Tag: MFC

Press Release

Razak Al-Hassan has a plan he wants to put in motion. To do so, the hard-hitting 28-year-old has decided to make it happen in the Maximum Fighting Championship.

Fresh from signing an exclusive four-fight deal, Al-Hassan (10-2) has agreed to make his debut at MFC 27: Breaking Point in a showdown against crowd-favorite Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis (12-5). The fight will be one of the featured bouts on the HDNet-televised main card of the event slated for Friday, November 12 at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta.

Al-Hassan, who trains under Duke Roufus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been searching for the right platform to showcase his talents and desire to succeed. “Razor” feels that finally the search is, at long last, over with and now it’s his time to shine.

“The MFC is one of the best organizations anywhere and I’m coming there to establish my legacy in this sport and to become one of the best 205-pounders around,” said Al-Hassan.

First and foremost when it comes to building that legacy is for Al-Hassan to be the kind of fighter he wants to be. It’s a unique blend of strategy and explosiveness.

“Being in this sport it’s an opportunity to be exciting. It’s not just good enough to win and not be exciting,” he explained. “That doesn’t do anything for the sport and it doesn’t do anything for the fans. Look at a guy like Jon Fitch. He’s a good fighter but he’s not exciting. Personally I don’t want to watch that guy fight.

“You’ve got to find the right balance between putting on a good show, being someone the fans want to watch fight. You don’t want to be reckless but you don’t want to be too cautious either and just win. I think I’ve found that balance and everyone – me and the fans – are going to walk away happy.”

Al-Hassan is not only proud of what he’s already accomplished and what’s to come in his career, but he is also steadfastly proud of heritage. His parents moved to the United States from Ghana to pursue their own education, and Al-Hassan was born into a home with strong values. A visit to his parents’ home country in 2003 reaffirmed Al-Hassan’s strong support system.

“It was a great experience,” he recalled. “The majority of my family is still there – uncles, aunts, cousins. It was really important for me to do that. I’m proud of what my parents did and proud what we’ve done.”

Al-Hassan’s growth as a fighter since turning pro in late 2006 would reach its ultimate peak with a title in the MFC. That is not just part of Al-Hassan’s legacy plan but a mission he intends on completing with
astounding results.

“To hold the first title of my career in the MFC would be huge,” he said. “I want to go through my opponents in the same dominating style that someone like Antonio McKee has – only be a little more exciting, but to have that same kind of reign. I’m confident with everything I’m going to do that when it’s all said and done I’m going to be one of the best 205-pounders ever.

“This is the right platform for me to do it. I’m going to be able to showcase myself perfectly in the MFC and on HDNet. It’s a great shot for me.”

Al-Hassan is a winner of three straight fights with seven of his 10 career wins coming inside the first round. Seven of Al-Hassan’s victories have come via submission including four by rear-naked choke.

Lewis has won eight of his last nine fights and rebounded from a loss to Emanuel Newton by demolishing Mike Nickels in just 1:30 at MFC 26. Eight of Lewis’s 12 victories have come by KO/TKO including the fight that pushed him into the upper echelon of the division – a first-round destruction of Marvin Eastman at MFC 23.

Tickets of MFC 27 are going fast and are available through the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 and via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca and charge-by-phone at (780) 451-8000.

by Mark Pavelich MFC President / Written by MFC Staff

It’s amazing in this day and age how many people want to be in the MMA business and how many non-educated people are promoting the sport of MMA.

Cities all over the country are forming commissions with members that don’t know the difference between an armbar and a rear-naked choke. These commissions can’t fathom why it’s wrong for a guy with a record of 33-11 fighting a guy who is 0-1, and don’t understand the mistakes they’re making when they let a veteran with a record of 94-16 fight someone who is 1-3. It’s unmistakeable the dangers this can cause. Who is going to responsible when the unprepared fighter is seriously hurt or worse? It’s an embarrassment but even more than that it is criminally irresponsible.

Most of these ignorant promoters don’t care. To them, it’s about looking good, wearing the coolest T-shirt and being able to brag at the after-party about how they “own” an MMA show. I used to think that it is the fault of these idiots but after really thinking about it, it is the commissions fault.

See my big problem is that this is the only thing I am good at. I really love it – I mean really love it. We at the MFC don’t do this as a hobby or a side business or for a way to play some sort of role.

This is my business. This is how my family survives. It is our life and our livelihood.

I’ve spent the last 11 years trying to bring my organization up to the highest level and run it with very high standards. I truly believe in the near future that we will see a very serious injury or death if this continues. You would think that these promoters would not chance it and screw up but I realized any person who would put an 0-1 fighter against a 33-11 fighter can’t love the sport of MMA because the ramifications that will come if that unqualified fighter got seriously injured would resonate throughout the country (if not the entire world). And with the recent B.C. Medical Association on their ridiculous crusade trying to get MMA stopped and Ontario on its way to getting sanctioned all we need is any slight mishap and you will see the sport of MMA go down the toilet in Canada – and for that matter anywhere else where sanctioning is a hot topic such as New York.

And it’s not just about unscrupulous promoters who don’t know the first thing about proper matchmaking or care about things like medicals and insurance.

It’s also about these promoters who get away with putting on shows by throwing the word “amateur” on a poster and calling themselves “sanctioned” by some group of guys in a basement somewhere. These shows, specifically in Saskatchewan, are 100% illegal. Who is going to take responsibility if and when a young man is seriously injured, crippled, or killed? There is no sanctioning body, no civic or provincial commission who commands proper insurance and medical precautions.

But do your “amateur” show in a dark pavilion or in some sketchy nightclub and you can get away with it. It won’t be long before you wreck someone’s life and the sport itself. You don’t love the fighters and you don’t love the sport. You love a quick buck and being able to walk around like you’re some kind of celebrity. You are a ticking time bomb.

I worry every day about things like this and if commissions are not going to regulate or make sure that these promoters are not allowed to do these types of matchups, I will write, petition, and hassle these commissions to start being a proper regulatory body. I want people to know who is doing right and who is doing wrong. The question isn’t whether you like me or not. We are bonded by our love and passion for MMA and even before the Maximum Fighting Championship what always comes first is the preservation of the sport of mixed martial arts.