Part 3: • Don Frye on His Match ...
Part 1: • Don Frye on Fighting i...
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In the latest clip, Don Frye opened up about his star-making performance at UFC 8 where he knocked out local favorite Thomas Ramirez in eight seconds. Later in 1996, Frye fought Tank Abbott, who was one of the most feared competitors at the time. After defeating Abbott with a chokehold, Frye admitted that their rivalry is still active - so much so that Abbott ignored him when they ran into each other over a decade ago. After talking about fighting outside of the ring, Frye addressed accusations that his third fight against Mark Hall was fixed. He denied the claims by highlighting that he had already defeated Hall their two previous fights.
Following his victory at UFC's Ultimate Ultimate 96 Tournament, Don Frye retired from the UFC and joined New Japan Pro Wrestling where he became a star in Japan. Frye admitted that growing up watching Ric Flair, Terry Funk, and Bruno Sammartino influenced him to join pro wrestling. However, Frye suffered a broken neck and returned to MMA where he joined Pride Fighting Championships.
Shortly after joining Pride, Frye fought UFC Hall of Fame member Ken Shamrock in a classic bout. Frye talked about taking oxycodone before the fight and suffering hairline fractures to his ankles during the fight. While he won the fight by a split decision, he admitted that him and Shamrock were not the same after the fight.