Shannon Ritch
From FightWiki
 |
Name | Shannon Ritch |
| Nickname | The Cannon | |
| Association | Team Cannon | |
| Weight Class | Welterweight (170 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 9" (176 cm) | |
| Style | Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai | |
| Birth Date | September 27, 1970 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Coolidge, Arizona | |
| Country | USA | |
| Shannon Ritch Pictures | Official Website |
Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the welterweight division.
There has been some conspiracy surrounding Rich, as many believe that he has "worked" many of his fights and been willing to "take a dive," and has on numerous situations. An example of this was his fight with Brian Ebersole (see section below for details).
As of July 2009 he has competed in 116 professional fights with 45 wins and 67 losses and 4 no contests. Ritch is one of the most known and experienced journeymen of mixed martial arts. Of all his numerous fights, only two have been recorded to make it past the first round.
In 2009, Ritch was scheduled to face Eric DaVila for the first-ever Shark Fights Welterweight Championship, but when DaVila failed to make weight, the bout was changed to a non-title affair. Though Ritch went on to lose the fight, he was still chosen for his next fight with the promotion to be for the still vacant Welterweight title. He faced off against Anthony Waldburger, submitting to an Armbar early in the first round.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 45 - 70 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) (4 NC) |
| Wins | 7 (T)KOs 36 Submissions 0 Decisions 2 Other |
| Losses | 18 (T)KOs 52 Submissions 0 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Garett Davis | TKO (Punches) | KOTC: Combustion | 5/28/2010 | 1 | 3:17 | |
| Loss | Bill Mahood | Submission (Punches) | KOTC: Fearless | 4/24/2010 | 1 | 1:00 | |
| Loss | Anthony Zamora | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | NMCF: New Mexico Cage Fighting | 4/17/2010 | 1 | 1:17 | |
| Loss | Jarid Bussemakers | TKO (Punches) | KOTC: Thunderstruck 2 | 3/18/2010 | 1 | 2:09 | |
| Win | Elmer Waterhen | Submission (Toe Hold) | KOTC: Nailbiter | 1/22/2010 | 1 | 2:37 | |
| Win | Marcus Gaines | Submission (Armbar) | NCF: National Cage Fighting | 10/09/2009 | 1 | 0:43 | |
| Loss | Jose Landi-Jons | TKO | KOTC: Capital Excalibur | 7/18/2009 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Joey Rivera | Submission (Injury) | KOTC: Legends | 6/06/2009 | 1 | 1:17 | |
| Loss | Anthony Waldburger | Submission (Armbar) | SF 4: Shark Fights 4 | 5/02/2009 | 1 | 1:37 | For first-ever Shark Fights Welterweight Championship |
| Loss | Eric DaVila | Submission | SF 3: Shark Fights 3 | 3/14/2009 | 1 | 1:15 | Originally for first-ever Shark Fights Welterweight Championship; DaVilla failed to make weight so it became a non-title affair |
| Win | John Wood | KO (Kick) | SF 2: Shark Fights 2 | 12/13/2008 | 1 | 0:15 | Re-match; as first fight ended quickly and both fighters wanted to stand and bang |
| Win | John Wood | Siubmission (Heel Hook) | SF 1: Shark Fights 1 | 10/24/2008 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Danny Bennett | Submission (Armbar) | CageSport: MMA | 8/30/2008 | 1 | 0:37 | |
| Win | Joe Vigil | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Xp3: The Proving Ground | 7/26/2008 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Todd Medina | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Strike FC: Night of Gladiators | 4/18/2008 | 1 | N/A | |
| Win | Jasper Lockett | Submission (Triangle Choke) | CCCF: Battle on the Border | 3/29/2008 | 1 | 1:02 | |
| NC | Brian Ebersole | No Contest | FCP: Malice at Cow Palace | 9/09/2006 | 1 | 3:46 | Result overturned by the CSAC (see section below for details) |
Suspicion of Throwing Fights
Rich has been the topic of a bit of controversy, as many have suspected him of throwing fights, working fights, and taking dives.
Examples
After Ritch faced off against Brian Ebersole the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) suspended both fighters indefinitely.
The CSAC believed that their fight was “worked” as they barely engaged and they could be seen talking while on the ground. Eventually Ritch tapped and Ebersole was declared the winner but the fight was quickly ruled a no contest and both fighters were suspended immediately.
Some had suspected Ritch of taking dives before, though this seemed to be a bit more obvious to spectators.
Previously, back in 2005, Ritch fought Dan Severn twice, and was suspected by some to have worked both fights (or at least their second one in Hawaii), though Ritch went on record to say that was not the case.
- "No. That was not a work," said Ritch to MMAweekly.com. "This isn't the WWF man. This is MMA."
Cancellation of Drew Fickett Bout
In 2009, Rich was expected to fight Drew Fickett at a Rage in the Cage event. After showing up, Fickett was barred from fighting due to being heavily intoxicated. Shannon Ritch explains:
- "It's true... I showed up to fight, made weight, and waited for Drew. Drew finally showed up, saw him with the DR. Pre fight physcial and yep, he was a little wasted. Police were out front they gave Drew a breath-a-lizer, I believe I heard them say he blew a .18 (2X the legal limit). Its just sad, I am a huge Drew Fickett fan, he is a great fighter, but obviously has a problem. He is in a dark time in his life. I hope he gets it together."
- "All I can say about Rage In The Cage is they did the right thing. They paid me in full and even tried to get another fighter to replace Drew, no luck. Jpet and Roland did all they could to get the fight to happen, even going as far as giving Drew time to sober up, to no avail. He was just really drunk."
- "Im sad for the fans that bought tickets. I had over 100 people there from my home town to watch me fight. Maybe next time."
