Dan Shenk is climbing back into the cage.
Considering two years have passed since his last fight, he might have some rust to shake off in his match tonight in Dawson Creek at King of the Cage Mile 0.
Shenk, who sports a 3-5-0 mixed martial arts pro record, is matched against Dawson Creek fighter Kris Miskenack (3-1-0). Theirs is the third-last match of an 11-fight card.
Both are known as standup fighters and Shenk said his biggest challenge might be a battle with the scales. He's been working in a coal mine and took the fight on short notice, which will require him to shed 17 pounds to make the 185-pound weight bout.
"I took this fight on 10 days notice and I started at 204," said Shenk, a member of the Shank Tank MMA gym. "That's the worst part about fighting, cutting weight. I love the fighting part."
Shenk last fought April 11, 2009 in Lethbridge when he lost by submission in the main event of Rumble in the Cage 34 to Jesse Bongfeldt. A series of injuries after that forced Shenk out of the fight game and now that's he's healed he figures he's got another four or five years left to fuel his passion for sport. He doesn't figure his fight against Miskenack will go the distance.
"I've had trouble with wrestlers but this guy is a standup fighter and I do well against standup fighters," Shenk said. "I predict a quick finish for this fight."
In the 170-pound main event, Garrett Davis of Vancouver (14-11-0) is pitted against Gabe Rivers of Eloy, Ariz. (13-20-1)
The semi-main event features 53-year-old UFC veteran Dan "The Beast" Severn (99-16-7) against 26-year-old Ryan "The Vanilla Gorilla" Fortin (4-3-0) of Wetaskawin, Alta., who stands six-foot-seven and weighs 261 pounds.
Five Prince George fighters from Murray Sholty Jiu Jitsu -- Tim Jefferys, Hank Lukyn, J.J. Daoust, Brandon Budd and Dave McLellan -- are also on the Mile 0 card,
Jefferys (1-5-1) takes on Nick Smith; Lukyn (1-0-0) is matched with Cameron Loutit (1-0-0); Daoust (2-0-0) faces Behrang Yousefi (0-0-0); Budd makes his MMA debut against T.J Klassen (1-1-0); and McLellan has his first MMA fight against the untested Morgan Gosse.
