Shawn Jordan likes to hit people. Jordan has spent the last six years hitting people in some fashion. The El Paso, Texas, native played fullback for LSU from 2003 to 2007, playing in 40 games. Jordan also played all 14 games in 2007 en route to earning a national championship ring. Jordan’s transition into mixed martial arts was seamless. He began his journey as an All-State wrestler at Riverside High School in El Paso, then traveled to Baton Rouge. Jordan was known as a hard-hitting fullback and special teams player at his time at LSU. A move to MMA seemed to fit. “I just transitioned into it,” Jordan said. “I had a lot of friends doing it, so when I finished football, I just moved into it and started training and getting fights. I enjoyed it.”Now, he hits people without pads — in his new career as an MMA fighter. Jordan (3-1) is slated to fight Friday in the highly-advertised Louisiana vs. Florida Ultimate Cagefighting Event at the River Center. He will face Corey Salter (7-12) in a heavyweight bout. Salter is trying to rebound from six-straight losses. The event advertises former LSU student athletes against former Florida student athletes in 12 “action-packed” bouts. The rest of the Louisiana team has connections to Baton Rouge as well. Baton Rouge policeman Richie McCloskey, former Tara High wrestler Ben Kristonis and former Baton Rouge High wrestler Thomas Webb are among the notables. Jordan said fighting in front of a home crowd will be special. “Every fight is a big fight,” Jordan said. “But any chance you get to fight in your hometown when you have a huge fanbase and a lot of people that love and support you, it’s great to fight in front of them.”Jordan’s MMA career didn’t start as smoothly as he had hoped. Jordan broke his hand throwing the starting punch in his first fight. He said the fracture didn’t deter him. “It made me more focused and made me want to learn proper technique and get some skill at fighting,” Jordan said.Jordan has an overall record of 8-2 dating back to his amateur MMA fights, according to MixedMartialArts.com. In his three victories, Jordan has won by submission, knockout and a TKO — signs of a versatile fighter.”I just try to be as balanced as I can be,” Jordan said. “I go off of toughness and speed, I guess. I just fight and do whatever it takes to win, either standing up or on the ground.”Jordan will try to rebound from a first-round knockout loss to Kenny Garner on Sept. 6 in Biloxi, Miss. Jordan only lasted 51 seconds before being flattened by a Garner punch. The defeat was the first of Jordan’s professional career. “I got caught,” Jordan said. “He threw a good punch and got me.”The loss, coupled with a hometown crowd, is plenty motivation for Jordan to win the fight. “I love to fight in front of people I know, but at the same time it’s really gratifying to come off a loss and be successful again,” Jordan said.Jordan said many options exist for his future. He works at Fitt, a physical training and therapy clinic in Baton Rouge. Jordan said he might stay at Fitt or possibly return to school. He also likes the idea of  fighting in more prestigious MMA organizations like UFC and Strikeforce. “I would love to fight anywhere in the bigger leagues,” Jordan said. “There’s more of a living you can make doing that. I’d love to fight in big shows and big cards.”Jordan has had the rare opportunity to compete in two of America’s most popular sports — college    football and MMA. He said the two, though exhilarating, don’t compare. “Winning a fight is huge,” Jordan said. “But you train months to get one fight, whereas you train months to play 12 games. They’re just different. It’s a different feeling. When you win a fight, it’s kind of like scoring your first touchdown in Tiger Stadium.”Jordan does not have any bouts scheduled after Friday’s contest. “I’ll probably fight in November and January,” Jordan said. “I haven’t signed any contracts. I’ll wait to hear from promoters until after the fight. I have to take it one fight at a time.”
 
 
 
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