The Northern Touch: News and Notes from Western Canada
Northern Touch
Kelsey Mowatt May 26, 2005
This edition of the Northern Touch brings word from Edmonton,
Alberta, that the Maximum Fighting Championship is set to return
for the first time since 2003. Also in this week’s Northern Touch,
updates on TKO 21, King of the Cage, and Dave Lochert from Champion
Fight Club. And we publish a rebuttal to last column’s interview
with Jason St. Louis.
Lawler Out, Riggs In for TKO 21
Due to an elbow injury that continues to bother Team Miletich
fighter Robbie Lawler, the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran
will be unable to fight TKO Canadian light heavyweight champion
Patrick Cote at TKO 21.
His replacement, Joe “Diesel” Riggs, is coming in fresh off a
victory at World Extreme Cagefighting 15 over Rob Kimmons on May 19.
Riggs extended his fighting record to 22-6, when he defeated Kimmons with his trademark ground-and-pound style by ending the fight by submission due to strikes at 1:24 of the first round. Cote will continue to fight within the middleweight division when he takes on Riggs at TKO 21.
Riggs, who dropped his last UFC fight to Ivan Salaverry at UFC 52, may indeed be in the same boat as Cote, needing a win at TKO 21 to cement future “Octagon” performances. Either way, the main event on June 11 should amount to a great bout with so much on the line.
The rest of the card is still being put in place for TKO 21, however, the following fights have been announced for the card:
James Hourt vs. Thierry Quenneville
Peter Franchi vs. Fabio Holanda
Karm Gill vs. Serge Lafond
Samuel Foresman vs. Dave Pariseau
Lightweight contender Sam Stout is scheduled to fight at the event but as of yet has not been named an opponent. Stout, who recently was victorious at a K-1 event in Japan, will bring an MMA record of 6-1-1 to TKO 21. Light heavyweight contender Jason Macdonald is also scheduled to fight but no opponent has of yet been signed. Macdonald recently lost by a close decision to well known fighter Marvin Eastman at the World Extreme Fighting card on May 20, dropping Macdonald’s record to 8-4.
The Maximum Fighting Championship: Set to Return
Albertan MMA promoter Mark Pavelich, announced this week that after a two-year lay off, the Maximum Fighting Championship is finally set to return. The organization is planning on holding MFC 8 in Edmonton, Alberta in conjunction with TKO. This partnership between the two organizations had been the source of widespread discussion throughout Canada’s MMA community several years ago, before the MFC dropped off the radar screen in 2003.
After numerous successes for Pavelich in 2001 and 2002, the MFC had risen to the top of MMA promotions in Canada, joining Quebec’s TKO at the pinnacle of Canadian organizations. MFC 7, May 31, 2003 in Slave Lake, Alberta, however was poorly attended, and the MFC did not hold events in 2004 or 2005.
With this new partnership now finally materializing, the MFC is planning on holding events sometime this year.
Promoter Ken Kupsch who worked with King of the Cage to bring the event to Edmonton, Alberta this past spring, also announced this week that KOTC would be returning to the capital city in September.
Lawler Out, Riggs In for TKO 21
Advertisement
Riggs extended his fighting record to 22-6, when he defeated Kimmons with his trademark ground-and-pound style by ending the fight by submission due to strikes at 1:24 of the first round. Cote will continue to fight within the middleweight division when he takes on Riggs at TKO 21.
For both of these fighters a victory on June 11 over a fellow UFC
veteran may go a long way in securing future fights within North
America’s most notable MMA promotion, the UFC. Despite solid
performances against Tito
Ortiz and fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen, Cote has lost both of
his first two fights in the UFC. A victory over Riggs, who defeated
Doerksen at UFC 49, may go a long way in securing a future fight
within the organization.
Riggs, who dropped his last UFC fight to Ivan Salaverry at UFC 52, may indeed be in the same boat as Cote, needing a win at TKO 21 to cement future “Octagon” performances. Either way, the main event on June 11 should amount to a great bout with so much on the line.
The rest of the card is still being put in place for TKO 21, however, the following fights have been announced for the card:
James Hourt vs. Thierry Quenneville
Peter Franchi vs. Fabio Holanda
Karm Gill vs. Serge Lafond
Samuel Foresman vs. Dave Pariseau
Lightweight contender Sam Stout is scheduled to fight at the event but as of yet has not been named an opponent. Stout, who recently was victorious at a K-1 event in Japan, will bring an MMA record of 6-1-1 to TKO 21. Light heavyweight contender Jason Macdonald is also scheduled to fight but no opponent has of yet been signed. Macdonald recently lost by a close decision to well known fighter Marvin Eastman at the World Extreme Fighting card on May 20, dropping Macdonald’s record to 8-4.
The Maximum Fighting Championship: Set to Return
Albertan MMA promoter Mark Pavelich, announced this week that after a two-year lay off, the Maximum Fighting Championship is finally set to return. The organization is planning on holding MFC 8 in Edmonton, Alberta in conjunction with TKO. This partnership between the two organizations had been the source of widespread discussion throughout Canada’s MMA community several years ago, before the MFC dropped off the radar screen in 2003.
After numerous successes for Pavelich in 2001 and 2002, the MFC had risen to the top of MMA promotions in Canada, joining Quebec’s TKO at the pinnacle of Canadian organizations. MFC 7, May 31, 2003 in Slave Lake, Alberta, however was poorly attended, and the MFC did not hold events in 2004 or 2005.
With this new partnership now finally materializing, the MFC is planning on holding events sometime this year.
Promoter Ken Kupsch who worked with King of the Cage to bring the event to Edmonton, Alberta this past spring, also announced this week that KOTC would be returning to the capital city in September.
