Shamrock FC: 314 - Notebook

Shamrock Fighting Championships kicks off its 2019 campaign Saturday at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles.

"We love the Ameristar, that place is always buzzing," SFC President Jesse Finney said. "From a production standpoint, we will have a few surprises and we have less than 80 tickets left on Monday of fight week."

Shamrock FC 314 features a wealth of young talent, but a hard-hitting local veteran takes the center stage.

Kevin Engel, a stalwart of both the local boxing, kickboxing, and MMA scene, will headline the night when he faces Shah Zolfagnari in a unique contest. Engel and Zolfagnari will kickbox inside the SFC cage. The promotion has featured amateur kickboxing at its MMA events several times, but Saturday will mark SFC's first pro kickboxing bout to be inside the fence.

"It's fitting that Kevin is headlining," Finney said. "This is the first kickboxing bout we have had be the main event since the old school days. Kevin is fighting a killer out of Chicago who is a three-or-four-time national champion."

In the co-main event, Dustin "Scrappy" Lampros (2-0) fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida training at American Top Team will face Raul Romero (4-5) fighting out of Raytown, Missouri. Lampros has won his last two fights in the very first round each by TKO. Romero is also coming into this fight with two wins under his belt both by TKO.

"I like (Lampros), he's well-rounded but he's fighting a guy who has no quit," Finney said. "Romero is old school and super tough."

Corbin Howard (1-0) will take on Nathan Lindsay (1-0), out of Nashville, Tenn. No question, Howard is one of the top prospects in the St. Louis region.

"Corbin Howard never has a boring fight," Finney said. "He's explosive, flashy, tough, and gets right in your face."

Howard defeated Zachary Harvey by armbar in the first round at Shamrock FC 301. Lindsay also won by submission against Dre Miley in the second round at Valor Fights 38.

Colin Parr, (1-0) fighting out of Watson MMA, will meet Chris Petty (4-6). Parr has excellent jiu-jitsu skills the pair well with his striking. He is making his second pro appearance since winning his first fight against KeMonjea Jones at Shamrock FC 309 when he defeated him by armbar in just 36 seconds. Petty is coming into this fight with three straight losses.

"I think this is a sleeper fight," Finney said. "Petty was a good amateur and his fight against Dakota Bush was one of the best fights we ever had at the Lumiere Casino. This is a big step for Colin, but he gets better every single fight."

Brandon Pearson vs. Kevin Mueller kick off the main card in what is the pro debut for both.

The highlight of the all amateur undercard is Timothy Jackson defending his 135-pound SFC title against Travis Sumler. Sumler has been tearing it up on the western half of the state, winning several fights for Shamrock FC in their home away from home at Ameristar KC.

"Travis doesn't look the part," Finney said. "He keeps his head down, has sort of a weak handshake, but he continues to win. But can he handle the strength and power of Tim Jackson?"

SFC 314 will air live on FloCombat and it marks the debut of Olympic wrestler Sammie Henson joining the broadcast team.

For more information, including ticket purchasing, visit shamrockfightingchampionships.com

Full card: (Subject to change)
Kevin Engel vs. Shah Zolfagnari
Dustin Lampros vs. Raul Romero
Corbin Howard vs. Nathan Lindsay
Colin Parr vs. Chris Petty
Brandon Pearson vs. Kevin Mueller

Preliminary Card (all amateur):
Tim Jackson vs. Travis Sumler (bantamweight title)
Chiavy Rith vs. Dan Herina
Jason Gavril vs. Shawn Briggs
Jason Brown vs. Brandon Breault
Jeff Rittenhouse vs. Zachary Burcham
Jimmy Timmerberg vs. Joe Rivas
Adrienne Brusca vs. Lyz Anderson
Vince Hutchens Jr. vs. Richard Jones

Shamrock FC: 314
Ameristar Casino, St. Charles, MO
Saturday, January 12th