Remember Shine Fights? The company that put on the Ricardo Mayorga VS Din Thomas match? Oh yeah, that didn’t happen. Well, they did put on a pretty good lightweight tournament back in September. Sadly, that was the last show they did in 2010. More bad news for the fledgling company as COO Jason Chambers and matchmaker Santino DeFranco have resigned from the organization.
MMA agent Ken Pavia, citing a text from Chambers, today confirmed the news on MMAjunkie.com Radio. The organization, headed by brother of UFC alumni Dorian Price, Devin Price, has been plagued by plenty of trouble but losing these two high-ranking executives does not bode well for them.
Chambers joined the promotion after the collapse of “Shine Fights: Worlds Collide” AKA the event where Mayorga would have fought Thomas. The May show was canceled on the day of the event because of numerous regulatory issues and a contract dispute that halted boxer Mayorga from making his MMA debut.
Chambers debuted with Shine Fights in September’s single-night lightweight grand prix, which Drew Fickett ultimately won. However, Shine Fights couldn’t get clearance from Virginia’s regulatory body to host the show in the state because the organization allowed fans to vote on opening-round match-ups, turning a brilliant marketing ploy into a disaster. Just a few days before the pay-per-view show, it was moved to Oklahoma.
Defranco was a contender on “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” in 2009, where he lost to Andre Winner by TKO in the first round in his second fight in the house (or first after he won his spot in the house depending on how you look at it). He has not competed since his appearance on TUF.
The organization recently announced the signings of fighters such as Rolles Gracie, Mike Ciesnolevicz and Efrain Escudero, but announcements of upcoming shows have still not been made. To date, the organization has hosted three shows, including one in 2010, a year after their last show. Will Shine Fights survive to put on another show and escape the ditch they inevitably dug or are they just another company for the history books to remember and for us to forget?
MMA agent Ken Pavia, citing a text from Chambers, today confirmed the news on MMAjunkie.com Radio. The organization, headed by brother of UFC alumni Dorian Price, Devin Price, has been plagued by plenty of trouble but losing these two high-ranking executives does not bode well for them.
Chambers joined the promotion after the collapse of “Shine Fights: Worlds Collide” AKA the event where Mayorga would have fought Thomas. The May show was canceled on the day of the event because of numerous regulatory issues and a contract dispute that halted boxer Mayorga from making his MMA debut.
Chambers debuted with Shine Fights in September’s single-night lightweight grand prix, which Drew Fickett ultimately won. However, Shine Fights couldn’t get clearance from Virginia’s regulatory body to host the show in the state because the organization allowed fans to vote on opening-round match-ups, turning a brilliant marketing ploy into a disaster. Just a few days before the pay-per-view show, it was moved to Oklahoma.
Defranco was a contender on “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” in 2009, where he lost to Andre Winner by TKO in the first round in his second fight in the house (or first after he won his spot in the house depending on how you look at it). He has not competed since his appearance on TUF.
The organization recently announced the signings of fighters such as Rolles Gracie, Mike Ciesnolevicz and Efrain Escudero, but announcements of upcoming shows have still not been made. To date, the organization has hosted three shows, including one in 2010, a year after their last show. Will Shine Fights survive to put on another show and escape the ditch they inevitably dug or are they just another company for the history books to remember and for us to forget?
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