Two fights added to MFC 30 lineup
Demarce vs. Washington key encounter in stacked LW division
Press Release – A pair of matchups have been added to the card for MFC 30: Up Close & Personal including a tilt between two lightweights looking to re-ignite their winning ways.
Both encounters will be featured on the HDNet Fights televised […]
Two fights added to MFC 30 lineup
Demarce vs. Washington key encounter in stacked LW division
Press Release – A pair of matchups have been added to the card for MFC 30: Up Close & Personal including a tilt between two lightweights looking to re-ignite their winning ways.
Both encounters will be featured on the HDNet Fights televised main card emanating live from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday, June 10. HDNet’s broadcast rolls out at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation).
In a critical bout for both 155-pounders, Curtis “The Demon” Demarce (10-9) will take on Robert “The Beast” Washington (9-3) with each fighter looking to maintain his residency under the MFC banner. Demarce, who fights out of Brandon, Manitoba, has lost two straight albeit both were tenuous judges’ decisions in his opponents’ favor. Demarce had won five consecutive fights before coming into the MFC, and immediately extended his streak a victory in his debut with a dazzling submission of Tyson Steele at MFC 26.
But since then, Demarce has been the subject of two controversial split-decision setbacks. Many feel he was unjustly shorted by the judges when their verdict went the way of Richie “Hell Boy” Whitson at MFC 28. Demarce fell short again at MFC 29, though the loss to Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis was seen by most insiders as the right call.
Washington, too, has fallen on hard times of late and needs to rebound in convincing fashion to keep his spot in the MFC’s stacked lightweight division. The East St. Louis, Illinois, product, who had previously racked up an eight-fight winning stretch, has dropped two in a row beginning with a decision loss to Tyrone Glover at MFC 28. Then at MFC 29, Washington was felled early in the second round by a one-punch knockout courtesy of Hermes Franca.
In the other freshly added bout, Andreas “The Sweet Swede” Spang (5-1) and Cody Krahn (10-3) will clash in a middleweight tussle.
Spang, who is originally from Stockholm but now fights out of Las Vegas, saw his unbeaten record fall at MFC 29 when he was forced to tap due to a rear-naked choke just 1:35 into his matchup against Ali Mokdad.
Krahn will be making his MFC debut, though the Edmonton, Alberta, native, who has seven submission wins to his credit, has had one appearance in the Heat XC ring. Krahn has won seven of his last eight matchups, and all 10 of his career victories have come inside the opening round.
These two fights join an already impressive lineup for MFC 30: Up Close & Personal, headlined by the world lightweight title bout between Drew “Night Rider” Fickett and Hermes “The Unreal” Franca, plus the much-anticipated rematch pitting Thomas “Wildman” Denny against Sheldon Westcott.
Tickets for MFC 30: Up Close & Personal are on sale and going fast. Tickets are available exclusively through the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.
MFC 30 set for June 10 in Edmonton
Tickets for ‘Up Close & Personal’ featuring Fickett vs. Franca on sale now
Press Release – Coming off the biggest show in its prestigious history, the Maximum Fighting Championship is returning with a bang at a very special event.
The Maximum Fighting Championship proudly announces MFC 30: Up Close & […]
MFC 30 set for June 10 in Edmonton
Tickets for ‘Up Close & Personal’ featuring Fickett vs. Franca on sale now
Press Release – Coming off the biggest show in its prestigious history, the Maximum Fighting Championship is returning with a bang at a very special event.
The Maximum Fighting Championship proudly announces MFC 30: Up Close & Personal will be held on Friday, June 10 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. MFC 30 will air live on HDNet, featuring the stellar broadcast crew of Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg, at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listing for channel designation).
Tickets for MFC 30: Up Close & Personal are on sale now and are only available through the MFC Ticket Hotline at 780-504-2024.
What makes MFC 30: Up Close and Personal so unique is that every seat in the house will be virtually right on top of the action within the enhanced confines of the Mayfield Conference Centre. Plus fight fans will get the added bonus of being able to purchase their tickets to MFC 30 exclusively through the MFC Ticket Hotline at 780-504-2024. As this is the only way to buy tickets for the show, customers will not have to pay any service or agency fees, meaning they will save at least $14 per ticket.
“This is going to be an unreal event for the fans,” stated MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “There’s no doubt in my mind that it will sell out immediately, potentially in record time for the MFC, which makes me even more excited to ensure that it is an amazing night for everyone.”
“This whole card reminds me so much of MFC 24 which many fans consider the Maximum Fighting Championship’s best event ever. There is such a high demand for the MFC product, but so few venues in the Edmonton marketplace. With that in mind, we decided to do something very special and put every single fan as close to the action as possible.”
This show will be a memorable experience and a fantastic follow-up to the unbridled success of MFC 29: Conquer which took place before a packed house of 5,000 fans at Caesars Windsor – the Maximum Fighting Championship’s first event, and the first live televised mixed martial arts card, ever in Ontario.
“MFC 30 was such as success … a very demanding show to put together, but with an amazing result,” reflected Pavelich.
“We’ve being going strong for so long that we had considered taking a break over the summer to focus on our next event in Ontario, but we quickly realized we couldn’t do it because the demand from our unbelievable fans from Edmonton, from all over Alberta and Western Canada, was so strong that we had to get back at it.
“The passion that our longtime fans have is truly something special and that sense of loyalty made me want to do another show in Edmonton. Putting this event together, I became instantly as excited about what’s in store for MFC 30 as I was for MFC 29 at Caesars Windsor. I think it will be an epic night.”
Headlining MFC 30: Up Close & Personal will be a tremendous matchup that has been in the works since both fighters made triumphant debuts in the organization – top contender Drew “Night Rider” Fickett (41-13) will meet Hermes “The Unreal” Franca (21-11) for the vacant and undisputed MFC world lightweight title. The five-round affair has all the potential to down as the most exciting championship fight in MFC history.
Fickett, who fights out of Tucson, Arizona, is in the midst of one of the most impressive career turnarounds in the sport’s history. Since a downtrodden 2009 campaign, Fickett has reeled off five straight wins and rejuvenated himself into one of the world’s elite competitors. A submission savant, Fickett made quick work of Matt Veach in his MFC debut, scoring a tapout via armbar just 36 seconds into their clash at MFC 28. Already boasting career wins over Josh Koscheck, Josh Neer, Kurt Pellegrino, Kenny Florian, and Dennis Hallman, Fickett will be looking to put the MFC lightweight championship at the top of his resume.
But standing in front of Fickett will be jiu-jitsu wizard Franca, who fights out of Miami, Florida. Franca, too, has a standout career track record with victories over rival Brazilian Marcus Aurelio, Spencer Fisher, Nate Diaz, Jamie Varner, and Caol Uno. Though well-regarded for his submission talents, Franca proved he has a solid stand-up game as well when he floored Robert Washington with a one-punch knockout at MFC 29.
The semi-main event of MFC 30 has instant classic written all over it as two heated rivals will square-off to settle their grudge. In what will undoubtedly be a contender for Fight of the Year, the furious fistacuffs will fly as “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (18-8) meets fellow striker Richie “Hell Boy” Whitson (11-1).
Both fighters have made it clear that they have a mutual dislike for each other, and they are prepared to let their respective ferocious attacks decide who will get the upper hand. Davis, who fights out of Bangor, Maine, entered the organization at MFC 29, while Whitson, who trains in Temecula, California, made his first foray at MFC 28. Both men had successful debuts with narrow split-decision wins over Curtis Demarce.
Davis’s career campaign is decorated by victories over Chris Lytle, Paul Kelly, Paul Taylor, Jonathan Goulet, Pete Spratt, and Shonie Carter. Whitson, who has four knockouts and three submissions to his credit, enters the bout with a five-fight winning streak at stake.
In another high-profile fight slated for MFC 30, the drama will unfold once more, and the rivalry taken to the next level as home-town fan favorite Sheldon Westcott (4-1-1) gets his much-anticipated rematch against stylish icon Thomas “Wildman” Denny (27-18-1).
These two met at MFC 28 and a terrific encounter ensued, but both men were left unsatisfied as the judges ruled the bout a draw. They now have the chance to break the deadlock and determine if it’s the young prospect or the cagey veteran who is king of the hill.
The remaining bouts for the HDNet Fights along with the undercard will be announced shortly.
YEAH I SAID IT #6
Press Release – April 19, 2011 – Referees have the toughest job in sport. No one is ever 100% happy with their calls, and no matter what they do someone will have a problem with it.
But I do respect what they do, and very rarely make criticisms.
However, the time has come […]
YEAH I SAID IT #6
Press Release – April 19, 2011 – Referees have the toughest job in sport. No one is ever 100% happy with their calls, and no matter what they do someone will have a problem with it.
But I do respect what they do, and very rarely make criticisms.
However, the time has come where I do need to speak out and levy a heavy critique on officials. Not for stopping fights early, not for being in the wrong position, and not for missing a blatant foul.
No, this criticism is for the money they are costing me as the owner of the show. I don’t find fault in the guys who work the MFC events and are able to put some dollars in their back pocket. They do a job and should get paid for it.
But I find no rationale out there that is a satisfactory explanation as to why a few particular referees are charging exorbitant fees. They have, in effect, in become “celebrity referees.”
It’s outrageous and absolutely inappropriate. These certain referees are charging anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 just to show up, bark out a catchphrase, and supervise a fight. But these fees aren’t being paid by any commission. They are paid by a show owner or promoter. And quite frankly it’s sad that some promoters feel obliged to pay them and put them front and center on a poster.
Why would they do that? Honestly, for most of them, it’s because they don’t have any talent pool to draw from so the biggest ovation of the night for anybody in the ring is for the referee. That’s a terrible statement for the sport of mixed martial arts. You don’t have much of a show if you’re paying your referee five times what you’re paying the two guys in the main event.
And how can you not call into question the ethics of these referees. Would you not expect their loyalties to be torn when some promoter is willing to pay them 10K, and that same referee is then calling the action when the promoter’s top fighters are in action.
It’s time for the commissions governing MMA to put a pay structure in place for all referees. They would be paid according to their experience, the level of competition they have overseen, and even feedback from notable fighters and insiders. There are a number of very good referees out there, including those that have worked recent MFC events. But even they shouldn’t be allowed to just toss out a price tag, or have a commission toss out one for them. There should be a pay scale in place – here’s what you get paid (plus reasonable expenses) … take it or leave it.
You don’t see referees in the NFL or NHL tossing around numbers, and then getting paid according to their individual requests. They are paid a set price by a league (in MMA’s case, a commission), and the best ones are hired for more high-profile games and playoffs.
If referees were assigned by this philosophy in MMA, I believe you would see a proper pay structure and proper protocol. You could also factor in a system where developing referees could work smaller shows to gain experience before working major events.
I will not be goaded into paying for overpriced referees. Most do a good job, but I will never pay a referee more than a fighter, and I will never pay a referee a ridiculous fee just because he’s been around for a while and has a trademark intro.
And I will not be bullied by a commission who just shoots a number in the air, expecting me to pay what they want to give a referee when it’s not their money. My staff and I have contacted referees first hand and know exactly what they will take as their fee.
I won’t just write a blank cheque for a ref because he thinks he’s worth it.
Many of you are probably more familiar with Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight title holder Douglas “The Phenom” Lima than you are with his younger brother, Dhiego Lima (5-0). Well here’s your chance to learn a bit more about the undefeated American Top Team fighter from Atlanta, Georgia.
Dhiego, who recently received his purple belt in […]
Many of you are probably more familiar with Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight title holder Douglas “The Phenom” Lima than you are with his younger brother, Dhiego Lima (5-0). Well here’s your chance to learn a bit more about the undefeated American Top Team fighter from Atlanta, Georgia.
Dhiego, who recently received his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from master Junior Assunção at Ascension MMA, has fought twice in the past six months on the same card as his championship brother, earning wins at MFC 27 and MFC 29. Unfortunately for his fans, both fights failed to make the HDNet broadcast.
Luckily, HDNet posted Dhiego’s MFC 29 win on Youtube, a third round submission win over opponent Josh Taveirne, which we’ve posted above.
MFC 29 went down on April 8, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and was the first nationally televised MMA event in the Province since the sport was legalized. Ontario is set to host the largest event in North America at the end of this month with UFC 129 in Toronto, with 55,000 fans expected to be in attendance.
The MMA News had a chance to speak with Dhiego recently about his recent win, the trip to Windsor, his brothers first title defense, and much more.
What were you expecting from your fight with Josh Taveirne and did it happen like you expected? Did he surprise you in any way? – Man everything in training happened, he didn’t surprise me one bit. It comes from studying your opponent a lot. I knew exactly what he was going to do and I had the perfect game plan. I knew he was going to keep trying to take me down, so I used my distance to not let him even close to me.
A third round submission is unlikely in the sport, what did you think going into the third round and how did the submission come about? – Yea I wanted to submit him earlier, but that tough SOB wouldn’t tap, hehe. Going in to the 3rd round all I was thinking was to finish the fight. I knew I was winning the fight, but in somebody’s back yard you never know the judging. Well I kept working for it, and when I caught him with the big elbow it opened him up so I capitalized.
What did you think of your brother’s first title defense? – Man ever since they announced he was fighting Terry (Martin)) I knew Douglas was going to knock him out. What impressed me was how quick it was, but I know how long he has been waiting to fight a striker and show his skills on the feet. Everybody hes been fighting lately wants to grab him and take him down, but trust me his stand up is even better than his ground (game). Now he showed he is a real champion by defending the title and he is going to be a champion for a while!
MFC 29 was the first televised event in the province of Ontario since the government legalized the sport. What was the crowd like in Windsor? How did they treat you during your stay? -Right before I went in the cage I took a look to see how many people was there, and my eyes started tearing. I couldn’t believe I was fighting on an event like that. I actually fought a home town guy so I didn’t get cheered much, but you could see the passion in the crowd it was amazing. They treated us very, very good everywhere you went. There was people trying to take pictures, getting autographs, it was the best experience of my life. That’s what I’ve been waiting for my whole career!
When do you expect the MFC to come calling again? if you will fight again have they talked about you fighting on television? – At the press conference after the fight Mark (Pavlich, MFC owner) said “Well now we know that Dhiego Lima will never be on the undercard again,” so that made me really happy knowing that hes going to put me on television now. Well my manager and Marck are working something out, but I can guarantee that the MFC will be my home for a while.
You were scheduled to fight for another promotion between the MFC fights correct? What happened to that fight? Do you have any other fights lined up? – I was suppose to fight at Wild Bills in Georgia a few months ago, but my opponent backed out the week of the fight, so that was a bummer. Then I was ready so my manager found some short notice fights and they all backed out too, so I was pretty frustrated and wanted to fight. I don’t have anything lined up right now, just waiting to see whats next.
What sort of future do you see for yourself in the sport of mma? -I want to be a champion when I’m 24 or 25. I plan on retiring at an early age to enjoy time with my kids. Right now I’m still young so I’m not going to rush anything, I’m going to take my time not take any short notice fights, have great training camps for my fights, and become a champion. I want to go down as the best welterweight in the world.
It’s possible that if both of you keep winning, the UFC or Strikeforce may come calling. With so much focus on Douglas its likely he’d be the one to get the first call. If he leaves and vacated the MFC title, would you be willing to fight for that belt? -Definitely, my brother and I would be honored if I got to fight for that title one day. Now that he’s defended the belt, and is on a 6 fight win streak, a lot of the other big promotions are probably looking at him. Nobody knows what is going to happen in the future, but if the title is vacated in the MFC, I will be coming for it hard!, and my brother will tell you the same thing.
Do you have any favorite fighters to watch? Do you copy anyone’s style of fighting? -My favorite no question is Nick Diaz, man the guy always comes in to put on a show. I’ve never seen him in a boring fight. I think he has a lot of haters out there, but really man the guy always does his job. People don’t understand that that is his style, he’s never going to change that’s who he is. Man he’s badass. People need to get over and stop talking shit about him. I don’t really copy anyone’s style but I watch a lot of guys and just try to use a little from each one and make my own style.
Do you have any sponsors, coaches, etc. you’d like to mention? – I would to give a big shout out to Full Tilt Poker, and Clinch Gear! Thanks Suckerpunch Ent. for making everything happen for me, and of course all my trainers and training partners. I would like to give a big thanks to my big brother man, if it wasn’t for him none of this would be happening to me. Eh noizzz!!
Press Release – Windsor, ON – North America fans from as far as Puerto Rico, California and Edmonton packed the Colosseum at Caesars Windsor last night to witness exhilarating matchups as part of SLFA Presents MFC 29 Conquer. A capacity crowd of 5,000 fans packed The Coloseum at Caesars Windsor for what was the […]
Press Release – Windsor, ON – North America fans from as far as Puerto Rico, California and Edmonton packed the Colosseum at Caesars Windsor last night to witness exhilarating matchups as part of SLFA Presents MFC 29 Conquer. A capacity crowd of 5,000 fans packed The Coloseum at Caesars Windsor for what was the first-ever sporting event in the state-of-the-art facility, and the first mixed martial arts event televised live in the province of Ontario. The HDNet broadcast reached more than nine million homes throughout North America.
Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight champion Douglas “The Phenom” Lima showcased brilliant striking to match his impressive jiu-jitsu pedigree in retaining his world title Friday night as the MFC made a triumphant debut in Ontario with the S.L. Feldman’s presents – MFC 29: Conquer card.
Lima (18-4) needed only 1:14 to retain his title as he stunned Terry Martin (21-9) with a vicious overhand right than dropped the challenger. Lima, who fights out of Atlanta, Georgia, banged Martin twice more as referee Yves Lavigne jumped in to stop the bout. The victory also earned Lima the Knockout of the Night award – his third straight bonus following up on a pair of Submission of the Night awards in his two previous MFC outings.
“Everybody said I was a one-dimensional fighter, that all I had was jiu-jitsu. I showed them I’m a true mixed martial artist,” said Lima.
The night was particularly sweet for the entire Lima clan as Douglas’s younger brother, Dhiego (5-0), put a bow on the undercard with a third-round submission via rear-naked choke against local product Josh Taveirne (2-2). The Limas are now collectively 5-0 under the MFC banner.
It was much better news for a different Windsor, Ontario, product as hulking middleweight Ali “The Monster” Mokdad kicked off the HDNet Fights broadcast in spectacular fashion. Mokdad (4-0) blasted through highly touted prospect Andreas Spang (5-1), needing only 1:35 to earn his fourth straight win by rear-naked choke finish.
The victory, which brought a huge eruption from the home-town crowd, earned Mokdad the Submission of the Night honor.
“I think the whole crowd was there for me,” laughed Mokdad. “It was unbelievable, and then to get the Submission of the Night, that was something I never expected, but it is awesome.”
While Lima looked terrific in defending his title, it was a sluggish yet successful outing for the other defending champion on the card. Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (15-1), just six weeks off scoring the MFC light-heavyweight title at MFC 28, defended the belt with a unanimous decision win over Zak Cummings (13-3).
Though the win wasn’t stylish, it still did extend Jimmo’s winning streak to 15, putting him right at the top of the longest current streaks in all of MMA.
Following Mokdad’s successful launch to the televised card, a pair of veterans turned in solid performance though not nearly in the manner expected considering their impressive career resumes.
Pete “The Secret Weapon” Spratt surprised many when he suddenly got the advantage against Demi Deeds and wound up taking the win via submission. A much more renowned striker, Spratt (22-19) did start to get the edge on Deeds (15-9) with a barrage of punches, but with Deeds down on the mat and in obvious trouble Spratt then snatched the victory with a shocking armbar at the 4:19 mark of Round 2.
On the flipside, jiu-jitsu wizard Hermes “The Unreal” Franca (21-11), who was making his MFC debut, didn’t even attempt a submission finish. Egging on opponent Robert Washington (9-3) throughout the first round, Franca then brought a wickedly sudden end to the fight with a one-punch knockout just 26 seconds into Round 2.
In one of the more hotly anticipated fights of the MFC 29 card, the debut of “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis went much longer than most insiders predicted as Curtis “The Demon” Demarce showed his stubbornly aggressive side once again.
However, Davis (18-8) got the nod in a narrow split decision, foiling another hard-fought effort from Demarce (10-9) who many felt got the raw end of a decision loss to Richie Whitson at MFC 28. Both fighters came away bruised and bloodied from the affair – Davis getting the edge with more damage done in Round 3.
Other results:
David Bo Harris def. Chuck Mady – 3:07, Round 1, submission via rear-naked choke
Matt Spisak def. Pete Brown – unanimous decision, Round 3
For updates, please follow us via our social media pages:
Twitter: @SLFAMFC
Facebook Fan Page: SLFA Presents MFC
Youtube: www.youtube.com/SLFAPresentsMFC
About S.L. Feldman & Associates:
SLFA is Canada’s leading full-service agency with over 30 years of experience in artist representation, management and production of events, promotional services and corporate consulting. SLFA is delighted to be promoting MFC 29: Conquer in Windsor, Ontario. Please visit www.slfa.com for more information.
About Maximum Fighting Championship:
The Maximum Fighting Championship is Canada’s longest-running mixed martial arts organization and is regarded as one of the top-four organizations in North America. The MFC is the only-Canadian based show with a live television contract through its broadcast partner HDNet which was created by world-renowned entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
About Caesars Windsor:
Caesars Windsor is the largest casino resort in Canada and the first of its kind outside of the U.S. to be branded with this legendary, world-renowned name. Caesars Windsor features two hotel towers of luxury accommodations with a total of 758 rooms and suites. The 5,000 seat theatre features headline entertainment. Two floors of non-stop gaming action offer round the clock excitement with 2,300 slot machines and 85 table games. There are eight delectable restaurants and lounges to choose from and more than 100,000 square feet of multi-use convention space. Caesars Windsor is the proud recipient of the CAA/AAA Four Diamond hotel award, was also voted “Overall Best Hotel and Casino” by Casino Player Magazine and has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its gourmet steakhouse, Neros. Please visit caesarswindsor.com
Douglas “The Phenom” Lima becomes a true champion Friday night, defending his Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight title for the first time by stopping opponent Terry Martin in the first round of MFC 29.
Winning his second official win in a row after four straight losses, former UFC veteran Hermes Franca earned a knockout win over Robert […]
Douglas “The Phenom” Lima becomes a true champion Friday night, defending his Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight title for the first time by stopping opponent Terry Martin in the first round of MFC 29.
Winning his second official win in a row after four straight losses, former UFC veteran Hermes Franca earned a knockout win over Robert Washington during the live HDNet broadcast of MFC 29.
Two fights added to MFC 30 lineup
