MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines - Fight Card Updates

[keithlewis]

Smealinho Rama Ready for Title Shot at MFC 38 on Oct. 4


Smealinho Rama had his shot at the MFC heavyweight title taken away through no fault of his own. But he didn't sulk or complain when the opportunity slipped through his fingers due to an opponent's injury and subsequent canceled fight back in May. After a brief break, Rama was right back to work in preparation for a revamped title shot - a matchup that will be the co-main event for MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines on Friday, October 4.

"I'm back to business and focused on my title fight," said 'The Prince.'

"We expect another perfect training camp ahead of us and that I'll be bringing the MFC heavyweight belt back to Calgary."

Ranked 37th in the world by Fight Matrix (http://www.fightmatrix.com/mma-ranks/he ... t-265-lbs/), Rama (6-0) has quickly blossomed into one of the top prospects in mixed martial arts, and he didn't let the unexpectedly long layoff of the canceled title fight diminish his learning curve. In less than eight months he jumped from white to blue and finally onto purple belt status in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under noted instructor Anderson Goncalves.

Honing his submission skills was just part of the extended study sessions while waiting for his next bout. Rama's opponent will be named shortly, and their clash will share top billing at MFC 38 airing live on AXS TV Fights from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.

"I train and take what ever technique I learn, work it, improve it and make it part of my arsenal," said Rama, who jumped to the No. 1 contender spot thanks to his dominating first-round TKO finish of Mike Hackert at MFC 36.

"I stay in shape as well by doing a lot of cardio, I continue to lift weights and attend strength and conditioning. Not having to worry about a fight right away takes away the stress of thinking and having to deal with all the thoughts and emotional, spiritual, mental and physical challenges.

"I get time to relax and be able to take in and process information there for improving my skill and really make a a lot of improvements."

It's an impressively mature outlook from a fighter who is just 21 years of age. But an ardent student, Rama has sponged all the knowledge he can garner from his coaches and keenly set his sights on continually improving.

"Every training camp I finish, I always finish it with a lesson," explained Rama. "That lesson is what I could have done better. My training camp leading up to my canceled bout on May 10th for MFC 37 was near perfect, and I still managed to walk away from it with an idea of what I can do better.

"This time around, the work I'm going to be doing will have greatly improved to make me a more powerful, durable, explosive and technical fighter. We're always working on technique and fitness exercises that improve my power, endurance, strength, speed, athleticism, explosion, cardio, and physical durability as well as proper mental preparation.

"We are consistently improving. Not just myself as an athlete but my coaches and training partners both individually and as a team in all aspects of the sports whether its technique or physical capability."

Rama has physically mowed through his opposition to date, registering all six of his victories via first-round stoppage with none of the fights going past the four-minute mark. The six-foot, 250-pounder also demonstrated a solid all-around game during those wins, scoring three knockouts verdicts and three submission outcomes including the MFC's 2012 Submission of the Year for a smooth rear-naked choke tapout of Ryan Fortin.

Whomever is next for Rama best beware that despite his youth and soft-spoken nature, there is a very dangerous foe standing across the ring.

"I want the best opponent available out there that will advance me as an athlete and fighter, both in the world rankings and skill wise and as well that will help advance my life as a person, a son, a friend and brother, a training partner and student not just in mixed martial arts but in life itself," offered Rama.

"We have a game plan for each opponent and we try to stick to that game plan in the ring. But I am always well-prepared in every aspect of the sport so don't be surprised if I end up knocking out a boxer or submitting a black belt."

One more knockout or submission and Rama will finally get to strap the MFC's title belt over his shoulder. It's a goal he set out for upon signing a new multi-fight deal with the Maximum Fighting Championship, and one he has every intention of fulfilling.

"The MFC title is a prestigious title to hold in the MMA world," said Rama.

"Winning the MFC heavyweight title would not only put me down in the history books, it would make all my hard work, dedication, hard times and patience worth having to have dealt with and go through.

"It would motivate me and inspire me to continue to get better as a fighter and a human being and it would bring me one step closer to being the #1 heavyweight in the world."

[keithlewis]

Rama, Birchak, Alvey, Novaes Tapped for MFC 38


The Maximum Fighting Championship, the number one mixed martial organization in Canada and one of the largest in the world, is a hard-hitting MMA event that has been dishing out non-stop action for the past 13+ years. The MFC is the only MMA show in Canada to be on live TV on Mark Cuban and Ryan Seacrest's AXSTV. Their upcoming offering is set to be one of their most significant blows yet to the world of MMA, with TWO world championship title bouts heading a fully-charged fight card.

On October 4th at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Canada, the MFC will take an incredible card of fighters, as well as the fans, Behind Enemy Lines at MFC 38.

In the main event, undefeated world-ranked heavyweight and the undisputed number one heavyweight in Canada, Albanian finisher Smealinho Rama (@SmealinhoRama) will fight for the MFC world heavyweight championships. Rama has won each of his 6 professional fights by stoppage, and all in the very first round, including his most recent scintillating TKO stoppage of previously #1 ranked Mike Hackert at MFC 36 in February. "The Prince" will look to solidify his top spot and exit the ring at MFC 38 with the MFC heavyweight belt in tow.

Also grasping for a world title in the co-main event of this stacked fight card will be bantamweight rising star Anthony Birchak (@ABirchakMMA). Birchak (10-1) participated in one of the most exciting fights of 2013 earlier this year in a gutsy, leave-everything-in-the-ring performance with his win over Ryan Benoit at MFC 37. Birchak has made it clear that he intends to hold the honor of becoming the first bantamweight champion in MFC history. He gets his chance Behind Enemy Lines on October 4th.

"Smilen" Sam Alvey (@SmilenSam) is riding a wave of popularity in Canada after his inspired recent performances in MFC action against Elvis Mutapcic and Jay Silva. Most recently finishing MMA veteran Jay Silva via TKO at MFC 37, Alvey is shooting for the highest levels of competition and will now attempt to deliver another show-stopping effort from which he will walk away smiling.

Also on the docket is a rematch between World BJJ champion Jonatas Novaes (@JonatasNovaes) and Kurt Southern (@KurtSouthern). Novaes defeated Southern via submission in the final round of their first meeting at MFC 36. Southern has since submitted lightweight standout Mukai Maromo at MFC 37, earning another crack at Novaes in a number one contender match and a chance for redemption. Hometown Superstars Garret "Nasty" Nybakken (@NastyNybakken) , Jared "Yeti" McComb (@JaredYeti) and the always exciting, hard hitting Chase Degenhardt (@ChaseDeggy).

More match-ups will be announced as the event approaches, but MMA fans can rest assured that the fight card will only get more stacked and the event more highly-anticipated as fighters sign on to step into the spotlight at MFC 38 in front of millions of fight fans live on AXSTV.

[keithlewis]

Birchak versus Jones Set for Bantamweight Title at MFC 38


The Maximum Fighting Championship, a worldwide leader in mixed martial arts, is excited to announce one of the two title fights that will be decided at MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines taking place on Friday, October 4.

Holding co-main event status, the inaugural MFC bantamweight title fight will take place pitting rising star Anthony Birchak against accomplished veteran Tito Jones. The crowning of the MFC's first 135-pound division champ headlines an action-packed night airing live on AXS TV Fights from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, with the televised card getting under way at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation).

"Anthony's performance at MFC 37 was without a doubt one of the fiercest and most entertaining showcases I've ever seen," said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich.

"I'm incredibly excited to be putting Anthony in a title fight and equally as excited to see Tito Jones go after the belt. Tito didn't hesitate for one second to go face-to-face against Birchak and that tells me he's going to bring the fight right to him which is what the fans of the MFC love."

Birchak (10-1) is riding high coming off his thrilling decision over Ryan Benoit at MFC 37 - a fight that will certainly be a contender for the MFC's 2013 Fight of the Year. Birchak (Twitter: @abirchakmma) has won four straight fights and boasts three knockouts and five submissions over his career. The 29-year-old Tucson, Arizona, product is ranked #79 in the world by FightMatrix.com.

Jones (10-6) has designs on making his MFC debut end with a championship as the 31-year-old brings a three-fight winning streak into the matchup which includes a 21-second knockout of Deven Jones. A former Arizona resident, Jones (Twitter: @TitoKidKO) now fights out of Sacramento, California, and holds three knockouts and one submission on his career ledger. Jones is ranked #101 by FightMatrix.com.

Being that MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines takes place in the month of October, the Maximum Fighting Championship will once again recognize breast cancer awareness and the brave individuals who are engaged in that fight.

The "Power of Pink" Initiative returns to the MFC after debuting last October at MFC 35. will take place on Friday, October 26 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The MFC will wrap the ring ropes in pink tape as opposed to the usual white, the MFC's pink ribbon logo will be on the ring mat, and fighters will sport pink tape on their gloves. MFC staff will also be wearing pink accessories such as neckties during fight night.

"Breast cancer awareness and the 'Power of Pink' is our way of acknowledging and supporting the most important fight of all," added Pavelich. "We are encouraging our fighters to show their support by wearing pink during their walkout and in the ring, as well as sporting pink on their sponsorship banners."

The main card of MFC 38 will also feature a co-headlining bout for the MFC heavyweight title plus four more fights featuring many of the Maximum Fighting Championship's top stars. Details on those fights will be released shortly.

[keithlewis]

Fan Voting to Determine MFC 38 Main Event on Oct. 4


The Maximum Fighting Championship has always taken great pride in being a organization that listens to its devoted fans. And now, the MFC is taking things one giant step further.

With MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines boasting three title fights in one night - a first in MFC history - the Maximum Fighting Championship is going to let the fans decide which of the three bouts will be the true main event of the evening.

"It's not an easy thing deciding which title fight deserves to be the final fight of the night so why not let the fans pick who they want to see," said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich.

"I'm very excited to see which fight the fans will decide on being the most deserving of the three. We've all heard of 'Rock the Vote.' Well this is 'Punch the Vote!''

The three title fights at MFC 38 are:

Heavyweight Title - Anthony Hamilton vs. Smealinho Rama

Middleweight Title - Jason South vs. Sam Alvey

Bantamweight Title - Tito Jones vs. Anthony Birchak

It's a simple process for voting which will be conducted via Twitter (www.twitter.com/@maximumfighting) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/MaximumFighting).

* Votes on Twitter must include the hashtags #THEMFC, #MFC38 plus a hashtag and weight class for your pick - #HEAVYWEIGHT, #MIDDLEWEIGHT or #BANTAMWEIGHT. Votes must have #THEMFC, #MFC38 and the hashtag of your pick to be considered.

* For voting on Facebook, go to the Maximum Fighting page, click 'Join' and then click 'Like' under the poster for the fight you are selecting. All three title fights have their own individual poster, just keep scrolling till you find it as they move down the news feed as more postings go up.

The fight with the combined most tweets and likes will receive top billing and be the final fight at MFC 38 live on AXS TV Fights on Friday, October 4 from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The runner-up fight will be the second title bout, and the fight with the third-most votes will be the first of the title matchups.

Voting begins on Tuesday, August 20 and run through till midnight on Friday, September 20.

[keithlewis]

Jonatas Novaes Ready for War at MFC 38 on Oct. 4


Lightweight Jonatas "Peixe Frito" Novaes is continuing forward in his pro fighting career with confidence as he prepares for his upcoming October 4th fight against Kurt Southern. His confidence comes from within as he awaits his fight against an opponent that he's squashed once before. That's right, this fight happened once already as Novaes took Southern down with a submission in the form of an arm bar. For Novaes the second fight has already been fought and won in his head. It's going to be easy for him, "I could do this fight tomorrow with no effort, that's how ready I am," stated Novaes. Training at Counterstrike MMA, Top Notch MMA and Team Brasa, Novaes has been practicing jiu-jitsu, Maui Tai and conditioning with a strong team behind him strengthening and him that much more for his fight.

Novaes is not happy about having to fight Southern again. He was expecting a better fight when he was told he would need to fight Southern again in order to get the title match he's been waiting for set in February. He wants this fight with Southern to be the title match he deserves. This is his job however and he knows he just needs to let that go and just go to work. When asked why he thinks this fight will be another cake walk for him he gives me a sneak peek into how his brain works. Although Southern undoubtedly is a tough guy, he is very limited in what he can do in the ring. Novaes wants to prove to everyone that Southern does not deserve to be in the ring fighting him for the second time. He had his chance and lost. "I know I'm gonna win this fight!"

He's ready for whatever is going to be thrown his way, stand-up or take down, it doesn't matter. Novaes has already proven to the world that he's not just a jiu-jitsu guy. He's not all about one thing. "If you take me to the ground you're gonna make it easy on me. Want to fight stand-up? I'm gonna be trouble." As a fighter Novaes always puts on a good show, "Whether Jonatas is behind or ahead on the scorecards he has a very exciting and unorthodox game, combined with a dynamic personality. As everyone saw in his last performance he can take a hit, fall behind on the scorecard, keep a smile on, and still pull off the submission of the night," said Rick Mataleon, Novaes' manager.

Novaes is one passionate fighter and his confidence is awe inspiring. That's the guy you want to see up there in front of the masses, the guy that says there is no way you are beating me tonight. Where does the passion and drive to be the best come from? He loves fighting and he feeds off the pain, sweat and blood that are all part of the mechanism of a pro fighter. This isn't about money. This is about striving to be recognized as being one of the best fighters this world has seen. "The feeling I get from being up there. I want to be the biggest in the world." Do you doubt him?

- MFC Staff Kim Love

[keithlewis]

Three Bouts Added to MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines


The Maximum Fighting Championship has rounded out its six-fight main card for MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines with the addition of three bouts that will be spotlighted live on AXS TV Fights. In addition to the already touted key matchup in the lightweight division - the hotly anticipated rematch between Brazilian jiu-jitsu sensation Jonatas "Peixe Frito" Novaes and young Canadian star Kurt "The Hurt" Southern - two more fights have been finalized including a second expected thriller in the lightweight ranks.

Newcomer Alejandro "Alex" Garcia, who just signed a multi-fight deal with the Maximum Fighting Championship, will take on fan favorite Curtis "The Demon" Demarce.

Garcia (14-5) makes his organizational debut riding a streak that has seen him win eight of his last nine fights. The Yuma, Arizona, product has finished his foes in nine of his 14 victories including seven wins coming inside the opening round.

Demarce (13-10) is well-known to MFC fans for his epic three-round wars against both Marcus Davis and Richie Whitson. The Brandon, Manitoba, native has not only shown his courageous side in those fights, but has does it again by returning to mixed martial arts following a life-threatening car accident. Demarce's biggest career victory to date came at MFC 26 when he secured a second-round tapout of Tyson Steele via inverted triangle choke.

The entire main card gets under way live on AXS TV Fights at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT on Friday, October 4 live from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta (check local listings for channel designation).

Adding more intrigue to the Novaes-Southern II battle, the winner has been guaranteed a shot at the MFC lightweight title.

"The first battle between these two fighters was a classic," said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. "Southern was all over Novaes for two rounds and totally dominating, and then being a slick submission artist, Novaes pulls out the stunning, come-from-behind victory in Round 3.

"Everyone wanted to see them go at it again, and clearly the winner will be well-deserving a title shot."

Novaes (11-4) boasts eight submission victories on his career resume, including his tapout of Southern at the 1:06 mark of the third round at MFC 36. A native of Conceicao da Barra, Brazil, Novaes now fights out of Chicago, Illinois, and has impressive list of international successes in jiu-jitsu competitions. The 32-year-old is a 12-time IBJJF champion, and captured both the the World and Pan-American Nogi championships in 2011.

Southern (12-4) is an accomplished wrestler out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but has adeptly added striking and jiu-jitsu to his arsenal. Southern, who has won four of his last five outings, picked up his seventh career submission victory at MFC 37, tapping out former title challenger Mukai Maromo with a North-South choke just 2:54 into their matchup.

The AXS TV Fights broadcast will open up with a terrific battle in the MFC's middleweight division as hot prospect Teddy "The Bear" Ash (3-0) takes on rugged veteran Jared "The Yeti" McComb (5-2-1).

Ash, who fights out of Fort McMurray, Alberta, has finished all three of his opponents with two of those coming inside the opening round. McComb, an Edmonton, Alberta, native, is coming off a first-round victory at MFC 37.


MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines - Main Card

Anthony Hamilton vs. Smealinho Rama, MFC heavyweight title
Jason South vs. Sam Alvey, MFC middleweight title
Tito Jones vs. Anthony Birchak, MFC bantamweight title
Jonatas Novaes vs. Kurt Southern, lightweight
Alejandro Garcia vs. Curtis Demarce, lightweight
Teddy Ash vs. Jared McComb, middleweight

[keithlewis]

Fans Vote Birchak vs. Jones As MFC 38 Main Event


For the first time ever, the Maximum Fighting Championship let the fans decide the main event of an upcoming show.

The 'PunchTheVote' campaign has wrapped up and the fans voted for the main event they most wanted to see get top billing. The results have been tabulated and MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines will truly be a night of firsts.

MFC 38 is the first time the Maximum Fighting Championship boasts three title fights on the same night. And fittingly, the very first MFC bantamweight champion will be crowned in the night's true main event.

Though it came down to the wire in fan voting cast via Twitter and Facebook, the MFC bantamweight title fight pitting Anthony Birchak against Tito "Ronin" Jones has the honor of being the main event for MFC 38.

The bantamweight matchup narrowly slipped past the middleweight title fight featuring "Smilen" Sam Alvey against Jason "The Mover" South in the voting. The heavyweight tilt with Smealinho "The Prince" Rama facing Anthony "Freight Train" Hamilton will be the first of the three title fights on Friday, October 4 from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and airing live on AXS TV Fights.

"All three of these title fights are deserving of main-event status, so we wanted to hear what the fans had to say, and they decided which of the three they felt belonged with top billing," said Scott Zerr, Director of Media & Fighter Relations for the Maximum Fighting Championship.

Along with the three title fights, the MFC 38 lineup features a critical matchup in the lightweight division as Jonatas "Peixe Frito" Novaes enters a hotly anticipated rematch with Kurt "The Hurt" Southern - the winner being guaranteed a shot at the MFC lightweight title in 2014.

Also on the main card for MFC 38 is a bout pitting hot prospect Teddy "The Bear" Ash against durable veteran Jared "The Yeti" McComb, plus a lightweight tussle with Aaron "Gorilla" Gallant taking on Matt Jelly.

The MFC 38 broadcast on AXS TV Fights begins at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT, and the MFC 38 prelims air live on the Maximum Fighting Championship's Facebook page beginning at 8:15 p.m. ET/6:15 p.m. MT/5:15 p.m. PT.