MFC 24: Heat XC -- Quick Results

I haven't had a chance yet to watch these fights, but it looks like Maximum Fighting Championship achieved their objective of producing more finishes after a lackluster main event of Dean Lister vs. Thales Leites at MFC 23. Every main card bout ended in a (T)KO, with only one fight making it out of the first round. Is it possible to get too much of a good thing?

One thing is certain, it's nice to see Yves Edwards (37-15-1) continuing his revival-- that makes three wins in a row. Meanwhile, Britain's Tom "Kong" Watson (11-3) [Pictured Left], who currently trains out of Jackson's Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, NM, put himself on many fans' maps tonight by handily turning aside a tough challenge from Canada's Travis Galbraith (17-6).

Main Event

Yves Edwards def. Derrick Noble by TKO (Strikes), Rd. 1 @ 4:44

Main Card

Tom Watson def. Travis Galbraith by KO (Head Kick), Rd. 1 @ 1:56
Dwayne Lewis def. Ryan McClain by TKO (Strikes), Rd. 2 @ 2:08
Jesse Juarez def. Nathan Gunn by KO (Head Kick), Rd. 1 @ 0:11

Undercard:

• Dami Egbeyemi def. Paapa Inkumsah by Split Decision

• David Letourneau def. Nick Hrynchyshyn by Unanimous Decision (30-27 X 3)

• Garret Nybakken def. Chris Barber by Submission (RNC), Rd. 1 @ 2:30

• Zach Blaber def. Eric Chouinard by Submission (Kimura), Rd. 1 @ 1:17

Programming Reminder: MMA Double-Header -- "MFC 24: Heat XC" and "Strikeforce: Challengers 6" Both Live Tonight

Many Canadian sports fans will be transfixed by the men's hockey semifinal against Slovakia this evening, but there are also a pair of great MMA cards competing for attention on this day-- Friday, February 26th. In a perfect world we could watch all three events, but there may have to be some tough choices made tonight. Below is a rundown of the two MMA events and some links that might help you make up your mind.

B.C. MMA Fan will, of course, have coverage of both MMA events available this evening.


Event: MFC 24: HeatXC
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Start Time: 7:00pm PST/ 10:00pm EST
How To Watch: Tickets Still Available, Live Stream Available for $9.99

Main Card:

155lbs.: Yves Edwards (155.5) vs. Derrick Noble (156)

185lbs: Tom Watson (184.5) vs Travis Galbraith (186.5)

205lbs.: Ryan McClain (205) vs. Dwayne Lewis (205

170lbs.: Jesse Juarez (171) vs. Nathan Gunn (169.5)

170lbs.: Dami Egbeyemi (170.5) vs. Paapa Inkumsah (170)

Undercard:

170lbs.: David Letourneau (169.5) vs. Nick Hrynchyshyn (170)

185lbs.: Elliot Duff (193) vs. Jason Gorny (185.5)

155lbs.: Chris Barber (153.5) vs. Garret Nybakken (154)

Catchweight: Eric Chouinard (207) vs. Zach Blaber (207)

Event: Strikeforce Challengers VI
Location: San Jose, CA
Start time: 7:00 pm PST /10:00 pm EST
How To Watch: Showtime (USA), SuperChannel (Canada)

Main Card:

135 lbs.: Sarah Kaufman (133.8) vs. Takayo Hashi (132)

185 lbs.: Trevor Prangley (185) vs. Karl Amoussou (184.5)

185 lbs.: Luke Rockhold (185) vs. Paul Bradley (186)

170 lbs.: James Terry (169) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (170)

185 lbs.: Raul Castillo (183) vs. Yancy Medeiros (185.5)

Undercard:

185 lbs.: Eric Lawson (185.5) vs. Wayne Phillips (183.5)

185 lbs.: Chris Stewart (182.5) vs. Samuel Bracamnonte (180)

155 lbs.: Tristan Arenal (156) vs. George Miller (155.8)

145 lbs.: Jesse Tobar (141.5) vs. Johnson Nguyen (144.8)

145 lbs.: Renee Robinson (141) vs. Lilia Salas (145)

265 lbs.: Steve Dickie (242.8) vs. Alan Lummel (253)

135 lbs.: Ronald Carillo (132.8) vs. Anthony De Los Santos (134)

Dave Pavelich Gives An Extended Interview On MFC 24: Heat XC

Seen here speaking with David Stanford of MMACanada.net, Maximum Fighting Championships' Vice President Dave Pavelich offers the lowdown on MFC 24: HeatXC, which is scheduled for this Friday, February 26th, in Edmonton. The show is available for the first time from MFC as an online stream priced at the very affordable rate of $9.99. For more information about the fights or how to order the show via the Internet, visit the MFC official website.

Penner Ready To Pay The Price At MFC 24

Debut at light heavyweight no easy task for top prospect

By MFC Staff

Nick Penner was happy with getting the win but not by the methods with which it came.

He learned a lesson about preparation, and is taking it to heart as he prepares for his next fight which comes with another test of its own. Penner (9-1), one of the top prospects in the Maximum Fighting Championship, puts his six-fight winning streak on the line at MFC 24: Heat XC when he takes on Chris “The Exorcist” Price (15-3). The fight will be Penner’s first at light heavyweight, moving down from the heavyweight ranks, but it is a transition he expects will benefit him in a big way.

“I feel good about the drop - I’m just not big enough to fight at heavyweight. My training has changed a lot as a light heavyweight with working more on endurance and explosiveness,” said Penner, who has a good all-around game with skills in both stand-up, thanks to a background in kick-boxing, and on the ground as evidenced by five wins coming via submission.

Penner’s last outing, which was his final hurrah as a heavyweight, was a successful one albeit not as impressive as many insiders has expected. He took too much punishment early on and the fight was in danger of being stopped due to a nasty gash along his eyebrow, but Penner still prevailed, ultimately finishing off Ryan Fortin with a second-round rear-naked choke.

“I let many people down in that fight. Even though I won, I wasn’t happy with my performance. I took Fortin far too lightly,” admitted Penner. “I thought he was just a big lumbering guy but he’s definitely a proficient fighter. I think I need to get punched in the head and cut to wake up. The positive out of that fight is that it strengthened my belief that when faced with adversity, I can break through and come out on top.”

Penner won’t be given a second chance to test his resolve against Price. The Edmonton, Alberta, product will need to be sharper, faster, and more intense if he hopes to proceed in his quest to face the upper echelon in the MFC’s 205-pound ranks.

“The fight will be a trial by fire as an introduction into the light heavyweight division,” said Penner. “I think a win over Price will be a statement to everyone. He’ll be a stiff test - he’s been around and he has a great record. But my coaches and I have watched tape on him and we’ve seen a few holes that we can exploit.

“It should be fun and I expect to finish him off in the third round by TKO.”

The Penner-Price matchup is among the featured bouts at MFC 24 which is headlined by a lightweight showdown between Derrick “The Eraser” Noble and “The Texas Gunslinger” Yves Edwards. Also on the card is another light heavyweight clash as Dwayne Lewis takes on David Heath, plus a middleweight rumble between Tom Watson and Travis Galbraith.

Tickets for MFC 24: Heat XC are going fast and are available through the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024 as well via Ticketmaster at (780) 451-8000, www.ticketmaster.ca, and Ticketmaster outlets. MFC 24: Heat XC will air live via streaming webcast - check out www.maximumfighting.com