Former NFL Star Shawne Merriman On Podcasting, The Return Of Lights Out XF, MMA, Positivity, Productivity & More

Active in the NFL from 2005 through 2012, Shawne Merriman was a 3-time Pro Bowler, in addition to being the NFL’s Defensive Rookie Of The Year in 2005 and the NFL sacks leader in 2006. Football was not the only sport Merriman excelled in as he was a stand-out high school basketball player, earning both all-state and Maryland Defensive Player Of The Year honors from his work on the court.

Beyond playing on the field in the NFL, Merriman has also crossed over into a successful career in broadcasting — most recently launching the ‎Lights Out With Shawne Merriman podcast in September 2020 — and other sports-related ventures. Beyond working with the WWE, Merriman has worked on various projects related to NASCAR and the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation. Merriman also keeps busy with a variety of projects related to the licensing of his “Lights Out” trademark.

The latest sports-related project from Merriman was the starting of the MMA promotion, Lights Out Xtreme Fighting. LXF produces premier MMA events focused on developing the next great stars of the sport. A reimagination of the long popular California Xtreme Fighting (CXF) league, LXF is headed by Shawne Merriman along with partners and co-owners Steven Bash and George Bastrmajyan. Merriman, Bash and Bastrmajyan plan to revolutionize the way MMA is viewed and consumed by claiming authority as the premier mixed martial arts promotion in Southern California. Lights Out XF will be making its live event return to The Commerce in Commere, California on August 7, 2021 for LX5.

Following our initial conversation in January 2020, I had the pleasure of speaking with Shawne Merriman a second time, this time via Zoom — as embedded below for your viewing pleasure — on July 14, 2021. More on Merriman and the LXF can be found by clicking here, here, here and here.

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Tags: Lights Out, Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, MMA, NFL, Shawne Merriman, WWE

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."