Fickett, McKee Slated for Lightweight Title Bout at MFC 28

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Former UFC talent Drew Fickett has signed a multi-fight contract with Canadian promotion Maximum Fighting Championship and will debut at MFC 28 “Supremacy,” squaring off with champion Antonio McKee for the MFC lightweight title.

The promotion on Wednesday announced the signing of Fickett, and Sherdog.com has confirmed with sources close to the fight that McKee will be his first opponent. The bout is expected to be officially announced shortly.

The event -- which goes down Feb. 25 at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- will be headlined by a bout between Ryan Jimmo and Dwayne Lewis for the vacant MFC light heavyweight title.

Fickett has been fighting since 1999 and holds a career mark of 40-13, including 29 victories by way of submission. The 31-year-old made his UFC debut in 2005, losing to Nick Diaz by technical knockout. The Southwest MMA product would go on to have a relatively successful career in the Octagon, however, earning a 4-3 record with the promotion before moving on in 2007.

After losing seven of eight fights between 2008 and 2009, Fickett experienced a resurgence in 2010. The “Night Rider” won four consecutive bouts last year, three of which came during Shine Fights’ eight-man lightweight grand prix in September. To win the tournament, Fickett submitted Charles Bennett, Dennis Bermudez and Carlo Prater in a single night, all inside of the first round.

“No one can beat me now,” Fickett said in a press release. “Mentally, I burned out and I didn’t really want to fight. Now I have a renewed passion for the sport and I have a re-invigorated spirit. I’m going to choke people out and people are going to get hurt. I’m coming to the MFC and I’m going to win the belt. It’s going to be awesome.”

McKee was recently released by the UFC after his first Octagon outing resulted in a defeat at the hands of Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125. McKee will now compete less than a month after his first loss in nearly eight years. The 40-year-old judo brown belt holds notable victories over Mike Dolce, Luciano Azevedo and Prater, and owns 18 of his 25 career victories by decision.