Regional Heavyweights Vying for Bellator Contract at Shamrock FC ‘Aftershock’

Shamrock Fighting Championships has been around for many years and the promotion has long served as a pipeline of Midwest MMA talent for major MMA shows. Never before tonight has one of the fights of a Shamrock FC card had such big-show implications.

In the main event of Saturday’s Shamrock FC “Aftershock,” Bobby Brents and Shane Grant will battle it out for the promotion’s heavyweight championship. To thicken the stew, the winner will also land a guaranteed contract with Bellator MMA.

“I’m ready to go, get this win and move on to Bellator,” said Brents, who works full time in a state prison just outside Springfield, Ill. “Winning the heavyweight title would be great, but to get a contract to fight for Bellator is something else entirely. When I win, all of the heavyweights -- not only in Bellator, but in the entire sport of MMA -- will be on notice. Everybody will be on my radar.”

Brents has been on the cusp of the big-time for a while now, having already taken on quality opposition like Stipe Miocic and Jared Rosholt. Though he came up short against both UFC fighters, the “Zombie” has been pounding on the opposition for a few years already and has won back-to-back fights via knockout. He expects to continue the trend against Grant.

“I don’t think he does anything of note, to be honest,” Brents said. “He hasn’t faced nobody, really. I know he doesn’t have the kind of experience that I do, so there is nothing that he does that I should be worried about. I’ve been in this cage a long time now.”

Grant, a Kansan without as much experience as Brents, is a beast of a man who has scored knockouts in all four of his wins.

“I’m very excited for this fight. It’s a great opportunity. Bobby is a big guy and he’s tough with a lot of experience,” Grant said. “Most of the guys I fight, when I hit them a few times, they collapse, but I don’t think he’ll do that, which is what I want. I need this type of fight.”

Like his foe, Grant feels the added pressure of getting the contract with Bellator. Grant said he isn’t even thinking about getting on with the bigger promotion, because if he doesn’t take care of business tonight, there will be no contract.

“For me, it’s not even really about fighting for the chance to fight for Bellator,” Grant revealed. “My job right now is to beat Bobby and do it convincingly. If I don’t get past him, then I won’t be fighting for (Bellator) until way later, so I’m not even worrying about that stuff. All I am focusing on his knocking Bobby out.”