LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND FORMER NFL PLAYER WES SHIVERS LEADS STRONG GROUP OF LOCAL FIGHTERS ON STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS UNDERCARD FRIDAY, NOV. 19, IN JACKSON, MISS.
UNDERCARD PRECEDES SIX-FIGHT MAIN CARD LIVE ON SHOWTIME®
NEW YORK (Nov. 11, 2010) – Former NFL player-turned-Mixed Martial Arts fighter, popular heavyweight Wes Shivers, of Brandon, Miss., returns to the cage to face Goldman Butler, of Tupelo, Miss., in the top undercard fight of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event in Jackson, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 19, at Jackson Convention Complex LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT, (delayed on the West Coast).
“I’ve been kicking it around for awhile that I wanted to get back in there,” said Shivers, a star offensive tackle at Mississippi State who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans where he saw action in three games. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons before being released and walking away from the game.
“I didn’t really have any motivation to get back to training. I got the phone call from (local promoter) Dave Ferguson who asked me if I wanted to fight again. I thought it was a great opportunity to be able to fight in front of my home crowd. Not to mention it’s a STRIKEFORCE show. I had to take the opportunity.”
In the main event on the first STRIKEFORCE event in Mississippi, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (20-4) will face Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (9-3) of Cincinnati in a lightweight (155 pounds) match.
The 33-year-old, 6-foot-8 Shivers (7-1), a Rankin County Deputy Sheriff, will take on Goldman (1-3) during the non-televised portion of a card that will include many fighters from Mississippi andTennessee.
Shivers said it was a lifelong dream to play in the NFL, but he has no regrets over his short-lived NFL career, which ended in 2001.
“Any kid growing up in America wants to play a pro sport and I accomplished that goal,” he said. “When I got in there I realized what the whole business was about and it really wasn’t my cup of tea. I saw an opportunity to walk away from the game without any regrets and I did it. Looking back, I still don’t have any regrets. It’s a business. Like any sport, if you take the fun out of it, it’s not worth playing anymore.
“I had several opportunities to go other places after I was released. I just decided I could do more with my life than play football.”
Shivers started training for MMA as the sport began to get hugely popular in Mississippi and he had his first professional fight at the end of 2005.
“I just loved the competitiveness of it and testing myself on a daily basis,” he said.
Before Shivers and Butler tangle, Jacob “Pyscho” Noe (3-1) of Memphis, Tenn., will take on Wesley “Pitbull” Little (2-4) of Columbus, Miss.
Other pro bouts will pit four middleweights (185 pounds) against one another: Jeremiah “Bigg Rigg” Riggs (6-5) of Vicksburg, Miss., meets Jason Sharp (7-2) of Biloxi, Miss., while Jamie Houston of Olive Branch, Miss., takes on Dave Martin of Southhaven, Miss., in both fighter’s pro debuts.
Among the scheduled amateur undercard bouts: Anthony Mitchel (4-1), Madison, Miss., vs. Jeffrey Hedgepeth (2-1), Silver Creek, Miss, at a catch weight of 200 pounds; Brian “The Law” Hall (2-1), Memphis, Tenn., vs. Thomas “Die Hard Kid” Vasquez (14-3), Horn Lake., Miss., in a bantamweight (135 pounds) bout; and in welterweight (170 pounds) fights, Joel Cooper (9-2), Jackson, Tenn., vs. Brian Burse (8-1), Corinth, Miss.; and Travis Robertson (8-3), Memphis, Tenn., vs. Ken DuBoise (2-0), Jackson, Miss.
Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Coliseum box office and Be-Bop Record Shops, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com and STRIKEFORCE.COM.
Doors at Jackson Convention Complex will open at 6:45 p.m. CT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. The first fight on SHOWTIME will begin at 10 p.m.
About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie." In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose. In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network. The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.
CONTACT: STRIKEFORCE :
Mike Afromowitz (917) 566-8754, mafromowitz@strikeforce.com
Brener Zwikel & Associates:
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John Beyrooty (562) 233-7477, Johnnybey@aol.com