MFC 30 set for June 10 in Edmonton

Posted on | April 25, 2011 | No Comments

Tickets for ‘Up Close & Personal’ featuring Fickett vs. Franca on sale now

For Immediate Release

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.