Shannon Ritch facts for kids

Shannon Grey Ritch (born September 27, 1970) is an American professional fighter. He competes in many styles, including mixed martial arts, boxing, grappling, professional wrestling, and kickboxing. In mixed martial arts, he was once the King of the Cage Middleweight Champion. He was also the first-ever BKFC International Heavyweight Champion in bare-knuckle boxing. Shannon Ritch has been a professional competitor since 1998. He has fought for many big organizations like M-1 Global, Combate Americas, Pancrase, K-1, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, and PRIDE.

Early Life and Training

Shannon Ritch was born in Coolidge, Arizona. He grew up on a farm in Randolph where his family had little money. He started learning karate when he was young. He also competed in high school wrestling. Later, he became an amateur kickboxer around 1988. Shannon went to Central Arizona College and Arizona State University.

Career Journey

Shannon Ritch spent a short time in the United States Army with the 4th Infantry Regiment. This ended in 1996. After that, he worked for a private security company called Blackwater. During his time with Blackwater, he went to places like Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This experience helped him train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It also led him to a career in professional mixed martial arts.

Shannon started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1996. He earned his black belt in 2007. He still trains military personnel in mixed martial arts. He is often seen at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. At one point, Shannon was a bodyguard for a United States Congressman while working as a private contractor.

Mixed Martial Arts Fights

Starting Out

Ritch first fought in 1991 in Mexico. However, many of his early fights were not officially recorded by athletic groups. His first officially documented professional fight was in 1998. Shannon has fought over 200 professional MMA matches. His full record includes 124 wins, 92 losses, and 2 draws. Some of his fights from as far back as 1991 were not officially documented. His documented record from 1998 shows 58 wins and 88 losses (with 4 no-contests).

Fighting in PRIDE

Shannon had a record of 13 wins and 16 losses (plus one no-contest) before joining PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan. He made his debut there on October 31, 2000, at PRIDE 11. He fought against the famous Japanese fighter Kazushi Sakuraba. Ritch lost that fight by a leg submission in just over a minute.

The PRIDE organizers were impressed with his showmanship. So, Ritch fought again for the organization at PRIDE The Best Vol. 2 on July 20, 2002. He faced a skilled fighter named Daisuke Nakamura. Ritch lost this fight by an armbar submission in the first round.

Fighting in Pancrase

In 2004, Pancrase became interested in Shannon. This was after he won against Ray Elbe and Eddy Ellis that same year. His first fight in Pancrase was against Yuki Kondo, a fighter who had also competed in PRIDE and UFC. Ritch lost this fight at Pancrase: Brave 6. In 2015, he fought professional wrestler and MMA fighter Hikaru Sato at Pancrase 269. He lost that fight too. Even with these losses, Ritch still works with Pancrase. He sometimes teaches classes at the Pancrase Gym in Japan. He has even appeared in ads for their energy drink.

King of the Cage Champion

Shannon has a record of 2 wins and 14 losses in 16 fights for King of the Cage. Despite this record, he became the KOTC Middleweight Champion. He won the title by defeating Canadian fighter Elmer Waterhen by submission in the first round. Shannon later lost the title to Garrett Davis.

Road to ONE: RUF Nation

Ritch was supposed to fight fellow MMA veteran Aaron Brink at Road to ONE: RUF 44 on October 23, 2021. This event was a partnership between RUF and ONE Championship. However, Brink pulled out of the fight. Samson Guerrero took his place. Ritch won the fight by submission using a rear-naked choke.

Grappling Skills

Shannon has been very successful in grappling competitions. He has won many NAGA, Grapplers Quest, and IBJJF events. Recently, he won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the UAEJJF Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Phoenix, Arizona. He also won a gold medal at the Grand Canyon 2017 BJJ Open. At the SJJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, he won two gold medals in the Gi and No-Gi heavyweight masters division. He also earned a silver medal at the Arizona State BJJ Championships.

Ritch has had notable grappling matches against famous fighters. These include Rodrigo Gracie in 2007 and Ben Askren in 2009. He also fought Ron Keslar in 2017 and Marcelo Nunes, which ended in a draw. In 2016, he had a no-gi match against Jeff Monson in Russia.

Bare-Knuckle Boxing

Ritch started his bare-knuckle boxing career in the mid-1990s. He fought in an arena in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Shannon currently has a record of 26 wins and 3 losses in bare-knuckle boxing. All of his wins have come by knockout. In 2019, he was ranked as the #8 heavyweight bare-knuckle fighter in the world. In 2016, Shannon was set to fight boxing star Bobby Gunn for a special championship. The winner was supposed to get a $100,000 bonus, but the fight never happened.

BKB Fights

In 2018, Shannon had a bare-knuckle fight for the BKB promotion in the UK. He fought Canadian fighter Jack Draper at BKB 6 in the O2 Arena. Ritch lost in the second round after a TKO that some people disagreed with.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Ritch was scheduled to fight again in bare-knuckle boxing in 2019 for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships. He fought Omar Molina at BKFC 4 in Cancun, Mexico. Shannon won the fight by knockout in just 26 seconds of the first round.

Professional Wrestling Career

Battlarts

Ritch made his professional wrestling debut in October 2001 for the Battlarts promotion. He wrestled against UWFi veteran Daijiro Matsui at an event called Battlarts Yuki-Bom-Be-Ye ‘01. Ritch lost the match by pinfall.

New Japan Pro Wrestling

In 2003, Ritch signed a one-year contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling. This contract was to help him train and grow as a wrestler. He had one match against Rocky Romero. The match ended in a double count out. This happened because both wrestlers kept fighting outside the ring even after the time limit.

WrestleFanFest

Shannon took part in a "Night of Indy’s" battle royal match in 2007. This was at the WrestleFanFest Malice in the Palace event in Daly City, California. The event also featured mixed martial arts fights. It took place at the Cow Palace, a venue known for hosting MMA events. Shannon won the match. He was the last one left after eliminating Timothy Thatcher and former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Classic.

Championship Wrestling from Hollywood

Shannon signed a contract for one match with Championship Wrestling from Hollywood in 2018. This match was in China. He appeared in an earlier fight against Wenbo Liu, which was a rematch from a 2017 MMA fight. Ritch lost this match by disqualification after he brought a steel chair into the ring.

Hart Legacy Wrestling (2020–Present)

In 2020, Shannon announced he was returning to professional wrestling. He signed up for a two-month tour with the Canadian promotion HLW. He made his debut on February 20 in Wabasca, Alberta, Canada. He fought Kenny Lester, a member of The New Hart Foundation. Shannon won the match by pinfall after a distraction from Ken Shamrock.

On March 26, 2022, Ritch returned to HLW for their first live event on FITE TV in Elmira, New York. He won the HLW Showdown Championship by defeating TJ Epixx with an ankle lock submission.

Acting Roles

Ritch has appeared in two episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. He played a Biker Gang Member and a character named Knight. In 2011, he was an extra in the movie Choke. He also appeared in CSI Las Vegas as Thug #2 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Cage Fighter #1. He was an MMA Fighter in an episode of iCarly. In 2010, he was in an episode of Numbers. He also appeared on the History Channel in an episode of Ultimate Soldier Challenge.

More recently, in 2017, he was in the direct-to-DVD film Bullets, Blades and Blood. This movie was directed by Robert Parham and Warren Foster. He was also in the 2018 film No Way Out, directed by Jeffrey D. Parker. In 2017, Shannon started filming a movie about his mixed martial arts career. This movie, called The Real Last Samurai, was planned to be released on HBO in late 2019. In 2021, Shannon co-starred with Mickey Rourke and Donald Cerrone in the movie The Commando.

Golfing Hobby

Ritch is also a very good golf player. He has won first place in many state and pro-am competitions in Arizona. This includes winning two Veterans Golfing Association first-place medals in 2018 and 2019. These tournaments are hosted by the United States Golf Association.

Lethwei Fights

In July 2001, Ritch was invited to compete in Lethwei (traditional Burmese boxing) in Yangon, Myanmar.

Ritch was matched against the Burmese fighter Ei Htee Kaw. The fight was held at a weight of 165 pounds at the Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium. Ritch started the fight strongly, making his opponent play defense. In a moment that caused some disagreement, Ritch knocked down Ei Htee Kaw in the first round, but the referee did not count him out. Ritch kept attacking. At one point, Ei Htee Kaw turned away and raised his knee to defend himself. Ritch accidentally hit himself on Ei Htee Kaw's knee, which went right into his stomach. Ritch could not breathe and went down immediately. The fight was declared over without Ei Htee Kaw throwing a punch.

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