Shawne Merriman has opened up about the day he thought he was going to have to battle it out with Randy Couture.
The NFL legend, who built a reputation for his explosive power and unrelenting will to win, is just as passionate about MMA as he is football.
The former linebacker, who owns Lights Out Sports TV has teamed up with Signature Punch Promotions, ICS (Influencer Crossover Series), to stage a huge boxing match between Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Rashad Evans, on April 12, inside The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
The major event will mark a massive milestone in the natural-born athlete’s combat sports journey.
WOW: ‘People thought I was crazy’… Randy Couture reveals the UFC win that meant the most to him
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Shawne Merriman did not want to fight Randy Couture
When the opportunity came up for Shawne Merriman to try out MMA, he jumped at the chance.
However, while the gifted sportsman was a force of nature on the football field, the idea of going toe-to-toe with Randy Couture was undeniably an imposing idea.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Merriman said his craziest MMA memory is: “Probably the first day I met Randy.
“Jay Glazer from Fox Sports had seen me in his gym hitting mitts. My uncles were professional boxers, so naturally, I grew up boxing.
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“He walks up to me and says, ‘I think you should do MMA, because I think it will help you in football’. I said, ‘Ok, sure, text me an address’.
“The next day, I walked into the gym, and Jay Glazer is on my left, and Randy Couture is on my right. So, in my head, I’m thinking that Jay is trying to get me to fight Randy Couture.
“I’m looking back-and-forth at Jay, and I said, ‘Listen, there’s no way I’m fighting Randy Couture, today’.
“He was still competing; he had just won a belt at 44-years-old, so Randy was in peak condition. This is when I found out, that no matter how much I did on the football field, no matter how many weights I lifted, it didn’t matter.
“Randy was tossing my a– around left and right. I just couldn’t understand the leverage and his skill set. I’m not going to say it humbled me, because I didn’t walk in thinking I was better than anybody, but I saw how difficult this sport was.
“Then, we got on the ground and started doing a bunch of ground work, again, he’s so skilled, I left the gym that day feeling defeated.
“I texted Randy on my way back down to San Diego, and said, ‘What time are you coming in the gym tomorrow? Because when I get done working out for the Chargers, I’m coming back up. So, that was really my introduction to MMA.”
It’s no surprise that Merriman didn’t fancy going head-to-head with ‘The Natural’. After all, Couture is a man who once beat a fighter 100 pounds heavier than him.
However, in the end, the training session couldn’t have worked out any better for the former Buffalo Bills star, with the time he spent with the two-weight UFC champion, changing his life forever.
Why Shawne Merriman thinks Rampage Jackson vs Rashad Evans is the combat sports equivalent of Khalil Mack vs Micah Parsons
Merriman simply can’t wait for the showdown between Rampage and Evans, with the match-up between two ex-UFC Kings, capturing his imagination.
Having proven their ability inside the cage beyond doubt, the idea of the pair exchanging blows inside the ring, is undeniably an intriguing prospect.
Therefore, the football star, who often gets compared to Alistair Overeem, had an interesting way of selling the fight to NFL fans.
Utilizing his promotional skills, Merriman explained why Rampage vs Evans is the combat sports equivalent of Khalil Mack vs Micah Parsons.