Huge win for ‘Big Deal’ at MFC 28
Jimmo wins title, slick Fickett racks up victory at Supremacy
Press Release – Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo seized the moment when it was there and secured the MFC world light-heavyweight title with a third-round TKO win over Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis in the main event of Maximum Fighting Championship’s MFC 28: Supremacy.
The event went down at a sold-out and raucous River Cree Resort and Casino, just outside Edmonton, Alberta, and aired live on HDNet Fights.
Jimmo (14-1) earned his 14th consecutive win by finishing Lewis (13-7) at the 3:13 mark of Round 3 when referee Brian Beauchamp, after consulting with the ringside physician, waved off the bout. After a trip takedown and some heavy-handed ground-and-pound, Lewis’s face was severely damaged with a huge hematoma under his left eye and a likely broken orbital bone. It was a crushing setback for the Fort McMurray, Alberta, product who had an overwhelming army of supporters in attendance.
“It’s a dream come true to win the MFC title since this is the place where my career began,” said Jimmo, now lives and fights out of Edmonton, Alberta.
“I plan on keeping this belt over my shoulder for a long time.”
In the semi-main event, Drew “Night Rider” Fickett (41-13) made short work of late injury replacement Matt Veach. Fickett, who was supposed to challenge Antonio McKee for the MFC lightweight title until the champ sustained a knee injury and could not defend, needed only 36 seconds to secure an armbar submission of Veach (15-3).
Fickett, who fights out of Tucson, Arizona, left no doubt as to who is the rightful top contender in the MFC’s stacked 155-pound division.
“It doesn’t matter to me who has the belt. I’m coming for it and it will be mine. I’m making my home in the MFC,” said Fickett.
Lightweights Richie Whitson and Curtis Demarce put forth an early contender for Fight of the Year in a scintillating stand-up battle.
Demarce, who fights out of Brandon, Manitoba, nearly put Whitson away early on as he repeatedly tagged the Temecula, California, product, with an overhand right that bloodied Whitson. Demarce continued to connect in Round 2 and seemingly had Whitson in trouble, but the native Alaskan rallied and turned the tables on Demarce when he found his opponent’s chin with a devastating kick. After a back-and-forth final round, the bout went to the judges and Whitson escaped with a narrow victory via split decision.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 with Whitson (11-1) taking the nod on two cards. The gut-wrenching loss ended a seven-fight winning streak for Demarce (10-8).
Two other bouts were left in the judges’ hands as well. After charging through a dominant first round, Sheldon Westcott, who was fighting in front of his home-town fans, ran out of steam and allowed veteran Thomas “Wildman” Denny to gain the upper hand especially in Round 3. However, both fighters were left frustrated by the end result. While judges Brian Beauchamp and Vern Gorman each had one fighter getting a 29-28 nod, judge Bill Warwick saw it even at 28-28 and the fight was ruled a split draw.
“I’d rather have the win or the loss, but not a draw,” said a dejected Westcott (4-1-1). “We have to do this again and settle it.”
Denny (27-18-1), too, called for a rematch, though he hoped it might take place on neutral ground.
The other fight to go the distance saw Tyrone “T$” Glover (6-0) control much of his encounter with Robert “The Beast” Washington (9-2). Glover had several shots at a submission including a very tight triangle late in Round 2, but was unable to secure a finish. Still, the Wheat Ridge, Colorado, product took the decision, albeit in split voting (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Former MFC light-heavyweight champ Emanuel “The Hardcore Kid” Newton did secure the submission when he got the opportunity, coaxing a tapout via rear-naked choke from Rodney Wallace at the 4:34 mark of Round 2. For Newton (14-6-1), who fights out of Long Beach, California, it was a triumphant return to the MFC as he tries to regain his footing in the 205-pound division, while Charlotte, North Carolina’s Wallace (10-4) was unable to build on his win from MFC 27.
Preliminary results:
Dan Ring def. Garret Nybakken – tapout via rear-naked choke, 2:21 Round 2
Brendan Kornberger def. Paapa Inkumsah – unanimous decision
The Maximum Fighting Championship returns – and makes its debut in the Province of Ontario – on Friday, April 8 when S.L. Feldman’s & Associates presents MFC 29: Conquer live from The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor.