The Maximum Fighting Championship brings its final card of the 2012 campaign to life on Friday, Oct. 26, and it is sure to be a night of electrifying, high-impact action.
MFC 35: Explosive Encounter will take place at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and air live on AXS TV Fights throughout the United States beginning at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation). MFC 35 will then air on tape-delay in Canada on TSN2.
The lineup is topped by the much-anticipated showdown for the MFC world middleweight title as Elvis “The King” Mutapcic (11-2) squares off against Joseph “Leonidas” Henle (8-0-1). Five other fights highlight the main card – one which bears a striking resemblance to two of the best shows in the history of the Maximum Fighting Championship.
“Looking back, MFC 24 and MFC 34 were sensational events in every way possible,” recalled MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich.
“Those cards had lineups that when you first looked at them, there were a lot of questions and some doubts. But when those two shows were put in the books, they were phenomenal. You can get hung up on so-called big names and the results don’t merit the attention.
“Our best success has come when we focus on matchmaking exciting fights and keep in mind how future scenarios might play out. So we put fighters together who will compete with passion and give everything they have. This is mixed martial arts and this is a sport but let’s forget that first and foremost this is entertainment. I want our fans entertained, and we’re going to showcase the fighters that are entertaining and exciting.”
Mutapcic vs. Henle
Fans will certainly get excitement when Mutapcic and Henle meet for the middleweight championship. Mutapcic, a native of Bosnia who now lives in Des Moines, Iowa, enters the title bout riding a three-fight winning streak punctuated by his first-round demolition of Jacen Flynn at MFC 34. Mutapcic also holds notable career victories over former MFC light-heavyweight title challenger Zak Cummings and Cezar Ferreira. Meanwhile, Henle shot to prominence with his own first-round victory at MFC 34 when he took out Luke Harris with a vicious TKO. Henle, who fights out of Thousand Oaks, California, also holds four submission wins, and was a standout on “The Ultimate Fighter – Season 11” under coach Chuck Liddell.
Spencer vs. Nelson
MFC 35 will unveil the organization’s featherweight division in grand style as Graham Spencer takes on Shane Nelson. Spencer (8-1, 1 no contest), who hails from Vancouver, B.C., is a highly regarded Canadian prospect who has won three in a row, and boasts a victory over MFC lightweight title contender Mukai Maromo. Nelson (15-6) is a training partner of legendary fighter BJ Penn, and the Hilo, Hawaii, product, who boasts four wins by both knockout and submission, has knocked off such notables as Aaron Riley, George Roop, and Kolo Koka.
Rama vs. Fortin
The heavyweights return at MFC 35 as two top prospects will tangle to see who will climb the rankings ladder. Smealinho Rama (4-0), who is coming off a successful organizational debut at MFC 34, takes on Ryan “The Vanilla Gorilla” Fortin (6-3). Rama, who fights out of Calgary, Alberta, defeated veteran Lee Mein at MFC 34 and now holds two knockouts and two submission victories. Fortin, who is originally from Wetaskiwin, Alberta, has picked up three wins under the Heat XC banner, but has come up short in three outings inside the MFC ring. Fortin’s most noteworthy career win was a third-round knockout of Hall of Famer Dan Severn last April.
Three More Matchups
Rounding out the MFC 35: Explosive Encounter main card lineup are a trio of bouts that are sure to be wild affairs.
In a middleweight rematch, Derek “The Lion” Parker and Jared “The Yeti” McComb will reconvene to settle the issue from their action-packed clash at MFC 33. Parker, the personable former hockey enforcer from Regina, Saskatchewan, and McComb (both 4-1-1), who will have home-town support fighting in Edmonton, put forth a rousing battle back in May and they’re expected to repeat that level of fiery competition again.
Two fighters in search of much-needed victories will meet in another MFC 35 clash as Vancouver, B.C.’s Sabah Fadai (7-2, 1 no contest) toes the line against Cody “Genghis” Krahn (11-5) of Edmonton, Alberta. This will be Fadai’s first fight in the welterweight division as he looks to become a dual-division threat, though, picking up his first win in the MFC ring is of utmost importance. Fadai earned a share of the MFC’s 2011 Fight of the Year but was saddled with a decision loss to Mukai Maromo at MFC 31. Krahn, meanwhile, is coming off a first-round submission loss to Jason Zentgraf at MFC 34 and he needs to secure his spot with a win. All of Krahn’s wins have come inside the opening round, including eight via submission.
MFC 35: Explosive Encounter’s main card opens up with a light-heavyweight tilt between two fan favorites as Paul “The Punisher” Grandbois tangles with Jason “The Show” Kuchera. Grandbois (4-4) had his two-fight winning run stopped by Derek Parker at MFC 34, while Kuchera (5-5) returns from a lengthy injury layoff. Kuchera is a former “Inside MMA” Basie Award winner for his epic battle with Aron Lofton from MFC 15.
A formal announcement on the MFC 35 undercard, featuring Garrett Nybakken, Jose Rodriguez, Matt Jelly, and Chase Degenhardt, will be released shortly.
