Fickett vs. Franca for Vacated MFC Lightweight Title

[keithlewis]

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.