Shamrock FC: 314 - Preview

Shamrock FC comes out firing to kick off its 2019 season.

The Ameristar St. Charles will host SFC 314 with the return of a familiar face, a trio of promising young pros, and an amateur bantamweight title that fuels the St. Louis vs Kansas City rivalry.

St. Louis' Kevin Engel laces up the gloves for a return in a kickboxing match against Shahryar Zofaghari, a Muay Thai specialist out of Chicago. Engel - a veteran of over 50 professional fights who has flirted with retirement in the past - returns for the first time in several years and will be putting down the SFC commentators headset to headline the evening.

Zofaghari, fighting out of Midtown Athletic Club, has over 35 kickboxing bouts and while he doesn't have the lengthy pedigree of his opponent, a former World Combat League vet, he will have youth on his side as Engel will turns a ripe 39 in just a few months.

The bout will have some history added to it as it is the first professional kickboxing match to be held inside a SFC cage.

Recovering from a hand injury suffered in July, "Scrappy" Dustin Lampros is back to look to make it three wins in a row. Lampros has cruised to a perfect 2-0 to start his professional career and will take on tough, veteran Raul Romero out of KC.

Just when the buzz was starting to fade, Corbin Howard jumps back into the spotlight. Howard, a full time student at Lindenwood University, returns after more than a year layoff to the very same venue where he made his professional debut. He will face Nick McClean, (2-1) a tough flyweight out of Illinois who owns wins over Dan O'Connor and Dillon Tolbert. Howard will make a sizable step up in competition with McClean and will need all of his tools to stay undefeated.

Colin Parr has treated the Shamrock FC crowd to some of the most exciting amateur fights in past two years. Fans will remember his bouts with Evan Elder, and Justin Lankford just to name a few. Now a pro, Parr once again is matched for what could be a show-stealing fight. Parr, out of Watson Martial Arts, will take on "Too Cold" Montrel James, a long and dangerous striker. When he's dialed in, James posses good technical striking, a strong clench, and hard punches coming from odd angles. The question in this bout will be if Parr can close the range and take the fight to the ground where he will have the advantage. Make sure and circle this fight on your fight card.

In a pair of professional debuts, Brandon Pearson, from the Academy of Courage, takes on "The Mule" Kevin Mueller. Mueller is dangerous off of his back, something Pearson will have to watch out for in this good, competitive fight to kick off the all pro main card.

On the amateur side of things, Tim Jackson returns to defend his SFC bantamweight belt against out of town competition in the form of 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.

Popular kickboxer Dan Herina returns to action after a punishing first round KO in November at River City. Herina connected with a punch that turned out the lights of his opponent with only nine seconds left in the first round. Herina will take on talented amateur kickboxer Chiavy Rith in a middleweight kickboxing title match.

The entire card will be streamed live on FloCombat, and tickets will be available from the Shamrock FC store.

Full card: (Subject to change)

Kevin Engel vs Shahryar Zofaghari - Kickboxing
Dustin Lampros vs Raul Romoero
Corbin Howard vs Nick Mcclean
Colin Parr vs Montrel James
Brandon Pearson vs Kevin Mueller

Tim Jackson vs Travis Sumler - 135 MMA Title
Dan Herina vs Chiavy Rith - 185 Kickboxing Title
Jeff Rittenhouse vs Zack Burcham
Jason Gavril vs Shaun Briggs
Cory Tinnon vs Justin Jewel
Adrienne Bellawoo vs Lyz Anderson
Jason Brown vs Brandon Breault - Kickboxing
Vince Hutchens vs Richard Jones
Thomas Coghill vs Nathan Biggs

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