Shamrock FC Birthday Blowout

On June 15, Jesse Finney and Shamrock FC will celebrate their 15th anniversary at River City Casino's brand new 1,600-seat event center.

The state of the art facility boasting four LED screens, stage and stadium seating, made its debut this past weekend with country music star Dirks Bentley.

"Our first show was at the Carpenter's Hall off of Hamtpon," Finney said. "We've moved to so many different venues from the Oz to Pops, the Rum Jungle, the Strafford Inn twice. We did the Viking, we did casinos, Grand Center, we did some shows there. We've probably been to fifteen different venues. This will be the nicest venue we've ever been to so far."

Former Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is among the long list of invitees.

"We've had a great response," Finney said. "Scott Coker is going to be there. Three different TV stations will be there, and a lot of celebrities from St. Louis will be there. It will be a big deal."

River City is the likely location of a soon to be made television deal for Shamrock FC.

"We're going to announce a TV deal very soon," Finney said. "We don't want to be just a local show, we want to be more on a national scene, and we'll have to do that through TV."

In April, Shamrock FC expanded its operation to the Kansas City market with its first pro/am. Already partnered with Ultimate Blue Corner and Harrah's Casino, adding professional fights was the next logical step.

"In 2013 we're already in three difference casinos, and we'll be going into some other ones," Finney said. "We have a lot of options open. We will have a TV deal, and we'll be working with some more casinos."

One particular match-up on the fight card will be a special nod to 15 years in the hurt business. ‘Mean’ Mike Green was the first sanctioned St. Louis amateur fighter, and after more than 50 fights, Green will make his pro debut on the June 15 card.

"We started Fight Me, we brought in the World Combat League, Strikeforce," Finney said. "We started working with Steve Smith doing professional boxing and MMA. Every major promotion that has came to St. Louis we have worked with."

Saturday's card is headlined by Ultimate Fighter alum Adam Cella taking on Strikeforce-vet Justin DeMoney out of Iowa. Shamrock FC has loaded the card with familiar names from their roster including Brian Schell, Susie Wyatt, Josh Weston, Dustin Fischer, and Aaron Highfill, among others.

For more on the match-ups for this event, check out our full event preview.

"There is nobody that works harder than us," Finney said. "I'll challenge anybody to that. From Rob Donaker to Jacob Claffy, everyone works hard. If you don't have passion for what we do, you won't last in this business."

Shamrock FC: Uprising
Saturday, June 15th
River City Casino - St. Louis, MO
http://shamrockfightingchampionships.com/