NEWS
5
1
James Brydon, Sportsnet.ca
Dwayne (D-Bomb) Lewis dealt with a lot of pent-up frustration over the past year.
The light-heavyweight fighter from Fort McMurray, Alta., had a glorious chance to capture a championship last February when he was matched up against Ryan Jimmo for the Maximum Fighting Championship’s vacant 205-pound belt.
He was riding a two-fight win streak and had won nine of his last 10 fights, all by TKO — his only defeat was a three-round decision loss to former title-holder Emanuel Newton.
Then two weeks prior to the fight, the 36-year-old who normally trains at Bowman’s MMA, his home gym in Fort McMurray, suffered a back injury while doing part of his camp at Roufusport MMA in Milwaukee. It didn’t knock him out of the fight, but it did hamper his chances. Big-time.
“I came back (from Milwaukee) a week earlier (than planned), and for the last two weeks of my camp before my fight, all I could do was some light swimming and hot tub and chiropractic work. I could barely walk,” Lewis said. “By fight night, we just jumped in there and I did the best I could with what was going on.”
Lewis hung in for two-plus rounds, but with his mobility severely restricted, Lewis took significant damage from the striking of Jimmo, his fellow Canadian opponent who was on a 13-fight win streak of his own, while he searched for a knockout blow that would never come. Midway through the third round, the referee was forced to stop the bout due to a huge bulge under Lewis’s left eye that left it swollen shut, and Jimmo was awarded a TKO victory.
The eye injury went away relatively quickly. But the back injury — an earlier MRI had revealed a number of issues, the biggest being a herniated disc — was what had cost him.
“I probably should have pulled out of the fight, but I have no regrets, it was my choice to jump in there with that injury; and up until the eye injury, I thought I was doing pretty well,” Lewis said. “There were still a lot of things that I wanted to do that I couldn’t do. But I think the biggest part was mental; mentally going in there with an injury like that kind of hampers you.”
Since that fight in Edmonton, Jimmo went on to successfully defend his MFC belt twice and was recently signed by the UFC. Lewis went on to spend the better part of the next year simply trying to get back on the mats. (more…)
6
6
Co-main event between Gouveia and Lewis locked and loaded
MFC Staff
Maximum Fighting Championship Owner/President Mark Pavelich stripped Antonio McKee of his lightweight belt after the longtime veteran weighed in seven pounds over the limit for his scheduled title fight against Brian Cobb on Friday night.
The McKee-Cobb encounter will now be a three-round, non-title affair at a catchweight as the co-headliner of MFC 32: Bitter Rivals emanating from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and live on HDNet Fights starting at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation).
McKee (26-4-2) stepped off the scale at 162 pounds, resulting in the forfeiture of his title. Cobb (19-6) was also over the allowable 155-pound mark, albeit by just a half-pound.
“I am extremely disappointed and incredibly frustrated by the fact that McKee missed weight by such a ridiculous amount,” said Pavelich. “That’s completely unacceptable, particularly for a fighter with the years’ of experience that he has in this sport.
“The MFC has taken his belt and he won’t ever wear it again.”
There was far less drama in the other half of the co-main event as Wilson Gouveia (12-8) look very comfortable stepping off the scale at 204 pounds, and his opponent Dwayne Lewis (12-7) stood tall at 205 pounds. Welterweight rivals Nathan Coy (9-4) and Dhiego Lima (6-0) provided the most fireworks at the weigh-in as they went nose-to-nose before being separated.
The winners of the Coy-Lima and Diego Bautista-Ryan McGillivray fights have been assured a shot at the MFC welterweight championship. (more…)
3
2
By Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
It happened in an instant. A training partner’s knee connected with Ryan (The Kid) McGillivray’s face during a routine sparring session last July.
The 25-year-old welterweight from Edmonton didn’t think much of it at the time. But those watching at Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., saw it differently.
“I knew it hit me pretty good and I was bleeding,” McGillivray recalled. “There were a couple of guys sitting at the ring watching and they looked at me with a little bit of awe on their face.
I’m like ‘I know it’s bleeding.’ And they were like “No, your face is sideways.’ Then I took a little jaunt over to the mirror and then I knew pretty quickly that something was wrong.”
McGillivray (11-5-1) jumped on a plane for Edmonton and had surgery the next day. A September fight was ruled out but, his broken beak restored, he returns to action Friday night against American Diego Bautista (7-0) at “MFC 32: Bitter Rivals.”
McGillivray, who had a stint in the UFC last year, will be making his 11th Maximum Fighting Championship appearance.
The card at Edmonton’s Mayfield Trade Centre features Dwayne (D-Bomb) Lewis (12-7) of Fort McMurray, Alta., against former UFC veteran Wilson Gouveia (12-8) in the first five-round non-title fight in the MFC’s 12-year history.
The co-main event pits 40-year-old MFC lightweight champion Antonio (Mandingo) McKee (26-4-2) against Brian (The Bandit) Cobb (19-6).
The Bautista fight is the first for McGillivray since last June when he lost a decision to Shamar Bailey in the live finale to Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
The Canadian acquitted himself well on the reality TV show, before losing to eventual winner Tony Ferguson in the quarter-finals.
While unhappy at Bailey’s “lay-and-pray” approach in the season finale fight, McGillivray says the loss prompted him to work more on his wrestling to become more of a complete fighter. (more…)
3
2
McKee sticks chin out for Cobb
By Derek Van Diest, Edmonton Sun
EDMONTON – It’s not often an MFC fighter goes into a bout hoping to get punched in the face.
But without a lot of built up animosity towards his opponent heading into the main event at MFC 32 — Bitter Rivals card Friday at the Mayfield Conference Centre, Antonio McKee hopes Brian Cobb helps bring out the warrior in him.
“This is a normal fight for me, the only difference is that I like my opponent this time,” said McKee, following a media conference on Wednesday. “It’s funny to see me fighting someone that I like, but I’m sure I’m going to put my chin out there and let him hit it a couple of times and then I’ll be able to go into that mode, and then we’re going to have some fun and fireworks are going to spark.”
McKee, 42, goes into the bout as the MFC lightweight champion. The Los Angeles native has a record of 26-4-2 and has just lost once in 17 outings since 2003.
In Cobb, 31, McKee will be facing an opponent with a 19-6 record who hails from Bakersfield, Calif., and is currently on a four-fight winning streak that includes an impressive victory over Drew Fickett in MFC 30.
“I did a little research on Brian and he’s a very good wrestler,” said McKee. “But this isn’t wrestling, this is MFC.
“I think I have a little bit more strength when it comes to my MFC abilities than his. I’m definitely stronger and think he knows that by looking at my core, but he has a lot of leverage. I’ll be looking to bust down his core. I’m a very methodical fighter, I’m a very technical fighter. I’m going out there to win the fight.
“But I think it’s going to be a standup fight. I think we’re both going to go out there and sock the (crap) out of each other.”
Cobb is looking forward to his shot at the title, which he earned with the win over Fickett.
“I’m excited to be back in MFC, I think beating Drew Fickett certainly warranted me getting a title shot,” said Cobb. “I think we match up real well together. He’s a southpaw and I’m orthodox so the striking thing will be a little different. But my last few opponents have been left-handed.
“We also both have good wrestling, we both have solid jujitsu and jujitsu defence. We’re both technically sound, so I think you’re going to see a high-paced technical fight.” (more…)
4
3
By Derek Van Diest, Edmonton Sun
EDMONTON – Ryan McGillivray is home, back to where it all started.
The local mixed martial arts fighter is once again competing under the MFC banner and will be part of the Bitter Rivals event taking place Friday at the Mayfield Conference Centre.
“This is where I started my career, I had my very first fight here,” said McGillivray. “I think I’ve had between 10 or 12 fights here and I have a lot of good memories of my time here.”
McGillivray left the MFC circuit for a while in what he called a “business decision.” He went on to be part of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs Team dos Santos TV reality series, where he made it to the quarterfinals.
He’s back competing under MFC president Mark Pavelich’s organization a more polished fighter.
“At the time when I left, I was a young fighter and made decisions that were probably better for my career at the time,” he said. “But I think this is the perfect time for me to come back.”
McGillivray will square off against Diego Bautista, who is bringing a 7-0 record to his MFC debut. (more…)
