PASADENA, Calif. - From a three-point stance, to a new type of dance, Shawn Merriman isn’t rushing quarterbacks anymore, but he’s found his adrenaline rush.
“If you look at it, it’s the same thing in MMA. You get in that cage and it’s you versus the other guy across from you,” said Merriman.
Merriman played eight years in the NFL, and after hanging up the cleats, he’s the first to understand that when you retire from being a professional athlete, chances are you feel like you’ve left something out there.
“You know guys having controlled aggression, that’s one thing that makes athlete’s the way they are,” he said.
That’s why Merriman is quite literally organizing a little bit of chaos with his very own mixed martial arts league, Lights Out Xtreme Fighting.
'Mr. Lights Out' wants his fellow retired athletes to know this is a chance to let it out.
“You just have to find what that passion is that gave you that same feeling as what you did as a professional athlete,” said Merriman.
The next fight is scheduled for July 6.