Thomas, Ex-Boxing Champion Mayorga to Carry Shine Fights 3
Brian Knapp Feb 24, 2010
American Top Team’s Din Thomas
will meet former two-division boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga in
the Shine Fights 3 “Worlds Collide” headliner on May 15 at the
Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C. The promotion on Wednesday
greenlit the match and the event, which will air live on
pay-per-view.
Thomas has rattled off three straight wins since being cut by the UFC in wake of his April 2008 decision loss to Josh Neer. The 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has delivered 21 of his 25 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. A semi-finalist on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Thomas owns wins over one-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, former UFC lightweight king Jens Pulver, former two-division Deep titleholder Dokonjonosuke Mishima and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Clay Guida.
Mayorga -- perhaps best known for his victories against the late Vernon Forrest in 2003 -- holds a 28-7-1, 1 NC record as a professional boxer. The 36-year-old Nicaraguan last fought in September 2008, when he suffered a 12th-round knockout at the hands of Shane Mosley in Carson, Calif. He has never before competed in mixed martial arts.
A matchup between former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua and UFC veteran Falaniko Vitale will likely appear on the Shine Fights 3 lineup, as well. The promotion also has former Bodog Fight champion Nick Thompson and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Braulio Estima under contract.
Thomas has rattled off three straight wins since being cut by the UFC in wake of his April 2008 decision loss to Josh Neer. The 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has delivered 21 of his 25 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. A semi-finalist on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Thomas owns wins over one-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, former UFC lightweight king Jens Pulver, former two-division Deep titleholder Dokonjonosuke Mishima and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Clay Guida.
Mayorga -- perhaps best known for his victories against the late Vernon Forrest in 2003 -- holds a 28-7-1, 1 NC record as a professional boxer. The 36-year-old Nicaraguan last fought in September 2008, when he suffered a 12th-round knockout at the hands of Shane Mosley in Carson, Calif. He has never before competed in mixed martial arts.
A matchup between former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua and UFC veteran Falaniko Vitale will likely appear on the Shine Fights 3 lineup, as well. The promotion also has former Bodog Fight champion Nick Thompson and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Braulio Estima under contract.
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