you can hear word for word from the corners ...this is respect to the fighters truly focused on the fight

2 absolute UNITS and legendary hall of Famers, Can't believe I just found this fight. Thanks for the upload!

The best fight I have ever seen in my whole life. Without any doubt. From the beginning until the end with all respect. I could imagine how our testosterones hitted the top after watching this. Respect both of you guys and thanks for this fight after 21 years old later.

Can't believe Ken didn't get that foot lock that's like his signature move But Don is a beast he didn't even sit during the break. Much respect to both these guy's.

This was an epic, legendary fight with two extraordinary MMA fighters, recorded forever in the history of the sport.

A moment where enemies become two people who respect each other.

Bons tempos Eles ainda lutam???????? Saudações do Rio de Janeiro/Brasil

Гладиаторы 💪 Сейчас таких больше нет. Сейчас это деньги, трешток, шоу. Тогда это была война за жизнь. Герои

I was a huge Shamrock fan during these times, this fight was purely epic. These men were so amazing. Both being accurate in their own studies, knowing that the wrong move may give your opponent the advantage. What a battle. So impressive.

How can I find out what they each weighed at this event?

Eu vivi esse tempo, era muita emoção, quando ia passar na tv, ufc não chega perto

I’m not currently nor was I ever the biggest Ken Shamrock fan but you cannot deny that the man is one tough S.O.B. As is Don, obviously. They don’t make ‘em like the likes of these 2 savages, very much, anymore. Just monsters refusing to bend to their opponents will. 👏🏻👏🏻

Mr Don looks like an uncle everybody would love to have in their family

Old school mma was a fight of whose tougher more then any thing. Got to love it haha

Total respect for these two. Legends

It looked like Don was gonna destroy Ken out of the gate, but Ken's ground knowledge really turned things around there. Very impressive all around!

Ken was thinking "leg" as in Frye chicken drum sticks, so it came down to whose leg was going to give out, and it was as if Don said: "fvck you, I'm going KEN-tucky Frye your leg instead!!" 🤣🤣🤣

I'm gonna tell my kids this is the Pride movement!!

Don Frye's one of a kind ... A great warrior in the ring outside the ring hes a pure genetleman and patriot who loves being American 🇺🇸

Tremendous heart and courage on display here. Love the sportsmanship too after leaving it all in the ring.

The golden era - before social media & hype. This was as real as it got.

Have just been take place UFC 300, I don´t saw any of these great fighters like these two among others who made really amazing battles.

This brought tears to my eye what a couple of historic men Anybody who would step in the ring with Big Don Fry is awesome

The fact that these two went 30 minutes together is amazing. Most fights last 3 minutes.

The hug and respect at the end was great and just well Needed after such and epic bout

I heard Don Frye went home and built a log cabin right after this match.

Don was always my favorite but nice to see Ken in his prime !

"As soon as I walked out of the arena & got back behind that curtain, boy, I fell like a stone...We got pictures of me & all my crew in the locker room, & I'm laying on a table with ice on both ankles." -Don Frye, from J. Snowden's book about Shamrock. Dude was tough.

thanks for the title… Otherwise I would have thought it was Wolverine Vs. Magnum PI

Ahhhh, the excitement was real back then. Trading body punches, face kicks,, leg locks and toe locks.. 😅😅 Both great competitors and very capable. Miss those days, not so much current matches.

I love how at the end when Don is celebrating at the ropes, you can see Yoshihiro Takayama staring at him from the crowd.

Holy COW!!!! 2 freaking STUDS right there boys!!!! Just don't see men like this very often anymore. DAMN impressive!! Two champs in my book.

Bas Ruten as announcer! LEGENDARY

I always wanted this rematch

What a great fight

Love the old UFC fights. Respect to Don and Ken. Great fight with good discipline and sportsmanship 👍

Don Frye and Randy Couture are my top 2 favorite fighters of all time. Both absolutely amazing warriors, especially Don Frye. I think it's impossible to dislike him. The manliest man that ever lived while also being very honorable, humble and respectful.

Brutal..... This fight is underrated

The chemistry is out of this world

I get that this may be considered a boring fight by casual mma fans, but to me this is awesome. A lot of casuals don't understand how painful, and physically draining it is to battle in the clinch while taking and giving constant body shots over and over and over and over again. You can see the drama on their faces, and it's basically two men with ego's the size of Texas trying to test each others endurance, and resolve. Who will break first was the storyline of this fight, and neither guy broke despite being in intense pain, and exhaustion. They didn't want to waste too much energy trying to advance their position in the clinch because they were both so freaking strong, and it's not like they were just laying on each other. They were resisting each other the entire fight battling to get off the ropes, and trying to reverse position, and trying to wear each other down so they could finish well in the third round. If I got hit with that many short body shots by these men, I would have puked my guts out eventually, and I would probably tap to strikes before the end of the first round, and then I would start selling insurance or something instead of fighting professionally. The third round wouldn't have even been necessary for most fighters in this situation. If either of these guys fought this type of fight against a lot of the fighters today, it would be game over pretty quickly due to sheer exhaustion, and their raw strength, and endurance, yet these guys are able to go toe to toe in the clinch like two bears locked in a struggle for dominance, and territory, and were still able to explode at the end. If these guys can get one underhook, they have control, and if you make a mistake, you get taken down and either get submitted by Ken, or you end up with Don Frye on top of you which is basically hell on Earth. God forbid you have a barrage of heavy strikes coming at you with a huge mustache behind them. That mustache has a chin of it's own, and it's made of steel.

I like Shamrock but Don Frye in my opinion was the Master of the staredown.......2 Legends right here