Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman enters MMA without taking punches

ANAHEIM, California — Former NFL star Shawne Merriman has signed with Bellator MMA.

He won’t be following fellow retired gridiron star Herschel Walker into the cage for promoter Scott Coker, however.

At least not yet.

Merriman attended the Bellator 160 news conference at Honda Center on Thursday to announce a partnership between his Lights Out brand and the organization.

According to the former star linebacker of the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills, the agreement is a perfect fit for his line of workout apparel.

“It’s a major platform for my brand and something I’ve been eyeing for a very long time,” said Merriman, who incorporated mixed martial arts techniques during his football career and continues to train in the sport. “I couldn’t be more excited for it to happen with Bellator because I look at it in much the same way I do Lights Out. We’re looking to take it to another level so we want to grow as they grow.”

Merriman said he briefly considered several offers to take MMA fights after his NFL career ended in 2012. Though he hesitated when asked if it was still a possibility, Merriman doesn’t foresee putting on the gloves for a professional fight.

“I would say (the door is) closed,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s a different kind of dedication you need to have and I respect the sport way too much to half-ass my way into it.”

Following a spectacular stretch of seasons in San Diego, Merriman retired after three injury-plagued years in Buffalo.

“I retired from football so I could dedicate all my time to the Lights Out brand,” he said.

Even though Merriman doesn’t intend to fight, his partnership with Bellator may be only the beginning of his foray into MMA.

Merriman also intends to sign some fighters to Lights Out, which he describes as a fitness company.

“We started as a lifestyle,” he said. “We sell compression stuff you can work out in and then apparel you can wear after you’re done. We’ve got t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats. We wanted to make sure we covered all our bases.”

Bellator president Scott Coker said the deal makes perfect sense.

“He has a real savvy business mind and he wants to grow his apparel brand,” said Coker, who isn’t as quick to dismiss the possibility this could lead to Merriman stepping in the cage. “I said, ‘Look, why don’t we work together to help you build your brand and you can get out there and talk about Bellator and we can have a nice friendly relationship.

“And then if you ever want to fight one day, we can have you fight.”

Merriman applauds the work Coker is doing with Bellator.

“I really have a passion for the sport,” he said. “I’m just excited to partner with not just Bellator, but with Coker. He’s just a guy you want to be involved with because you know he’s not afraid to take things to new heights and do something outside the box.”

That includes once signing Walker, a star running back in both college and the NFL, to compete in two MMA fights when Coker was running Strikeforce.

Walker, who is now 54, last fought in 2011 and is 2-0 with a pair of knockouts.

When asked if it was possible he could match Walker and Merriman up in the cage one day, Coker chuckled at the thought.

If the fight did happen by some chance, Merriman’s logo will be splashed across the cage.

Bellator 160, headlined by a lightweight contender bout between Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and former UFC champion Benson Henderson, airs Saturday on Spike TV at 7 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.