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One of the more exciting Canadian fighters not signed by one of the big promotions, Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford talks about making his return to the Maximum Fighting Championship after his upcoming The Fight Club welterweight title bout was canceled.

HT: MMACanada.net

Tom Watson has a unique opportunity within the Maximum Fighting Championship.

Already a top-ranked contender for the MFC’s middleweight title and one of the most-potent strikers in the entire organization, Watson is in position to become something that the MFC has never had before – a truly international star.

Because of his mass appeal and social media accessibility, Watson has become a popular figure in his native England and in both countries where he trains – the United States and Canada. His Canadian fan base in particular has grown exponentially thanks in large part to his appearance at MFC 24: Heat XC but Watson is far from forgotten in his homeland or in the U.S.

While the MFC has featured countless fighters over the years in prominent roles and as home-town favorites, Watson has the chance to become the first fighter to have international drawing power.

“I’ve always had a bit of a following in the U.K. due to the fights I’ve been involved in,” explained Watson, who will sport a 12-3 record going into his expected clash at MFC 26 in September.

“It was great to see the Canadian fans appreciate the humor of my (ring) entrance at MFC 24 and I hope to give them more of the same in September. I have been training in America for over three years now so that has helped my exposure in the States as well.”

At MFC 24, Watson strutted to the ring to funky soul music all while sporting a gorilla mask in homage to his nickname “Kong.” But what’s a stylish ring entrance worth if you don’t back it up with some substance when the bell rings? Watson certainly did that, scoring a near-lethal head-kick knockout of Travis Galbraith. The first-round sudden stoppage is most definitely a candidate for the MFC’s Knockout of the Year and instantly put Watson on the map as a contender and budding star.

That convincing win was Watson’s seventh straight positive verdict and was a resounding debut, both in the organization and on North American soil. Watson will get his chance to show the world his talents at MFC 26 when he steps into the ring for the first time on HDNet Fights.

“(Against Galbraith) I remember being thoroughly prepared for a jiu-jitsu battle and didn’t really train too much striking too be honest,” recalled Watson. “But years’ of hard work is always there and as soon as it landed I knew it was over. No one can take my kicks clean on the jaw and not get knocked out. My coach Eric O’Keefe put together a great game plan. We knew what Galbraith’s moves would be and the rest fell into place.”

And so did Galbraith, with a crashing face-first thud to the canvas. Should Watson come away from MFC 26 with another victory tucked securely into his back pocket, he has been assured of a crack at the MFC’s middleweight crown – an emblem that has only been worn once before when Patrick Cote took the honor way back at MFC 9 in March 2006.

“Of course it won’t be easy but nothing worth doing in life is easy. I came into the MFC with the belief that I would become champion. I will achieve this goal,” declared Watson, who is hoping the road to the title goes straight through Drew McFedries – his potential opponent at MFC 26.

“I really hope it is McFedries as for sure he will come and stand and bang with me. I have never been knocked out in 50 fights but he has big power so for the fans that is a great fight. I have no doubt I can do whatever it takes to win and put myself forward to fight whoever the MFC decides.”

One thing for sure with Watson, whatever fights await him, he will undoubtedly do his best at creating as much hype as possible and even fire off a few verbal jousts at his foe. It’s just ingrained in British fighters that part of their job is to heat up the pre-fight antics with some ribbing – good-natured or not. While some in the martial arts world frown on that behavior, it’s a necessary part of the business both for the fighter and the organization to stand out in the crowded world scene.

Like his good friend Paul Daley, Watson isn’t shy about tossing out the quote-worthy lines, shooting them out like a stiff jab.

“Not all British fighters are like that … just the good ones!”

On Friday we carried a story originated by TheGarv.com involving MFC president Mark Pavelich and a request to suspend his promotion for fees owed.

Just to recap, the Association of Boxing Commissions received a request from the River Cree commission for “non-payment of fees owing to the commission.”

Pavelich spoke to TheGarv.com and clarified the situation, which appears to be nothing more than the MFC’s old venue, the River Cree Resort & Casino near Edmonton, Canada, breaking their own contract by charging an increased fee for the last MFC event held in their facility.

Pavelich indicated that the change to a higher rate was brought up quite informally before the event, and he immediately expressed his reluctance, and no further discussion or resolution took place. After the event, which was the final show on their exclusive contract, Pavelich explained that MFC paid the commission the original price within a month. Pavelich said the commission then contacted him with the claim that they had not received any check, so he mailed a second, and says he has all the accounting documentation to prove it.

Pavelich also relayed that the “non-payment of fees” that spawned the request for his suspension consists of the additional funds that were conspicuously and non-mutually added, plus a late fee for the alleged absence of the first check, which he has proof was mailed on time.

Looks like the Maximum Fighting Championship was in no danger of canceling events, which is good news for Canadian fans as they’ll get to enjoy more shows in the future.

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

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.

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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

Thales Leites made quick work of Jesse Taylor, and Ryan Jimmo made a huge statement with a convincing victory at the Maximum Fighting Championship’s MFC 25: Vindication.

In front of more than 4,000 fans at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and live on HDNet, Leites (17-3) submitted Taylor with an impressive triangle choke at the 2:27 mark of the first round. Taylor (14-6) initially forced Leites to the mat with a double-leg takedown, but the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, product scored big a strike from the bottom that opened a deep gash on Taylor’s eyebrow. That was the beginning of the end as Leites smoothly transitioned into the submission manoeuvre and forced the tapout.

It was a second straight win in the Maximum Fighting Championship for Leites and moved him to the top of the contender list for the MFC middleweight title.

In the night’s co-main event, Jimmo (13-1) surely shocked a number of mixed martial arts pundits as he dominated Wilson Gouveia (12-8) en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision. Jimmo showed his patented counter-striking in Round 1 and then thoroughly applied the heat on Gouveia in Round 2. Jimmo surprisingly took Gouveia down but instead of being caught up in the Brazilian’s jiu-jitsu skills, Jimmo unleashed a ferocious ground-and-pound assault. At one point, Jimmo had Gouveia stacked up in a neutral corner and rained down countless strikes that nearly forced referee John Braak to step in and stop bout. At the end of the round, a battered and bruised Gouveia needed help returning to his corner.

Jimmo continued to showcase a much more confident attack in Round 3, and despite getting caught with a punch from Gouveia in the early moments, he cruised to the win. A pair of judges gave Jimmo a 10-8 score in Round 2 and he finished with counts of 30-27, 30-26, 30-26 in his favor. Jimmo, who now fights out of Edmonton, Alberta, was given a huge ovation by the home-town crowd for the best performance of his career – a result which has tabbed him as the front-runner for a shot at the MFC light heavyweight title.

Meanwhile, former MFC light heavyweight champ Emanuel Newton showed that cleaning up his act outside the ring had a profound effect on his in-ring performance. Newton (13-6), who hails from Norwalk, California, utilized outstanding takedowns and control to take a unanimous decision from crowd favorite Dwayne Lewis (11-5). Newton, whose corner was anchored by MFC lightweight champ Antonio McKee, put a stop to his own three-fight losing skid while snapping Lewis’s own seven-fight win streak. The result was a bitter pill to swallow for Lewis who had more than 400 fans in the audience from his home town of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

In an entertaining welterweight encounter, veteran Pete Spratt (21-17) picked up the Knockout of the Night by stopping Luigi Fioravanti (17-7) at 4:02 of Round 3. Spratt took control in Round 2 doing most of his damage with brutal kicks to the body. In the third, Spratt dropped Fioravanti with a stiff jab and then pounced with a barrage that brought upon the stoppage. It was the second straight win in the Maximum Fighting Championship for the native of San Antonio, Texas, who captured the MFC’s 2009 Knockout of the Year in his last appearance at MFC 22 back in October.

Gavin Neil (8-1) picked up the Submission of the Night by coaxing a tapout from Richie Hightower (8-4) at 2:52 of Round 1. Hightower was done in by a wicked left hook from Neil and the Victoria, British Columbia, native moved quickly into a fight-ending rear-naked choke.
　
Other results:

Chase Gormley (7-2) def. Ryan Fortin (4-3) – Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Chad Freeman (4-3) def. Mike Froese (3-3) – 3:48 Round 1, tapout via armbar

Keto Allen (4-0) def. Aaron Berke (4-2) – 2:58 Round 1, TKO

Jevon Marshall (1-0) def. Garret Nybakken (1-1) – 2:00 Round 3, tapout via rear-naked choke