Press Release – April 22, 2013 – The two new stars in the MFC’s newest division are physically the smallest men on the roster, but they have created one of the biggest buzzes of any fight in company history.
And for Ryan “Baby Face” Benoit he’s enjoyed every minute of the ongoing war of words he’s engaged in against upcoming opponent Anthony Birchak. All of their heated banter is leading to a hotly anticipated battle in the MFC’s debuting bantamweight division at MFC 37: True Grit.
“The Twitter battles and words back in forth have been fun to me. I’ve never had so much public hype on a fight so it’s something kind of new to me but it’s all fun and games,” said Benoit.
“I’ve never truly gotten angry about any of the comments. I just laugh and try to think of something better to say.
“The real battle will be in the ring. Talking trash to me is just for the attention and helps promote the fight and ourselves as fighters. It’s something we will have to get good at and used to as fighters as we grow bigger and bigger in our careers.”
The next big step comes Friday, May 10 when Benoit (6-1) and Birchak (9-1) forget about the barbs and instead exchange strikes and submission. Their fight highlights the AXS TV Fights card emanating live from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation).
The verbal rivalry took an interesting turn last week when Birchak and the hosts of an online radio show all stated that Benoit was no big test and that the fight would come to a quick conclusion. Benoit wasn’t the least bit concerned about the on-air shot he was taking, opting to patiently wait for the right time to shoot back.
Ready … aim … fire!
“Anthony is going to be on the list of my quick finishes,” stated Benoit.
“His wild brawling and swinging to a takedown won’t work on real skilled fighters.
“I have a feeling his career is about to have a big setback of losses after this because his poor skills are about to be exposed. There is a reason I was begging for this fight and everyone will see why May 10th.”
Benoit (Twitter: @babyfacebenoit) may very well know what he’s talking about, having racked up four of his six wins inside the opening round plus five career victories coming by way of knockout. The Dallas, Texas, product is keeping a relatively standard method to his training camp, raising the focus in just a few specific areas.
He’s not at all worried about Birchak’s plan of attack. Instead he’s focused on making sure things go his way once the opening bell rings.
“I honestly see the fight going however I want it to,” said Benoit. “If he tries to take me down, it’s bad news for him. My ground game has yet to be exposed, and in all reality, the world hasn’t even seen how good my stand up is yet.”
An impressive outing for the winner of this showdown will put them into a fight to become the MFC’s first bantamweight champion. Benoit wants to makes sure he’s first in line to the crown.
“Being in the MFC is dream come true in my career,” Benoit stated. “I feel very blessed to even be able to get on the show and now the exposure I’m getting as a fighter and a person is amazing.
“I really want that beautiful MFC belt and I’m curious already to see who I will be fighting for it and I’m ready to bring a real belt back home to Texas and show everyone what a Dallas fighter is all about.”
Tickets for MFC 37: True Grit are available at www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.