Shawne Merriman carved out an incredible legacy in the NFL, but whenever he traveled overseas, he was compared to Alistair Overeem.
The former linebacker played with maximum intensity on the field, writing his name in the history books by making three Pro Bowls.
Shawne Merriman has been compared to Alistair Overeem
At the peak of his powers, Shawne Merriman was a truly fantastic player, competing his heart out at the San Diego Chargers, where he became the NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2005.
However, while the athlete pursued football, he undoubtedly could’ve found success in MMA. After all, this is an incredibly powerful man, who earned the nickname ‘Lights Out’ by knocking out four opponents in one game during his sophomore year in high school.
During a trip to Las Vegas, Merriman went to watch Randy Couture vs Chuck Liddell, and fell deeply in love with MMA, eventually deciding to try it himself by training with ‘The Natural’.
With a passion for combat coursing through his veins, the Washingtonian started Lights Out Xtreme Fighting.
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His promotion’s next event, LXF 21, will take place at The Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, USA.
Ahead of the big night, we caught up with Merriman, and asked him if there are any famous fighters who have a similar style in the cage to the way he played on the football field, and the question prompted him to reminisce over what people used to say about him whenever he went abroad.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, the 40-year-old said: “It’s funny; I used to get compared to Alistair Overeem a lot. Whenever I was traveling outside of the States, people always thought that I was that.
“Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was one of my favorite fighters. His style, because of his ability to pick you up, powerbomb and slam you, have that big knockout power. He was scary. When he was walking to that cage, he was howling and that music was playing, that chain is on, he’s scaring people before he got there.
“And then, me coming to the field with a nickname like ‘Lights Out’, you’re like, ‘That dude is coming to knock somebody out; he’s coming to cause problems’. You almost instil that fear into somebody before the match even starts.
“I saw Francis Ngannou; we were training sometime at Xtreme Couture, so I’ve seen him there, and he’s a big dude who looks like he played football. So there’s some guys.”
Shawne Merriman can’t wait to watch an LXF commentator fight in the cage
It’s fair to say Merriman is excited for his event on Saturday evening, with the ex-football star particularly encouraging people to watch Arnold Jimenez vs Keenan Lewis, with the winner likely to one day sign for the UFC.
But what stands out for the Buffalo Bills icon more than anything else is the voice of LXF leaving his position at the desk for one last dance.
He enthused: “Our commentator, Blake ‘Bulletproof’ Troop is coming out of the booth and getting into the cage, possibly for his last and final fight. Everybody is coming out to see Blake.
“The reason I hired him is because he’s so d**n articulate about the sport, you hear him talk, and he can walk you through the action.
“Me, being on TV, I understand when I see someone who’s really good, because they can break the sport down to the point where the average ‘Joe blow’ couldn’t understand.”
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