Press Release
“Ring or cage?” is MMA’s biggest debate. Fans of the ring often say that it promotes better fighting technique, while defenders of the cage like that enclosure’s dramatic “no escape” appeal. The Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) has always taken place in a ring, and it always will. Why? Because the ring provides more exciting fights and a better overall experience for the fans.

MOST OF MMA’S HISTORY IS IN THE RING
Long before MMA arrived in North America, the pre-MMA pioneers in Brazil and Japan fought in a ring. In December 1963, “Judo” Gene Lebell and boxer Milo Savage stepped into a ring in Salt Lake City, Utah to square off in North America’s first televised MMA match. Cage fighting wasn’t presented to North American TV audiences until 1993, when the aim was to promote MMA as a “deathmatch”-style spectacle.

MMA IN THE RING = CLEANER FIGHTING TECHNIQUE
Very few MMA fans have seen more fights than Eddie Goldman, who has been covering our sport for over 15 years through his legendary show, No Holds Barred (http://eddiegoldman.com ). Widely viewed as “the godfather of MMA media”, Goldman has been an outspoken proponent of the ring, citing clean techniques as the reason for his preference:

“Over the years, cage fighters have learned how to use the cage enclosure as part of their strategy. Many fighters push their opponents up against the cage, or even move them to it after taking them down. This aids brawling, but not the use of submissions or clean striking. Just look at the decline of the number of submissions in so many of the top fights in most of the companies which use a cage, then compare that to the flow of action and the aesthetics of the fights in companies like the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC), who use the ring.” – Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred (http://eddiegoldman.com )

MMA IN A RING IS BETTER FOR SPECTATORS
It’s no secret that watching MMA in a cage isn’t great for spectators. Many MMA fans have paid hundreds of dollars for a cageside seat only to discover that they get a better view by watching the fight on the TV screens. But sight lines aren’t the only issue – the action is different too. When not inside the unforgiving walls of a cage, fighters are forced to move and press the action. There’s none of the wedged-into-the-cage ground-and-pound or wall wrestling, there’s more stand-up fighting, more movement, and more overall excitement.

CORPORATE SPONSORS PREFER TO SEE MMA IN A RING
According to MFC CEO Mark Pavelich, most of the reservations about MMA he consistently hears from potential corporate sponsors have to do with the cage. As he stated in his interview on No Holds Barred:
“I hate the cage. I’ve never liked it. It’s completely non-sport-oriented. Why do you think that big companies like Nike aren’t involved in mixed martial arts? Because the second they hear the word ‘cage’, the executives ask, ‘why are these people fighting in a cage?’”

“I run the Maximum Fighting Championship like a professional sports organization. People can debate this night and day, back and forth, for the next hundred years, but it doesn’t matter what apparatus is better to fight in. It matters what’s more acceptable to the corporate sponsors that are going to generate money for your organization to keep it alive and keep it rolling.”

THE MAXIMUM FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP WILL ALWAYS BE IN A RING
So cage or ring? The choice of fighting enclosure is going to play a big role in our sport’s future. If MMA is to continue to grow and be embraced by TV networks and combat sports fans worldwide, the ring is probably the path to follow. The Maximum Fighting Championship will always take place in a ring and for anyone who doesn’t believe that the ring promotes exciting fights, we formally invite you to come to MFC 26: Retribution. You WILL be proven wrong. Again.

Press Release

MFC snares top young prospect

Product of ZUMA camp considered first-class phenom

If there ever was a top-ranked, first-overall pick to be selected in a mixed martial arts amateur draft, the Maximum Fighting Championship feels it has made the right choice by snaring a can’t-miss prospect.

The MFC has signed Alexi Argyriou to a provisional contract, and the 16-year-old is expected to make his professional debut when he turns 18. A product of the renowned ZUMA stable in Victoria, B.C., Argyriou is considered a young phenom with an incredibly bright future in the sport.

The National Hockey League has its next budding stars in Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall. The National Football League boasts future standouts in Sam Bradford and Gerald McCoy. In Argyriou, the Maximum Fighting Championship has mined out the next big thing, the five-diamond prospect poised to make an impact in mixed martial arts.

“He is the No. 1 draft pick,” stated MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “We have the best young fighter anywhere now in our organization. I can’t be any more succinct – he is the future.

“And not only is he a superb athlete, he is confident, he has great charisma, and best of all he is someone who brings that intangible quality of being able to hype and sell a fight. That is such a huge commodity and it jumps right out of him.”

Because of his underage status, Argyriou has the opportunity to further grow under the tutelage of ZUMA’s top instructor, Adam Zugec, who firmly believes in his young protégé, calling him the most talented young fighter he has ever worked with.

“He is just that good,” said Zugec. “I pick and choose who I work with closely. It’s about what I see within an individual. With Alexi, it goes beyond how well he punches. There’s just that desire and that hard work ethic. There are those special qualities that make him different.

“He’s grown up in the MMA scene and he just gets it. He understands the whole role like having the entertainment value but also being able to back it up. He’s a sweet, good-looking kid that you wouldn’’t think can do some of that showboating type of stuff but he does. But he’s so tough. He trains and spars every day with some real bad-ass guys and he has absolutely no fear.”

Argyriou has already proven to have quite a burning desire to thrive under extraordinary circumstances. Shortly after first starting out at the ZUMA gym as a 12-year-old, Argyriou was on a run in a wooded area when a stick pierced his neck.

“He almost died,” recalled Zugec. “He had to stop for a while but he came back at 14 and he’s where he’s at now at 16. He is a fighter.”

Zugec will keep Argyriou under wraps a while longer, agreeing with the analogy that it would be similar to a top prospect in hockey or baseball being sent to the minors for some grooming before their ultimate debut.

Argyriou is also likely due for another growth spurt, though he already stands six-foot and has a brother who is six-foot-six. Zugec figured his Argyriou should wind up around six-foot-two and fight professionally as a rangy yet powerful lightweight.

Once Argyriou does burst onto the big stage, Zugec is of the opinion that the youngster is going to thrive under the spotlight.

“No question about it – this is not a kid who’s going to get in there and get nervous. I absolutely see big things for him,” said Zugec. “I see him already with some similarities to (Jose) Aldo. His ground game is good, he’s a strong wrestler, he’s got good hips and he’s hard to take down. No one really knows how good is ground game is yet because no one can get him down. And he can punch and kick so well.”

Press Release

For the second time in a week, the Maximum Fighting Championship has added a first-class talent from Brazil to its growing stable of impressive fighters.

Light heavyweight Glover Teixeira (9-2) has joined the MFC talent pool and is expected to make his organizational debut at the soon-to-be-announced MFC 26 event. The native of Sobralia, Brazil, has scored seven of his nine victories by way of KO/TKO and came highly recommended by several sources, not the least of which was his friend, MFC middleweight title contender Thales Leites.

“When you hear things like ‘He can beat anyone in the division’ and those kinds of statements are coming from well-respected people, you have to take notice,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “I believe that Glover can make an immediate and serious impact in the grand scheme of our light heavyweight picture.

“The MFC is becoming more of a global product and international fighters are stepping up to become part of the action. It is an important aspect of our growth to be adding fighters like Glover Teixeira, Thales Leites, Tom Watson, and Luciano Azevedo.”

The Teixeira signing comes on the heels of the MFC adding Azevedo (16-8) to its contingent of lightweights. The Rio de Janeiro product is the lone fighter to hold a victory over world-ranked standout Jose Aldo, earning a submission victory in 2005. Azevedo, whose career victory list is also highlighted by a decision win over veteran Din Thomas, is also expected to make his organizational and North American debut at the forthcoming MFC 26.

Teixeira has fought somewhat sparingly throughout his career, no more than twice a year since turning pro, but he is expected to become significantly busier under the MFC banner. The 30-year-old has fought twice already in 2010 in his native Brazil, coming away with a pair of convincing victories. Notable wins have come at various points for Teixeira beginning with the lone decision outcome of his career, taking the judges’ verdict over veteran Matt Horwich. Teixeira scored a stunning five-second knockout win over Jorge Oliveira and earned the biggest win to date in his career by handing “The African Assassin” Sokoudjou the first loss of his career with a stellar first-round knockout only 1:41 into their 2006 encounter.

While clearly well-versed in the stand-up game, Teixeira has showcased a multitude of skills on the ground as well. He captured the 2009 title in the under-99 kg class at the Brazilian ADCC championship which qualified him for the world competition alongside such well-known names as Dean Lister, Vinny Magalhaes, and Ricco Rodriguez. Teixeira had previously competed against Jeff Monson and Brandon Vera in grappling events, and he was featured in Season 2 of the “TapouT” reality TV series.

Press Release

Brazilian lightweight only man to beat World Champion Jose Aldo

The Maximum Fighting Championship has added a fighter with impressive credentials to its talent roster in the lightweight ranks.

Brazilian star Luciano Azevedo (16-8) boasts a strong resume and the native of Rio de Janeiro is expected to make his organization – and North American – debut at MFC 26. Details on the show and its lineup will be announced shortly. Azevedo has signed an exclusive four fight deal with The Maximum
Fighting Championship.

The 26-year-old, who has won six of his last eight encounters, holds the distinction of being the only fighter to best world-renown featherweight Jose Aldo, capturing a submission victory via rear-naked choke when the two met in 2005 in Brazil. One of Azevedo’s other career highlights is a decision win over veteran Din Thomas – a verdict that came just four months after his victory over Aldo.

“I’m very excited to have Luciano in our organization and I’m expecting big things from him. I believe he can deliver in a big way,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “Obviously he has a great resume particularly with his win over Aldo – the only man in the world that has that distinction. Luciano has all the tools to be a champion so I’m hopeful he will live up to the expectations.”

Azevedo has yet to fight in North America, predominantly fighting in his native Brazil but also making five trips to England, two to Japan, and a single matchup in France. The five-foot-eight jiu-jitsu practitioner and wrestler has won 12 of his fights by submission – five each by triangle choke and armbar along with two via rear-naked choke.

Press Release

The Maximum Fighting Championship’s own developmental organization, Heat XC, is set to unleash another explosive show featuring two internationally known middleweights alongside a lineup of top prospects.

Heat XC 5: Punishment will take place Friday, July 16 at the Mayfield Trade Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, with a card headlined by a clash between crowd favorites David Heath and “King” Solomon Hutcherson. The two were initially slated to be part of the MFC 25: Vindication lineup until an injury sidelined Hutcherson, but it will now be the main event on the upcoming Heat show.

“Heat XC is growing into a much more prominent position and having a great main event to go with a strong lineup of up-and-coming talent is exactly how Heat XC will continue its rise to even greater heights,” said Mark Pavelich, Owner of the Maximum Fighting Championship as well as Heat XC under its banner of Pavelich Sports.

Heat XC has taken off with four consecutive sellouts and it shared the spotlight with its parent company at MFC 24: Heat XC. Not only has Heat XC started developing fighters for the Maximum Fighting Championship, it is truly standing on its own as a frontrunner on the Canadian mixed martial arts scene.

Heath (14-6) will make his debut at middleweight following a notable run in the light heavyweight ranks that included a first-round submission victory over the MFC’s former 205-pound champion, Roger Hollett. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, product shared the recognition for the MFC’s 2009 Fight of the Year for his toe-to-toe encounter with Mike Nickels at MFC 22. Hutcherson (11-6) captured his organization debut with a thorough three-round decision over Dave Mewborn at MFC 20 and then, after recovering from shoulder surgery, the Racine, Wisconsin, native dropped a controversial decision to Jason MacDonald at MFC 23.

“I said when I first booked the fight between Hutcherson and Heath that it would be an all-out war and it still will be – probably now an even a bigger battle since the animosity has had a chance to brew longer,” said Pavelich.

“Plus the fight now has the opportunity to really stand out on its own as the main event. I know that these two fighters will put on an effort worthy of main-event status.”

Heath personally called out this matchup back in February and both fighters have stated their definite willingness to get down to business.

“I don’t think it’s going to be about what game plan I have for him, it’ s more about what I think his game plan will be for me,” noted Heath.

“This fight is right up my alley,” responded Hutcherson. “The fans know we both like to bang. Heath’s a banger too so I think the fans are really going to get their money’s worth.”

A number of Heat XC’s top fighters will be on the card including Nick Hrynchyshyn, Jason Gorny, Dami Egbeyemi and Jason Kuchera. The card will also feature a rematch from the MFC 25 undercard between Garret Nybakken and Jevon Marshall plus a heavyweight clash that will pit longtime rivals against each other. Former minor pro hockey enforcer Marty Melnychuk, who registered over 300 penalty minutes in a season three times during his career, will settle the issue once and for all against massive Ryan Getschel in what will undoubtedly be a wild affair.

Tickets for Heat XC 5: Punishment are on sale now by calling the Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 and via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca and charge-by-phone (780) 451-8000.

The UFC will is holding a press conference on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada this coming Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET (10 p.m. PT). Speaking will be UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC President Dana White.

The UFC has long coveted Ontario as one of the last bastions to be conquered in the drive to bring their brand of MMA to North American fans. With highly successful shows in Montreal, ranking in top five for gate and attendance records, as well as the upcoming UFC 115 event in Vancouver next month, which sold out in record time, an event in Toronto could break all previous marks held by other UFC events.

Currently mixed-martial-arts is illegal in Ontario and the UFC has been lobbying hard to have the Criminal Code changed to legalize the sport. UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre was a recent spokesman for the promotion in helping to lobby the Provincial Government to change the law.

In a recent article from Sportsnet.ca, sources informed them that the UFC has tentatively booked the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jay’s baseball team, for an event on March 26th.

Numerous sources have informed me that the organization has reserved Saturday March 26th, 2011 as their first foray into the province of Ontario. This will also mark the UFC’s first event to be held inside a stadium.

The Rogers Centre, with it’s retractable roof, can seat over 46,000 fans for baseball and football, but when floor seats are added, the number dramatically increases to over 65,000. The current record for paid attendance is 68,237, set by Wrestlemania X8, on March 17th, 2002.

Adding more speculation is a recent message from the Canadian based Maximum Fighting Championship president Mark Pavelich, who stated on his Twitter page that his organization is looking to book an event in early 2011.

The Maximum Fighting Championship Canada’s leading Mixed Martial Arts Organization would like to announce a tentative date in Ontario in Late February 2011. It’s not sanctioned yet but we will just let everyone know we will be there when it is.

Tuesday could be a very exciting day for mixed-martial-arts fans in Canada.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Legalize MMA Part 3 (Toronto)
HT: EkkoMMA.com

After this past Fridays “MFC 25: Vindication” event, The MMA News had a chance to speak to the Maximum Fighting Championship president Mark Pavelich about the show.

Fridays show at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, the promotions new larger venue, featured a main event bout between Thales Leites vs. Jesse Taylor. Leites earned an early submission victory in the first round and will most likely fight for the vacant middleweight title in his next MFC appearance.

The Canadian city of Edmonton is a busy town, relying heavily on the oil industry. That kind of business can draw many types of entertainment from professional hockey, Canadian football, and other events, including competition from a boxing event on the same night as MFC 25.

“I think the event overall was successful,” Pavelich noted. “We still had more people at the venue than any other show in the city probably, including my shows from the past, so I was happy about that.

“The level of the show, you can see it’s just escalating and escalating. At the same time I can still see holes on our end that other people probably wouldn’t see. That’s something I’m going to fix come Monday morning, I’m gonna fix some holes and some other things, that’s part of this business.”

There were many exciting fights on the MFC 25 card including former UFC middleweight title challenger Thales Leites, but the MFC president was most impressed by Texan Pete Spratt’s performance against Luigi Fioravanti. Spratt earned a TKO victory in the final minute of the third round.

“I was really excited about Pete Spratt, I thought he was unbelievable. Like unbelievable, just the level of where he is at right now. I was really impressed with Ryan Jimmo tonight, I thought he was just something else. To do what he did to Wilson Gouveia, no one has done that to him ever.

When it came to the Brazilian, Pavelich threw praise his way, ranking Leites top ten among the worlds middleweights.

“You look at Thales Leites, he made it look so easy against Jesse Taylor, he just manhandled him like he was nothing. It was so easy. This once again just solidifies Thales Leites as one of the top ten 185 pounder in the world.

“Lots of other people, like that big show in Las Vegas that DW runs. He he wants you to believe he has certain talent, this and that, at the same time I have Antonio McKee at 155 pounds. He’d mop the floor with about 90% of the 155 pound division in that organization. You look at certain fighters that I have now and they can compete with anybody in any place at any time, they really can.”

Pavelich recognizes that the popularity of mixed-martial-arts is growing with many other promotions putting on good shows, but he feels that the MFC is right near the top and is prepared to keep it there.

“That’s one thing that people have to realize. There are more brands of MMA out there and were one of the top brands of MMA in North America and we still have so far to go. We’ve come a long way and we have just as far to go. I’m prepared for that, and on Monday morning I’m going to start working out and jogging to get in better shape. I need to be in better shape physically and mentally to bring my level up higher. There’s so much more left to do and it’s right after the show.”

The World Extreme Cagefighting promotion is planning on having their first Canadian event with WEC 49 on June 20th and the city of Edmonton will play host to that event. This places the event directly at the MFC’s front door but is also a recognition of how popular MMA is in the Alberta capital.

“They (WEC) won’t outdraw what we drew tonight, I’ll bet on it. DW is going to have to come here himself, he’ll have to (parade) down Jasper avenue. I’m going to have to tell him what to do. The card is no where near the level of my card was tonight, not even close. My level of fighters were like three levels of what he’s bringing to this town. I think that people in my city realize that, they’re smart, smart fans.

“I have the highest ticket prices in town. Higher than the Oilers, higher than the Eskimos, higher than everybody and they (the fans) support it because they realize the level of fighters they’re getting to see in the Maximum Fighting Championship.

“They (WEC) have a sense of arrogance, if that organization wasn’t owned by the bigger organization in Las Vegas we’d crush them, crush them. They have three or four fighters with some names and I believe my version of MMA is far superior than there’s. If they weren’t owned by their older brother they wouldn’t be (on the same level).

“It’s just fact.”

Pavelich has shown a strong work ethic and it’s one that runs in his family as everyone has become involved with the MFC promotion.

“That’s why DW had to step in when they went on PPV because the other people running the show just don’t have that…that moxy. Everyone knows that I have moxy, no one can outwork me in mma (promoting). I shouldn’t say just me, but my entire family. My wife, my son, and my daughter, who is now involved in the business.”

From the outside to many, the MFC may look like a success but it’s president knows that there is still a lot of work to be done to make it to that point.

“We have such a long way to go and we’ve been in business for ten years. People think that we’ve arrived but we haven’t.

“This is the first show we haven’t sold out in three years. The venue is double the size than the last one and we sold an extra 1400 tickets compared to the last venue (The River Cree Resort and Casino) and that’s fantastic.

“We have a long way to go and I know that, I’m ready to do it.”

Press Release

Fresh off signing a two-fight deal with the Maximum Fighting Championship, Jesse “JT Money” Taylor has garnered a spot in the main event for MFC 25: Vindication.

Taylor (14-5) will meet Thales Leites (16-3) in the headliner bout of the MFC’s upcoming show on Friday, May 7 at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and seen live throughout North America on HDNet Fights.

“This is a main-event matchup that could easily become a Fight of the Year candidate,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “I love Jesse Taylor’s aggressive nature and he is coming here with bad intentions on his mind. And Thales Leites has a new-found desire to showcase his raw power and talent.

“Neither one of these guys is going to sit back and let the fight come to him – they are going to step up and bring it. There is a title shot at stake here and both of these guys are coveting the MFC championship belt.”

Leites used solid takedown defense and took advantage of what opportunities were in front of him on his way to a unanimous decision victory over Dean Lister at MFC 23 back in December. That win ended a two-fight losing skid for the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, native who holds career victories over such notables as Nate Marquardt, Drew McFedries, Pete Sell, and Jose Landis-Jons.

Taylor, who fights out of Murietta, California, has an impressive list of wins to his credit as well holding verdicts over Jason Day, Chris Camozzi, and Jesse Forbes. “JT Money” is a former reality show cast member and holds a decorated career in amateur wrestling including a Division I NCAA tournament appearance and honored twice as a junior college All-American.

The Leites-Taylor encounter tops a star-studded lineup for MFC 25: Vindication which includes:

Ryan Jimmo vs. Wilson Gouveia, light heavyweight

Dwayne Lewis vs. Emanuel Newton, light heavyweight

David Heath vs. Solomon Hutcherson, middleweight

Luigi Fioravanti vs. Pete Spratt, welterweight

Tickets for MFC 25: Vindication are on sale now via the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 or through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca and charge-by-phone (780) 451-8000.

The Maximum Fighting Championship loves an exciting fighter and welterweight
Pete “Secret Weapon” Spratt more than fits the bill. Of his 20 wins, ten
have come via KO and eight by submission. Only half of his fights have gone
beyond the first round and only two of those ended in a decision. Pete
Spratt obviously comes to win. And his experience in impressive – in his 11
years as a professional MMA fighter he’s been in the ring with Carlos
Newton, Robbie Lawler, Georges St. Pierre, and Josh Koscheck, to name a few.

Pete Spratt first appeared in the Maximum Fighting Championship against Ryan
Ford at MFC 15: Rags to Riches, on February 22, 2008. It was anything but a
smooth introduction to the organization. “A lot of funny stuff happened”,
recalls Spratt, “and it put me at a disadvantage mentally, so I couldn’t get
things done.”

What kind of funny stuff? Well it started with his corner man being deported
to Brazil after weigh in, leaving Pete to scramble for a replacement. Then
during the fight, Ford landed two solid elbows to Spratt’s head after the
first-round bell. A dazed Spratt ended up losing that fight via a rear naked
choke in the second round for a loss that MFC CEO Mark Pavelich himself has
called, “a robbery”.

But true warriors never give up and Pete Spratt was willing to give the MFC
another chance. Just under one year later, Spratt returned against Nathan
Gunn in MFC 22: Payoff in a fight that has earned it’s place in the annals
of Maximum Fighting Championship history.

Spratt was behind on the scorecards in the second round when he noticed a
pattern in the way Gunn was ducking his head. A former Golden Gloves boxer
who currently trains under former WBC champion “Jesse” James Leija, Spratt
knew what to do. He landed three vicious right hooks right on target, then
closed the deal with a thunderous, perfectly timed uppercut that, to quote
Pavelich, “looked like it was out of Popeye”.

Gunn dropped like a sack of rocks and Spratt went down in MFC history,
scoring the 2009 Knockout of the Year. Anyone who’s seen that fight will
understand why Pavelich says, “when he’s matched well, Pete Spratt is one of
the most exciting fighters out there”.

On May 7, 2009 at Maximum Fighting Championship 25: Vindication, Spratt will
be facing off against Luigi “The Italian Tank” Fioravanti. When asked about
his opponent, Spratt’s response is matter-of-fact. “He’s a good,
well-rounded fighter and I’m not going to approach it any differently than
any other fight… just a lot of hard training.” And what does hard training
mean to Pete Spratt? It means muay thai with Mark Dellagrotte, Brazilian
jiu-jitsu with Rodrigo Pinheiro, boxing with “Jesse” James Leija, and a
two-week training camp with Dan Henderson and Team Quest or Randy Couture
and Extreme Couture.
(more...)

MFC top dog Mark Pavelich gives his thoughts on this past weekends MFC show, entitled MFC 24: Heat XC. MFC shows have long been known for the great attendance numbers, but with direct competition from the semi-final of the olympic hockey tournament it looked like the numbers were more sparce than usual. Here’s the video:

Click here to view the embedded video.