Hermes Franca enters Conquer fray; Veteran lightweight to face Drew Fickett at MFC 29

Posted on | March 11, 2011 | No Comments

Another talented veteran has been added to the ever-deepening talent pool of the Maximum Fighting Championship’s lightweight division. Hermes “The Unreal” Franca (20-9) has signed a multi-fight deal with the organization and is slated to make his debut at MFC 29: Conquer on Friday, April 8 in the co-main event against Drew “Night Rider” Fickett (41-12). The bout is subject to OAC approval.

The 36-year-old native of Fortaleza, Brazil, had originally signed with the MFC two years ago, but decided instead to enter into retirement from fighting and focus on training students in Jupiter, Florida. But with a change of heart, Franca re-emerged in the past few months and readily agreed to finally hit the MFC frontier.

“I’m very intrigued to see what Hermes can do in the MFC, and especially with him meeting Drew Fickett in his first fight,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “Hermes is extremely talented as his record shows, and I have made it very clear that I believe Fickett is one of the world’s best fighters at 155 pounds.

“This matchup is going to be very exciting, fast-paced, and I’m sure a very wild crowd-pleaser.”

A pair of impressive eight-fight winning streaks highlight Franca’s resume. The five-foot-six fighter opened his career with eight straight victories including first-round submissions of both Mike Thomas Brown and Ryan Diaz, a decision win over Rich Crunkilton, and then a devastating second-round TKO of Japanese standout Caol Uno.

The second outstanding run of Franca’s career was bolstered by several wins over big-name rivals. After dispatching of Gabe Ruediger by way of knockout in only 36 seconds, Franca went on to post armbar submission wins over both Nate Diaz and Jamie Varner before rounding out the eight-fight run with a second-round stoppage of Spencer Fisher. Another important victory in Franca’s career came in late 2008 when he scored a decision verdict over bitter rival, fellow Brazilian, and former jiu-jitsu instructor Marcus Aurelio.

Fickett, who fights out of Tucson, Arizona, ran his current winning streak to five with a slick and tidy armbar submission of Matt Veach just 36 seconds into their matchup at MFC 28. Fickett also holds a win over Franca’s former training partner Kurt Pellegrino.

Tickets for MFC 29: Conquer are on sale now at www.caesarswindsor.com and www.ticketmaster.ca.