After one of the most anticipated title fights on Canadian soil, what now
becomes of the participants in the showdown for the MFC world light
heavyweight title?

  In Roger Hollett, the MFC can't ask for a better champion - someone who is willing to defend his title against anyone set in front of him. It's a good bet he'll be at MFC 14 putting his championship on the line. And despite his home town being all the way across the country, Hollett has quickly become a fan favourite in not only the MFC's home territory of Edmonton but he's truly a national icon as well. I'll bet he develops the same cult following when he defends his title in new places as well when the MFC hits the west coast and the U.S. in 2008.
 
Much of that iconic status can be credited to a pair of features on
Sportsnet that captured the champion in training and then in the 36 hours
leading up (and the hour or so after) the MFC title fight. So what if he's
not the most-outgoing interview - Roger's likeable demeanor and willingness
to take part in a project that boosted the profile of himself, the MFC and
the sport of MMA in Canada went a long way. In fact, Hollett gained a huge
thumb's up from the Sportsnet crew.

  As important, though, especially to fight fans who probably don't care as
much about things like profile and mainstream media attention is the fact
that Hollett wins and wins in style. People love seeing knockouts and
Hollett provides them.

  Is he unbeatable? No. There are small holes that can be exploited and he's
never been tested by: A) another KO artist or B) going into the second,
third or later rounds. Trick is, however, to get him there. Pretty tough to
see if a guy's got the gas to go 15 or 20 minutes if you're picking up your
own chiclets after two minutes.

  While Hollett's stock soars, Victor Valimaki's plummets. It's a hard fall
for the former champ and two-time former UFC competitor. Unfortunately,
Victor took himself out of the fight early on - at least on a mental front.
Without getting into too many specific details, he got into an untimely
debate over his contract only a few hours before he was to get into the ring
and defend his title. One would assume if he had any concerns they would
have been brought up much earlier - if not in the weeks leading up to the
fight, how about at the meeting he had with his manager regarding a rematch
clause for the Hollett fight a full two days before MFC 13.

  And again without getting into a lot of messy details, Victor unfortunately
has out-of-ring issues which are clouding him up. I have a tremendous amount
of respect for Victor having known him since my first days working in the
MFC which co-incited with Victor's first win and a blossoming career. I
personally like Victor, but he needs to get a lot of things in his life back
on track if he has the desire to regain his elite standing. That may be the
most pressing question - does he have that burning desire, the same one that
he had in dominating wins over Jason Day and Jarred Kilkenny, but then was
extinguished in losses to Hollett and Alessio Sakara?

  The Sportsnet crews who followed Victor in the hours leading up noticed a
lot and questioned afterwards his state of preparedness and focus. Plus
Victor's unwillingness to work with them (not entirely his own fault as
others who had no business doing so were influencing some decisions) damaged
his reputation. Entering the ring for the title fight, the champ didn't
exactly have home-town advantage as Hollett earned just as loud a response
during the introduction. No question Victor answered the bell well, cracking
Hollett with a good right but from there it was all downhill.

  Immediately after the fight speaking to the Sportsnet camera in the locker
room, Victor admitted he didn't prepare properly and didn't have the fire
inside him that he needed for the fight. Unbelievable. A win would have put
him back on the right path if not for a return to the UFC at least to retain
his belt and have some big paydays ahead.

  What happens to him now is anyone's guess. A rematch with Hollett? Perhaps,
but it's not a done deal by any means. Maybe more than anything Victor needs
to get a lot of things in his life in order. He's a classy pro when his head
is on straight, but as seen in his recent setbacks when he's off, he's an
unmissable target.

  And now for some other random thoughts in the wake of a huge MFC show and a
pair of UFC cards .

  Talk about a guy getting his name out of the mud in heartbeat. Mike Gates
weighed in heavy for his fight at MFC 13 - a mistake that didn't look too
favourably on his preparation. He then redeemed himself in the best way
possible with a very impressive win. Watch for him becoming a serious
welterweight threat and title challenger in the near future . Similar
situation for Ryan Heck. Continued winning ways and looking as good as he
did at MFC 13 will put him in line for the lightweight championship . And
speaking of lightweights, watch for Ryan "The Kid" McGillivray to go back up
to welterweight following his narrow decision loss to Donald Sanchez, who
just may be one or two fights away from meeting Heck or Fabio Holanda for
the lightweight crown.

  I've seen some pretty slick things both live and televised in the MMA world.
Jason MacDonald's two submission wins in the UFC are at the top of my
favourites and after watching Roger Huerta use the big screen to throw
behind-his-back elbows he's moved into the upper echelon. However, I'm
curious to see how Huerta fares against better opposition. The so-called
poster boy for Sports Illustrated cover won't shed that image until he beats
one of the upper tier fighters . Not since Georges St. Pierre laid a lickin'
on Matt Hughes have I come out of my chair faster than when Patrick Cote
rocked Kendall Groves' world with a big right. No one deserved a win more
than Patrick, one of the most likeable guys I've come across in the sport
and someone who should seriously look into promoting and commentating when his fighting career concludes. And no one deserved a devastating loss more than Groves, who evidently spent too much time calling out Jason MacDonald than preparing for Patrick Cote. My hope would be that both Jason and Patrick are on UFC shows together in the near future - "The TUF Killers"
burning out more and more reality show "stars" . And speaking of reality
show "stars" the shine is off Michael Bisping. He didn't deserve his victory
over Matt Hamill and certainly shouldn't have flicked Hamill away with a "go
back to wrestling" comment after such a disputed win. He's cocky and brash
with things to say - all good. But to be that way after a wretched hometown
decision isn't cock or brash. It's just stupid.