In life, things don't always end up they way they're supposed to; the same can be said about the fight industry. This Friday night at Harrah's Reno in Reno, Nevada, Matt McGovern's Fight Republic MMA fight series is set to debut. It's a showcase for up-and-coming MMA amateurs looking to further their careers. In the headliner, Sean Shamrock, son of UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrok, will be taking his next step towards following in his father footsteps. What makes this even intriguing, however, is the fact that the 19-year-old Shamrock wasn't supposed to be stepping into the cage at all, having fought kidney cancer earlier this year.
After a highlight reel knockout in his MMA debut in July of 2010, the youngest son of "The World's Most Dangerous Man" wasn't supposed to be having only his second bout nearly a year later. In March of this year, a different and more frightening reality set into the life of Sean and the Shamrock family. Already into his Senior year of high school at Spanish Springs High in Reno Sean, then only 18, was diagnosed with kidney cancer and he was forced to have his kidney removed. After undergoing treatment, in late May, Sean was was able to return to Reno and join his classmates for the final week of his final school year. If not for his last name, Sean may have felt content to have accomplished overcoming the spiral roller coaster ride his life had become. The Shamrock legacy and Sean's own will, however, would not settle for that, so he resumed training for a mixed martial arts career.
So on Friday, Sean will courageously step back into the cage to face the winless, but ready, Craig Yustat in the hopes of resuming the successful MMA career he seemed destined for not too long ago. The Fight Republic show, sanctioned by Las Vegas based ISKA, is a 9-bout card taking place in the downtown Reno Arena at Harrah's. Bouts start at 7:30 PT and ticket prices are $50 ringside and $25 for general admission seats. Stay tuned to FightHype for results, post-fight interviews, and future Fight Republic fight dates to come.
What: Fight Republic MMA fight card
Where: Harrah's Reno (Reno, Nevada)
When: Friday July 8 at 7:30PM PT
Who: Main Event- Sean Shamrock vs Craig Yustat
Full fight card (bouts subject to change):
- Sean Shamrock vs. Craig Yustat
- Briggs Foreman vs. Will Saminski
- Matt Mccrary vs. Robert Rojas
- Trent Wishart vs. Ryan Hayfield
- Michal Orzel vs. Mike Morales
- Matt Lively vs. Carlos Sanchez
- Luke Fitzgerald vs. Corey Carlson
- Shawn Goode vs. Eric Vance
- Steven Lively vs. Garrett Willis