Co-main events set for MFC 32; McKee vs. Cobb, Lewis vs. Gouveia top lineup for Bitter Rivals card

Posted on | October 17, 2011 | No Comments

The Maximum Fighting Championship launches what will be its biggest and boldest schedule in organization history with the announcement of its first event for 2012 – MFC 32: Bitter Rivals.

MFC 32: Bitter Rivals will take place on Friday, January 27 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and emanating live on HDNet Fights. The main card’s live broadcast airing throughout North America on HDNet gets underway at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation).

Tickets for MFC 32 are on sale now and available exclusively via the MFC Ticket Hotline at (780) 504-2024.

The lineup for MFC 32: Bitter Rivals is already taking shape with three main-card bouts announced by MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich.

In the co-main event, MFC lightweight champion Antonio “Mandingo” McKee puts his title on the line against No. 1-ranked challenger Brian “The Bandit” Cobb. The other co-main event will pit long-time MFC fan favorite Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis against Brazilian striker Wilson Gouveia in a light-heavyweight battle that will be the MFC’s first five-round, non-title superfight.

“The fans of the Maximum Fighting Championship want action, they want exciting fights, and they want to be impressed by the fighters – just like I do,” said Pavelich. “These co-main event fights are set up to provide all of that.

“When he’s pressed into a corner, Antonio McKee comes out fighting, and there’s no way in the world that Brian Cobb will let McKee just coast through this fight. Cobb wants the belt and he is going to go after it. It’s going to be up to McKee to decide if he’s willing to fight to keep it.

“And the MFC has no fighter who’s more combative, more eager to settle into the pocket and throw down than Dwayne Lewis. Both he and Wilson Gouveia are looking to get on track after long layoffs so there’s no better way to figure out who’s for real than to let them smash their way back into the mix.”

McKee (26-4-2) has won 12 of his last 13 fights, and will be defending his MFC crown for the second time. The Lakewood, California, product claimed the MFC lightweight title at MFC 20 with a unanimous decision over Derrick Noble, and then defended the belt in one of the most impressive efforts of his decorated career. McKee, angered by many of his opponent’s pre-fight comments, notched the third TKO of his career finishing Luiz Azevedo only 3:11 into their bout at MFC 26.

Cobb (19-6) is on quite a roll of his own as he gets his first MFC title shot. The Bakersfield, California, native has won four straight including an exhilarating triumph in his organizational debut at MFC 30. Cobb turned the tables on opponent Drew Fickett and racked up a scorching TKO victory just 4:44 into the first round. A holder of 12 submission victories, Cobb has also registered key career wins over Kazunori Yokota and Diego Saraiva.

The MFC 32 superfight features the return of Lewis (12-7), the pride of Fort McMurray, Alberta, who is unquestionably one of the MFC’s all-time great crowd-pleasers with 13 appearances under the organization’s banner. Lewis rode a seven-fight winning streak into his title fight at MFC 28, but he fell short via a third-round TKO against Ryan Jimmo. Lewis boasts seven career knockouts including sensational first-round finishes against Mike Nickels and Marvin Eastman.

Gouveia (12-8), a holder of seven submission and four knockout wins under his belt, makes his long-awaited return from injury following his loss to Jimmo at MFC 25. The Brazilian, who now fights out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has a number of big-name victories on his resume including first-round stoppages of Jason MacDonald, Jon Fitch, and Carmelo Marrero.

Also signed to the MFC 32: Bitter Rivals card is a showdown between fighters who are both coming off stellar performances at MFC 31. In an explosive lightweight affair, hometown rising star “The African Assassin” Mukai Maromo (6-2) will meet former U.S. Marine Adam Lynn (17-8).

Maromo, who has won three straight, scored the Knockout of the Night at MFC 30 with a quick finish against Scott Cleve, and then put on a fantastic performance for his Edmonton fan base in a thrilling three-round decision over Sabah Fadai.

Lynn enters MFC 32 boasting a six-fight winning streak highlighted by his Knockout of the Night outing at MFC 31 when he floored Curtis Demarce just 1:38 into Round 1. The San Clemente, California, product holds six knockouts on his career resume.

The remainder of the main card along with the undercard will be announced in the near future.