They are incredible athletes whom I respect a great deal.

I just wish that they’d treat themselves as professionally as I’d like them to.

It’s so much better than it was say two years ago but the room for improvement is immense. And just by following some helpful hints, reading itineraries and presenting themselves as pros, the fighters would soon realize the dividends. The most obvious of the rewards – sponsorship.

There are entrepreneurs and companies out there with money falling out of their pockets. Fighters are meeting the criteria half way. They look the role but too often they fall short in talking to the media and even speaking about themselves in a press conference. Why is it so many great fighters are developing in Canada but they’re not developing on the side of professionalism?

How come they just don’t get that press conferences, weigh-ins and fight nights are their times to shine and that by following some instruction they’ll all end up looking better for it? These guidelines aren’t there for the staff to look good or to make us look like we’re trying to steal the fighters’ thunder.

Can you imagine how many potential sponsors would start lining up if they would start seeing all fighters – main eventers down to prelim guys – speak up in front of a microphone with some conviction (and guys, you don’t have to use four-letter words to amp up your fight - hype is possible without swearing), dress smartly when the cameras are on and come to fight night looking like Joe Sakic and not Joe Hillbilly.

HIGH ENERGY: MFC 12 – High Stakes turned out to be quite a night. That should be expected by now as the shows are always fast-packed and full of adrenaline.

Working inside the ring area and backstage, there are always highs and lows prior to the show and during as well. Thankfully there were many more highs than lows at High Stakes.

The crowd, obviously, was fantastic and they really seemed keyed up by the atmosphere created in the Shaw Conference Centre. And clearly there were some top-notch fights especially the terrific matchup between Ryan McGillivray and Graydon Tannas. That will definitely be a candidate for Canadian Fight of the Year as the two took part in a true Battle of Alberta with McGillivray pulling out a close decision.

The loss of the Victor Valimaki/Marcus Hicks fight was a downer for sure. Unfortunately I saw the whole thing coming. Myself and fellow MFC staffer Mike Brown watched Hicks deliver two vicious punches into the mat during his warmup. It was truly unbelievable to watch a guy literally throw his golden gift-wrapped opportunity away with such a stupid display. And then to go and ask for medical help when he knew there had to be a least a likelihood that a doctor would not allow him to fight was mind-boggling.

I don’t believe for a second he would have stood a chance against Valimaki, but to do such a good job of building up the fight and then do something so dumb just doesn’t make any sense.

I can’t wait to see Valimaki against Roger Hollett. I don’t think there will be a better main event in Canada this year. If Valimaki wins, he again proves all the doubters wrong. If Hollett wins, it’s a virtual sure-thing that he gets a ticket to the UFC. It’s hard to place a bet right now – Valimaki will have home-town crowd advantage and experience edge, but Hollett is on a tear (just ask Shane Biever, if the ringing in his ears is gone after that KO punch). The winner is going to be the guy who gets the best training in beforehand.

SEEN AND NOTICED: If he gets his adrenaline under control and throws smarter punches with all his natural power, Ryan Ford could really become a top Canadian at 170 in a short time period. His ground defence is solid already – a sign of his training with Jason MacDonald … You heard it here first, Calgary’s Andrew Buckland will be a force at light heavyweight very soon … It’s a shame he’s taking the summer off because a busier schedule would be perfect to see just how good Josh Kyrejto could be.

SAW IT FIRSTHAND: Too bad that the MFC heavyweight title fight ended with some controversy, but two things are obvious. Scott Junk will be a legit contender in the near future. And as odd as Jimmy Ambriz seems, he’s one tough opponent – just too bad his record tailed off with lack of training as he could have done some big things.

WATCH AND WAIT: Expect some news on Jason MacDonald’s next UFC bout very soon. Since Patrick Cote is tabbed to fight Kendall Grove (another potential victim of the TUF Killer) a good guess is JMac gets Yushin Okami. I’ll be a double-dip homer by picking Cote (upset special by ground and pound) and MacDonald (slick triangle) to win their fights.