Efrain Escudero takes contract with Shine Fights
Lightweight mixed martial artist and upcoming prospect Efrain Escudero has signed a contract with Shine Fights after being cut from the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
"Going to Shine is the first step to becoming a world champion. As far as my career goes, things happen, and I don't live in the past. I'm excited to get this show on the road," said Escudero in a statement.
Escudero was cut from the UFC after irking president Dana White by badly missing weight for his 15 September fight against Charles Oliveira. He fell to Oliveira by third-round rear-naked choke and cut, despite
having won his previous fight and going 3-2 in the UFC over his career. But White had said his release was based upon Oliveira (13-2) not taking fighting seriously enough.
Despite his release, and having some hard feelings towards the UFC, Escudero told mmafighting.com that he was joining Shine Fights because it looked like a good stepping stone back into the world’s largest
MMA promotion.
"I was offered pretty good money and for [a contract] that wasn't for more than one year," Escudero said. "Eventually I want to make my run back to the UFC and prove to Dana White and everybody else that
I can do the job they hired me to do."
Escudero will be one of the biggest names in the Shine Fights organization. The 24-year-old Mexican burst onto the scene after he won the eighth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality television program,
bringing his record to a perfect 10-0 in the process. One of the other big names in the Shine lightweight division is Drew Fickett, who won their lightweight grand prix, but Escudero said in the interview he had no intentions of fighting him.
"Drew Fickett fights there and he was the champ of their tournament, but I wouldn't want to fight Drew. Drew was my mentor. He was the guy who introduced me to MMA, so I would never want to fight him just
because of the respect that we have for each other."
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