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Spokane Shock

McCombs prepares for cage

Jason Shoot Correspondent

Tattoos inked across his arms and standing an imposing 6-foot-4, Ben McCombs looks the part of a tough guy.

He intends to prove looks aren’t deceiving Saturday night.

A stalwart defensive lineman for the Spokane Shock, McCombs is stepping into a mixed martial arts cage for the first time professionally at Arena Rumble, a 14-fight card scheduled for 7 p.m. at theArena.

Another pair of area fighters – Coeur d’Alene’s Trevor Prangley and Spokane’s Lyle Beerbohm – is on the card, as well as one of the sport’s most recognizable fighters, Trevor Horn.

McCombs said he’s trained for the past three months for his debut against Justin Grizzard. Getting used to the physical nature of mixed martial arts hasn’t been difficult, but the technical skills necessary to excel in the sport aren’t easy to master.

“It’s definitely something new, and I look forward to it,” McCombs said at a press conference at Northern Quest Casino on Thursday. “Training was definitely hard, harder than football practice. … I feel good being in my shoes.”

Beerbohm, who will grapple with Josh Martin on the undercard, said McCombs is a natural-born fighter. Beerbohm is undefeated in his career (22-0 by his count) and already has endured many of the early lessons McCombs is learning. On the cusp of breaking through in the sport, Beerbohm is focusing on winning a title belt with Strikeforce, an MMA promotional organization.

“I’ve watched tape of Josh, and he’s pretty tough,” Beerbohm said. “I think he’s going to get beat up in this fight, though, unfortunately. There’s no two ways about it.”

Prangley, 37, will face journeyman Dennis Reed, a veteran who turns 40 today, and said Saturday’s fight will be his 110th career MMA bout. The two joked about staying upright and trading punches in the co-main event rather than toiling on the canvas.

“That’s good for me,” Prangley said. “Wrestling is a lot of effort.”

Horn, 34, is an elder statesman in the sport and will fight Jason Guida in the other main event. Horn’s career has spanned much of the modern era of mixed martial arts, and he’s stepped in the cage with most of the sport’s best, including Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva.

“I’m like a 13-year-old kid,” Horn said. “Fighting’s just something I love to do.”