Theres just something about heavyweight fighters that instinctively draws attention.

Would anyone care if a former NCAA champion and former WWE champion decided to jump head-first into MMA if he wasnt six-foot-four and 275 pounds? Probably not so much, but because its Brock Lesnar, who moves like a middleweight and has light-tower power, hes an instant smash (no pun intended).

Not all that long ago, the Maximum Fighting Championship set out to re-ignite its own heavyweight division. It wasnt the easiest of tasks to take hold of, but one that was required out of necessity. First of all, it was vital to fill another belt not with just any run-of-the-mill fighter but one with some decent credentials (theres very little worse than two guys with a combined number of wins totaling four vying for a major title).

But perhaps even more important that filling the championship slot, getting heavyweights on board was something that fans gravitate to. Heavyweights just have a magnetic force about them. For the most part, the big boys arent overly graceful, theyre not too fleet of foot, some have punching power but surprising for their size there are a lot who dont have a KO in them. Yet, put two guys weighing in at 240+ pounds and who stand six-foot-three and up and youve got an instant formula for audience appeal.

When the MFC insiders decided to put some seasoned salt and pepper on the heavyweight ranks, we werent actually sure what and who we had in mind. It was simply a matter of getting suitable guys in the mix. And a funny thing happened along the way it worked exactly how the appeal of heavyweights should.

The very first of these mass-ive appeal fights was the recruitment of Adam Braidwood into the MMA game. The CFL standout has such a charisma and aura about him that it was a steal of deal for both the MFC and Canadian MMA as a whole with unquestionably the most mainstream media presence ever for a card (MFC 11: Gridiron). And his opponent, Ryan Jimmo was no slouch either as a former Canadian champion and Pan-Am Games medalist in karate.

More on both Braidwood and Jimmo in a bit.

Scott Junk versus Dominic Richard was the next of big-boy showdowns and was a memorable tilt that saw ringside tempers flare, bad blood boil over and eventually a dominating verdict. For its raw emotion and crazy circumstances, it will be remembered exactly what you want out of a heavyweight title fight. How many fight stories have you heard that begin with Remember when and it seems a vast majority of those recall a heavyweight encounter.

Junk returned to get his shot at the title belt at MFC 12 and while the fight had a bit of a bizarre ending, MMA fans had a sight to see. Junk stepped on the scales at 262 pounds while fellow contender Jimmy Ambriz topped out at 274 pounds. Never before had two animals of this size faced each other in the MFC and the power that they generated in teeing off on each other in the opening stages of their fight had the crowd buzzing.

And now as MFC 14 approaches, two more heavyweights begin to factor in, well, largely. Jimmo returns to the MFC smarter, sharper and more focused on his game plan. He admitted to being a little unsure of where he wanted to go and thus not entirely committed to reaching the goals he could accomplish. He comes back ready to climb the heavyweight ladder and hes definitely not taking a gimme fight as that climb begins.

Nick Penner will easily assert himself as a possible threat to Junks crown with a win over Jimmo. Penner has a great background in muay thai/kickboxing fighting and has shown a knack for reacting quickly when a submission presents itself. For Penner, it will likely boil down to whether he can handle the power and size of Jimmo. The Halifax native felt the wrath of Braidwood but Penner isnt likely to generate the same kind of overwhelming striking. Penner may have an edge in the clinch and will have to inflict damage there to have a chance.

This fight could come down to which of these fighters can beat out the other in two separate areas. The first is kicks. Jimmo as a karate dynamo has that down pat and Penner is good to go there as well (anyone in need of proof need only find video of his muay thai KO kick victory it is a keeper). The other area is submissions. As noted Penner is developing that part of his game and Jimmo has good coaching there as well. If this goes to the ground its up for grabs. But I have a suspicion that standing is where both guys want it and thats precisely what the fans want too two behemoths with granite in the fists and feet squaring off.

I promised to get back to Braidwood. His knee injury suffered in the last home game of the Eskimos season will keep him out of MMA for the entire football off-season.

Its not the rehab and physio that Im upset about. Im mad that I wont be able to fight, he said recently. But while he wont be active as far as an official fight, Braidwood intends on keeping his training up and hell be back as soon as he can.

And he already has an opponent or two in mind.

If Penner beats Jimmo, then Ill take him on. And I want to fight (Steve) Bosse. So what if hes fighting regularly and I cant. I dont care. Ill fight him any time. And if Rob Murphy (of the B.C. Lions) wants to fight, Id fight him too.

READY FOR HIGH ROLLERS: With the countdown to MFC 14 about to start, Im particularly interested in a couple of fights. Obviously the buzz generated by the Shonie Carter vs. Brad Zazulak bout makes that one of particular interest (P.S. thanks for the free advertising) and I really like the clash of styles in that one the flamboyant Carter against the straightforward Zazulak.

But another bout has really captured my attention. Its the lightweight scrap between Donald Sanchez and Ryan Heck. First off, there arent two more polite and sportsmanlike competitors than these two, but they both will come ready for war. I have a belief that these two are going to bring out the best in each other and this fight could potentially steal the show.

Both will be looking for submissions. Heck will need to avoid the point-producing leg kicks that Sanchez racked up against Ryan McGillivray. Sanchez lost some ground being susceptible to takedowns and Heck must push for those and then follow with ground and pound. The winner takes a big step down the MFC lightweight title path.

LESNAR DEBUT: Ive had the opportunity to speak with Brock Lesnar a couple times in the past. To say hes an intense individual is an understatement. And to take on Frank Mir first time out in the UFC is a gutsy move because while Mir is a shadow of his former championship self, he is very tricky and way more advanced in submissions that Lesnar will ever be. That said, I still think Lesnar, given some time to grow (metaphorically speaking) in the sport will become a top-10 threat.

THE COMEBACK: Ryan McGillivray sure isnt dwelling on his loss to Sanchez at MFC 13. Formerly 5-0 on his msn messenger handle, he is now Comeback is ALIVE! And like Lesnar he isnt taking an easy one as McGillivray faces undefeated Stjepan Vujnovic. The Kid will work his way back into the elite of the MFCs welterweight mix by beating Vujnovic in what is likely to be a tussle settled by whose ju-jitsu is better.

There isnt a TKO or KO among either fighters record so a stand-up war is the last thing to expect. Its hardly do or die for either guys career but its clearly more of a must-win for McGillivray who needs to rebound from two under-achieving performances two straight decisions that saw him win one with a judges split and the other unanimously going to Sanchez. A little dose of aggression is something McGillivray needs to find.