Tag: MFC

Newton sidelined by shoulder injury

Press ReleaseDue to a shoulder injury suffered in training, Emanuel Newton is out of his rematch against Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo for the MFC light-heavyweight title in a bout scheduled for MFC 29: Conquer.

But Jimmo (14-1) will still have the opportunity to defend his newly won championship as he is now set to take on Zak Cummings (13-2) in the co-main event of the HDNet Fights card set for Friday, April 8 at Caesars Windsor (subject to OAC approval).

Though down to the wire as far as prep time goes, Cummings eagerly accepted the challenge presented to him.

“I’m a gamer. I don’t pick and choose easy fights. It would be amazing to come into the MFC and win the title,” said Cummings.

“I’m going to get in there and do my thing. I’m excited to be on HDNet and to get the opportunity to show the fans what I can do.”

“I break people. I’m a hard-nosed fighter. The fight’s going to start standing up and I’m going to throw punches and kicks. And if it goes to the ground, I’m going to pound on him, I’m going to submit him, or I’m going to wear him out. I break people’s wills.”

Cummings will be riding a three-fight winning streak into the title fight, with all three of those victories coming in lightning-quick fashion. The trio of opponents were all finished off by the 26-year-old Springfield, Missouri, product in less than 1:30 including a second career win over Rudy Bears.

The biggest win of Cummings’ career came in 2009 when he earned a hard-fought decision victory over heavy-handed striker Terry Martin, who has since moved down to welterweight, and coincidentally will be taking on Douglas Lima for the MFC welterweight title in other co-main event at MFC 29: Conquer.

Cummings opened his career win a run of 10 consecutive wins, and of his 13 career wins, 10 have come via stoppages – four by knockout and six from submissions.

“I think I’ve got all the tools to put him away,” Cummings added of the Jimmo encounter. “I’m a smart fighter. I’m going to go in aggressive and I’m going to make it my fight.”

MFC 29: Conquer, featuring two title fights and a stacked lineup, is less than two weeks away. Tickets are still available at www.caesarswindsor.com and www.ticketmaster.ca.

Press Release – Windsor, ON – S.L. Feldman & Associates (SLFA) is thrilled to announce the final lineup for MFC 29: Conquer at The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Friday, April 8 at 8 pm. In the night’s co-main events, two reigning MFC champions will put their titles on the line for the first time. Welterweight champion Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (17-4), one of the MFC’s brightest young stars, defends his crown against seasoned veteran “Dangerous” Terry Martin (21-8).

Lima, who fights out of Atlanta, Georgia, has won five straight matchups including his bid for the vacant title at MFC 27 when he scored a stunning third-round submission win over Jesse Juarez. Lima has an exceptional arsenal at his disposal, as he has shown outstanding submission skills but also a willingness to set strikes off like fireworks. He will face the heavy-handed Martin, whose lengthy resume is highlighted with knockout victories over Jorge Rivera and Ivan Salaverry.

In SLFA’s MFC 29: Conquer’s other title fight, Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (14-1) defends his MFC world light-heavyweight title as he takes on former champ, Emanuel “The Hardcore Kid” Newton (14-6-1).

Jimmo, who is originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and now fights out of Edmonton, Alberta, is currently riding one of the most impressive winning streaks in all of mixed martial arts. He has not lost since his professional debut and since then has racked up victories over such sport notables as Wilson Gouveia, Marvin Eastman, and Jesse Forbes. Jimmo, a precision tactician with dangerous striking ability, captured the 205-pound title at MFC 28 with a third-round TKO of Dwayne Lewis.

Newton will be looking to not only recapture his title but also gain a measure of revenge for a unanimous decision loss to Jimmo at MFC 23. The Long Beach, California, native claimed the MFC light-heavyweight title at MFC 19, with a decision win over Roger Hollett, but lost the crown to Trevor Prangley at MFC 21. An always rugged customer, Newton has shown a greater array of striking and submission skills of late to offset his wrestling talents.

In one lightweight matchup, MFC newcomer Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis (17-8), one of the truly treacherous strikers in mixed martial arts, squares off against frenzied hell-raiser Curtis “The Demon” Demarce (10-8). Davis, a native of Bangor, Maine, is a devastating power puncher, who sports an 11-fight winning streak on his resume that features wins over Forrest Petz, Shonie Carter, Paul Taylor, and Jess Liaudin. He’ll get all he can handle in Brandon, Manitoba’s Demarce who thrives on intense battles. Demarce was runner-up for the 2010 MFC Submission of the Year and narrowly missed out on a stunning upset in a wild tilt with Richie Whitson at MFC 28.

In the other standout lightweight tilt, veteran Hermes “The Unreal” Franca (20-11) takes on hard-hitting Robert “The Beast” Washington (9-2). Franca, who trains in Orlando, Florida, will make his long-awaited MFC debut, and the Brazilian has an accomplished track record with wins over Marcus Aurelio, Spencer Fisher, and Nate Diaz. Washington, who steps in to replace injured Drew Fickett, began his career with an eight-fight winning streak and holds five knockouts on his resume. The East St. Louis, Illinois, product, who is a former U.S. Navy petty officer, dropped a narrow split-decision verdict to Tyrone Glover at MFC 27 in his organizational debut.

These two full-throttle lightweight fights are sure to be rivals for the “Fight of the Night”, but both have the potential to become the MFC “Fight of the Year” as well.

Two veteran welterweights will meet in another main-card battle at SLFA’s MFC 29: Conquer, when Pete “The Secret Weapon” Spratt (21-19) takes on Demi Deeds (15-8). Spratt is a well-respected veteran from San Antonio, Texas, with lightning-quick strikes which he demonstrated in his 2009 MFC Knockout of the Year performance against Nathan Gunn. Opposing him will be Deeds, who fights out of Des Moines, Iowa, and has managed 14 finishes in 15 victories.

The HDNet Fights-televised main card will open with a standoff between two young middleweight prospects as Andreas “The Sweet Swede” Spang (4-0) meets home-town hero Ali “The Monster” Mokdad (3-0). Spang, who is originally from Sweden but now fights out of Las Vegas, is one of the MFC’s newest finds, while Mokdad will have his supporters from Windsor, Ontario, backing him.

The undercard of SLFA’s MFC 29: Conquer will feature several fighters from Southern Ontario. In the most prominent matchup; Windsor, Ontario’s own Josh Taveirne will take on Atlanta’s Dhiego Lima, the younger brother of MFC welterweight champ Douglas Lima.

Remaining fights on the undercard are:
David Bo Harris vs. Chuck Mady, bantamweight
Pete Brown vs. Matt Spizak, lightweight
Ben Jamieson vs. Brent Franczuz, bantamweight

** Fight Card subject to change and OAC approval**

Tickets for SLFA’s MFC 29: Conquer are currently available at www.caesarswindsor.com starting at $65 Canadian. Guests must be 19 years of age or older.

SLFA and Caesars Windsor will be releasing information regarding an upcoming press conference on Wednesday, April 6 and the event weigh-in on Thursday, April 7 in a few days time. Please be aware of these planned events and mark your calendars accordingly.

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

Martin’s brains match his brawn
Well-educated challenger has eyes on Lima’s belt

Press Release – One might not expect a heavy-handed brawler with a penchant for going toe-to-toe with his opponents to actually outthink an upcoming foe.

But if there was ever a prime example of this uncanny ability, it just may very well belong to Terry Martin, making him an even more “Dangerous” threat to current MFC welterweight champ Douglas “The Phenom” Lima.

Martin (21-8) will challenge Lima (17-4) for the belt at MFC 29: Conquer taking place on Friday, April 8 at The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor. The co-main event, which will put a stamp on the live televised card on HDNet Fights, pits Martin’s power-punching against Lima’s stylish jiu-jitsu. Martin, though, has a unique twist to his game planning.

The Chicago native happens to be one of the most-educated fighters in all of mixed martial arts, and fittingly, it is an impressive background in psychology.

“I guess I’m really starting to use this big ol’ head now,” laughed Martin. “I’m starting to put my knowledge to good use.”

With a Bachelor’s degree in science from Northern Illinois University already in his back pocket, Martin went on to earn to a Master’s degree and is now pursuing his PHD in psychology at Concordia University in Oak Park, Illinois. Yet for all his book smarts and being a likely victor in a battle of wits with any opponent, it’s a pure fighter’s approach that Martin brings to the ring.

“There’s a whole lot of stuff I can take from school and use in a fight, and it does help me at the start when it comes to putting everything together, but I think like a fighter,” explained Martin, whose most notable career wins have come against Chael Sonnen, Jorge Rivera and Ivan Salaverry.

“It’s hard to predict how things go in a fight. A lot of things can happen. I’ve gone at it with a lot of top people and I just go in there and do what I do.”

While accustomed to researching information for term papers and presenting his findings for a thesis, Martin hasn’t done any homework when it comes to what Lima will bring to their title fight. No late-night study sessions, no cramming at the last minute. Just take the test – pass or fail.

“I don’t want to seem cocky. I was told he’s tough but I don’t care to watch anything about him,” said the 30-year-old, who enters the showdown with Lima riding a three-fight winning streak.

“My training stays the same – very few modifications. I have my ‘Terry Martin’ style and I’ll be ready. My coaches will have studied him, but I’m not going to pay any attention to him at all.”

What did catch Martin’s attention, however, was a comment from Lima that the reigning champ was eager to face a well-regarded striker for the opportunity to showcase his own striking skills. Twelve of Martin’s 21 career wins have come by way of knockout, including his stoppage of Rivera in a bout that lasted all of 14 seconds.

“Maybe he’s just trying to build things up. Everyone can talk crazy till they get cracked,” Martin responded.

“He can talk all he wants … and then he’s going to get cracked and all that stuff he said becomes irrelevant.”

Tickets for MFC 29: Conquer are on sale now and available through www.caesarswindsor.com and www.ticketmaster.ca.

Franca enters Conquer fray
Veteran lightweight to face Fickett at MFC 29

Press Release – 10 Mar 2011: Another talented veteran has been added to the ever-deepening talent pool of the Maximum Fighting Championship’s lightweight division.

Hermes “The Unreal” Franca (20-9) has signed a multi-fight deal with the organization and is slated to make his debut at MFC 29: Conquer on Friday, April 8 in the co-main event against Drew “Night Rider” Fickett (41-12). The bout is subject to OAC approval.

The 36-year-old native of Fortaleza, Brazil, had originally signed with the MFC two years ago, but decided instead to enter into retirement from fighting and focus on training students in Jupiter, Florida. But with a change of heart, Franca re-emerged in the past few months and readily agreed to finally hit the MFC frontier.

“I’m very intrigued to see what Hermes can do in the MFC, and especially with him meeting Drew Fickett in his first fight,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “Hermes is extremely talented as his record shows, and I have made it very clear that I believe Fickett is one of the world’s best fighters at 155 pounds.

“This matchup is going to be very exciting, fast-paced, and I’m sure a very wild crowd-pleaser.”

A pair of impressive eight-fight winning streaks highlight Franca’s resume. The five-foot-six fighter opened his career with eight straight victories including first-round submissions of both Mike Thomas Brown and Ryan Diaz, a decision win over Rich Crunkilton, and then a devastating second-round TKO of Japanese standout Caol Uno.

The second outstanding run of Franca’s career was bolstered by several wins over big-name rivals. After dispatching of Gabe Ruediger by way of knockout in only 36 seconds, Franca went on to post armbar submission wins over both Nate Diaz and Jamie Varner before rounding out the eight-fight run with a second-round stoppage of Spencer Fisher. Another important victory in Franca’s career came in late 2008 when he scored a decision verdict over bitter rival, fellow Brazilian, and former jiu-jitsu instructor Marcus Aurelio.

Fickett, who fights out of Tucson, Arizona, ran his current winning streak to five with a slick and tidy armbar submission of Matt Veach just 36 seconds into their matchup at MFC 28. Fickett also holds a win over Franca’s former training partner Kurt Pellegrino.

Tickets for MFC 29: Conquer are on sale now at www.caesarswindsor.com and www.ticketmaster.ca.