![]() He and Bash had promoted approximately 200 events, and some of their top fighters had clashed with high-profile opponents from Golden Boy Promotions and Don King’s MMA ventures. … I said, ‘I can add an element to his fight game that’s missing because of my background with the NFL and the story I have to tell about why I love the sport so much.”īastrmajyan was skeptical. I want to rebrand this as Lights Out Xtreme Fighting. “I went to two fights, I said, ‘We have to do this and I want to be involved.’ I sat down with them and said, ‘I’ve got a crazy idea. He met Bash and Bastrmajyan, who co-owned California Xtreme Fighting, and approached them about joining their team. Last May, Merriman found another way to deeply immerse himself in MMA. However, he still trains daily with fighters and hasn’t ruled out a debut. But he decided that given the time commitment required, and the demands of his other business ventures, he couldn’t sufficiently devote himself to that career. … I knew that I was going to be involved in the sport when I retired at the end of 2012, but I didn’t know what capacity.”Īfter working in 2016 with Bellator, one of the country’s biggest MMA promotion companies, Merriman began training for his own fighting debut. "Every offseason, it turned into a little more. So, I just kind of fell in love with the sport. My rookie year, I noticed that I wasn’t very good with my hands, just from watching film and old footage, so I said, you know what, let me try this MMA thing out. “(In) 2005, when I got drafted by the Chargers, MMA had just started to pick up as it came onto the scene. “Boxing and combat sports was just in my blood anyway,” he said. But eventually, he found martial arts - the offseason training tool he used to improve his conditioning and pass-rushing techniques - offered deliverance.įour years later, Merriman has found his new pursuit, spearheading the growth of Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, an independent mixed martial arts league sanctioned by California.Īnd even though his own athletic path led him to the football field, Merriman remained a boxing fan. He struggled with the feelings of isolation. But despite tackling various ventures, including his Lights Out clothing line and television broadcasting, something was missing. Merriman saw McCain not as damaged goods but rather his ideal target: a highly skilled athlete craving a fresh start, a new sense of purpose.Īfter an eight-year NFL career, the former San Diego Chargers star retired following the 2012 season. Meanwhile, Merriman, a former three-time Pro Bowl linebacker, was positioning himself for his own second act: mixed martial arts fight promoter and league owner. After being charged two misdemeanor counts of battery in June 2018 and later being cut by the Indianapolis Colts, McCain couldn't find an NFL team willing to sign him . The athlete in the clip shot at a gym in Greensboro, North Carolina, was Chris McCain, a defensive lineman at a crossroad in life. Shawne Merriman was scrolling through Instagram last year when a video of a sparring session stopped him.
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