DIN THOMAS PLANS MMA WELCOME FOR MAYORGA
Monday, February 15,
2010 - by Brian Lopez-Benchimol - MMAWeekly.com
Former UFC lightweight contender Din Thomas has been on a
roll. Since bidding farewell to the UFC and the 155-pound class in early 2008,
the American Top Team product has gone 3-0 as a featherweight, most recently
earning a second-round TKO over Dustin Pague on Jan. 8 of this year.
After a near year of inactivity, not a whole lot of offers were made
when Thomas was ready to step back into the cage to compete. One promotion rose
over the rest and when they made the offer, Thomas couldn’t
refuse.
“Shine (Fights) stepped up and was like yeah, they liked me and
that means a lot to me, more so than anything else,” said Thomas while speaking
exclusively with MMAWeekly.com
“As of right now, Shine Fights, they
stepped up to the plate and for me that’s important and that meant a lot to me
because for a while nobody was really trying to step up to the plate. I was like
jobless; I was on the corner with a ‘fighting for food’ sign. I couldn’t get a
fight.
“They looked out when I was trying to get fights; they stepped up
and offered me a deal.”
Recent speculation has risen that Thomas will be
making his Shine Fights debut opposite former world champion boxer Ricardo
Mayorga at an as of yet announced event this Spring.
Though nothing has
been set in stone, Thomas is trying to remain as optimistic as possible about
the proposed match-up in what would be the first time a boxer of Mayorga’s
caliber has attempted to assimilate into the world of mixed martial
arts.
“I’m trying to be as positive as I can about that match-up; I’m
going to say ‘yeah’ too,” said Thomas.
“I’ve been reading the (news) just
like everybody else.
“They say if you really want it bad enough, just go
ahead and assume that it’s going to happen and it’s going to happen, so I’m
going to say it’s going to happen, just because I want it that bad. (Shine
Fights) told me that there’s a good chance that I could be fighting him, it’s
just a matter of crossing some t’s and dotting some i’s,” said “The Ultimate
Fighter” alumnus.
“I’ve already signed with (Shine Fights). I’m assuming
he has, and I’m already studying his films, studying what he does, and I’m
already training for him. I’m just telling everybody it’s going to happen so
hopefully he doesn’t back out and definitely steps up.”
While Thomas
isn’t hesitant to stand in front of the former middleweight and welterweight
boxing champion, he would favor a more tactical approach, picking Mayorga apart
by whatever means necessary.
“I wouldn’t stand and bang with Steve
Urkel, that’s just not my style,” said “Dinyero.”
“I pick people apart.
To say that I won’t stand with him is crazy because I will stand with him, but
to stand and bang with him is even crazier than that, because I don’t stand and
bang with anybody. I’m going to stand and pick him apart.
“If I’m going
to go in there and stand with him, at least give me the option to kick,” said
the surging 145-pounder.
“I’m definitely going to be kicking and kneeing
and elbowing him. I mean, welcome to MMA, I’m sorry. If he wanted to box we
would have put on eight ounce gloves and boxed, but this is MMA so everybody
wants me stand with him, at least give me the option to kick him and I’m going
to.”
Mayorga, who has competed against some boxing’s best – including
Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, and Fernando Vargas – is known for his crazy
persona both in and out of the ring. Travelling well out of his weight class is
something that both Thomas and Mayorga have done in the past and Thomas is
willing to allow the boxer the leniency of choosing the weight category because,
after all, fighting someone of Mayorga’s stature would be a dream come true for
the Floridian.
“That’s what makes this fight so compelling because we’re
both crazy,” said Thomas.
“This fight, if it happens, it will be a
little bit heavier, probably some where between 55 and 70. I fought as high as
70 before, so I don’t really care about that.
“You’re going to see a lot
of different things in that fight. I mean, that’s just a dream-come-true matchup
for me.”
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