Tag: MFC

Press Release

Leading up to MFC shows over the past few years, The Z-Files takes an in-depth look at the card, the fighters themselves, and the ramifications of each bout, all leading to the Top 10 Questions.

And in the past year, following each show The Z-Files has expanded its review and added in a rundown of notes, quotes, and fallout. These are not necessarily answers to the Top 10 Questions that were posed coming into the event, but some insight into what happened and what’s in store in the future based upon the results.

So coming out of MFC 26:

It was the most-asked question just hours after the show. Is Douglas Lima that good or did Ryan Ford have an off night? It’s completely unfair and false to take anything away from Lima’s performance by putting the onus back on Ford. Simply put – Lima was that good. He stayed calm under the expected pressure from Ford, never panicked when he was on his back, and so smoothly sunk in the fight-finishing submission. The decisive win begs more questions though including whom does Lima face in his expected title shot, and what is next for Ford. And there are questions arising about Ford’s future. Yes he only has three losses in 15 fights but he’s been submitted twice by armbar and more notably hasn’t peaked when it’s needed the most (two failed shots at the title and now dropping a title eliminator).

And how about this from the Lima locker room . so sure was Lima and his trainer Roan Carneiro that the bout vs. Ford would go five rounds that because it finished early in Round 2, Lima kept his gloves on and did a five-minute round on the pads after the fight. Other than visiting with the doctor, the only acceptable reason for being last guy to the post-fight press conference is that you’re still working.

Antonio McKee may be one of the most radically outspoken fighters around, but for all the doubters who figured he’d fall back on his “boring” style to pull out another decision, they got a very rude awakening when he showcased an all-out aggressive attack in dispatching of Luciano Azevedo inside the opening four minutes of the fight. And what did McKee get out of the fight?

I think not only did he achieve finding some new-found respect from MMA insiders, but more importantly, McKee got the love of the crowd at long last. Fans had always respected his record and longevity but they didn’t care for his win-at-no-cost style. By adopting a more exciting approach, McKee was rewarded with the fans’ appreciation.

While McKee went for more entertainment value, Jesse Taylor took a page out of McKee’s old playbook and used a smothering attack – though complemented by several submission attempts – to stall Tom Watson’s climb up the ladder.

Taylor was relentless and virtually mistake-free. Watson wasn’t given any room to pull the trigger while the fighters were standing and unable to find any groove on the ground where he struggled against Taylor’s strong swarming.

Though he was unable to finish the fight, it was evident that Ford Robertson’s wrestling is at a serious level. He controlled nearly every minute of his test against seasoned pro Andrew Buckland. There are certainly things to work on if he intends to go further and it would be interesting to see what kind of stand-up game he can put together, but there is much to work with.

You have to like both Curtis Demarce and Tyson Steele. Good kids both who put on a terrific tussle with Demarce coming out on top as he benefitted from his wealth of experience. There are some good fights down the road coming for these two.

Best Superman punch knockout ever? Maybe so. Regardless it was a big splash for David Heath in his 185-pound debut. First he busted open Solomon Hutcherson from the bottom. Then nearly ended the fight with beautiful spinning backfist. Then came the supremely executed smashing blow that turned the lights out on “King” Solomon. Heath came into the fight declaring it the start of his new career and he lived up to the touted rebirth. But give both guys credit – it was the show stealer that everyone predicted it would be.

Speaking of Hutcherson, both he and Luciano Azevedo were walking wounded after their respective bouts. Hutcherson’s face was busted up by the assault from Heath while Azevedo suffered what many were calling the worst cut they’d ever seen in MMA as his forehead was split open by vicious McKee elbows.

Dwayne Lewis uses the uppercut better than 90% of all fighters in MMA. For references, check with Ryan McClain, Jay Whitford, Marvin Eastman, and now, Mike Nickels.

Press Release

It wasn’t the homecoming party that Ryan Ford wanted, but it was the coming out party that Douglas Lima deeply desired.

Stunning a vastly partisan crowd in his opponent’s home town, Lima (15-4) scored a second-round submission victory over Ford (12-3) in the co-main event of MFC 26: Retribution held Friday night at the River Cree Resort and Casino just outside Edmonton, Alberta, and live on HDNet Fights.

Following an exciting back-and-forth opening round, Lima found Ford’s arm dangling after a takedown and smoothly transitioned into a tapout finish at the 48-second mark of the middle frame. From once unknown to instant title contender, it was a perfect turn of events for the ATT Atlanta product.

“I want the belt now,” declared Lima, who also secured the Submission of the Night award. “I was promised if I win this fight they will give me a title shot. That’s what I want – please.”

The victory was Lima’s third straight and put a halt to Ford’s four-fight string of success while also souring the much-ballyhooed return of Ford to the MFC where his promising career began.

While Lima positioned himself in the welterweight title picture, reigning MFC lightweight champ Antonio McKee left no doubt as to who wears the biggest crown in the organization. Much-maligned for his “boring” style and vowing to retire if his opponent could last the five-round distance with him, McKee (25-3-2) punished Brazilian foe Luciano Azevedo (16-9) with a wicked slam and then proceeded to demolish him with relentless ground-and-pound.

Two devastating elbows strikes carved a huge gash in Azevedo’s forehead and a after a brief check by the ringside physician, referee Frank Geric waved the fight to a rightful stoppage just 3:11 into the opening stanza. The victory was just McKee’s third TKO win of his career and the Lakewood, California, product not only retained his belt but remains unbeaten in his past 15 fights spanning seven years. Though only seven of his 25 career wins have been of the non-decision variety, this decisive verdict should serve some notice to McKee’s many critics that he can truly be an entertaining finisher.

“Whoever the MFC puts in front of me next, I’ll whoop their ass too,” said McKee. “I guess it’s not true – you can teach an old dog new tricks. And I want to thank (HDNet commentator) Guy Mezger for bringing the best out of me.”

Two other fighters made serious impacts at MFC 26, both ending their respective bouts with impressive knockouts. Despite spending much of the first round on his back, David Heath sent foe Solomon Hutcherson back to his corner after the opening five minutes with badly bleeding – and likely broken – nose. That was only the tip of the damage iceberg that was in store for Hutcherson.

Heath (16-6) brought a huge roar from the capacity crowd when he opened Round 2 with a spinning backfist that very nearly dropped Hutcherson. And moments later, Heath did put Hutcherson (11-7) down for good with a well-placed right hand and follow-up hammerfists that brought an explosive ending to the fight at 3:46 of the second round. The result, which garnered Knockout of the Night kudos for the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, was particularly noteworthy for Heath as it was his first test in the middleweight ranks, dropping down from light heavyweight. While there’s still work to be done, Heath served notice that he is a serious threat in search of a title belt.

The same can also now likely be said of Dwayne Lewis, who redeemed himself for a poor showing at MFC 25 against Emanuel Newton by taking out Mike Nickels only 1:30 into their 205-pound contest. Lewis (12-5) dropped Nickels (8-4) twice with short uppercuts in the clinch and then pounded down Nickels for good with more sharp and heavy shots. Lewis, one of the organization’s most-popular figures, made a clear-cut case for a new multi-fight contract with his most-impressive outing since dusting off Marvin Eastman at MFC 23.

In another middleweight bout, Jesse “JT Money” Taylor (16-6) didn’t inflict a lot of damage, but kept positional advantage and went after enough submissions to easily pull away from brash Brit Tom “Kong” Watson. While his ring entrance electrified the crowd, Watson (12-4) was unable to unleash his vaunted striking attack under the relentless wear of Taylor’s well-executed game plan. All three judges scored the bout 30-26 in Taylor’s favour – Watson having been deducted one point in Round 1 for holding the ropes during takedown attempts.

The night’s televised card opened with two of the MFC’s newest young guns squaring off and it was Curtis Demarce (11-7) using a slick triangle choke to coax the tapout from Tyson Steele (6-1) at the 4:09 mark of Round 2.

Other results:

Ford Robertson def. Andrew Buckland – unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Aaron Berke def. Ryan Ballingall – tapout via rear-naked choke, 0:35 Round 2
Chad Freeman def. Theo Brisley – tapout via armbar, 3:04 Round 1