Din Thomas Signs With Shine; Showdown With Mayorga Coming?

MMA Spot confirmed today that nine-fight UFC veteran Din Thomas has signed a deal to join Shine Fight Promotions. Thomas recently made headlines when he called out professional boxing star Ricardo Mayorga in advance of Mayorga’s MMA debut this coming March. Thomas' pointed words for the slugger may have lead to the signing, and it now looks like Shine may have decided to put Mayorga’s will to fight top competition, and Thomas’ chin, to test.

Shine officials would not confirm a Thomas vs. Mayorga bout, although an earlier report from The Sporting News seemed to indicate otherwise. Shine Fights media official David McKinney did state that Thomas, who last fought at featherweight, had been signed to fight at lightweight and that the organization is looking forward to having Thomas as part of their tough lightweight division. McKinney did not disclose the terms or length of the contract, but it is likely that Thomas will make his debut for the company at their next show in March 2010.

Din Thomas' Quotes

If the fight materializes, it could easily be seen as a win-win scenario for Mayorga and the organization. Debuting in MMA against a fighter of Thomas’ caliber is nearly unheard of, not even UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar took on such a test in his first professional bout. The bout would also give the organization a pay-per-view caliber main event.

Thomas (24-8) last fought on the Roy Jones, Jr. promoted “March Badness” card in the spring. He was set to fight WEC’s Javier Vasquez at “Ultimate Chaos” in June, but had to pull out of the fight after issues with Mississippi commission officials caused Thomas to be unable to make weight.

Since then, Thomas has been engaged in various projects, including an acting role in the critically acclaimed independent film “Loren Cass” and releasing a comprehensive set of instructional DVDs. The 52 volume 22 DVD set “1001 Submissions” was released this past November.